The Unsinkable Maureen McGowan

I had hoped to have an additional special interview today…but she had homework. That’s right. One of the 11 year olds that plays softball here in North Texas saw the post about Maureen McGowan’s drawing for a free book. She didn’t wait to see if she won, her mom ordered SLEEPING BEAUTY VAMPIRE SLAYER immediately and it arrived last week.

Alyssa loved it. Her mother loved that it was NOT TWILIGHT and thought the concept of the fairy tales was awesome!

You know Maureen, it’s one thing having your writer friends tell you and repeatedly assure you that you’re a great writer. It’s totally different having a stranger read your work (even buy your work) and then surprise you by writing to tell you it’s good (and you’ll be on their favorite author reading list). But it has to be so very special to touch the life of someone in their early teens. Someone who went to the trouble to ASK me if I knew you. To which I replied, “HECK YA!”

They normally don’t go to the trouble. They don’t have to. So this is a huge compliment to you and your writing. If you missed the extraordinary circumstances of how Maureen's books came to publication, you'll want to review yesterday's post. I know a lot of people will be happy that Maureen found a second publishing company for her tales. She's truly unsinkable.

So, my fellow UNSINKABLE, my sister writer, my new and dear friend…

LET’S HAVE SOME FUN !!

ANGI: What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in?

MAUREEN: I read books in just about every genre. If I had to pick a favorite, I think I’d choose YA right now. I think some of the most exciting, inventing storytelling is being aimed at that market. I also love what many would call “accessible” or “commercial” literary fiction. Authors like John Irving, Anne Tyler, Alice Hoffman, Margaret Atwood, and the late Robertson Davies. On the romance front, I absolutely inhaled JR Ward’s Brotherhood of the Dagger series. So give me some hot, angsty, vampire heroes and lots of action and sexual tension and I’m captured.

ANGI: What’s your favorite holiday?

MAUREEN: Thanksgiving. In Canada, we celebrate Thanksgiving about 6 weeks earlier than Americans and it’s not quite as big a deal up here… but it’s always been my favorite holiday. It’s less tied to Christmas, because of the time of year and I think there’s less pressure on the holiday, too. (I say this based on living in the US for about nine years.) But no matter where you live, the combination of turkey dinner, fall colors, family, and celebrating being thankful can’t be beat.

ANGI: What turns you off like nothing else?

MAUREEN: Arrogance. I ran into it a lot in my previous profession and do not miss it. One of the things I love best about writing is how humble most authors are. Even the very successful ones.

ANGI: What sound or noise do you love?

MAUREEN: Toddlers laughing. Particularly my niece’s when she was that age. She was a great laugher.

ANGI: Do you write while listening to music? If so what kind?

MAUREEN: I often write in coffee shops, so I’m listening to whatever they’re playing. If I get distracted by my fellow patrons, I put in ear buds and I suppose what I’m mostly listening to is indie rock. I like listening to old favorites. Songs where I don’t have to listen to the lyrics.

ANGI: Hiking boots or high heels?

MAUREEN: I’d like to think I can pull off both. I certainly have a variety of each in my closet. True confession: I have a shoe collection to rival Imelda Marcos.

ANGI: Do you believe in alien abductions?

MAUREEN: No. I sometimes wish I believed in that sort of thing, but I don’t. I do believe that we can’t be the only life forms in the universe, but I think the idea that these other life forms would be interested enough to stop by and secretly abduct people is plan silly. Or is it… Hmmm…

ANGI: Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it?

MAUREEN: I do drink tea on occasion, but I am a dedicated coffee addict and it has to be good, fresh coffee—strong, black, no sugar. ANGI: What does it mean to love someone? MAUREEN: Never saying you’re sorry? No. Joking. I think it means unconditionally supporting someone even when they are at their weakest and least loveable.

ANGI: What color would you make the sky if it wasn’t going to be blue anymore and why?

MAUREEN: Swaths of fuchsia and tangerine. Because it would be like the best sunsets all the time.

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: Did you dedicate your novels to anyone?

MAUREEN’S GOTTA ANSWER: I dedicated CINDERELLA: NINJA WARRIOR to my editor and friend Bev Katz Rosenbaum, because she thought of me when she was hired to edit this series. She could have gone to someone previously published with an established name and following, but she asked me (based on critiquing some of my adult manuscripts) and I’ll always be grateful for the shot. I also dedicated it to my twelve-year-old niece whom I love more than anything.

I dedicated SLEEPING BEAUTY: VAMPIRE SLAYER to my two closest writer-friends, Molly and Sinead, who are both on the Drunk Writer Talk blog with me. I had to write these two books under crazy deadlines in the dead of winter and I’m not sure I would have survived without their calming influence, support and unwavering belief in me.

WHERE TO FIND MAUREEN:

http://www.maureenmcgowan.com/

www.twitter.com/MaureenMcGowan

www.facebook.com/MaureenMcGowanBooks

Maureen’s giving away four books this week. Two of each title. The draw will be made on Saturday, April 2, 2011, from all the comments made Monday to Friday this week. Better yet, if you come back and comment on more than one day, you'll get more than one entry. So, if you come back every day this week and leave a comment, you can have up to five chances to win one of four books!

If you live in the US or Canada, you'll get a signed copy, but if you don't happen to live in either of those two countries, you can still enter! Yes, that's right!!!! Anyone who lives in a country that The Book Depository ships to may enter! (Except in jurisdictions where such contests are not legal).

~'til next week, Angi