• a playwright and author of urban fantasy with a dash of cyberpunk

Readers! Let’s give a good hearty welcome to Megan Mackie

I am a warrior princess from the lost civilization of the Amazons. I am a space captain on a mission to further humankind’s understanding of the final frontier. I am a badass paranormal slayer of monsters protecting my friends and community from things that go bump in the night. Occasionally I write books in Chicago instead of watching TV or being a mom/wife/shameless self-promoter.

Megan, thanks for agreeing to be here today. Most interviews start off with bios and such, and while I’ll get to that as always, let’s start with the important stuff!

If you could have any pet (real/fantasy/no-allergies/no worries about feeding it) what would it be?

Phoenix. I relate to this majestic creature who lives life to the fullest and takes risks and when it fails, it burns and hurts and crashes, but then comes back and chooses to live again knowing it will hurt again.

Such a primal and elemental creature. Absolutely made for those who have faced second chances and risen from their own failures.

What do you write and how did you get started?

My current series is The Lucky Devil Series, starting with The Finder of the Lucky Devil. It is urban fantasy combined with cyberpunk, since both magic and advanced technology exist in this world. Like all things, it started with a dream that I then chewed on the rest of the day.

I was a playwright at the time and I came up with this really good, juicy scene and I decided I needed to find the story that justified this scene happening, so I wrote a book during NANOWRIMO, shopped it around and then realized I needed to write another book set earlier, which became The Finder of the Lucky Devil. I am now trying to write back to that scene and I think it may be in book 4 at this time.

I definitely started early as well, but I don’t think I was half as committed as you were! Nor as brave, to submit and send your works out at that age. It’s clearly paid off for you. Congratulations!

What do you like to read?

I read a lot of urban fantasy prior, now I’ve been reading a lot of whatever interests me. Because of the numerous cons I go to through Bard’s Tower selling my books next to people like Jim Butcher, Claudia Grey, and Kevin Anderson, I’ve started expanding the genres I read and what I’m looking for now has also changed. Before I just wanted to be entertained and now it’s like checking under the hood of different sports cars.

I know I enjoy my urban fantasy these days, as well. What an amazing bunch of people to get to rub shoulders with!

Name one commonly accepted piece of writing advice that doesn’t work for you.

Make a detailed outline

Make a detailed outline. I find if I do this, I get bogged down by it, at least in the beginning, because I would do that instead of writing the story, or I would start to write the story but too soon chuck the outline I worked so hard on in favor of something juicier so now I do a hybrid thing where I bullet point and only a few scenes ahead with a vague idea where I want it to end up-ish and let my creative inspiration battle it out for words on the page.

Ha! As a self-professed ‘plantser’, I’m a huge fan of the very light outline that you ignore until you get stuck. I’ve written from a more elaborate outline before and the story suffered for it. I do need an end goal, but the shape of that often changes.

Name one commonly accepted piece of writing advice that they can pry out of your cold, dead hands.

Brackets

The world’s greatest thing. Don’t know what the perfect word to use is, put what you mean in brackets and move on. Either you change it later or what you put in brackets was right all along and you keep it. Cut writer’s block issues in half right there. Dithering about perfect words is pointless anyway, chances are your editor will change them, lol.

Key for getting through a rough draft, so you can start to see the shape of the story!

Shameless Self-Promotion time!

The Finder of the Lucky Devil has just been re-released through eSpec Books.

The only thing more dangerous than using your magic to help a cybernetic spy find a missing criminal is being the criminal he’s looking for…

When Rune Leveau is approached by a charmingly dangerous, cybernetically-altered, corporate spy, St. Benedict, his request seemed simple: use her magical Talent to help him find an elusive criminal named Anna Masterson. But Rune has a dangerous secret: She IS Anna Masterson.

Over the past six years, St. Benedict has searched for the Masterson Files, a computer program rumored to do the impossible—cast magic spells. The technology could reshape the world. His last hope is this Finder of the Lucky Devil, but the Finder is proving difficult… and St. Benedict isn’t going to take no for an answer.

Set in an alternate Chicago, where technology and magic are in competition with each other, this fast-paced cat-and-mouse chase makes The Finder of the Lucky Devil a welcome addition to your urban fantasy/cyberpunk library.

Also, check out two related books, Death and the Crone and Saint Code: The Lost. There is one more existing book in the series that will re-release later this year and that is The Saint of Liars.

All of the books are set in cyber-magical Chicago, but they are split into two related series: The Lucky Devil novels (Finder and Saint) deal more with the magical side of the city…or how it intersects with the tech; and the Saint Code series (currently just The Lost) deals primarily with the cyberpunk side of the series. There are two more books currently in the works, The Devil’s Day, which is the sequel to The Saint of Liars, and Saint Code: Constable.

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• Award-winning writer of poetry and prose

Readers! Let’s give a good hearty welcome to Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt.

Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt is a full-time marketing writer who has penned four books of poetry, two children’s books and a novel. Her eighth book – Get Happy, Dammit – is forthcoming from Local Gems Press.

