User:Michuru81
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Dustin Michael Cohenour (born April 23, 1981 in Peoria, Illinois) is an American writer commonly known by the moniker of Curtis Donnohue (a perfect anagram of Dustin Cohenour). Donnohue suffers from what he describes as "John Hughes Syndrome"; a mock disease in which he sets his stories within his hometown and adapts many elements from his life to his writings.
Donnohue’s stories are generally verbose narratives told from a first-person perspective and depict complex, three-dimensional characters in a form of tragicomedy. The cast itself is usually composed mainly of teenagers who usually go through intense and excruciating emotional trauma through the course of the story. While they come out of the experience smarter and stronger, they don’t achieve the clichéd fairy-tale like happy ending found in so many stories today.
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[edit] Life
[edit] Early Years
Though born in Peoria, Illinois, Donnohue has spent the entirety of his life living in nearby Pekin, Illinois. Pekin and the surrounding area that make up Tazewell County seem to be the basis for Donnohue’s fictional Oubliette County- the small body that holds the towns where his stories take place. While it could be argued that all of the towns bare a resemblance to Pekin, the imagined city of Conviction seems to be the true parallel- as Conviction and Pekin are both their respective county’s seats.
Donnohue was the first child born to Cheryl Cohenour. His father abandoned the family after learning of Donnohue's conception- never to reconcile with his son; a theme common in Donnohue's stories (see Themes, below).
Curtis Donnohue showed himself at as a erudite at an early age, demonstrating an eidetic memory and teaching himself to read at three years old. Donnohue likewise continued this pattern throughout his life- as he is self-taught in many languages and with numerous musical instruments. His artistic skill is also an untrained talent that further proclaims Donnohue as a modern polymath.
Despite carrying dismally average grades through his adolescence, Donnohue's family and teachers were astonished that the youth was tackling the likes of Melville in 4th grade, Shakespeare in 6th, and Tolstoy before entering high school.
[edit] End of Adolescence
Donnohue's mother would marry Jay Sours- marking it his mother's first marriage and Sours' third. In tow was Donnohue's new step-sister and his half-brother followed not long after. Donnohue's father also married- ironically giving Donnohue a step-sister and a half-brother on his father's side as well. Jay Sours was a farmer who raised livestock and in Donnohue's 7th year he and his mother moved to the farmhouse on the outskirts of Pekin. Six years the future writer would spend living as a farm boy- raising horses, cows, goats, pigs, chickens and doves. An irrational fear of snakes and rising water levels sent Donnohue running back for the city limits.
Donnohue would attend many schools through these years leading to his attending Pekin Community High School (PCHS). In his freshman year, the young man was beginning to consider a career in art- citing John Bryne as his hero and picturing himself wearing multiple career hats as well- artists and writer. Donnohue was accepted at this time to a small art college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Unwilling to make such a move, Donnohue began taking his classes through correspondence- stacking the additional course load on top of his studies as a high school freshman. After a year, however, Donnohue succumbed to the pressure and stress mounting atop him and dropped the additional load to focus instead on his career as a high school student.
It was in his junior year that an English teacher noticed Donnohue's writing ability. With an assignment to write a five paragraph theme on the three people you would save from the end of the world, Donnohue constructed an elaborate narrative detailing the events laid out in Revelations with frightening realism. The teacher urged him to further develop his ability- leading Donnohue to center his senior year on his writing and to plan his college years around it.
Though he would eventually drop out of college, Donnohue had spent the bulk of his college years writing. It was here that he poured himself into the creation of a great many short stories- all set in the fictional Oubliette County. During this time he cobbled together the bulk of I Can't Believe It's Not Chernobyl- said to be the murkiest of Donnohue’s writings. The fears and uncertainty young people typically face as they drift through these years translated into seven short stories about love, pain and suffering.
[edit] Testify
After graduation, Curtis would spend the next three years of his life out of church and disjointed with God. He eventually returned to his roots, as Donnohue himself says "coming full circle" by returning to the church he was born and raised in. Donnohue has spent the first decade of his life at Bethel Baptist Church- only to leave for Bethel's sister church through his formidable years.
In December of 2003, however, Donnohue preached for the first time at the church where his religious life began. His passion for the gospel ignited, Donnohue envisioned a ministry of bringing revival to the backslidden and renewing their own fire for things of God. He would have other opportunities to preach over the following years, before a falling out with members of his religious family would have him abandoning his dreams for the gospel.
