Since the early ‘90s, Gerard Farrell has been involved in the magazine industry. Working for names like The New Yorker, Rolling Stone and Allure, Farrell has seen both sides of the industry while working in editorial and business departments. But it wasn’t until the rise and fall of Condé Nast Portfolio that the Farmingdale resident brainstormed the idea for writing his own novel.
“I always knew that I wanted to work on a bigger scope than short humor,” said Farrell who has had his humorous creative writing pieces published in the literary anthology The Man Who Ate His Book and the literary website Ducts. “In terms of a novel, I always knew it was a goal. It was a long-term goal of mine.”
Released in July 2018, Farrell’s novel, The Last Thunk, mirrors his own experiences in the industry. The book is set in the magazine world in a pre-recession era where wild amounts of money are thrown at a publication and rapidly sends it into a downward spiral. Fictional star publisher, Mitch Blake, must deal with the repercussions of a heavily hyped publication crashing and burning, all while dealing with fellow staff member, Paul Cavanaugh.
“I’m certainly proud of achieving [publishing my own novel], but it really has been the reception,” said Farrell of what has been most rewarding about the publishing experience. “Every writer, you want people to enjoy your work, and I’ve been getting such good feedback. It’s really been rewarding to have the validation of the creative effort.”
Farrell started his novel with two chapters in 2015, and after attending a pitch conference where he received advice and constructive criticism, the novel took shape some more, he said. By the end of 2016, into 2017, the first draft “really just spilled out of me pretty quickly once I knew where I wanted to go with the book.”
For those aspiring to write their own novel, Farrell emphasizes being yourself.
“Have faith that what’s inside of you creatively is completely different than the writer to the left or right of you,” he said.
Since August, Farrell traveled around the northeast on a promotional tour for The Last Thunk. Across Long Island, he did readings at places such as Rockville Centre’s Turn of the Corkscrew and Book Revue in Huntington.
To learn more about Gerard Farrell, visit www.ggfarrell.com. You can find The Last Thunk on Amazon.com, and BarnesAndNoble.com.
