BY G. CONNOR SALTER

William O’Flaherty has a unique position in C.S. Lewis fandom. A counselor by day, he produces All About Jack: A C.S. Lewis Podcast, which provides topical news about books and studies of C.S. Lewis (known to his friends as “Jack”) and other Inklings. A few years ago, O’Flaherty started a YouTube channel (Knowing and Understanding C.S. Lewis) that usually includes his new material from the podcast, along with other content only available there. 

O’Flaherty’s first book, C.S. Lewis Goes to Hell, provides a guide through C.S. Lewis’ satire The Screwtape Letters. His second book, The Misquotable C.S. Lewis, explores the many quotes mistakenly attributed to C.S. Lewis—from ones Lewis never said, to abbreviated versions of what Lewis said, to things his characters said.

He was kind enough to answer a few questions.

Interview Questions

What was your first exposure to the Inklings?

Lewis was the first of the Inklings I ever read and he is actually about the only one I do read. It started just before I finished high school. I was in an English class that was non-college prep and one of the assignments was to pick from a list of books for a report. I selected The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Believe it or not, it was because it looked like the easiest book to read (as I wasn’t a strong reader back then).

What stood out to you when you read The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe?

I remember being really impressed by the story the first time I read it. While I don’t read much fiction today, I hardly read any on my own back then. So, catching my attention and making a good impression was impressive. Therefore, the fact that Lewis told a good and enjoyable story stands out to me the most. At the time, I was aware of the similarities to Aslan dying and the sacrifice Jesus made, but having read it several times since, I am even more impressed by the way he crafted the story. 

How did your writing career start?

I was reading my college newspaper (at Appalachian State University) one day, and there was once something I read in the letters to the editor that I disagreed with. I remember going back to my dorm and writing a response and they published it! The next semester I actually went on to write an occasional piece for my own editorial column. I believe that lasted for about two years before I graduated.

What inspired you to write a guide to The Screwtape Letters?

After first reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in high school, I wondered what else I might read from Lewis. Then one day when I was at a Christian bookstore (where I bought a lot of music) I was talking with the sales guy, and I mentioned how much I liked the first Narnia story. He told me about The Screwtape Letters, and when he showed it to me, I decided to buy it because it had very short readings! I was hooked from the first letter. I just loved the satire, finding it very humorous. I also noticed that many of the ways Screwtape described as methods for Wormwood to use against his patient were related in ways to how I felt the enemy of my soul was trying to mess with my life. The edition I bought at the time had a brief study guide at the end that I enjoyed. Then I had a chance to pick any topic to teach for a Sunday School class about 25 years ago, and I chose The Screwtape Letters. It was there that I began some of the content that eventually became the 2016 book. 

What led you to start the All About Jack podcast?

My family lived in Winston-Salem, NC in the 1980s and in the summers, I worked part-time as an announcer for a Christian radio station (WBFJ-AM). This experience was foundational for opening the doors for me to work full-time at another Christian station (in Kansas City) when I was between jobs around 2000. Fast forward to less than ten years after that, when I was renewing my interest in reading C.S. Lewis. After doing a blog, first called C.S. Lewis Daily Quiz, I wondered about doing a podcast because of my experience in radio. I decided to take a recorder with me when I went to hear Will Vaus speak at an event where he gave a couple of talks on Lewis. He was kind enough to let me interview him. Then I noticed another author had a book coming out about Lewis and I tracked down the publisher, and they sent me a free copy of the book, and I got to interview that author. So, the ball was rolling, and I secured one interview after another. At that time, I had a blog called “C.S. Lewis Minute,” and the interviews were released there. Then I created the standalone “All About Jack” podcast (at the time someone else had an “All About C.S. Lewis” podcast).

Do you find that being a counselor and media representative gives you a unique perspective in discussions about Lewis?

