John O'Brien (May 21, 1960 – April 10, 1994) was an American author, known for his debut novel Leaving Las Vegas.
He was the brother of writer Erin O'Brien. John grew up in Brecksville and Lakewood, Ohio, and graduated from Lakewood High School in 1978. Through a friend of his ex-wife, O'Brien got a gig writing Episode 37 of the animated series Rugrats, "Toys in the Attic", which premiered in 1992 under his only known pseudonym, Carroll Mine. According to his sister, Erin, he was disgusted with editorial changes made to his script. His first novel, Leaving Las Vegas, was published in 1990 by Watermark Press and made into a film of the same name in 1995.
O'Brien married Lisa Kirkwood in 1979, and the couple moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1982. They divorced in 1992, at his initiative. His first novel, Leaving Las Vegas, is dedicated to her. He was a fan of singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks and admired Star Trek: The Original Series.
Composition and publication history
Leaving Las Vegas was the only of O'Brien's works published during his lifetime. Its composition was preceded by a short story, "The Tik", that would not see publication until the 2008 collection Las Vegas Noir. O'Brien wrote "The Tik" in January 1988 and began Leaving Las Vegas later that year.
O'Brien went on to finish two additional novels during his lifetime. Better (Akashic Books, 2009), the last of his works to receive posthumous publication, was begun by the spring of 1990 while Leaving Las Vegas was still in press. Work on Stripper Lessons (Grove Press, 1997) was started in 1992. These were used by his sister Erin to finish the novel prior to its publication.