Storytelling at its Best

"Sean is quite possibly the greatest story teller I've ever known"

David O'Keefe, Canadian Best Selling Author

Who hasn't had dreams about becoming a writer. The image of great writers and the vision of their success and more so, their freedom in life appeals to many people and it certainly appealed to me.

I did not come to this place naturally in life. I'm an MBA Grad and former CEO who left the executive world behind to ultimately opt for a life of adventure and writing. I've spent the last twenty journeying the world and finding human stories that spark my own stories. I look beyond the standard sites and tourist traps; I look for the human side that is hidden behind them and the stories that others simply don't find. I was gifted with an ability to connect with people, no matter the background. I hold friendships from the Philippines to India, to the Middle East to Central America. I have worked and lived on four continents and wherever I have been, I've found the path less travelled.

I primarily specialize in thrillers in three genres. The first is romantic thrillers with books such as Brian's Stolen Dream and Parminder's Legacy. My romantic thrillers tend to deal with the human challenges of modern relationships and in particular interracial. I myself am Irish Canadian and have been married to a Punjabi woman for almost twenty years. We have lived through our own challenges in this world and raised two beautiful daughters. In these books I deal with the concept of love finding its roots and battling over time to build a garden despite the obstacles.

My second genre is Suspense and Horror Thrillers, such as the Comatose Diaries and Grindhouse Canada. I write these in the old school style, heavy on the story build and the suspense. They are more along the lines of the great 1970's legends such as the Exorcists and the Omen. I often incorporate concepts such as nature as an active participant in this world, as well as God, Gaia and the Devil and the incredible spiritual capabilities of our native Indians. I don't do slasher books. In my opinion, it is simply low brow writing.

My third genre is Apocalyptic stories. These stories reflect my view of how our world may come to an end. It's based on the hundreds of horror movies I've watched, often in the middle of the night as well as the hundreds of books I have read on the subject. In my books I apply my own creative mind as to how our story may one day end.

In both genres, I focus on quick, enthralling reads. My books are all between 200 and 250 pages, a break from reality for less than the price of a movie. The books are intended to draw you in, provide an escape from the world outside for a brief period of time. I do it through incredibly deep and real characters, complex plots with the odd twist and a pace, that makes it hard to put the book down.

I write from the heart and soul. I'm a natural storyteller. I do this because I want others to find the same joy in reading as I did when I was young. In my youth, my first book was Lord of the Rings, a gift from my father. From the day I picked that book up, I never stopped reading. I had always hoped that one day I could inspire someone to feel the same way about reading as I did then.
About Me image
About Writing image
I love this picture. There's a story behind it, it's real. I spent six weeks in Africa in 2018, finding myself, and finding the writer inside me. At one point in my life, I failed English Lit in high school. The way I look at it is simple, Einstein failed grade nine math and he seems to have done okay. So, despite what your grade nine teacher might have told you, writing isn't English Lit, it's story telling in a written form; otherwise he or she would have been an author not a teacher. Yes, good writing needs structure. However people don't read books because they're grammatically correct. No, they read them because they find themselves in them, or, they find an escape or a story that pulls an emotional thread that perhaps even the reader themselves didn't realize was buried in them. All they know, is that after they turned the last page, they felt something they had not in a long time. I write those stories.

I don't follow any standard models and have no expectations of writing the great novel. What I do is craft stories that readers find entertaining and enthralling.

Creativity is a gift. Publishers have buildings full of English Lit grads. Perfect grammatically, but imperfect at storytelling. What they don't have is creativity. Creativity isn't taught, it isn't learned, it’s a gift and only so many of these gifts are given out in my opinion.

