Greg McLaughlin interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

When did your love of books begin?

I was never much of a reader until eighth grade when I discovered J.R.R. Tolkien. I had a friend that read "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" and talked about it with all my other friends at school. Feeling excluded, I asked my parents to buy me the books and I read them every night for three weeks. I’d stay up all night with my book lamp transporting myself to Tolkien’s amazing, comprehensive world. From there, I found myself writing fan fiction, creating my own off-shoot characters, maps and conflicts. As a thirteen-year-old novice writer, my work was immature and nonsensical. But, just that bit of inspiration kept me hooked on worldbuilding, character-creation and story writing for the rest of my life.

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

I knew I was a capable writer in high school as I excelled in all my English classes and quickly learned how to write an effective essay. My favorite English Teacher, Mrs. Schwartz, taught me that great writing should be both Precise and Concise and that lesson has stayed with me for more than forty years. My aspiration to be an author unfolded over time. As a strong writer in college, I opted to major in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. I created, wrote, directed and starred in my own late night sketch comedy and variety show called “Latest With Gregory”. I went on to journey through a long and winding career that started in journalism, and then morphed into Marketing and then Sales Operations, Business Operations, Management Consulting and ultimately Technology. Life had migrated my career away from what I enjoyed most, creative writing. So, twenty years ago, as a hobby, on business trips, I started inventing characters, imagining scenes, escribing various settings and pulling together conflicts and plots. Before I knew it, I had embarked on my first novel, “The Curve in the Road” and I’ve been writing them as a side career ever since.

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

I’ve certainly learned a lot about planning my characters and my plot in advance and working through those moments of blockage when you can’t find the way forward. My first novel too eight years to finish. My second “The Second Coming” took five and I finished my third, “The Triple Date” in two years. Around that time, I found myself turning a corner and regularly reducing the amount of time it took to complete a full-length commercial novel from one year to about six months. And, I just completed and published my eleventh last month in November, 2021. One of the biggest factors in reducing this cycle time had to do with the fact that my children grew up, became more self-sufficient and eventually left the home for college. This gave me more free time to focus on my development as an author. At this point, I feel confident in my ability to conceptualize, iterate, write, edit and produce the work. The bigger challenge lies in the building of a following and the marketing of that work. I’ve learned a great deal about the business side of the craft, but have so much further to go in that area.

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

Everyone’s first try at anything is always going to have flaws. The first time I tried to make an omelet, it came out mushy and fell apart when I tried to flip it. The first news article I ever wrote had a cliché as the lead, several spelling errors that neither I, nor the editor, caught and I’m pretty sure I misquoted at least one source. The point is, if you really want to do something – I mean if you truly have a burning passion for it – then you can’t let any amount of failure get in the way. My first thirteen-year-old fantasy novels are basically unreadable tomes of drivel. My first real novel took eight frustrating years to complete. There were numerous times that I thought I’d never make the story work. But I never let my short-term or even my medium-term failures stop me from my vision of long-term success. To be more precise and concise about it; NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAM.

Tell us about your book/books:

Despite the original inspiration for my literary interest stemming from the fantasy genre and the amazing works of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, I found my niche in more contemporary subject matter. I tend to write in two distinct genres including social-political thrillers and fun romantic comedies. I enjoy developing characters that feel real and true-to-life. Like a puzzle, I like to justify their decision-making through their backstories, through the uniqueness of their environments and through the pressures and influences they experience by the characters around them. My first true romantic comedy, “The Triple Date”, pits two rival Marketing Directors competing for the same job when their companies merge. Aside from the complication that their dislike for each other slowly evolves to respect, admiration and attraction, they also learn that their teenaged children have met and started to date each other. And then, their single septuagenarian parents embark on a clumsily-hidden fling. “The Second Coming” was my first social-political thriller. It envisions a charismatic and spiritual thought-leader known only as Jaio and a cast of disparate, downtrodden followers who help him circulate his message of love and peace virally across the world. While Jaio’s influence grows, agents of terrorist groups, domestic zealots and even the U.S. government, all fearing the power of popularity that he amasses, seek to negate or destroy him. A dangerous conflict culminates in the streets of Times Square in Manhattan, leading to what some might consider a tragic ending, and yet, others might call a miraculous salvation. I went on to write similar social-political thrillers, including one about corrupt election politics called “The Third Party”, one about illegal immigration, called “Broken English”, one about homelessness and human sex-trafficking called “Under the Aurora”, one about toxic small-town youth sports politics called “The B Team” and my latest about Cold War international espionage called “Il Pleure Dans Mon Coeur”. My other romantic comedies include my first one called “The Curve in the Road” as well as “Matunuck” and “Erosion”, a two-book series, (so far)!

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

My first motivation in writing is to craft characters, settings and conflicts that stir my own emotions. I enjoy falling ion love with, admiring, or fearing or even hating my own characters. I like to worry about them and wonder how they will navigate the conflicts their stories present. Secondly, I enjoy sharing my stories with others and engaging with them to learn about their reactions to my characters and conflicts. I love to receive both positive feedback as well as productive criticism that can help me learn, grow and improve as a creative writer. I’ve interacted with so many supportive readers and amazing writers through the writing community that have helped me hone my abilities and navigate the business and promotional side of the writing business. I’m truly grateful for the hundreds and thousands of people I’ve connected with over the past twenty years of indulging in this second career as an author.

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

To my actual readers, I’d first say thank you. There are literally millions of novels out there to choose from, so for anyone that opted to invest their time and money in one of my stories, I can’t express enough how appreciative I am that they’ve taken the time to investigate my writing. To the many readers that posted comments, ratings and reviews, I can’t tell you how honored I am that you’ve taken that extra step to share your reactions with others. To my peers, those writers who’ve served as beta readers and trusted colleagues along the way, you may never know what an impact you’ve had on me and the deep admiration I have for each and every one of you. Lastly, to the readers out there who haven’t discovered my writing yet, I hope you’ll give me a try. I may not be for everybody, but I think I have a universal appeal and that most readers should be able to find something of value in the novels I’ve published.

Where can people connect with you?

I’ve focused on three social platforms so far including: •Facebook: https://facebook.com/greg.mclaughlin.501/… •Twitter: @gmclaughlin126

•LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/gregmclaugh