Eventyr: 12 Unlikely Conversations features quirky stories with haunting characters in a world where the unlikely occurs and the expected does not.
O’Connell said the word ‘fairytales’ was not an entirely accurate description of the stories because there was no unexpected magic.
“The series title Eventyr is a word that can mean both fairytales and adventures in Danish,” he said.
Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOW“I didn’t want to use the English term ‘fairytales’ because that makes me think of Brothers Grimm and the phrase ‘short stories’ makes me think of Ernest Hemingway and I don’t think my stories fit either of those genres exactly.
“I gravitate towards the fantastical because its symbols are the most suitable for communicating my innermost thoughts, desires and fears.”
After years of writing as a hobby, O’Connell found short stories, poetry and plays came more easily to him than other genres.
“I tend to get short, sharp images in my mind and I tend to hear dialogue clearly in my head,” he said.
“If I see a homeless person on a beach, I might imagine him having a conversation with a seagull but I won’t tend to envisage his whole life story and how he got there, which is what a novelist might do.
“I get a clear vision of a moment and what will eventuate and I don’t need hundreds of thousands of words to capture that.”
Illustrated by Lika Kvirikashvili, Eventyr: 12 Unlikely Conversations available at www.andrewoconnell.com.au.