Elana McDougall interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

When did your love of books begin?

As I write in my bio, my hair is red and my eyes are blue. Everything else is in flux. And yes, I probably was born with a book in my hand. I've always loved stories. My grade 2 teacher, Mrs. Thompson, said that reading made you smart. Funny the impact that one little statement had. It shows you the influence teachers can make. Since I wasn't going to win medals at sports I figured I might as well as be smart. I read everything. Books became a joy and sometimes an escape from a difficult childhood. I could lose myself in worlds different from my own. I  devoured everything by Enid Blyton and Mary Stewart and Lloyd Alexander and Andre Norton. 

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

Artists see in images. Musicians hear melodies but I love music for the lyrics. I've always had little pieces of writing started but never finished. I would be inspired by things on television or songs on the radio. I've always wanted to write a fantasy using elements from Hearts' "Magic Man'. I used to fall asleep telling myself stories and I promised myself that 'someday' I would publish and become a real author. The pandemic gave me the kick I needed to get it done. 

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

How do I find the process of becoming an author? Frustrating. Writing the story with all the aggravation and uncertainty is the easy part. In today's publishing market, it is very difficult to attract attention from traditional publishers. Literary agents are gatekeepers and they're under pressure to find what's marketable so they follow trends. Hence all the books with "THE GIRL IN THE ....." So authors self-publish through Amazon and Kobo. And that is a whole learning curve. Twitter, for all its notoriety, turned out to be a godsend with people who advise and help.

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

If you want to be an author, do it. Don't dream about it. Put pen to paper. Put down one word and follow it with another. Trust me—suddenly I have two books out and I'm working on the third. Still hard to believe I can finally say I am an author.

Read. Read everything. Read your genre. And take courses. I used to think that writing classes were for creating ideas but they are invaluable. I love Gotham Writers, an on-line asynchronous forum. As a voracious reader, I knew a lot about story structures but I gained a better understanding of the finer points of the craft and lots of feedback from other writers. 

Tell us about your book/books:

I fully intended to write the next fantasy epic. My story had orcs and swords, a misfit band of heroic warriors and a conflicted woman as a hero, set in this world and a Tolkienesque realm I might still write it. But I became more interested in the hidden village of magical refugees: mages, shapeshifters, trolls, and Fae. The Eldritch of Hallows series is contemporary urban fantasy-romance and not even a little like Tolkien's—no blond elvish archers or axe-slinging dwarves. But the heroes are as sexy as Aragorn and the heroines are as brave as Eowyn and Arwen.

Hallows, North Carolina exists as a sanctuary for the Eldritch whose ancestors fled during the Witch hunts and other bounties on their kind. Here magic infuses everything. Door knockers gossip. Houses twist and turn and randomly shift location. Statues interact with passersby. But it's not utopia. There are stresses that come from maintaining a secret existence, as well as intergenerational trauma, rivalries and struggles for status between the different clans, and their own prejudices about each other. Underlying all the conflict is the knowledge that staying invisible to the human Outside has become more and more difficult as the modern world encroaches.

Hidden Magic introduces this hamlet. Sasha has escaped an abusive fiance and inexplicably found Hallows. The supernatural  locals are furious and Sheriff Jake, who has taken a very personal interest in her, must protect the beautiful human from their deadly intentions and from her stalker ex while not revealing the true nature of the village and his own magical identity. But it turns out the Sasha herself is more than she appears. 

Scorched Earth Magic highlights the very sexy and arrogant mage Sebastian Saint-Remy and his volatile relationship with Julia, a member of a rival coven. Years ago, they lived Hallows' version of Romeo and Juliet but when Julia discovered his true reason for pursuing her, she disappeared. Now she's back to face all the anger and hurt she left in her wake. Sebastian is determined to win her back and will use their intense sexual attraction to his advantage. But her return also awakens a relentless evil and attracts the attention of the sinister queen of a renegade village who has the ability to command the dead. 

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

The writing community of Twitter is awesome. The independent authors are generous with their support, their advice and their encouragement. I love that we read each others' books and cheer each other on. Writing is an escape but it can also be soul destroying and self-doubt can eat away all your self-confidence. Each time I fall victim to 'I hate everything I am writing; I need to  throw it away', someone will tell me how much she/he loved my books and how eager he/she is for the next.  God bless the writing community. 

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

Readers, I'm going to take the beings of myth and legend and reinvent them for you. I want to entertain you. I want to surprise you. I want you to lose yourself in a fantasy which is believable in its diversity and its conflicts and extraordinary in its magic. I want you to gasp and laugh and cry and be furious and in the end, I want you to be satisfied. There will be romance and danger. I promise twists and surprises. But there will be a happy ending. 

Where can people connect with you?

I love connecting. You can find me on Twitter at @ElanaMcdougall. I post about my books and probably post too many pictures about my dogs. Please talk to me. My website is www.elanamcdougall.com where there are excerpts from my two stories.  I'm on Facebook. In the meantime, I hope everyone stays safe.