Randall McNally interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

Thank you for asking me to take part in your blog. My name is Randall McNally and I am currently a senior project manager, working for a large software company, and I write in my spare time. I’m from Ireland and I have a degree in Astrophysics. I began writing around five years ago after reading an article online about a lady in America who gave up her day job and became a best-selling author. It inspired me to take up writing, although I did stop short of giving up my day job.

When did your love of books begin?

I grew up reading books written by JRR Tolkien, HP Lovecraft and David Gemmell. I was given one of the Fighting Fantasy books in school, by a friend (the ones where, if you go left, you turn to page 59 and if you go right, turn to page 34), and was instantly amazed by the fact I was the main character in an interactive adventure book. Since then I was transfixed by the fantasy genre.

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

The truth is I only write part time, my real job is Project Management for an I.T. firm, and yes, it’s just as exciting as it sounds! Writing is an escape mechanism I employ to get away from the spreadsheets and metrics reports of the nine-to-five grind. I was working as a software developer for a company a few years back and really disliked it when I happened to read the article online about someone who began writing because they were stuck in a dead-end job. It struck a chord with me and so I turned to writing to keep me sane.

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

Writing’s tough, especially when it’s not your actual day job or primary source of income; working full-time only allows me to write at nights, weekends and holidays. Shadowless was my debut book so I had no idea of the process (or the costs involved), and although it’s turned out better than I could have expected, the process of getting there has been a tough one. Shadowless took two years to write and over three years to produce, from start to finish, and while most of the processes of straightforward enough the one thing I hadn’t accounted for was the marketing aspect.

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

I would never, ever, try and put anyone off becoming an author, but what I would say is for any prospective writer, is to sit down and give it some serious thought. If you don’t secure a publishing deal then the only alternative route is to self-publish, which can be a costly road to go down. Books are like a pit, they can swallow money with little or nothing to show for it, and in self-publishing everything seems to cost money. When it comes to writing a book, I’ve found that you get out what you put in, the reason Shadowless looks like a professionally published book is because I hired professionals at every stage of the process.

Also, if you want to make a career out of writing (and by that I mean get paid to write) choose carefully what genre you’re going to concentrate on. The next time you’re in your local bookstore have a look around; the women’s literature section is probably ten times larger than the SFF section.

Tell us about your book/books & what do you love about the writing/reading community?:

Set in the medieval world of the Northern Realms, Shadowless is a sweeping fantasy novel about individuals who were born without shadows. Spawned by the malevolent deities of this world these Godlings are persecuted at every turn. Hunted by the high priests who are carrying out the wishes of their gods, hunted by the Shadow Watchers; armed soldiers who are assigned to each temple, identified by their light-blue cloaks and distinctive armour, and, of course, hunted by the gods themselves. Even the common folk who live in the towns and cities of the Northern Realms are complicit in the hunting and killing of the Shadowless, fearful of the gods’ wrath and of the collateral damage that can occur when they appear.

 

Shadowless has been well received by critics and has been called striking original in its scope. There is nothing else out there like it, to my knowledge.

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

Shadowless isn’t like most mainstream books, its structure is different, its themes are dark and complex, and its chapters are not chronologically linear. It doesn’t spoon-feed the reader with information, it forces readers to think about why things are happening and to make connections between characters and chapters.

 

I’ve had reviewers contact me because of words or phrases that mean something different in the U.S. than they do in the U.K./Ireland. I also ask that if Fantasy / Grimdark is not a reviewer’s preferred genre, then with all due respect please don’t review my book – you won’t like it, I promise you.

Where can people connect with you?

RandallMcNally09@gmail.com

@RandallMcNally9 on Twitter

More can be found out about Shadowless at Shadowless.org