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Gaze reading where the greats drop by trendy authors. Tell us all the who, what, and why. Anyone can listen. Comes we're spoiler free Reading from politic stars to book club picks where the curious minds can get their picks. So you say you're not gay. Well that's okay. There's something for everyone. Gays rating. Hello and welcome to Gay's Reading and this episode of, what Are You Reading? I'm your host, Jason Blitman, and today I talked to the delightful Heather Aimee O'Neill about what she's been reading and learned a little bit about her new book, the Irish Goodbye, which I loved. And it is this month's read with Jenna Book Club Pick. Follow us on social media at gay's reading on Instagram, like, and subscribe wherever you get your podcast so you know when a new episode drops. Yeah. without further ado, here is my conversation with Heather, Amy O'Neill. I.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 1:09

I'm in my childhood bedroom right now because I came, I actually came home to my parents' house. To watch the Today Show for my book

Jason Blitman: 1:21

Yes.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 1:21

announced for to

Jason Blitman: 1:22

Oh my God.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 1:24

But it turned out that my father, who just had back surgery, needed to stay in the city in the hospital for an extra night. So my parents couldn't be here, but they got to watch it on the TV in the hospital, and I got to watch it with my sisters and my wife here

Jason Blitman: 1:42

Oh, that's so cute.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 1:44

Hence the the backdrop.

Jason Blitman: 1:45

The pink walls.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 1:46

bedroom, not my apartment in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.

Jason Blitman: 1:49

You don't have No, no justification needed. Um, I was worried you were gonna say you watched it all by yourself.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 1:55

I don't know if anybody else has this experience, but at my parents' house, like their tv, it's not like you just click it and you turn it on. You like click it and there's like a million. Steps to get from on to where you wanna watch your show and like you would think the Today Show, this is gonna be like the easiest thing to find. It wasn't, we were there, so they have a TV in this little seating area by the kitchen. We were trying to do it there. And then in the in the back room, like in the Living Den area, we were like, running back and forth, we're like on our phones and we couldn't figure it out until I think it was announced at some sometime between eight 30 and eight 40 and we like finally got it on 8 28.

Jason Blitman: 2:40

Oh my God.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 2:41

it was, yeah, it was,

Jason Blitman: 2:42

right. It's like power on turn on the soundbar, turn on the, this change the channel to this thing. Uh, Yeah. And it's like multiple remotes probably.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 2:51

Totally. We joke that my mom like, has set things up so that, we just can't exist without her, because she knows the secrets to it all. And when she's not around, it's like,

Jason Blitman: 3:02

clever. Does she ever say like, gone you're, you're not gonna know what to do?

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 3:08

no.

Jason Blitman: 3:08

appreciate me now?

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 3:11

She's almost 80, she's 78, so she wouldn't want me to say she's almost 80, but she's, yeah, she's a real firecracker. She's got like a ton of energy and she would've had that figured out in a, you know, in a

Jason Blitman: 3:23

Of course she would have, it was probably being recorded anyway, right? Like she'd set it up the night before. So funny. Well, I'm so happy to meet

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 3:33

I'm so happy to meet you. I love your podcast. I listen to it all the time. When I sold my book and we were, I was talking to the marketing team at Holt. I was like, I wanna be on his podcast. He's so much fun. I love, like, well, I love that you have a theater background. We have a mutual friend Jill, um, which I think We just found that out, right?

Jason Blitman: 3:55

We did just find that out,

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 3:56

And my older son, we just dropped him off at Emerson for, he's a freshman there studying theater. And I love that you're like a late late reader, that you've discovered books a little bit later in life and have now you devote so much of your time to spreading the word and especially spreading it from a, queer perspective which we need more of.

Jason Blitman: 4:18

Well, I appreciate that so much. I, um, asked your publicity team to get a copy of your audio book because I, my a DD is can be off the charts when I have a million things on my mind. So I love reading and listening simultaneously. It helps. Keep me on track. So I wrote to them on Friday, like end of day basically, and later that afternoon I was like, let me just start reading. By the time Monday rolled around and listen, they got back to me very swiftly, first thing Monday with the audiobook link. I had already finished it.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 4:56

Oh my gosh. Wow.