In term of this picture, it has to do with my youngest daughter, Sahara. She is half Indian and half Irish; a beautiful girl with a wonderful spirit. I knew I was going to miss her birthday that year and I felt she deserved something reflective of her. So while in Egypt, I had two custom vases made of Egyptian porcelain. I collected sand for both of them. The first one, from the valley of the kings and the second one, from the great pyramids; both Sahara Desert sand. I wanted to return with something unique and respectful for my daughter. What I had to do to get the sand through six more countries in Africa and Canadian customs, well I could write a book about that. This picture reminds me of commitment, which is what writing is also about.

What really matters is that when heart is behind an endeavor, one can accomplish anything and life finds a way, Chase your dreams....
In addition to writing my books, I also adapt many of them to screen plays.  I manage the film side through my company Sensory Films.

Full Length Feature Films:
- Demons, Judgement Day
- The Plague, Judgement Day
- The Chosen

Streaming Series:
- The Omega Variant
- Tales from the Grindhouse - from my Grindhouse books
- Love in the Time of EMPs

Read more at:
www.sensory-films.com


 
THE CHOSEN

A series of brutal child murders draws a falling detective back to his hometown of Belfast only to drag him into the horror and demons of his past.

THE OMEGA VARIANT

Catch the controversial new novel from Canadian horror writer Sean O'Neil ​​​​
THE PLAGUE: JUDGEMENT DAY

What if Revelations wasn't just a Bible story? What would you do? ​​​​
DEMONS: JUDGEMENT DAY
The Chosen Film Project continues to move ahead through agreement with Buffalo 8

The Chosen Film Project continues to move ahead through agreement with Buffalo 8

28/04/2023

Sensory Films has signed with Buffalo 8, a Bondit company, to advance The Chosen film project.

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Both The Chosen and The Plague make the finals in the Big Apple Film Festival.

Both The Chosen and The Plague make the finals in the Big Apple Film Festival.

28/04/2023
The film adaption of Demons makes the finals in The New York International Screenwriting Competition

The film adaption of Demons makes the finals in The New York International Screenwriting Competition

28/04/2023
Semifinalist - Dublin Film Awards for The Chosen

Semifinalist - Dublin Film Awards for The Chosen

27/03/2023
Semifinalist - Hollywood International Golden Age Awards - The Chosen

Semifinalist - Hollywood International Golden Age Awards - The Chosen

27/03/2023
Another Semifinalist for The Chosen - Barcelona Indie Awards

Another Semifinalist for The Chosen - Barcelona Indie Awards

27/03/2023
The Chosen Full Production package

The Chosen Full Production package

27/01/2023

The Chosen file project is moving towards production now. Happy to announce we landed Mickey Rourke and Greg Bryk in the film and will carry on as the producer.

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Yet another win. This time for The Chosen again.

Yet another win. This time for The Chosen again.

03/11/2022
Another win - The Chosen wins the New York Independent Cinema Awards

Another win - The Chosen wins the New York Independent Cinema Awards

23/10/2022
The Plague and The Chosen both Select in New York

The Plague and The Chosen both Select in New York

16/10/2022

The screenplays for both The Plague and The Chosen were selected in the New York Independent Cinema Awards.

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Another WIN - Best Script - California Indies Award

Another WIN - Best Script - California Indies Award

09/10/2022

The Plague, Judgement Day wins the California Indies

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A Big Win for The BC Night Train in Amsterdam

A Big Win for The BC Night Train in Amsterdam

01/10/2022
Demons, Judgement Day screen play makes the semi finals

Demons, Judgement Day screen play makes the semi finals

16/09/2022
The script for Demons, Judgement Day selected for the Montreal Independent Fiml Festival

The script for Demons, Judgement Day selected for the Montreal Independent Fiml Festival

10/08/2022
Hollywood Script Award Finalist and Honorable mention

Hollywood Script Award Finalist and Honorable mention

07/08/2022

The Plague, Judgement Day made the final and earned Honorable mention in the Hollywood Script Awards.

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Book Review - The Plague, Judgement Day

Book Review - The Plague, Judgement Day

04/03/2020

A great review of one of my most popular novels.

