Q & A with Frank Galgay

1. Who is your favourite author(s)?

My favourite authors are James Joyce and Thomas Merton.

2. What are you reading now?

Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 by Steve Coll. The other book is Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 by Tony Judt.

3. When do you like to write (time of day, day of week)? Where do you do your writing (location)?

I like to write in the evening in the quiet and solitude of my study.

4. What other jobs have you had besides being a writer?

My writings in the past were done on a part time basis because of my professional career as a teacher, principal, and Superintendent of Education before I retired in 1997. I serve in my third term as a full-time councillor with the City of St. John's.

5. What was your first piece in print (book, review, or article, etc)?

My first experience in writing was as writer and editor of the newspaper Northern Light, a short lived weekly newspaper in Labrador City in 1963-64. I wrote an article on the Whaling Industry for the Newfoundland Quarterly in the Fall of 1963. I served as Editor of the NTA Bulletin and Journal with the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers Association in 1967-68. I have written for a number of newspapers and magazines over the years and authored and co-authored thirteen books relating to various topics in Newfoundland and Labrador.

6. What do you like to do in your free time?

My wife and I like to walk, travel, and spend time with our grandchildren.

7. What is your favourite food?

I am somewhat eclectic when it comes to food. However I am biased towards all kinds of seafood.

8. What kind of music do you listen to?

At this stage in my life I prefer classical music and periodically enjoy some nostalgic Gregorian Chant, which soothes the soul.

9. What city/country would you most like to visit and why?

I would like to visit Japan, where my daughter worked for two years, and Australia, where one of my sons is now working.

10. Make a question of your own and then answer it.

What would you like to do when you completely retire?

When I completely retire, I would like to write an historical novel within a Newfoundland setting. This would take considerable time, concentration, and solitude in order to bring it to fruition. If the good Lord gives me the time, that would be my goal.