Maggie K. Black Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.

A. Hi! I’m an author, a mother, and a former journalist who’s travelled all around the world. I have a real passion for writing about the kind of people who are quietly but powerfully making a difference in their own communities.

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

A. When I was ten, I was living overseas at the time, and didn’t have access to English libraries or bookstores, so I started writing my own stories. By the time I was fourteen or fifteen, I was determined to write romantic suspense books for a living.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?

A. I started my writing career in journalism, and most of my books have a journalist hero or heroine. It took me about ten years of trying before I sold my first romance novel. My first Love Inspired Suspense, Killer Assignment, came out last year.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release DEADLINE?

A: I’m really excited about Deadline! It’s about a disgraced reporter who risks it all to stop a serial killer and save the woman he’s beginning to fall for. It’s one of my favorite books I’ve ever written, and introduces characters who are going to crop up again in later Love Inspired Suspense books.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for DEADLINE?

A:  Last year, I saw an amazing all dance version of MacBeth. The cast was young, there was no dialogue, and they wore 1920’s suits and dresses. And as I was watching these amazing, emotional scenes of love, fear, murder and regret, I got the idea of writing a serial killer book set around a wedding weekend. I was discussing the idea with a friend after the show, and they suggested ‘the Raincoat Killer’. The whole rest of the book came out of that.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?

A: Manitoulin Island, where the book is set, is an incredibly beautiful place and I was only able to barely scratch the surface in this book. So, if this book inspires even one person to travel there and check it out for themselves that would be awesome.

On a deeper level, Deadline is about a heroine who’s trapped from going forward in her life and finding her happily ever after because of a tragedy in her past. I wrote it in part because I know how events in my own past has held me back from taking chances, and I know how important getting help from friends and professionals was to me in that journey. I hope Deadline helps remind readers that they’re not alone and encourages them to find help and hope for their journeys too.

Q: What is your favorite scene/chapter from the book?

A: I really love the main hero and heroine, Jack and Meg, and loved telling their story. But the characters that stuck with me the most after the book was finished were Meg’s brother Benji, and the dog he kind of adopts, called Harry. For me, whenever Harry or Benji are on the page there’s this great, fun, lively dynamic. So, I’ve decided the next book I write has to be about Benji and Harry, and the woman who disrupts their bachelor life.

Q: What inspires you to write?

A. I’m really inspired by hearing other people’s stories. Last year, I was visiting a summer camp in Muskoka, Ontario, and my tour guide started telling me about his twin brother. Then I went and wrote twins into my next book. Another friend recently told me how he proposed to his wife, and I wrote a scene inspired by that too. I never use real people’s stories, but I use the ideas as jumping off points. For some reason this works best when I hear the stories in person!

Q: How has being a published novelist differed from your expectations of the profession?

A: When I was younger I thought getting published would make me popular and prove to all my high school bullies that I really was an awesome person, so they’d apologize. (Needless to say, that didn’t happen!) ?I’ve since learned that writing is really about finding what’s deep inside yourself that you want to share, and becoming the person you were meant to be. It’s about telling the stories that bring you joy and connecting with others who are drawn to those same types of stories. I’ve met very miserable writers who write books they don’t like in the hopes of making money—it never works. Writing is about creating what makes you happy, for the kind of readers who love what you love, regardless of whether it ever makes you popular.

Q: What advice or tips do you have for writers who are just getting started?

A: I would say—go easy on yourself and have fun. There is no “right” way to write a book. One of the good pieces of advice which works for me and for a lot of other people is to try and write something every day. But, just this morning I met a struggling writer who was really worried that she couldn’t write every day because she worked really long hours at a demanding job. She was really worried that she was ‘doing it wrong’ because she was failing to write every day. So, I told her to maybe plan to instead write four hours every Saturday morning, or to write one evening a week, or something. It is always better to write something the way you can and the way you love than it is to sit around worrying that you’re not doing it ‘right’

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?

A. My next Love Inspired Suspense involves another journalist from the same newspaper that Jack from Deadline works at. (In fact, Jack has a small cameo in it).  It’s called Silent Hunter and it’s scheduled to come out in February. The book I’m writing after that is set in the newspaper’s head office, and looks at how the events in Deadline and Silent Hunter effected some of the rest of the newspaper staff.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?

A. I really love playing with my dog and walking her on my writing breaks. (I know everyone loves their dog, but I think Small Dog is extra special!) She’s a terrier, but thinks she’s big and mighty, which is why I turned her into a big dog for Deadline. I also really enjoy swimming, traveling, reading and spending time with my amazing daughters, who are both in elementary school. I also love meeting up with other local artists and supporting their artistic ventures, like live music, theater, stand up comedy, and art.

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet?

A. The best way to interact with me is on Twitter at @maggiekblack. I also have a website at www.maggiekblack.com.

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?

A. If you enjoy my book, please go look for other books by my fellow Love Inspired Suspense authors. They are an amazing group of women from all different walks of life and I’m proud to write with them. 🙂