Featured Interview With MK McClintock
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in California, but my family headed for the Rocky Mountains while I was still in grade school. We had spent most of our summers and winters in the mountains before relocating, so I developed a love for nature and the Rockies early on. Once I moved to Montana, I knew I’d found home. I’ve done some traveling and exploring, but Montana has been my home for almost twenty years. It’s also where I was first inspired to write the Montana Gallagher books, my first series.
I’ve had all kinds of pets from horses and geese to cats and dogs with a few farm animals and parakeets mixed in for good measure. My last dog passed away but I know it won’t be long before I adopt another friend. Pets make for great writing companions.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Oh, goodness, I would have been a toddler. My mother always told me it was no surprise that I became a writer, like she knew before I did, because as a child and all through my teen years, I devoured books. I remember how proud I was one year in Jr. High for winning an award for having read the most books from the school library in one year.
I started writing short stories and poetry early on, though I don’t recall exactly when. I became more serious about writing after high school, but it was many years later when I realized it was time to finish the first novel and become a professional and published author. I had a lot of half-finished stories up to that point. It’s been the best, most exhilarating, and sometimes the most exhausting “job” I’ve ever had.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My reading tastes are quite eclectic, though for pleasure I tend to read historical fiction, western romance, and mysteries/thrillers. I read a lot of non-fiction and history books for research purposes. My favorite authors . . . these sometimes change, but among them are Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, Edward Rutherford, Johanna Lindsey, and I recently added Susanna Kearsley to my top five. Of course I read new authors and books all of the time, so there are many whose books I enjoy on a regular basis.
When it comes to inspiration, I believe an author has to create their own, but I find that reading great books by great authors is quite inspiring simply because their work makes me never want to give up on my own.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
JOURNEY TO HAWK’S PEAK is the fifth book in my Montana Gallagher series, which are historical romantic westerns. It all started with GALLAGHER’S PRIDE and the Gallagher family who pretty much took on a life of their own and decided that after book one, they weren’t done telling their stories. This last one took longer to write—almost six months—than the other books in the series because I had so much going on in my life, and there were times when it was emotionally draining. I think I related to Amanda Warren, the heroine, on so many levels that I had to take a step back every now and then. All of my female leads have a little something of me in them, but Amanda and I were kindred spirits, so far as you can be with a fictional character. Ben Stuart, the hero, really drew me into his feelings for Amanda and it was like experience them all for myself. Sounds crazy perhaps, but we authors can really get into our writing, often becoming a part of the story.
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