Interview with John O' Neill-author of "Kafira"

John O’Neill is an ex-Royal Australian Navy commander, who served most of his naval career as a submarine engineering specialist. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2009 for his work in the community, and he holds a master’s degree in business and technology. O’Neill now works for a government department and lives in Canberra with his wife, Beverley.

John's book

About the Book: In 1981, Kim Il Sung, supreme leader of North Korea, announces he has landed rockets on the moon, claiming the moon for North Korea to the exclusion of every other nation on earth. His claim is not without credence, as Il Sung threatens to unleash a deadly virus if his demands are not met. Shin Min Shu is the ingenious North Korean biomedical scientist who has been forced to develop this virus. 

Kafira Weiss is an Israeli biomedical scientist whose passionate life purpose is to find cures for deadly diseases. This new development with North Korea has her angry but also afraid for the people she loves, and soon, because of her expertise, she becomes personally involved. The CIA believes the United States is being threatened; however, they need proof. How can they be sure of Il Sung’s claims? 

Kafira will be part of a team sent to the space. She will become the first woman to land on the surface of the moon. With trepidation, she agrees to the mission, but wonders, what will she do if Il Jong’s declarations are true? What if Min Shu’s virus is real and able to infect the earth with a deadly disease? Will Kafira be brilliant enough to find a cure in time, or will one man’s greed lead to the end of human life in the universe?
John just recently published his first book "Kafira".  A few days ago,  I had the chance to sit down and interview John in regards to his book and the experience he had, both writing and publishing it.
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Me: Welcome John!  I'm so happy to have you here!

John:  Thank you!

Me:  Kafira is an action/adventure story.  I have to ask you; what inspired you to write the book?

John: Last Xmas in Australia, there was discussion around the table about the Moon Landings in the ‘70’s. I then realized that a woman had never walked on the Moon. All of the Apollo astronauts were men. At the time I thought that the issue would probably make a good book.  I looked up the issue on Google and found that indeed no woman had ever walked on the Moon. I was then inspired.

Me:  After you did the research and finally sat down to write, what did you find the biggest challenge?

John:  I work full time and making time to write my book was a constant challenge. I didn’t set myself a dead line because I didn’t have any idea when it would finish!

Me: This is a self-published book.  Can you tell us why you chose that route versus traditional, and what was your experience like?

 John: This is my first book and the prospect of going through what I was led to believe could be a lengthy process without a certain outcome was not appealing. For less cost the self-publishing approach seemed to be a far better option. It was. It has taken one year from concept to publish as an eBook.

Me: Do you have any advice  for other authors just starting out?

John: Don’t give up. Self-doubt was what kept me from writing a book. Being an Author was certainly not on my list. I wanted to join the Navy, which I did, and served for 29 years as a Submarine Engineering Officer. Serving in a Submarine is an experience in itself and provided more than my share of excitement.  Writing this story was also exciting, and I enjoyed it.

 Me: What other current/future projects do you have in the works?

 John: I am writing my second Book with the working title of “The Two Crowns.” This is a story of the Crown of Thorns that was jammed on the Lord Jesus Christ’s head at his crucifixion. My story will assert that the Crown of Thorns in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is a fake

Me:  Sounds very intriguing!  I look forward it!  What keeps you so motivated to write?

John: What keeps me motivated are the ideas that keep popping into my head as I am writing, that produces an anxiety that I might forget them if I don’t write them down.

Me: Spoken like a true author John! Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule, John!       **************************************************  John's book is available at the following links!  Check it out!!!

 http://bookstore.booktango.com/Products/SKU-000614479/kafira.aspx

    http://www.amazon.com/Kafira-ebook/dp/B00A6B4UG8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354580873&sr=8-1&keywords=Kafira