Jason Blitman: 4:58

I was like, I devoured the book. Um, I loved it and I'm so excited for people to read it and I can't wait to talk about it. Um, but before we dive in, because this is one of my special bonus episodes, what are you reading? Heather? Amy O'Neill. I have to know, what are you reading and are you reading

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 5:22

Yeah, that's a great question. I'm a teacher and an editor and a writer. And I do s so much of my reading is in the editing and teaching work that I do that my, my sisters are so much they're such better readers than, they've read every book out there. I do a lot of, like reverse reading, you know, like I, I don't know, over the past

Jason Blitman: 5:47

What do you mean?

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 5:48

like I'm reading the Razor's Edge right now, and I just, I love, I think it's just with all of the craziness of the past few years, there's something really about being immersed in another time period, another language, another world. And just to see oh yeah, these people lived through really difficult things and found a way forward, and there's something comforting about that. But so I'm about two chapters away from finishing the Razor's Edge. I don't know if you've read it or any

Jason Blitman: 6:19

have not.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 6:19

w Summerset Mo. He's fantastic. It's a really it's a beautiful book. And so yeah, so I'm about two. Two chapters away from finishing that. I I'm always reading, or not always, but I try to be reading oftentimes a book with my younger son who's 13 and we're currently reading The Curious, the, what is it, the the curious incident of the dog at nighttime.

Jason Blitman: 6:47

yeah.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 6:48

if you've read that, but

Jason Blitman: 6:49

You know, it's funny, I haven't read the book, but I saw the play.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 6:54

I didn't know it was a play.

Jason Blitman: 6:57

So it was adapted into a play. by, uh, the National Theater in London. They commissioned it and it was this gorgeous production and I think there are like clips online in places, so you should definitely check that out.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 7:10

That's really interesting. I, yeah, just being immersed in the point of view of this young boy who, said has all of this brilliance and then struggles in these very unique ways. I just it's a really beautiful book and it's a great book to be reading with a eighth grader. I just got his list of books that he'll be reading this year, and I'm excited to. Expand, like he's reading Orwell's 1984 and Fahrenheit 4 51 and lots of books that will that I think are very important to be reading right now. So I'm excited about that. And I, i, my, my wife reads to me a lot.

Jason Blitman: 7:49

That's so cute.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 7:50

I know. It's actually like one of the most lovely things. I just recommend that everybody find someone to read to them.'cause it's such a, it's such a relaxing it's a real gift. And she's currently reading me, Sharon Salzberg's Faith. I don't know if you're familiar with Sharon. She's a she's a meditation teacher. And so the book is it's grounded on her journey with faith with within the context of Buddhism. And like her upbringing, her, she had a really difficult childhood and how this path really had helped her in so many ways. But I think it's, I don't consider myself a Buddhist. I, but, but the lessons are just so universal, and it's a very it's a very grounding, calming thing to read right now, which, again I guess that's the theme here, like looking for things to take me out of the and noise

Jason Blitman: 8:48

Oh well, of the world, but also you're, you're on this publishing journey. You know, I was talking to an author yesterday and I was shocked by how much he was reading while on book tour, and I was most people I know are just sort of. so in the weeds of where they're going and meetings and traveling and not, they don't have the patience, uh, to pick up a book.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 9:12

Yeah. I would imagine I definitely, again, I am I'm always reading like multiple books at once I'm. I'm rereading Dublin right now. I don't know if you've read James Joyce's Dublins.

Jason Blitman: 9:25

It's so weird that you said that because when is this episode coming out? Just before this episode comes out, I'm talking to someone about how, I've never read James Joyce.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 9:35

Oh, okay. So start with Dublins. And in fact the audio book version is really lovely too. I haven't read it in probably. Like eight years because I, the last time I read it, I taught it. And it's definitely a collection of stories to, it's I think there's 15 stories in it and it's there's, it's not just about one character, but there's definitely like an arc to the stories. It's, It's kind of a journey of. Of growing up or not growing up A lot, a lot about the characters are about like their experience of paralysis in Dublin during this time, I'm always so amazed at stories that, that hold up so beautifully, despite the difference in and time and.

