The novel’s record is 377 days as Number One most popular. As his novel, Find the Girl, A Fantasy Novel, is still ranked most popular, the final record is yet unknown.

Author Berg has written twelve novels in multiple genres, including mystery, romance, and fantasy.

“There’s no one novel type of special interest,” he said in a recent interview. “Fantasy wasn’t my first choice, although being born in the town where C. S. Lewis spent his summers creating Narnia should’ve given me a hint.” His chuckle was self-telling.

Author Berg has this past month released his second fantasy, Lucia’s Fantasy World. When asked what inspired him, he answered, “Creating a story that’s heartwarming with an honest-to-goodness message is important. I’m not into religion like C. S. Lewis was, but I do embrace humanity.”

His observation was echoed by Literary Titan, a professional book review organization, that awarded Find the Girl, A Fantasy Novel its 2021 Gold Award. They said, “This book is such a fun read. Eta’s (the 14-year-old girl who is the main character) voice is entertaining and joyful despite the strenuous trials she faces . . . . The story emphasizes how special it is to embrace wonder and change. It shows that when we care for one another and have the passion to help them, we might discover beautiful corners of the world along the way.”

Author Berg was asked why he hadn’t written about Ballycastle. He said, “I have. There’s a short story in my Bubbling Conflict and Other Stories that begins at the Giant’s Causeway and a town nearby.” His eyes glistened. We asked why. He continued, “I drove the Antrim Coast during the Troubles. It was 1978. I remember the visit well. My grandmother died three weeks after my visit. I can recall parking my rental car near Ann Street, where my grandparents' shop was and still is, run by my cousin. Met a man on the street who gave me a glaring get-out-of-town look. After I learned, my rental had Free State plates, I understood why. The next morning, walking from my aunt’s house to Ann Street, I was greeted warmly. The overnight grapevine had spread the word that I was a native son who’d grown up in America.”

And we asked again, why no novel based on Ballycastle? He said, “The emotion is overwhelming. Yes, I can recall the 1979 bombing of the Marine Hotel, the 1991 policeman killed on Castle Street, and the car bomb outside St. Patrick and St. Bridget Church, where I was baptized, but any novel needs a stream of emotion and were I to write this novel, my fingers would freeze up. They have. I’ve tried. The memories and history will have to stay inside, not tapped onto a keyboard.”

And then we noticed a glint in his eyes. “If there’s a secret to my writing, it’s my Irish heritage.”

How so, we asked.

“Of my first novel, many consider it a mystery. There’s an evolving story of family life in a small town. While A Body To Bones is located in America, the town could be, with simple changes, an Irish hamlet.”

“Maybe Ballycastle?” we asked.

“Never thought of that until now, but yes. I remember giving a copy to the pastor of St. Patrick and St. Bridget in, I think, 2013, and telling him there was a wayward priest. He smiled. I didn’t press. And, that last word is no pun. The movie Philomena and other documentaries have laid bare the Catholic Church in Ireland as have the investigations and court trials in my United States diocese. But, let’s not dwell on the negative. I will acknowledge it while giving voice to those who survive and add grace to our lives.”

We asked if you want to be remembered by that.

“Wow, what a tough question. Let me just say I wish to be remembered as a person who wrote what others felt in their hearts. I’m not a revolutionary, just trained as a journalist, then a lawyer, to observe people, often in great stress. I grew up and was educated in America and still live there, at least in physical location. I haven’t been exiled like many Irish authors. James Joyce comes to mind. I visited two sites in Dublin that claimed he wrote Ulysses there. The first, where my partner said let’s not go down this desolate street, and, remember this is 2018, however, the street struck me as the most authentic, not the touristy locale near Grafton Street. My senses confirmed this after a pint in both locales.”

Author Donan Berg has earned two Gold Awards, one for romance, One Paper Heart, and the second for Find the Girl, A Fantasy Novel. He’s also won several other writing awards, was a national U.S. winner in photography, and plans his next visit to Ballycastle, the town of his birth, in 2023.