Alright y'all, I met this lovely through a Reads and Reels Book Tours where I did a blitz for her book. Even though I hadn't read her book, I still reached out to Mallory McCartney through Bookstagram. You can easily imagine my surprise when she agreed to do this interview! She could have easily told me no since I just did a promo, but I am glad that she didn't. So let's dive in shall we?
Q: What is your name and where do you live?
A: Thanks for having me! My name is Mallory McCartney and I live in Southwestern Ontario, Canada.
Q: Are you an Indie Author or do you work with a publishing company?
A: I am an indie author, publishing under my own imprint of MM Books.
Q: What genre(s) do you write?
A: I started off writing YA fantasy, but as my series progresses, I write New Adult or Adult epic fantasy. I am a horror lover so I’m hoping to write a blend of horror / dark fantasy in the future after the Black Dawn Series is finished.
Q: What made you want to become a writer in the first place?
A: My love of writing has always been there since I was young, but it was in public school when I really started to crave becoming an author when I grew up. I have always loved reading and have had a vivid imagination but the first draft named “Kiero” that would later be the setting of the Black Dawn series, I wrote in grade eight and it was the characters that came to me first. I fell in love, but it wasn’t until 2016 that my husband Matt encouraged me to pursue writing professionally.
Q: Do you work a regular job in between books?
A: I absolutely do! My husband and I work together at our day job with a property management group running apartment buildings.
Q: How many books have you published?
A: To date I have published two, Heir of Lies and Queen to Ashes. Though Kingdom of Broken Iron is set to release early 2021 so its soon to be three which is extremely exciting!!
Q: How many books do you have in the works right now?
A: I am currently working on Kingdom of Broken Iron (Black Dawn #3) right now I am in the middle of content edits with my first editor Emerald Barnes (who is fantastic!) After that I have Kingdom set up to go through three more editors; Raven Eckman, Brenna Davis and Briana Morgan, that all focus on different aspects, content, copy line editing and proof reading, and the last step, formatting before publication.
I am also working on the fourth book in the Black Dawn Series, The Cursed Throne, as well as the first book in my adult dark fantasy series.
Q: What was your hardest scene to write so far?
A: There was a couple of hard scenes to write in Heir of Lies in telling Adair’s story. But recently the entire third book, Kingdom of Broken Iron, has been hard to write. In the aspect that when I started out, I had a different idea of where the plot was going to go, but the story took me down a rabbit hole and a new path. Which was SO FUN but also hard to write.
Q: How many books do you have that are not being currently worked on, but are half-written or complete but unpublished?
A: I suppose I have two, The Cursed Throne, and the first book in my new series. Though with my new book I decided to re write it at 60,000 words, which is all part of the process.
Q: Do you have a series developing?
A: Absolutely! Heir of Lies, and Queen to Ashes are part of the Black Dawn Series, which I am planning on it being five books. The new book I am working on I am planning it being part of a series as well.
Q: Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
A: With the Black Dawn series, it’s a body of work that connects between each book. Though it’s not off the table that in the future I will write a standalone book.
Q: What is your next book that is set to be published and when is the release day?
A: Kingdom of Broken Iron is set to release February 8th 2021. I’m really excited to share this book!
Q: How long did it take you to write it?
A: Every book I write is different, but Kingdom of Broken Iron from start to finish took two years.
Q: What did you do when your characters stop talking (writer’s block) to you during the process?
A: I be kind to myself. I used to have such a rigid writing schedule that creatively I burnt out. If I go through writers block I find other avenues to spark and inspire me creatively. Whether that is hiking, painting, listening to music, I see it as stoking the fire and always my characters will come back, and the writers block will diminish.
Q: What routine do you have when you sit down to write a book?
A: Music is my lifeblood! I have noise cancelling headphones, and my office space, so when I sit down to write a book I get into my zone and off I go! Also snacks, a lot of snacks. (Lol!)
Q: Do you write it all out in long sittings or short ones (sprints)?
A: I tend to write in long sittings. Writing is almost a ritualistic act for me, so once I get into the zone, I tend to stay writing for a couple of hours minimum.
Q: Do you get exhausted or energized during writing sessions?
A: Writing energizes me! Its such a fundamental part of who I am, that going into my wolds, and building my characters is not only a stress reliever for me, but is a creative outlet that I can’t live without.
Q: Where do you get your ideas for your books?
A: I’m going to be brutally honest here- I’m not sure. They usually collide into me like being struck by a moving object lol, but as the great Stephen King says, “Write primarily for yourself”. And I do. So, when these ideas or characters slam into me at random times, I have to follow where their story takes me and what their world is like. An example of this is five years ago, I had one of my dogs outside to go to the washroom before bed. It was late, and this idea came out of no where, “What if he is the last person in his world that can see and communicate with ghosts?” BAM, over the last five years my new series has been born from this one loud thought.
Q: Is there another author you look up to or strive to be as successful as?
A: I have a lot of author friends that I look up to, Candace Robinson, Christine Rees though have been with me since the beginning. Writing is hard, and sometimes very scary. But these ladies are not only supportive friends but talented writers.
Q: Are you a reader yourself?
A: Oh yes! I love reading and try to balance my time to make sure I get through my overwhelmingly big TBR, lol.
Q: If so, are you a beta or ARC reader for anyone else? (You don’t have to name for who if you do not wish to.)
A: I will always read any ARCS I can get from Candace Robinson, her books are my favourite! Though also at this moment I am reading an ARC for Patrick Delaney and his The House that fell from the Sky.
Q: Do you like to read the same genre(s) you write?
A: I do, my favourite genres to read are epic fantasy and horror/ thriller. Though I sometimes read contemporary as well, but I have to be in the mood to.
Q: Do you have a favorite book or a book that stands out the most?
A: I love this question, and the answer changes for me as I get older. But as of today, my favourite book has been IT by Stephen King. It’s brilliant.
Q: Have you ever cried, laughed, or had a real emotional response to a book?
A: I have, and to me that is a sign of an incredibly talented writer. My favourite kind of response is “you did not do that to my favourite character!” lol, the last book I read that had that response was Candace Robinson’s upcoming paranormal romance, Lyrics & Curses.
Q: What kind of social media do you have?
A: I have Instagram, a website, Facebook, and twitter. I am most active on my Instagram account @authormalmccartney
Q: Do you like to connect with your readers using your chosen platforms?
A: I love to connect with my readers!!! I think it’s the coolest aspect of being an author is to hear how people react or think about your work.
Q: Do you have any author friends that have helped you with your writing process or just been there for support?
A: I absolutely do, to name a few, Candace Robinson, Christine Rees, Michele Barrow-Besilse have always been there for me! Big hugs ladies.
Q: What was the best money ever spent as a writer?
A: The best money I have spent is first, investing into my own publishing imprint, investing in my amazing publicists, editors and my formatter. I would be lost without my team <3
Q: How does your family feel about your writing?
A: My family and my friends are hugely supportive of my writing career, and I feel lucky for that <3
Q: Is there anything about you that your readers don’t know that you would like them to know?
A: Hmm, I have three dachshunds, Link, Lola and Leonard who are my furkids, and I am a musical theatre addict!!!!!
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/authormalmccartney/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/authormalmccartney/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/malmccartney?lang=en
Website:
https://www.authormallorymccartney.com/
Alright y'all, there you have it! She has been hard at work trying to get her books out there for everyone to enjoy while working along side her husband. I have not read her books yet, but there is no telling what the future holds for my never ending TBR! I am super grateful that she agreed to do this interview and that we connected thanks to R&R Book Tours! Be sure to check out all her social media pages and her books!
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