Richard O’Rawe: On Enjoying the Writing Process
Author Richard O’Rawe discusses the process of writing his new crime novel, Goering’s Gold.
Richard O’Rawe is a former IRA operative who was imprisoned for six years—first for bank robbery, and later for political activity—in the Long Kesh penitentiary. During the 1981 hunger strike, which resulted in the death of 10 prisoners, O’Rawe was the IRA’s press officer for the prisoners.
He later wrote a bestselling book about the experience, Blanketmen: An Untold Story of the H-Block Hunger Strike. He also wrote two other books inspired by his experiences in the IRA, Afterlives & In the Name of the Son: The Gerry Conlon Story. O’Rawe lives in Belfast, Ireland.
In this post, Richard discusses the process of writing his new crime novel, Goering’s Gold, his advice for other writers, and more!
Name: Richard O’Rawe
Literary Agent: Coombs Moylett Maclean (London)
Book Title: Goering’s Gold
Publisher: Melville House Publishing LLC
Release date: May 24, 2022
Genre/category: Crime fiction
Previous titles by the author: Blanketmen: An Untold Story of the H-Block Hunger Strike; Afterlives: The Hunger Strike and the Secret Offer that Changed Irish History; In the Name of the Son: The Gerry Conlon Story; Northern Heist
Elevator pitch for the book: Magical Ireland becomes Treasure Island as neo-Nazis, the IRA, Interpol, the Irish government, and underdog, James “Ructions” O’Hare, seek out the tons of Nazi gold that Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering had secreted in Ireland before the end of WWII for a rainy day.
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What prompted you to write this book?
I picked up a book in the library called The Mystery of Hermann Goering’s Suicide by Ben E. Swearingen and after reading it, realized that Goering’s unexplained suicide could be the basis for a book (it is alleged that he received a cyanide tablet from a U.S. guard). The foundation stone for the book is that, in order to bribe the guard, Goering had left the guard his Field Marshal’s baton, which was the key to tons of Nazi gold secreted somewhere in Europe.
Neo-Nazis find out about the baton in 2008 and accordingly, raid the home of Serge Mercier, Ructions O’Hare’s friend. Ructions takes possession of the baton, and the treasure hunt begins.
How long did it take you to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
I had the basic premise of the book about six years ago, but I had other writing commitments that kept pushing it back. Having the actual idea and keeping it in cold storage until the time is right would not be unusual for me.
I find that the story always evolves in the writing, that nothing (except the general premise) is set in stone, that contemporaneous ideas and scene situations dictate the final shape of the book.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
I guess, for me, the biggest surprise was in how much I enjoyed writing it! I love this guy, “Ructions” O’Hare and, when you add him to his lover, Eleanor Proctor, Hermann Goering, the money-launderer, Serge Mercier, “Tiny” Murdoch and the IRA, Neo-Nazis, Interpol, the Irish police, and other individuals, you can create an absorbing panorama.
What do you hope the readers will get out of the book?
I hope the readers enjoy the trip! This book is fun, written to entertain, rather than educate. I just hope the readers can join Master Ructions in his Treasure Island adventure.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Hang in there! You’ll get rejections. All of my books were initially rejected by publishers.
Remember: At the end of the day, a rejection is based on opinion, and another publisher may well have a different opinion. Keep your head up, my friend.
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