Jason Blitman: 10:23

I mean, It'll be interesting like you talking about what your 13-year-old has on his reading list for eighth grade in 2025 was what I was reading.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 10:34

Yeah.

Jason Blitman: 10:35

however many you know. Right. So, so not only does it seem to, well we haven't, or you will I'm sure, reread some of these things. I haven't read them in so long, but the fact that they're still being taught, I think, says something about

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 10:49

I totally agree. Like my older son who I was telling you about, who's an actor and studying theater, he, during COVID, when he was in middle school, I tried to get him to read The Outsiders and because I recommended it, he was like, absolutely not. And then when the musical came out. Became absolutely obsessed. He probably knows every single word in that musical. And, but that too, I mean that like story of masculinity and brotherhood and friendship and community and, and family, all of these things as like battlegrounds, but also as like places of, of salvation and loyalty. And these stories just continue to, I think, be relevant for, for very real reasons.

Jason Blitman: 11:41

Yeah. Well, And it's interesting that you bring up the outsiders because my first thought when thinking about books that I read as a young person that really moved me school, that I was like required to read, uh, was To Kill a Mockingbird. And, you know, but, and the the interesting parallels between, uh, outsiders and To Kill a Mockingbird is that Essie Hinton who wrote. Outsiders and, um, what's her face? Who wrote to Kill Mockingbird? Harper Lee, who wrote To Kill Mockingbird. It's for all intents and purposes, the only book they wrote.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 12:16

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Jason Blitman: 12:18

I say that because the Harper Lee's other books were published without her.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 12:22

Yes. Yes. And I'd almost think it was just.

Jason Blitman: 12:25

Yeah, right. Exactly. But so there's something so fascinating about it to today where, you know, authors are getting two book deals and there there's an of what's next. Right? Whereas these quite young women wrote these books that had tremendous impacts The zeitgeist, um, adapted into films, adapted into plays and musicals, and still stand up, um, today. So it's very interesting. I.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 12:54

It is. And I like. All of, I think those stories, so many of the stories that we're talking about are stories that this, I'm just thinking about this now, but like stories that allow for so much nuance in the moral message that they're trying to convey. They're not preachy. They're not didactic. They really show, they really show the message through the characters and through the struggles. And it's not telling us what to think or to feel or how to act, but showing us the consequences of what happens if we don't, if we don't do that in a way that allows for compromise and compassion and, so it's that. I feel like that is something that allows those books to, to, endure.

Jason Blitman: 14:21

I also wonder, because I, one of my husband's favorite books is East of Eden. By John Steinbeck, And, um, I read it recently and it was a lot. It was like, it was, every sentence was sort of a meal and which is, which is beautiful. However, I'm just sort of like, just just tell me the story. But in Ro upon reflection and just thinking about when it was written. There was nothing else to do,

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 14:54

Yes, this is very true.

Jason Blitman: 14:56

you know, So there's something to be said about like, you're taking time to really read and consume this content, and you could spend 10 pages reading about a valley,

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 15:06

Yeah, it's true.

Jason Blitman: 15:09

because you're not, you're not itching to watch TV or you're not itching to get to the next book or whatever. So I do also wonder, you know. when the outsiders in Taco Mockingbird were published, was it a time where, you know, it wasn't a more, is more sort of environment. There weren't hundreds of things on TV that you were watching. It wasn't. New movies coming out, of movies coming out every week, you so it was there was sort of an ease and everyone was sort of picking them up

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 15:43

Yeah, I was gonna say there was that, like even, like when I grew up Mo most of the TV shows that we watch, it was like, we all watch those. It wasn't, now everyone can consume their own cultural and media diet and so there, there isn't that kind of connection or that. Universality to the experience that we're having, but even if we're processing it differently, I, you were talking before about reading a book and also listening to it, and another book that I reread this year, but I also in part listened to it was Anna Carina, Leo Toto, and I reread it because I hadn't read it in decades. And I included it in my novel, like the character of Maggie is reading the book. And I was like, I feel like if I'm gonna reference this, I need to remember it. And also when I read it, I was like, I don't, it didn't it was like for a class. And I, it didn't really with me. And there was something about reading it this time and I do think the. Like every sentence is a meal kind of experience was like I wanted that because I, again, going back that like I wanted a slowing down. I wanted some something to feel indulgent. But Maggie Gien Hall's reading of it is brilliant. Like one of the most extreme truly it's my favorite audio book I've ever listened to. And IC she just. She could describe the character of Levin, like mowing the hay on the fields for like pages and pages, or be in his head as he is intellectualizing the purpose of life. And it just, she's, yeah, she just, it's wonderful. So that's a great book to, to, have that dual