Instead, Donnohue transfigured his fire into his old love- writing. He penned Every Little Thing- another collection of seven short stories, this one the antithesis of what he had previously written. Every Little Thing was a message of hope- ironic given that Donnohue had lost his. They are stories of trials and tragedies- but also of triumphs.
The undertaking served to exercise his ability and Donnohue quickly followed it up with the East Wind, the first book in what would become the Otherworld series. Otherworld is noted for its ability to blend drama and action, while remaining true to its core message of hope and reassurance- even in the face of the storm. It was Donnohue’s first attempt to meander outside the realm of the short story- becoming a full blown epic before it was finally completed. Unlike his previous two forays into the literary world, The East Wind was something Donnohue felt confident about and he genuinely began to pursue attempts to see it published.
[edit] OUBLIETTE Comics
In 2006, Curtis Donnohue debuted his campaign world for the tabletop RPG Mutants & Masterminds. The world of OUBLIETTE is in all other ways the real world- save for the existence of SPBs (Super-Powered Beings). The majority of these beings are Neo-Sapiens- people who inherit fantastic abilities from one or more of their parents.
Comparable to the treatment of the mutant race in Marvel Comics’ X-Men franchise, all SPBs are regarded as a threat to human existence. Whether the heroes are Neo-Sapiens or received their powers through science or mystic training, society scorns them and seeks the purge their kind from this world. Mankind still depends on the SPBs however- trusting the premier team of super-heroes, the Vindicators, to contend with the escalating threat of rogue SPBs.
Months after the actual game play began, Donnohue began to chronicle the early adventures he spearheaded on his blog and the forums administrated by the game’s publisher. The debut narrative, NEW VINDICATORS: Radix Malorum est Cupiditas, quickly gained acclaim in the online community.
[edit] Literary Style
Donnohue’s writing style is smooth and crisp and often fueled by dialogue. The exchanges between characters are often pronounced with a sense of individuality. His character are typically verbose and make numerous references to pop culture- most of which is Donnohue’s subtle attempt at social commentary. He is most known for the reality he brings to his stories. The journey his characters take is often long and difficult and happiness is seldom found at the end. While many accuse him of taking a perverted pleasure in tormenting them, his stories often redeem themselves with characters coming through the experience stronger than before and better suited to deal with the repercussions of their adventures.
[edit] Characters
More than most writers, Donnohue exerts himself to bring his characters to life. Donnohue has admitted to keeping extensive notes on each and every character he introduces (no matter how minor their role), thoroughly considering each aspect of who they are.
Donnohue claims to begin with a biography- deciding the events each character has come through. These notes then form the basis for a psychosis and Donnohue determines how each character would then act. For instance, in NEW VINDICATORS: Radix Malorum Est Cupiditas, Atlanta White’s Christian background begins to hinder the relationship she has with her spell casting father- while in The East Wind, the chiding Amy received for years from the kids at her school had led her to be standoffish and untrusting towards new faces- often believing them to always be a step away from mocking her for the same reason her peers had.
[edit] Autobiographical Elements
Is it widely believed that Donnohue’s recurring themes and elements may be other references to his early life. His father abandoned his family just prior to Donnohue’s birth and never reconciled with either Donnohue or his mother, likely giving cause to why so many of Donnohue’s characters have poor and often embittered relationships with their fathers. Some mirror Donnohue completely in that they have no relationship with their father and know nothing of the parent beyond the name. Most characters do find a father-son dynamic with a character with whom they have no actual relationship. It is likely this is spurred on by Donnohue’s early life as well, as he seemed to always find a surrogate father figure in many of the teachers and leaders he met growing up.
Many characters have a drive to guide and protect their younger siblings, while others are often seen as being at war with their older siblings. This may largely be attributed to Donnohue’s mother’s marriage in 1988- wherein Donnohue found himself with a step-sister and later a half-brother. Additionally, many characters find themselves going through a crisis of faith. Donnohue himself was a backslidden Christian for many years.
[edit] Naming Conventions
Donnohue often puts a deeper meaning into the names of his characters. He makes great use of certain names time after time- the most obvious being his application of the Japanese word Michuru (みちる, literally meaning “rising tide”) to many characters. According to Donnohue, “In anything I do there’s a Michuru. Any campaign I’ve run has had a man named Michuru in it. He’s in every world I create.” This phenomena is not unlike an occurrence in many games from the Final Fantasy franchise- wherein many of the games feature a character named Cid.
