Hello. I am Rebecca Scarberry, Scarberryfields on
Twitter. Enjoy my interview with a very talented author, Michael J. McCann:
Rebecca: Can you tell us a little about yourself? Have
you always lived in Canada?
Michael: Yes, I
was born and raised in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, a city of about 60,000
people famous for its lift lock, located on the Trent-Severn Waterway. I was a
typical Canadian kid, spending most of my childhood outside playing hockey, on
outdoor rinks in the winter and on the street in summer. Once the other kids
learned how to shoot the puck as high as my head, though, I decided that
reading books was probably a better way to spend my time. I’ve also lived in
Kingston, where I earned a graduate degree in English, in Calgary, Alberta,
where I was an editor for a publishing company, in Woodstock, New Brunswick,
where I worked for my father-in-law, who was an independent trucker hauling
Moosehead beer, and many other places. I’ve finally settled down here in Oxford
Station, just south of Ottawa, our nation’s capital.
Rebecca: Do you think
you will ever move to another country & how many languages do you speak?
I'm a life-long Canadian, and while I love visiting other
countries I'll always live in Canada. I must admit, though, that I'm a lot less
tolerant of the cold in winter than I was in my younger days, and I often
threaten that if I ever win the lottery, I might look for a winter home in a
warmer climate! Just the same, there's nothing like clearing snow from your
driveway in sub-zero temperature in the middle of January to remind you that
you're alive.
My generation was the first to receive French-language
lessons in public school as part of the regular school curriculum. I studied
French from Grade Four right through to first-year university, but
unfortunately I didn't use it enough and can't call myself fluently bilingual.
I read French fairly well but only speak it haltingly. I suppose you could say
I speak 1.5 languages.
Rebecca: Are you working on a new book at the moment?
Michael: I’m
currently writing the first draft of The
Fregoli Delusion, which is the third book in the Donaghue and Stainer Crime
Novel series. It’s scheduled for publication this fall. In this story, the only
witness to the murder of a billionaire is a man who suffers from a rare
delusional misidentification syndrome, or DMS, called Fregoli syndrome, in
which a person believes he’s being persecuted by someone who constantly appears
disguised as other people. His condition makes him completely unreliable as an
eyewitness, but, typically, Karen Stainer believes him. It’s a very interesting
book to write, because for the first time it will introduce friction between
Donaghue and Stainer, and because it requires quite a bit of research into
delusional misidentification and other related subjects.
Rebecca: Where can people go to read your work?
Michael: Blood Passage and Marcie’s Murder, the first two novels in the series, can be ordered
in trade paperback format from any independent bookstore with online access to
the Ingram book catalog. I encourage people who want to buy the paperbacks to
try their local independent bookstore first, because our communities need to
keep them alive and viable. If people like to order their books online, they
can find Blood Passage
(http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Passage-Michael-J-McCann/dp/0987708708/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_2)
and Marcie’s Murder
(http://www.amazon.com/Marcies-Murder-Michael-J-McCann/dp/0987708724/) on
Amazon in paperback or for the Kindle. They’re also available from Barnes &
Noble, for those who have a Nook (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blood-passage-michael-j-mccann/1104161526?ean=2940011425219&format=nook-book&itm=4&usri=michael%2Bj%2Bmccann),
for the Kobo
(http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Marcies-Murder/book-kxj5qdEy8U-U0kN9yGR3ug/page1.html?s=dxuV-3JfFE6yNvsXVCMPgA&r=1),
as an iBook (http://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/blood-passage/id453284535?mt=11)
and other places.
Rebecca: Which
traditionally published authors inspire you and are there any self-published
authors who inspire you?
Michael: I admire
John Grisham’s earlier novels because he worked hard to become an effective
storyteller and his narrative has a rhythm and flow that I enjoy. Personally, I
consider Runaway Jury to be his best,
because it’s such a well-told story. I’m also a fan of the late Tony Hillerman,
John Mortimer, Georges Simenon, and many other crime fiction authors. However,
when I want to remind myself how to write clean, unadorned narrative that moves
the reader briskly along, I pick up any Lee Child novel and read the first
twenty pages or so. “This happened. Then that happened. The guy pulled out a
shotgun. Reacher said nothing.” Great stuff.
