Kevin Barry O’Connor is a 72-year-old debut novelist and lifelong storyteller who launched his fiction career at 70. After traveling to more than 90 countries as a touring performer, motivational speaker, and business leader, Kevin turned to writing to explore the deeper connections between history, memory, and identity.
His Key Murphy Ancestral Memory Thrillers blend real-world history, folklore, and speculative science into page-turning adventures that celebrate the human spirit and our shared past. Kevin lives by the motto: it’s never too late to chase the stories that won’t let you go.
About The Book of Kells
A secret buried in time. A gift he can’t explain. A chase across centuries.
Philadelphia police consultant Key Murphy has always felt a little different, haunted by flashes of memory that aren’t his. When those visions intensify, he discovers a shocking truth: he carries the memories of his ancestors. His search for answers leads him across the world, from Philadelphia to Jamaica to the misty hills of Ireland, in pursuit of a lost artifact tied to The Book of Kells. Alongside anthropologist Arin Murphy, Key unravels a mystery that stretches across generations, but powerful forces are determined to keep the past buried.
Praised by Kirkus Reviews as “a thriller that will be pleasing to any fan of The Da Vinci Code,” The Key to Kells is a genre-blending adventure of history, mystery, and ancestral memory.
The interview
Why do you write in the genre that you do?
Thrillers give me the chance to explore big ideas by putting characters under pressure. If I wrote an essay about a theory, no one would care, but when the same idea unfolds as a life-or-death mystery, readers lean in. Thrillers let me hide philosophy inside adrenaline.
Do you keep a notebook of ideas?
I should, but I don’t. When an idea really takes hold, it refuses to leave me alone. It starts following me around until I have no choice but to write it.
Do you have a muse?
My muse is a question: How did we get from the Great Migration out of Africa 70,000 years ago to where we live today? There are a million stories inside that one question, threads that connect us all.
Are you more a fan of plot-driven stories or character-driven stories?
In a truly good story, you can’t tell the difference. The best books make plot and character inseparable. I lean slightly plot-first but always strive for that seamless blend where one drives the other.
Fill in the blank: “People will like your book if they like stories about…”
Stories that blend genres, mixing science, history, and mystery in a single chase for truth.
What are your thoughts on typewriters?
Beautiful to look at, romantic to imagine, but I can’t see myself pounding out a novel on one. I prefer my fingers and my sanity intact.
Would you rather own a bookstore or run a library?
A bookstore. I love the energy of helping people find the right story and the way it turns neighbors into friends. Though I suspect librarians have their own kind of magic.
How do you name your characters?
I often choose names based on cultural origin and meaning. I learned the hard way not to make them too complicated. Readers remember heart and humanity more than spelling.
What’s your favorite website to promote your writing?
My website. My little corner of the internet where all the adventures begin.
If Hollywood bought the rights to your book, would you want a movie or a series?
Every writer’s dream! I’d lean toward a series so there’s room for all the layers, but I certainly wouldn’t complain about a film.
Who’s your dream audiobook narrator?
Keanu Reeves. He’s got that grounded, haunted calm that would fit Key Murphy perfectly.
Do you try to hit a certain word count in each writing session?
Not really. I set a timer instead. Once I’m in the world, the words take care of themselves, and I usually go far past the alarm.
Do you have any writing rituals?
Before writing, I scroll through a few comedy clips. A good laugh clears my head and gets me out of my own way.
What are your passions outside of writing?
Music and travel. Both feed my imagination and remind me how connected we all are.
Have you made any public appearances to promote your book?
A few, mostly book signings so far. I’d love to do more. Meeting readers face to face never gets old.
Who would you most want to read your book, living or dead?
Bono. My first novel explores the Ireland and Jamaica connection, something he’s spoken about often. I think he’d appreciate the story behind the story.
Who’s on your Mount Rushmore of authors?
Louise Penny for compassion, Patrick Rothfuss for lyricism, Kate Quinn for emotional depth, and Ken Follett for scope and craft.
What’s your favorite bookish possession?
A metal silhouette of a writer at a typewriter, my name cut into it, sitting on a wooden base that says “Author.” Given to me by my son.
Have you ever mentored another writer?
Yes, in small workshops and conversations.
Has a non-writer ever given you an idea that made it into your work?
Sort of. I once attended a talk by physicist Brian Cox, and some of his ideas found their way into my third book. Inspiration hides everywhere.
What’s the most unusual way a story idea has come to you?
Seeing my DNA results. That sparked a hundred questions and eventually, an entire series.
Are you a big reader?
Absolutely. These days most of my library lives on Kindle and Audible.
Have you ever gone away to write?
Yes, several times. Changing scenery changes perspective. The work deepens when I step outside my normal life.
What’s an annoying thing non-writers assume about writing?
That the first book you write is probably terrible. It might be, but that’s not the point. The only way to get better is to keep going.
How do you measure the success of your writing career?
As an indie author, sales come slowly, so I measure success by desire, by whether I still want to sit down and write. I’m on my fourth book and still loving every minute. That, to me, is success.
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