Many fans of Donnohue’s work mistakenly believe Michuru to be the writer, inserting himself into the narrative. While this can be attributed to Curtis Donnohue’s employment of the name as his online screen name, it should be noted that Michuru often has little in common with Donnohue himself.
Donnohue also makes occasional use of the Biblical prophet Micaiah- characters in Impulsive Choices Made in Haste, Otherworld, the Regions Beyond and New Vindicators take their name from the prophet. Some variation of Jack Cade, the character from Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part 2 invariably make an appearance as well.
It is often the case that deeper meaning can be found in many character’s names. Sometimes the names of Donnohue’s characters elude to a historical figure they share something with. The most noteworthy example is Forrest N. Bedford, from New Vindicators. The hate-mongering killer of Arthur and Denise Skraag takes his name from Nathanial Bedford Forrest- founder of the Ku-Klux Klan.
Other times, Donnohue has used foreign languages to accent a character. Donnohue has been subtle in names like Chienne, Béni, and Amy- all French words that hint at a character’s inner workings.
Most often, Donnohue works in other ways. A small example of Donnohue’s love of anagrams can be found in many of his characters’ names; for instance, Alexander Lohst’s last name is taken from “sloth”- a reference to his lazy, apathetic behavior.
[edit] Bibliography
[edit] I Can't Believe It's Not Chernobyl
A collection of short stories set within fictional Oubliette County, Illinois written during Curtis Donnohue's high school years (1995-1999). Each tale is a self-contained tale with its own unique cast of characters- a vast amount of which are angsty and often self-destructive teenagers who never quite live happy-ever-after, but at least come through the fire better than when they entered.
- Rainy Day Men
- Amazing Grace
- The Gentlemen's Code
- Eleventeen
- Memoirs of a Wife Beater
- The Astonishing Murder of Ralph Noche
- I.N.A.M.I.M.U.S.
[edit] Every Little Thing
Penned after Donnohue's high school career, the stories contained in Every Little Thing begin to take on more of a defined shape and the characters themselves are more evolved than the previous casts introduced by the author's prior works. Characters are driven by more than angst- they find themselves in situations where they struggle with impossible opponents such as themselves, death, fate, and God.
- Impulsive Choices Made in Haste
- Transfigured
- visible Incandescence
- 137 Things to Do Before You Die
- What You and I Have Been Through
- The Affectual Fervent Prayer of a Homosexual Man
[edit] Otherworld
Based on the idea of counterfactual history where a single event (known as a point of divergence) extrapolates a position where history takes a different outcome other than what is considered the norm. Early on in the series, Donnohue notes that such a genre has been explored before by distinguished persons such as Winston Churchill- who explored a counterfactual history where General Robert E. Lee stood victorious at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Donnohue’s point of divergence is found in the final moments of freedom for Jesus of Nazareth. While praying at Mount of Olives, Jesus asks that ‘this cup’ be removed from him. Otherworld interprets this as Jesus having second thoughts and possesses the question, “What if Jesus hadn’t been crucified?” The series then follows a backslidded teenaged girl who, ala Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, finds herself in a world not her own.
Though Donnohue has only thus far completed the first book in the Otherworld series, he has established a list showing his intentions to end the series at seven books and addressing working titles for each.
- The East Wind
- When Morning Gilds the Skies
- Almost Persuaded
- Learning to Lean
- Beyond the Sunset
- More than Conquerers
- The South Wind
[edit] The Regions Beyond
Despite slaving away at Otherworld, Donnohue has suggested he intends to do a trilogy of time period novels after the run of seven in Otherworld. The Regions Beyond is tentatively about a family of Japanese Christians disembarking from Japan in the late 1600s, looking for a place to simply be.
[edit] New Vindicators
- Radix Malorum est Cupiditas
- Sic Semper Tyrannis
- Memento Mori
[edit] Trivia
- Donnohue has suffered from sleepwalking since he was a child.
- Curtis Donnohue began collecting PEZ dispencers in his freshman year of high school (1995) and in ten years of collecting has accumulated over three-hundred of the candy-storing figurines.
- On New Year's Day of 2000, Curtis Donnohue desided to spend one year without eating any red meat in the hopes that it would lead to a healthier lifestyle. He succeeded in spending the new year without eating meat and has renewed the resolution every year since.
- In 2003, Donnohue was diagnosed with a severe case of Rheumatic fever, leaving him with limited use of his arms and legs for several months.
[edit] External Links
- philanthropic vengeance - Curtis Donnohue's writing blog
- the disorder diaries - Curtis Donnohue's MySpace profile