Before making the decision to publish independently, I
researched a number of successful independent authors, looking for models on
which to base my own approach. Amanda Hocking, of course, was an incredible
model because of the effort she put into reaching her target audience, engaging
them in dialogue and making them feel as though they were an intimate part of
her success. I also learned from studying the approach of others, such as John
Locke and Scott Nicholson, but Hocking’s tireless, grassroots audience-building
was indeed a marvel to behold.
Rebecca: Good reviews, mixed reviews, bad reviews – what
are your thoughts on each of those?
Michael: I dread
reviews. You can’t imagine the relief I feel when I read a review and discover
someone actually liked my book. I always hope for the best and brace for the
worst, I guess. A positive review always puts fresh wind in my sails and sends
me back to the keyboard with renewed confidence.
I don’t mind constructive criticism, because as a writer
it’s essential that I know how readers are reacting to what I’m doing, what
isn’t working, what I need to do differently. I’m always alert to ways in which
I can adapt and grow as a writer. The key, however, lies in the tone in which
negative criticism is delivered. It doesn’t matter whether you’re giving
feedback at work, in a store, in a theater, or to an author, you have to
remember that the other person is also a human being and can be hurt by
unnecessarily mean-spirited or sarcastic remarks. There are very few of us on
this planet who don’t have issues with self-esteem and confidence, and creative
people in particular struggle to grow a thick skin because of the introspective
nature of what we do, the risks we have to take to craft a finished work, and
the courage we have to have to release it into the world. When I receive nasty
criticism from some anonymous person online who is obviously more interested in
their own cleverness and zapping power than in offering useful feedback, I turn
my back on them. Frankly, I can find better ways to waste my time. But if
someone’s offering constructive criticism that will help me improve, I’m all
ears.
Rebecca: If you work for a living, how do you find time
to write?
Michael: While I
was working for a living, I wrote very little. I admire people who can put in a
full day’s work and still write well, because it was not something I was able
to do. I’m very fortunate to be in a position now that I can write full-time.
Rebecca: Do you feel that promoting your books on Twitter
is beneficial?
Michael: I’ve had
very good luck promoting my books on Twitter. I’ve tried to find a balance in
my Twitter associations between fellow authors – who are an amazingly
supportive group on Twitter, by the way – and people who are not in the same
business but might be interested in mine. For example, I’ve been able to build
some great connections with independents in other fields, including musicians,
visual artists, and artisans, especially people working with jewelry and
ceramics, and I love helping to promote their work because I’m a fervent
believer in the power of cross-fertilization when it comes to creativity. When
I see the kinds of things they’re creating and marketing, I feel inspired
myself. I find that Twitter is a terrific community, and I’m very happy to be a
part of it.
Rebecca: Thank you so much for
your honesty here and for taking time out from your busy day to answer my
questions. Those visiting my blog will be delighted to learn more about you and
if they’re smart, they will read your books. I thoroughly enjoyed Marcie’s Murder and look forward to
reading all you have written and publish in the future.
We award a B.R.A.G.Medallion to worthy self-published books. We are trying to bring attention to these great books and we are looking for reviewers. Would you consider reviewing some of our books? Stephanie Hopkins is one of our readers and I know she is a follower of yours. She also does our author interviews.
ReplyDeletePlease go to www.bragmedallion and see what we do. Our authors would be so appreciative!
Geri
President indibrag,LLC
We are awarding deserving Self-published books a BR.A.G.Medallion and we are trying to bring attention to these wonderful books.
ReplyDeleteWould you consider reviewing a few of them?
We have sevral bloggers helping us with author interviews but we still need some respected reviews for some of our books. If you would be interested in joining us in helping these authors, we would love to have you.
Visit us at www.bragmedallion.com to see what we are doing.
I hope to hear from you soon-
Geri
president@bragmedallion.com