I’d like to welcome Heather MacKinnon to my little corner of the world! She’s releasing a new book soon (which I’ll also feature here later), but first, let’s get to know a little about Heather!
What book or series are you talking about today?
New book and new series! The series is called the Southern Werewolf Enforcers and the first book is “Matthias”.
Oh! Here’s a look at the stunning cover!
What do the words “writer’s block” mean to you?
It usually means I’ve made a mistake somewhere and I haven’t figured out where yet. All my writer’s blocks in the past have been because I’d been trying to make my story go in a way it wasn’t supposed to. As soon as I figure out the right way forward, the block is almost always gone.
Do you read reviews? If so, how do you process and deal with negative book reviews?
Usually I’ll read reviews in the beginning to catch what my ARCs have to say, but other than that, I try to stay away. Negative reviews can be so harsh and I just don’t have thick skin. I’ve tried, but I can’t help but take them to heart, so I stay away.
What is the most difficult part of your writing process?
The middle! As soon as I hit around 30k words, I start to struggle. Usually I know the beginning and the end so I get stuck in the middle trying to connect them.
How long have you been writing or when did you start?
I started writing back in 2007 but I didn’t start publishing until 2016.
What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book?
Read, read, read! Reading really helped me become the writer I am today. I was able to start looking at the books I was reading with a critical eye and point out what I did and didn’t like. From there I took that and wrote my own stories.
What, to you, are the most important elements of good writing?
Being succinct! My biggest pet peeve when reading is where there are extra words or sentences that could be simplified.
What comes first for you — the plot or the characters — and why?
Characters. Always. My books are very heavily character driven and the plot is where I usually struggle. I love building the characters and making them fall in love. It’s my absolute favorite!
How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
I just finished my 20th book actually! And my favorite is a contemporary romance I wrote years ago called Send Sunshine. It’s just such a deep and beautiful romance and I love getting lost in that world.
How would you describe your book’s ideal reader?
If you love love you’ll love my books! The romance is always there, the steam is always there, and no matter what gets thrown their way, my characters always find their way back to each other.
How much research did you need to do for your book?
This book actually involved a lot of car research and for that I went straight to my brother. He’s been a mechanic for decades and loves to talk cars so he’s my favorite resource!
How do you come up with character names for your stories?
Honestly, I’m starting to run out of names! I’ve had to Google plenty of times!
What characters in your book are most similar to you or to people you know?
All of my characters are a little tiny bit like me.
How long did it take you to write this book?
This last one was less than a month.
How did you come up with the title for your book?
I’m AWFUL at coming up with titles. All of my books have the most basic titles. With this series I finally gave up and just named each book after the enforcer I was featuring.
Would you and your main character get along?
Matthias would probably be a little put back at my lack of Marvel comics knowledge, but he’s such a nice guy, he’d find something else to talk to me about.
If you could meet your characters, what would you say to them?
Next time, write your own book!
What is your writing process like? Are you more of a plotter or a pantser?
I’m kind of a hybrid. I definitely need to know the bones of what I’m about to write, but I pants all the little details.
What do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?
Okay, this is weird, but I can get distracted very easily so I always need a drink, some tissues (because I have awful allergies), white noise playing, a nail file, and some q-tips. I know, I know, it’s weird, but let me explain. Because my allergies are so bad, my ears can get really itchy and it’s enough to drive me absolutely crazy so I keep q-tips in my office so I can get rid of the itch and get back to working. It’s strange, but it stops me from procrastinating even more.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I go through phases but right now I watch a lot of Youtube.
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
Yes! I have a great group on Facebook and hear from my readers often! I also have a few that reach out to me regularly on Instagram and I love it so much. They’re usually messaging me to either talk about the current book or ask about the next one, but there are a bunch that just message me to say hi and it’s just the sweetest thing.
What do you wish someone had told you about being an author?
I wish I’d known that standalone series were much easier to write than trilogies and that the longer the series, the better.
Have you Googled yourself and what did you find?
HA! Yes! My husband Googles me here and there. Usually my Amazon profile and some other social medias pop up.
Do you play music while you write — and, if so, what’s your favorite?
OMG no I could never! I would get distracted and start singing instead of writing! I like to listen to a lot of music when I’m plotting but when I’m writing I need silence or soft white noise.
Have pets ever gotten in the way of your writing?
No, but my two year old does all the time! He’s my favorite distraction though.
As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
Honestly, I never had a hard direction. I wanted to be an actor, I wanted to be a singer, I wanted to be a lawyer, I wanted to be an archaeologist, I wanted to be a businesswoman, I wanted to be a nurse. I’ve bounced around so much until I accidentally landed here and found my place.
Do you have any other artistic hobbies, such as drawing or cooking?
Heck no. I cook because I need to eat and feed my family. I don’t do it for fun.
Thank you so much for joining me and sitting for my interview, Heather! And if you, readers, want to follow Heather MacKinnon on social media, her links are dropped below!
Until next time, y’all take care of yourselves and each other.
www.tiktok.com/@heathermackinnonauthor
www.facebook.com/HeatherMacKinnonAuthor
M.D. Stewart's Writers Blog 