Author Interview – Madeleine McLaughlin

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Author Interview – Madeleine McLaughlin

What was the hardest part about writing this book? Re-writing.

Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it? Just keep at it, plus I learned to promote.

How do you promote this book? Twitter, Facebook, Interviews, Sales.

Will you write others in this same genre? I’m working on another horror story now. In fact, two, one is short and one is long. I have a few flash fictions in the horror genre. I find I like horror, it’s very Christian, good versus evil. And your villains are pretty much already set out, they just have to be bad according to Christianity. So in a way, it’s more user-friendly than other genres where you have to come up with your protagonist and antagonist all by yourself.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? No.

How much of the book is realistic? I tried to make my characters life experiences as realistic as I could.

Have you included a lot of your life experiences, even friends, in the plot? No to friends in the story, but things about people I’ve noticed.

How important do you think villains are in a story? The whole story is what the villains do.

What are your goals as a writer? I want to improve and keep improving.

Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)? No. No travel yet. But I’ve done some research on certain crimes of the past and wouldn’t mind visiting the places where these crimes took place. One in Ontario and one in BC.

What books have most influenced your life? History books because I learned a lot about the world and good and bad people and what ordinary people can be driven to. When I’ve read about cast-aways, there were one or two who tried to set up a power base over the others and then there were people who went out of their way to help. Why does one choose one way and another choose the other way? That’s what I try to figure out as I write.

Have you ever considered anyone as a mentor? No.

Who is your favorite author and why? The late Harry Thompson because he’s also a history writer along with a historical fiction writer. Plus he has beautiful prose.