To describe Brendan Shanahan as experienced
would be an understatement. The travel author, who divides his time between
Sydney and Las Vegas where he owns a house, has spent nearly a third of his
life on the road, an achievement Raconteurs Inc. is exceedingly jealous of! Shanahan
has documented these extraordinary shenanigans in his latest release ‘Mr. Snack and the Lady Water’.
We joined Shanahan to grab a quick coffee and
discuss his latest happenings. Shanahan who is currently speaking at a number
of regional towns throughout Australia, adding to his already bulging
geographical smorgasbord, has always been one for exploration. He has
so far enjoyed his time in the sticks, “I have a lot of family in regional New South Wales
but it’s not somewhere I personally have spent alot of time”.
Shanahan who has wide experience as a touring
author shared with us the benefits of speaking in more rural locations, “it is
always great going to regional towns because there is more opportunity to be
heard. In places like Sydney, you don’t get as much of a look in because there
are always so many different author readings going on at the same time”.
The adjective ‘Once in a lifetime’ would not
hold as much weight in detailing Brendan’s overall life journey. After
completing his university studies at Australian National University, Brendan chose to combine his passion
for adventure with his love of writing to provide a unique take on the travelling experience. While he has a background in journalism, he prefers
travel writing because of its sometimes unpredictable nature, “You never know
what is around the corner which, as a writer, presents a challenge. The
narrative structure sort of gets thrown out the window because it is happening
to you in real time…for me journalism is supplementary. It’s a steady income
but travel writing is what I genuinely enjoy doing.”
Among the adventures recounted in ‘Mr. Snack and the Lady Water’ is a three day
ride upon a leaky ship in China with a couple of neurotic American tourists, a
fleeting career in Bollywood and an online purchase of a Las Vegas house. While
there are a number of dire and even desperate situations littered throughout
his book, humour is an enduring element in his work. He credits his overall
personality as the one of the main reasons he’s able to see the lighter side of
everyday life, “It’s just the way my mind works…when you’re travelling you
never know what is coming so I have always tried to see the funny side of what
is happening around me even if other people may see it differently”.
Brendan is about to begin work on his next
novel but for the moment we look forward to having a laugh over ‘Mr. Snack and the Lady Water’.
Photos courtesy of Brendan Shanahan