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Another Selection and Finalist - Demons

Another Selection and Finalist - Demons

16/09/2022

The Oxford Script Awards

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My Interview with Anthony Bonaparte

My Interview with Anthony Bonaparte

06/05/2020

A great interview about me and my latest book, The Omega Variant in the Montreal Suburban.

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My Radio interview with iHeart Radio

My Radio interview with iHeart Radio

06/02/2020

A great interview with Peter Anthony Holder and his Stuph Files show on iHeart Radio.

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Jersey City Horror Film Festival

Jersey City Horror Film Festival

23/05/2022

I'm short listed for top film script. I will be in attendance at the award night June 12th.

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Book Review - Demons, Judgement Day

Book Review - Demons, Judgement Day

23/05/2022

A good review of my book, Demons, Judgement Day

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Toronto West Magazines interview

Toronto West Magazines interview

07/08/2022
Another Interview for The Omega Variant

Another Interview for The Omega Variant

25/09/2022

https://www.newinbooks.com/interview-with-sean-oneil-author-of-the-omega-variant/

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JHILL

RELEASE: FALL 2023

It's the late 1950s. A six foot tall, albino. American actress named Jhill who is struggling for work ends up in Tokyo, a city which is still recovering post World War II. She becomes part of a craze of a new wave of silent films. The Japanese, in need of entertainment fall in love with Japanese silent black and white remakes of American classics. She's statuesque and becomes all the craze for the Japanese men and is suddenly the biggest film star in Japan. A news crew from Time magazine heads to Tokyo to interview her. One of the men in the crew, a 24 year old recent graduate, catches the eye of the 48 year actress known only as Jhill. They begin a passionate but bizarre love affair and she introduces to a very unusual underworld. Ritual killings and cage matches amidst opium fueled orgies. She drags him down through a depraved Tokyo to an unknown end.

Banshee

SUMMER 2023

Eamon, a PHD in Celtic studies accepts a job as the head of Irish History and Mythology at the University of Galway. This means a transfer from their home in Dublin to the west, to Galway. His wife, originally from Galway, is very reluctant to make the most. It seems to stem back to her her family and something in the past. Eventually she concedes and they pack up and head off to Galway. One night after they have settled in they are driving home late, along a dark foggy coastal road when a Banshee screeches passed the car. Eamon, knowing what Banshees signal, stops the car. His wife and son are asleep. He looks out into the dark Irish night. He sees a form on the horizon and it begins to head towards the car, rapidly. As he tried to accelerate away the car stalls and then is knocked down an embankment by something in the dark. Kevin wakes up injured in the hospital to find his wife and his son dead. Over the next few months, Eamon is plagued by dreams, dark ones and turns to the bottle and opium. The university gives him leave to sort himself out but he sleeps over further with no obligations. One night, in an opium inducted sleep, he is visited by his wife. She tells him about an ancient legend that has cursed her family. She tells him that him is in danger. The next day he puts the bottle aside and starts to investigate the legend. What he finds terrifies him.

Judgement Day: The Final Journey

Winter 2024

When We Are Kings

SUMMER 2024

Four American marines from a small Midwest town enlist in the military and become marines. Ultimately they end up serving in Iraq and see some real action. After one very difficult firefight their unit is given a weekend pass. One of the four marines is a movie buff and one of his favorite movies is Last Tango in Paris. He convinces the other three to do Paris for the weekend. The weekend turns out to be legend, they have the time of their lives, they are kings for a weekend. A few years later, the war is over and they are back in the Midwest in dead end jobs, failed marriages and relationships. They struggle as veterans getting the help, they need. They deal with PTSD, VA issues and the ability to adjust. What they do have is Friday’s at the local bar and the legacy of what they were. The talk ultimately always goes back to Paris, when they were truly alive and kings. One night, together they say screw it all and book tickets on the last flight to Paris. They discovery in Paris, that you can't go back.

  • Toronto, Ontario, Canada