Yes and no. That is, while I can easily look at things from a “psychology” perspective, I don’t find this aspect comes up too many times. I do find Lewis was familiar enough with core general concepts related to psychology and counseling. Lewis was someone who let his faith inform all areas of his life and thus, he made himself available to others to help them along life’s journey as a Christian. So, from that angle, you might say I might point that out more than others.

How do you go about developing the questions for the people you interview? 

I had the chance to do a few interviews when I worked in Christian radio and learn from other staff (mostly by example) how to craft good questions. The majority of my interviews focus on books that people have written about Lewis, or the other Inklings, so I usually get an advance copy of the book. I try to read it, or at least enough of it to formulate the questions. I honestly just think about what questions I would want answered if I heard an author interviewed and it always seems to work. Plus, I do let the interviewee know they can suggest questions, or ask for something I’ve written to be modified (but few actually take me up on it). Some of the larger publishers might send me suggested questions, but I don’t recall ever using them.

What does the typical editing process look like when you’ve finished the interview and are preparing the audio for publication?

Again, having worked in radio, I was taught the importance of making sure the results sounded as professional as possible. With that training and a natural interest in computers, I learned how to use audio editing software and do my own editing. The first time I listen back to the recording I will do basic editing. That is, take out any obvious parts. For example, if the person I interviewed stumbled over some words, but I am just as likely to need editing! I nearly always record the beginning, or introduction during the original recording, but rarely record the ending. So, I will record the ending afterward (and the beginning, if necessary). I will usually listen to the interview two or three more times before I post it. 

What first interested you in tracking down C.S. Lewis misquotes and how did that turn into your second book, The Misquotable C.S. Lewis?

It’s funny how you don’t quite remember how some things got started. That is, I remember asking other Lewis scholars about quotations attributed to Lewis and they helped me realize there were quotes falsely attributed to Lewis. Then I started keeping track of them in my own private file. This must have been around 2013. I remember Michael Ward and the late Bruce Edwards helping me with some quotes.

Then I posted an article on January 26, 2014, entitled “Quotes NOT by Lewis: A Preliminary Examination.” This was a tip of the hat to the subtitle of Lewis’s book, Miracles, which is “A Preliminary Study.” Around this time, I started to get electronic copies of books by Lewis and could obviously then search them, so the tables turned and some scholars would email me to see if I could find if a quote was real.

I then started a series of articles called “Confirming C.S. Lewis Quotations” in August 2015. I didn’t think I would ever have enough material for a book. But as I collected them, I eventually discovered 75 “questionable” quotations (questionable, but some may be from Lewis, but out of context they could be misunderstood, or some are good or bad paraphrases of him). Before my book came out in 2018, I was approached to write a digital-only article for Christianity Today about the “top 10” quotes falsely attributed to him. It was published in November 2017. 

What’s the most outrageous C.S. Lewis misquote you’ve come across?

There are several what you would call “motivational” quotations falsely attributed to Lewis. I have to pick two (but I’m sure others might qualify as being equally outrageous). The following Lewis did NOT write:

“Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars—let go to move forward.”

“Be weird. Be random. Be who you are. Because you never know who would love the person you hide.”

Any upcoming projects you’d like to share?

I’m always thinking of possible projects and have to watch that I don’t neglect what I’m doing online (which is actually more of a hobby, as I get very little money for that stuff). While I have a few book ideas, I’m likely to try to build my YouTube channel more. I started doing short videos of individual quotations falsely attributed to Lewis to help increase awareness of the fake quotes, with the goal of challenging people to read Lewis’s own words.

O’Flaherty’s books can be purchased at Amazon and all major book retailers. The podcast All About Jack can be heard on Spotify and other major audio outlets. Knowing and Understanding C.S. Lewis can be listened to on YouTube. His latest YouTube series, Misquote Mondays, lists C.S. Lewis misquotes every week. He will begin posting Screwtape Saturday videos every weekend.

More detailed information about all his projects can be found at EssentialCSLewis.com.