Hello and thanks for stopping by today! We have a personal q&a with Maggie McGinnis so let's get right to it!
What or who initially inspired you to
become a writer?
I sort of
hate to admit this out loud, but it was really a quest for sanity that led me
to writing. I had infant twins and a 4-year old, so my life had temporarily
become an endless string of diapers, bottles, and very little sleep. Amidst the
craziness that was infants-times-two, I needed someone I could control, so I created pretend-people! J
What kind of research do you do for a
novel and how extensive do you get?
For this
book I did quite a bit of research on PTSD, and was actually surprised to find
out that the highest percentage of PTSD victims are actually car accident
survivors. I’d always associated it more closely with combat or personal types
of traumas, but apparently it’s much further-reaching than I’d known. I also
enjoyed lots of (online for now – sigh) time checking out dude ranches and
Montana getaways, and next time I have twelve million dollars lying around, I’m
totally buying the mountaintop retreat I found.
Do you have a special place you like
to write?
My sweet
hubby pulled the ultimate sacrifice last Christmas, turning his Man Cave into a
cozy writing space for me. It’s warm, comfy, and tucked away from the chaos,
and it’s the first time in a lo-ong time that I’ve had a space to call “mine.”
That said, given that I’m mommy-to-many, I’m just as often scribbling notes at
the kitchen counter or trying to balance my laptop on a lawn chair!
As a reader, what types of works do
you like to read, and do you think they influence the genre(s) you write in?
I spent a
lot of years reading and teaching oodles of classics and literary fiction, and
I have the utmost respect for those books and authors. I have to admit that
these days,
though, I tend more toward lighter contemporary novels that let me
escape for a few hours without the burden of pondering my own existence or
grappling with heavy issues that invade my sleep afterward. As a mom, I am in
constant worry-mode about my kids’ health, their futures, their world, so I
like to let authors like Kristan Higgins, Eileen Cook, and Jill Shalvis take me
away, make me laugh, and usually leave me feeling better about the universe. That’s
what I hope my books will do as well.
What is your favorite method of
writing? Do you plot out your story or go with the flow of your muse?
I’m a huge
fan of the notebook-and-pen method of outlining and notes-gathering, but when
it comes time to sit down and write, my hot pink Dell laptop is just the thing.
I do my best to plot, but I seem to have a rather cranky muse who prefers to go
with the flow whether I want to come along or not. I do plot out major turning
points and GMCs for my characters, but very little of my final draft resembles
my early planning, despite my best efforts!
What do you do when you’re not
writing?
When I’m not
writing, I’m generally wrangling kids, laundry, and yet another unsuccessful
experiment in the kitchen. I’m a wannabe-crafter and someday-photographer, but
right now I’m just enjoying all the hours I can get with my family. I know I’m
going to blink and this part will be over, so I’m grabbing it for all it’s
worth.
Is there anything nobody knows about
you that you’d like to share with our readers?
Yikes. Can I
trust them? J I’ve already fessed
up to owning a minivan (horrors!), so I’m not sure I’m ready to go any deeper
than that!
Favorites:
Color: Teal and salmon, preferably together!
Dessert: My secret-recipe chocolate chip
cookies (Yes, even I have a secret
recipe. One.)
Season: Autumn, definitely. There’s nothing
like cool air, crisp apples, and the first warm sweater of the season. Ooh –
and if anyone has any pull at Yankee Candle, could you please ask them to bring
back their Cinnamon Appleberry scent? J
Sad Song: Oboy. I’d have to go with “I Need to
Know” by Kris Allen. It’s gut-wrenching, and it helps me write every hero’s
black moment.
Romantic Movie: I can’t pick just one! J I tend toward romantic comedies like
Bridget Jones, The Proposal, My Best Friend’s Wedding, and Crazy Stupid Love,
but I have to say one of my favorite movies of all time is one of Reese
Witherspoon’s early ones: The Man in the Moon. It’s sweetly haunting and
beautiful.
Bonus: What is your ideal romantic
vacation?
Any vacation
at all would be ideal at this point! I’d love to rent an RV and wander the
country for a month, stopping where the mood strikes. Then again, there’s an
inherent National Lampoon-ish risk in that plan, so it scares me a little!
Thank you so
much for hosting me today!!
It was our pleasure !! Now for all the lastest book info :)
ACCIDENTAL COWGIRL
By Maggie McGinnis
On Sale October 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-345-54875-7
Published by Loveswept
Blurb
In her
Loveswept debut, Maggie McGinnis tells the tale of a city girl who’s running on
fumes—and the cowboy who shows her all the good things she’s been missing.
After being betrayed by her con man ex-fiancé,
Kyla Bennett nurses a broken heart. But Kyla's friends have other ideas and
when they whisk her off to Whisper Creek, a dude ranch staffed by cowboys so
hot they dim the Montana sunset, all Kyla wants to do is hide under a quilt.
Then in rides Decker Driscoll. He’s hauling about as much emotional baggage as
Kyla, but when he stands close by, both of them want to stay close—and begin to
succumb to an undeniable attraction.
After experiencing personal tragedy, Decker
never thought he’d see Big Sky country again. But now that his family's Whisper
Creek property is in deep with a Vegas gambler, Decker’s back for the
summer—and spending all his time running from “cowgirls” who come to the dude
ranch to score some dudes. Then he meets Kyla, a kindred spirit who brings on a
stampede of protective feelings . . . and a powerful hankering to sear her with
a new brand of love.
Buy Links:
Link to Follow
Tour: http://tastybooktours.blogspot.com/2013/07/now-booking-tasty-virtual-book-tour-for_6627.html
Author Info
Maggie
McGinnis is the author of Driving Without a License, which was a finalist for
Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart award. A former high school English
teacher, an accomplished musician, and a certified black belt, she lives in New
England with her family.
Rafflecopter Giveaway
-GRAND PRIZE winner - $50 e-giftcard
to BootBarn.com and a NetGalley review copy of ACCIDENTAL COWGIRL
-3 First Prize winners - Loveswept
Coffee Mug
-5 Second Prize winners - ACCIDENTAL
COWGIRL NetGalley review copy
Thanks so much for hosting me today, Krista! It was fun talking with you! :)
ReplyDeleteI'll be popping in and out all day if anyone wants to say hello!
Thank you for hosting today. And BTW, LOVE The Man on the Moon, one of my all time favorites!
ReplyDeleteGreat interview, and this book sounds fantastic! I'm putting it on my TBR list right away. :) Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete