Meet the author: The Devil Upstairs writer, Anthony O’Neill

The most common advice for new novelists is to draw on experience and “write what you know” – for Anthony O’Neill that couldn’t be further from the way he works.

The prolific writer, who has seven published novels, admits his journey into every new character and plot starts with meticulous research, which helps to immerse himself in a new time or place. Given his books have explored everything from Victorian Scotland to Napoleon Bonaparte, it’s little wonder his writing process involves hours camped out in dusty libraries.

“For me, writing always starts with an atmosphere or a place in history, which has fascinated me,” explained Anthony, who is from Australia but relocated to Scotland in 2012. “I tend to write about what I don’t know. It’s a learning experience and I love immersing myself in history and research.”

The idea for his first novel, Scheherazade, a revisionist Arabian Nights epic, sparked Anthony’s passion for exploring new worlds, something he has continued with other titles including The Lamplighter, a Victorian psychological horror, and The Dark Side, a crime story set on the far side of the moon.

He continued: “For Scheherazade I spent months camped in libraries, researching everything possible about the era, and filling huge notebooks with historical details and character outlines then working out the plot very precisely.

“I was out of work for six months so I basically chained myself to a desk and didn’t do anything else. I wrote for 16 or 18 hours a day and, eventually, got that book sold. That was the beginning and I’ve been a professional writer ever since.”

Although he is more comfortable writing what he doesn’t know, Anthony’s new book was inspired by events a little closer to home.

The Devil Upstairs is an allegorical thriller set in modern Edinburgh, and was conceived after Anthony faced months of disturbance from his neighbours. “When I first moved to Edinburgh, it was all very idyllic but the building I was living in was a very old, listed building, and I didn’t realise there was virtually nothing between me and the people upstairs. The flat had bare floorboards, so it was nothing but creaking boards, slammed doors and loud music, and it was very difficult to get to sleep at night. I wouldn’t go as far as saying it was a living hell, but it was very unpleasant.”

In the dead of night, his mind wandering to dark places, Anthony began to formulate the plot for a macabre thriller. The novel, published last month, follows protagonist Cat Thomas who, similarly delirious from lack of sleep, dreams up ways to get rid of her loud and inconsiderate neighbours. Desperate for a solution, she joins a friend at a witches’ conclave – and the noise suddenly stops.

Anthony continued: “I do think it’s a very common experience. If you could just press a button and kill somebody, with no consequences, no chance of being found out, I think a lot of people would do it. That fascinates me as a writer.

“Rereading Rosemary’s Baby and having this personal experience, combined with wanting to set a new book in modern-day Edinburgh, the story came to life. The research was mainly my own experience, so it was probably the easiest book that I’ve ever written.”

Having now written satire, mystery, crime, history and science fiction, Anthony has expertly traversed multiple genres. So, will a romance novel follow next?

“I did write a romance novel but it’s unpublished – which is probably for the best,” he said with a laugh.

Anthony O’Neill – The Devil Upstairs, Black & White Publishing