Katherine, thanks for agreeing to be here today. Most interviews start off with bios and such, and while I’ll get to that as always, let’s start with the important stuff!

If you could have any pet (real/fantasy/no-allergies/no worries about feeding it) what would it be?

I’d really love a floppy-eared goat. Maybe two. They’d make great friends for our two dogs and one cat.

Oooh! So cute. I actually have friends who raise goats. They’re such pack animals that you really need at least two. Maybe three.

What do you write and how did you get started?

I’m probably a bit obsessive when it comes to writing. In my day job, I write blogs, social media, and general marketing pieces, mostly with an IT focus. I also write articles and edit for Prince William Living magazine. In my creative life, I enjoy writing poetry and short essays. Once in a while, I try my hand at flash fiction.

The obsession began early on for me. As soon as my mother started teaching me to read, I wanted to write. The spark was there, and I’m not sure my mother understood at the time the degree to which her efforts affected my desire and ability to write. I wanted to create these experiences I was enjoying so much through books. I wanted to give breath to stories and sounds and ideas. I wanted to communicate things in my head that could not come out of my mouth. So I wrote poetry. Then I created magazines. I drew all the ads and wrote the articles based on the imaginary lives of my puppets. I called the magazine Puppet Gossip. I also kept a diary and wrote letters to friends and family. I often read my writing at school and church functions. Writing was something I did all the time. It was part of me.

As I got older, I began to submit my work to be published. In college, I’d send hundreds of poems out through the mail. The sheer volume of submissions helped me land my work in some pretty good magazines and journals. Then I started to help edit our college literary magazine. I launched one on my own through the college, too. After grad school, I began to write books. I’ve published independently and through small presses, and there are more opportunities on the horizon. The hard work that comes along with this obsession has paid off.

I definitely started early as well, but I don’t think I was half as committed as you were! Nor as brave, to submit and send your works out at that age. It’s clearly paid off for you. Congratulations!

What do you like to read?

Besides reading poetry, I seem to have become fascinated by World War II fiction, specifically the work of Philip Kerr. His Bernie Gunther detective series just sucks me in and has taught me quite a bit about history. I also enjoy the eclectic, sometimes speculative fiction of Margaret Atwood and Rupert Thomson. I find their voices most compelling. Gabriel Garcia Marquez is another of my favorites. His brand of magical realism and poetic prose inspires me.

I spent my college years hanging out with history buffs, so I enjoy a good historical fiction. And we all know speculative fiction is totally my jam. What a great mix, very well rounded. I’m sure that helps with your own writing.

Name one commonly accepted piece of writing advice that doesn’t work for you.

Children’s books shouldn’t rhyme

 I think this notion undervalues a timeless art and limits communication. Poetry holds power, and if you want children to learn the nuances of language and fall in love with the written and spoken word, you should definitely introduce them to verse and do it through storytelling. Think about nursery rhymes, which are a meld of story and song. And what about classics like The Night Before Christmas and just about every Dr. Seuss book?

I think we should be embracing verse, not avoiding it, which is why both my children’s books are written as illustrated epic poems. The storylines and illustrations are important, yes, but the sound and stanza arrangements greatly contribute to the overall experience. I don’t know who came up with the idea that we should strike verse from children’s literature, but I think it’s off base.

From what I understand of the advice, it was the plea of tired publishers and agents, tired of ‘near rhymes’ and poor meter. I believe this is one of those: if you can do it well, please do. Everyone else, have mercy on us and just write normally.

Name one commonly accepted piece of writing advice that they can pry out of your cold, dead hands.

Learn the rules so you can learn how to break them

That goes for any art (and a lot of life in general). It’s important to understand the roots of your particular craft so you can glean the best and leave the rest. Take what you need from tradition. Then you can really start to get creative and have a context as you develop your own style and voice.

Definitely! If you break it because you think the rule is stupid, you likely don’t understand what the rule was intended to do. If you do it from a place of knowledge and art, you can often do amazing things with it. After all, the “rules of writing” are more like… guidelines.

Shameless Self-Promotion time!

Like everyone else, I’ve had to endure the challenges of living a human life. A few things have happened along the way that sometimes make me wonder how I ever lived this long. But I’ve worked hard to get where I am, I’m pleased with the way my life turned out, and that’s why I wrote Get Happy, Dammit.

It’s a kind of handbook for creating inspiration and motivation. The book includes short essays and poems, and in each brief chapter, there are exercises I used in the college classroom when I taught back in the day. I’ve had teachers, artists, writers, business folks and caregivers tell me how useful these exercises are, so I hope your audience will take a look once it’s published this spring.

[NOTE: She’s also published a few other poetry books, with very different themes: Late April, Bury Me Under A Lilac, Poems From The Battlefield, and Weaker Than Water.

Plus! She has two children’s books (in case you wondered why she felt so strongly about that rhyming advice): Furbily-Furld Takes On The World and A Crane Named Steve ]

I’ll be posting about that book and more on my website. Feel free to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or instagram! I appreciate everyone reading, and keep writing!

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