Jason Blitman: 17:28

that is very good to know one of the best audiobook experiences of my life was Michelle Williams reading Britney Spears's memoir.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 17:40

I haven't listened to it, but I can imagine that would be really cool.

Jason Blitman: 17:42

She is giving this epic performance. It's like, oh my. But Right. It's so good.'cause it's like freaking Oscar winner, Michelle Williams. Winner nominee winner. She is,

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 17:55

She's up there.

Jason Blitman: 17:56

she's a very performer.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 17:59

Yeah.

Jason Blitman: 17:59

Um, and yeah, there's something about just a really good performer. That makes such a huge difference. So that's really fun to know about

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 18:09

I agree. I've had some people ask me if I was going to read the Irish goodbye on audio, and I was like, absolutely not. Like I, that is like a skill and an art in and of itself. And the woman who did it, kristen, it did such a beautiful job, and I'm so grateful, and she can she can pull off the mother's Irish accent and, also shift into the different points of view and perspectives. But it really is, it is a performance, it's not just like reading on the page.

Jason Blitman: 18:38

Well, I mean, Even you saying that your wife will read to you. I'm just like, that to me is so exhausting. I, if I read a page out loud, I'm like, I'm tired, I'm witted, I'm bored. lost my own thread. Um, So it's impressive that your wife can do it and always impressive when, uh, an audio book narrator does it so easily, lead.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 19:00

Yeah. It's I feel so grateful that she enjoys it because I I benefit from it so much. It's a lovely experience.

Jason Blitman: 19:10

Do you have a hard time focusing?

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 19:13

No I, it's interesting. I grew up with a reading disability and it took me many years to learn how to read and dyslexia runs in my family like my whole extended family. Which is interesting because every, we're all big readers, but a lot of, there, there's been a lot of like reading difficulties, early, early childhood reading difficulties. And I think that, for me, I think there's something ironic about having spent my early childhood struggling to do this thing that seemed to come so easily to everybody else. And then once I got it, it was like, okay, now. It was smooth sailing. But um, be I, I remember that struggle, I remember not getting it and just being so frustrated and so to have devoted my entire life as an adult to like only reading and writing. That's all I do. I think it's just become this skill that, for better or worse is a superpower, but, it's yeah, so I can listen and follow along and,

Jason Blitman: 20:22

Do you remember what that book was? That sort of was the transformative moment for you where you were like, I did it. I, I conquered the disability or not conquered, but like, it, it it embraced and was able to succeed in spite of

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 20:37

I think so I left Catholic school in the fourth grade'cause I was not reading and went to public school and it was in public school that I finally got help. And then, I could read but I always, I always loved to be read too, and. But it was really in public school that I, at that age that I began to read on my own and I devoured shell Silverstein's where the sidewalk ends. That was like a, every night I would read poems from that, from that book. And then, at like around that time, I also discovered Babysitter's Club. And I don't even know if that series still exists. There was a character who actually had a reading or like a learning difference. I think her name was Claudia, maybe. And that there was like an association there. But I, so I it was definitely poetry though, for sure. Um, that,

Jason Blitman: 21:35

Has poetry stuck around for you?

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 21:37

yeah. I, for sure I, when I went to college. I was an English major. I went to Boston University and I had a teacher there, Eric McHenry, who was my first poetry teacher, and we became friends and he just like completely opened my mind to. Like narrative poetry, which wasn't something like prior to that when I was in high school, I I loved Charles Wakowski and the sort of like anti-hero kind of stuff, but he, yeah, he really exposed me to so many incredible poets at that time, like Philip Levine and Marilyn Hacker, and.

