MK McClintock Interview Published on: 04, Aug 2018

When did you begin writing? What was your first piece of creative writing?

I’ve been writing short stories and poems for ages. Sometime after high school—I really don’t recall when—I started to write longer works. I finished a few chapters here and there before moving onto the next story. Then I started to write two novels that eventually became Gallagher’s Pride and Alaina Claiborne.

Which awards(s) have you won for writing? How have they contributed to inspire you to write more and better?

I’ve been lucky to receive nominations from InD’tale Magazine and awards from Readers’ Favorite. In truth, they haven’t inspired me any more or less to write differently. It’s always an honor and joy to receive that kind of recognition, but for me, I want to write better with each book for myself and for the readers. If I’d never won an award, I’d still feel the same way.

Where did you grow up and what was your childhood like?

I grew up in Southern California and then Colorado. Even as a child we spent summers and winters in Colorado and Utah, and a lot of time in California’s mountains. I suppose it was a typical childhood filled with adventures and dreams. It was those early days of horseback riding and mountain adventures that sparked an original interest in western books.

What are your hobbies apart from writing?

I enjoy reading, photography, baking, gardening, and spending time outdoors hiking and snowshoeing.

The cover illustrations of your books give major wanderlust. Are you yourself a traveller, too? Which is your favorite travel destination?

I do enjoy traveling, or used to anyway. I spent a lot of time in my twenties and beyond wandering about the country, but I’m more content to spend time closer to home these days. My favorite destination was Scotland. I’ll return there, and I have one or two other places I’d like to see, but my heart and sense of adventure are content in the Rocky Mountains.

‘Forsaken Trail’ is a short story among many others that you have published over time. How different is writing a short story from writing a novel? Which one do you enjoy more?

This story is part of a fun multi-author project that is ongoing. I enjoy writing both equally, though at different times for different reasons. I have so many ideas rushing around in my imagination, and I’ve never been good at controlling them and focusing on only one at a time. Short stories give me a chance to get those ideas written and published without worrying if they can be stretched into a novel. I also like the challenge of writing short stories because they require a lot to be said in a fraction of the words. Writing a novel, for me, takes much longer. I mentally labor over every paragraph, probably more than I need to, but it’s how my mind works. I will always write both.

Which of the women characters in the short story collection of ‘The Women of Crooked Creek’ do you relate the most to and why?

I’ve been asked this before, and the response changes each time. When I write female characters, I like to give them one or two traits I either think I have or wish I had. This allows me to connect with them on a deeper level and imagine myself in their situations. Emma, Hattie, Briley, and Clara . . . I relate to some part of each of their personalities, and I’d call them all friend.

Which of the books in the Montana Gallagher Series was the most challenging to write and what made it so?

The one I’m currently writing (book six). There isn’t as much need for research on the time period and setting since I’ve written five other books set in the same place with the same people. However, and I don’t know if this will make sense, but there’s a sense of responsibility to the characters to continue their stories in a way that suits them and not me. That’s not always easy to do. I’m also introducing a new character, and it’s important to me to make sure the new character is independent yet becomes part of the cohesive unit that is the Gallagher family. The more characters, the more challenges, but I enjoy a challenge.

What inspired you to write the stories in the British Agents Novels series?

My fascination with all things English, Irish, and Scottish. I went through a phase in school when I wanted to live in England, attend garden parties, enjoy afternoon tea . . . basically everything the upper crust do in Jane Austen novels. I wanted to be them. I grew out of that—sort of—but it’s what sparked the idea for the first British Agent novel. It wasn’t until I decided to continue the series that I used the other settings. Ireland because I’ve always wanted to visit, and Scotland because I love it there.

What is the best thing about being a writer?

It’s a rush. I’ve said I enjoy a challenge, and writing is that. I get to live any life I want, go anywhere, and do anything I’ve dreamed of doing, all through my writing. Reading gives me the same rush, but it’s so much fun when I get to create the worlds into which I escape.

What is the sweetest fan-mail/compliment that you have received for your writing?

I can’t pick only one, and I regret not remembering them all. I don’t actively read book reviews any longer, but I do read every email or note a reader sends me, and it’s always exactly what I need to hear when they send it. Generally speaking, some of the sweetest compliments are when a reader tells me they feel as though they are right there in the story with the characters.

How would you define your ideal setting to write?

Quiet! I can have soft music playing, but any other noise, especially people-related noise, is far too distracting. I enjoying working in my writing studio with a view of the mountains. Sometimes I’ll sit on the porch and enjoy the gardens with nature as my background noise. I carry around a small journal in case inspiration strikes, regardless of where I am.

What is your advice to all the young writers out there?

Don’t give up, read a lot of books in a variety of genres, expect to work really hard, and never think for a minute you can accomplish it alone or that success is overnight.

Which is the next book that you are writing? When is it due for release?

I write under two names, so I’m busy with one novel for each and then two short stories. Book six in the Montana Gallagher series is my current focus. I don’t have release dates as yet, but they are slated for release in 2018 and early 2019. I have a western short story in edits that will release August 2018.

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