The Society for the Remarkable Suicide is about to be launched and while we are very excited to be getting our hands on a copy of the book, not everyone sees the story for what it really is and have begun an attack on it and the writer. Stephen Coffey, an Irish writer known for his work in children’s literature is the man behind it all and we’re lucky enough to catch him for a few minutes to talk about it all, the good, the bad and everything else in between.
It’s a sweltering day in Dublin and having never met or seen a picture of Stephen we weren’t sure what to expect but from the topic on which the book is based we expected someone all in dark clothing with a dreary disposition and a chip on his shoulder – so we judged the author by his books cover! We couldn’t have been more wrong, Stephen is in fact one of the cheeriest and upbeat fellows we’ve ever had the privilege of meeting and after a short walk to a quiet pub we settle in for one of the most fascinating conversations we’ve ever had… after all how often do we get to discuss comics, literature, video games and taboos on a sunny Friday afternoon!
Can you start by telling us a little bit about yourself?
Dublin born and raised, I started writing when I was ten. I didn’t go out, I didn’t have many friends, I just stayed in and wrote poetry which I thought was really deep then I’d turn around and play Atari for sixteen hours!
How did you get into writing?
I grew up as the ‘fat kid’, didn’t have many friends so I stayed at home watched TV and wrote. I was bullied so I wrote about that, you know, I’d write pretty dark stuff, like stuff I wanted to do to the bullies and working that into a story. Of course as a ten year old that means you end up getting watched very carefully!
Your latest book, ‘The Society for the Remarkable Suicide’ is about to launch, are you nervous?
I’m always nervous and it’s always for the same two reasons. The first being whether people will actually like the book and the second being the financial. It’s a pretty big financial investment in bringing this one out but so far I’ve had two very positive reviews of the book so that has helped with my nerves.
Before we get into your new book, can you tell me about your work before the Society?
The first thing I had published was ‘Rosemary Herbb and the Zodiac Ghosts’, which is a children’s book about an eleven year old girl who can see ghosts, it’s kind of like Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Harry Potter. After that publication I wrote an older version of Rosemary where she is twenty and then around the same time I wrote Celtic Knights which is an Irish superhero comic and both of those comics are sold out, after 2,000 prints. Now I’m on Society!
Stephen
What is the Society about?
It’s a group that will help you kill yourself in the most extravagant way possible, there are two people joining the society from two different parts of Dublin city and two separate walks of life, one is an insurance salesman and the other is a Goth chick. Both of them are planning their deaths and through joining the society they meet and they realise that they have reasons to live.
Some people think this is a manual for suicide, people who haven’t read the book won’t know it is an actual love story!
What has response been toward the book? You mentioned two positive reviews but what’s the other reaction been to your work?
Well Facebook have taken down the group page three times now and I’ve yet to get a reason as to why and I was told if I posted more images to the latest page I will be banned. I’ve had threats, I’ve been sent photographs of myself walking through town, and I was emailed some of myself leaving the doctors surgery.
I put my e-mail address for people who had genuine concern or wanted to talk about the book so I could explain to them what it’s about but obviously some people are using it for other means. It’s a bit mental over a book!
But you’re getting really good reviews too?
Yeah the book is getting a lot of good response too. I brought out the script book about two years ago and I remember this girl got in touch with me. Her brother had Parkinson’s disease and he had given up on living but she told him to read the book and he ended up getting help and joining a support group. So the book can have a positive effect on people!
Art by Cormac Hughes
Where’d the idea come from?
Everybody I know has lost someone to suicide, a family member, a friend, we all know it is suicide but no one talks about it. A good friend of mine took his own life, we went to his funeral and nobody talked about it, no one mentioned it and people suffer because of the silence around the issue. The book is about starting a conversation, like the girl who bought the book for her brother, talking about it can help you find a reason to keep going, to live.
Why should someone buy the book?
It is an amazing story and the artwork is phenomenal, Rob Carey and Cormac Hughes both gave a lot of their time and talent and they’ve just done amazing work for the book. The book is different, it’s about something we don’t talk about it and it can bring out different reactions in people and no one is going to interpret it the same way. You might read the book and think that it’s wrong; someone else might read it and think it’s a great love story and another person might see it as a way of understanding their own problems.
A friend of mine described the book as ‘It’s a Wonderful Life meets Fight Club’ and I thought it was the best way to sum it up.
What’s next?
I haven’t stopped writing there is so much on the back catalogue now. Rob Carey is on a story about a deadly assassin who is being hunted down by an Irish merc, Celtic Knights is out again this year, there really is so much to do couple that with the hundreds of ideas going on in my head.
Finally, if you were trapped in Arcade for eternity, what one game would you play to pass the time?
Damn that’s tough! Does it have to be an Arcade game? If not then I’m going to say chess, I mean I’ve been playing it since I was a kid and I still don’t get it. After that, then Halo Reach, I am addicted to it, I tell myself I’m only playing it for an hour and I’ll write for an hour but I end playing Halo for seven and forgetting to write! My Gold Membership is up the end of this month so I won’t be renewing it till I get work done!
The Society for the Remarkable Suicide is being launched Wednesday 20th April 6pm in Dublin City Comics, Bolton Street, Dublin. You can RSVP to the even here: click me!
If you’d like to keep up to date about the book you can follow the official Facebook page here!
We highly encourage everyone to pick up a copy of the book (including postage and packaging, the book is only €7!) and you can do so by emailing: chrestfelt@hotmail.com
Or click here to buy your copy!
For those attending @rcadeCon 2011, you will have the chance to meet with Stephen in person and have him sign your copy!
