Interview with Mackenzie Drew

Author Pen Name: Mackenzie Drew

CA: What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?

MD: I write dark fantasy/horror/paranormal because I find it very interesting and I love the thrill, even though I scare myself some times. As far as trying to write any other genre, it doesn’t work for me. There’s always an evil phantom lurking around a corner somewhere in my books. And since I grew up watching horror flicks that totally fascinated me, I wanted to create chilling stories of my own.

CA: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

MD: To be honest, I didn’t give writing a thought until high school and then it was only for English Lit that I wrote any stories. I wanted to become an actress and a singer. But unfortunately, I didn’t go for my dreams. However, I did sign a contract to do television commercials at fifteen, but my agent went under and that was the end of my short lived fame.

In the same year though, an exciting story kept pecking at the back of my mind, and a few months later, my story Maddie Ann’s Playground was born. And since then, it went through major reconstruction.

CA: Who or what was your inspiration for writing?

MD: I can be anywhere at any given time and something will inspire me to write. Just the other day while driving down the road, I spotted an old barn on its last leg. And from out of nowhere, I created a new story. Before I got home, I knew the names of all the characters and the title. It’s weird how that happens, but in the same breath, it’s exciting!

CA: What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

MD: Let’s see; I try to write when the kids are in school. And most of the time, I write in the wee hours of the morning. For some reason, the muse flows so much nicer.

CA: Your book is about to be sent into the reader world, what is one word that describes how you feel?

MD: Ecstatic!

CA: What was your biggest challenge in writing your book(s)?

MD: The rough draft was easy to write. However, the rewrites gave me fits. I’d put it off as long as I could and when I’d go back to do more corrections, I’d tense up. Many times I wanted to toss the manuscript out the window and chalk it up as a good learning experience. But once you start writing, it becomes an addiction—an outage from the real world and I wasn’t willing to give that up. So with great determination, I stuck with it and the rest is history.

CA: What do you like to do when you're not writing?

MD: I love to spend time with my family, go to church, watch movies, and read. Oh and I’d love to take peaceful walks in the woods if we actually had woods instead of cornfields. *hehe*

CA: How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

MD: So far, I’ve written seven novels, several short stories and Maddie Ann’s Playground trilogy is my favorite.

CA: Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?

MD: Yes, my characters in Maddie Ann’s Playground are based on my childhood friends. The characters in my other novels are fictional.

CA: Do you have any advice for the aspiring writers out there?

MD: Great question! Yes, keep writing. Never give up! The more you write, the better you become and the more confidence you have. Treat your writing as professional as possible. Tell yourself that you can accomplish your dream of becoming a writer. Believe it! Live it every day. Learn the tools you need to create a fascinating story. Read everything even if you don’t like certain genres.’ Study other writers work. Get the feel of how their words flow and their style of writing. Once you’ve tackled that, keep going. There’s something to learn everyday. And above all, believe in yourself and have fun!

CA: How can a reader contact you or purchase your books?

MD: You can find the links to purchase my book on my website at http://www.mackenziedrewnovels.com/ .

CA: Is there anything you would like to add?

MD: Thank you Crystal, for giving me the opportunity to tell the readers a little bit about myself and my book. This is my first interview and it was a great experience.

CA: Mackenzie, I hope this is the first of many interviews and I wish you great success in your career (smiles), thank you for being here this week!!