Jason Blitman: 22:12

hmm.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 22:12

William Stafford and and I was like, oh I want to be a poet. That's what I want to do. And he always, he was very encouraging and he, but I think when I graduated he was like, I'm, I am so sorry that I am I helped you lead you on this path.'cause being a writer really sucks. It's really hard. But so I ended up going to graduate school for. For fiction, I got my MFA in fiction. But after that I published two collections of poetry. And it wasn't until, yeah, so I stopped, I, not that I stopped writing poetry, but that hasn't been my focus for the past, like decade or so. But yeah, I love, I love poetry.

Jason Blitman: 22:50

I love that I, uh, wa was not a poetry person. I'm still not really a poetry person. I was pitched a book, um, last year by an author named Lindsay Rush. She is on Instagram as Mary Oliver's drunk cousin.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 23:08

Stop it.

Jason Blitman: 23:09

And it was pitched to me as poetry for the millennial woman, and I was like, send it to me. I need this. I read it. It was one of my favorite books last

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 23:19

I.

Jason Blitman: 23:21

Yeah. I on the show. She is, she's so funny. The, The poems are so clever and moving and they're, so, it's a nice gateway for people who, uh, feel like they're not a poetry person.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 23:34

Yeah. So I think, poetry can seem really like obscure and unreachable. But then, like poets like Mary Oliver, if you start your day every day with a Mary Oliver poem, like you're gonna be in better shape than if you're scrolling on your phone. She's just, she's extraordinary. So I'll definitely, I'll have to check Her out. The, what did you.

Jason Blitman: 23:54

Her name is Lindsay Rush, um, And her handle is Mary Oliver's drunk cousin. So funny. Um. So you talked about this at the very beginning to the, on the day of recording, it was announced that your book, the Irish Goodbye, is a read with Jenna book. Love Pick. Congratulations. But today we could talk about it, so I'm so excited. All right. What is your elevator pitch for the Irish goodbye?

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 24:22

It's funny with the elevator pitch thing, I, so I, as I mentioned, I, I teach and I teach a manuscript generator class through the Sackett Street Writers Workshop, and I always do this exercise with the writers that I'm working with. What's your pitch? And it I can feel a little bit like, you know what's the analogy? Like the shoe salesman who doesn't have shoes. Like when someone asks me for my pitch, because it's oh yeah. But I will go with, I actually, I thought that, Jenna's review of it was really spot on, and when I listened to it, I was like, oh, I should borrow from that. But my pitch is that it's a story about three sisters returning to their childhood home on the North Fork of Long Island and for Thanksgiving. And when the oldest sister invites a guest from their past the family is forced to confront a tragedy that has haunted them for years.

Jason Blitman: 25:21

Succinct and perfect. I'm so excited for people to read it. As I said, I devoured it in essentially a day and a half. I couldn't put it down. I fell in love with this family and I was on their journey so hardcore and, um, wasn't ready for how emotional it was gonna be, and there's a lot happening. I'm, and I'm so excited for you and the book. Was there anything else that you wanted to share?

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 25:44

I guess maybe one thing I would wanna share is that, as a kid growing up on Long Island in the nineties and gay and not able to. I was deeply closeted. I, there was like, no, I didn't think there was like really any option. Books were such a safe place for me. I like, when I was in high school, I discovered Michelle T and Jeanette Winterson and then, later on Sarah Waters and that I, so I, reading has always been a place for me to go to, to Find myself when I couldn't see myself in my anywhere. Really like to be honest at that point. So I'm really grateful that you're, you're showcasing queer writers and stories and I think it's really important.

Jason Blitman: 26:36

Well, I appreciate you saying that. Um, And so are you,

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 26:39

Thank you.

Jason Blitman: 26:40

so we're in this together.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 26:42

for sure.

Jason Blitman: 26:43

Everyone, go get your copy of The Irish Goodbye, the read with Jenna book Club and Heather Amy O'Neill. Thank you so much for being here

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 26:52

Thank you so much for having me. I look forward to meeting you sometime in person.

Jason Blitman: 26:56

I know you too.

Heather Aimee O'Neill: 26:57

right.