Ask the Author: Joanne Macgregor
Answered Questions (8)
Joanne Macgregor
Hi Phemelo,
Thanks for your question!
No, I'm afraid it's not. Mind you, it's usually not lucrative wherever in the world you are, but a very small number of people in South Africa actually buy books - especially local fiction. That's why most writers tend to have a "day job" that brings in enough money to pay the bills, and then do their writing on the side. If you get successful with your books, then you can switch over and make your writing your main job.
Bottom line? There are easier ways to make money!
All the best,
Joanne Macgregor
Thanks for your question!
No, I'm afraid it's not. Mind you, it's usually not lucrative wherever in the world you are, but a very small number of people in South Africa actually buy books - especially local fiction. That's why most writers tend to have a "day job" that brings in enough money to pay the bills, and then do their writing on the side. If you get successful with your books, then you can switch over and make your writing your main job.
Bottom line? There are easier ways to make money!
All the best,
Joanne Macgregor
Joanne Macgregor
Hi Leia, thanks for asking! I get ideas from anywhere and everywhere:
My adult psychological thriller, Dark Whispers, was sparked by a newspaper article about a psychopathic doctor and I wondered what I would do if one of my clients in my psychological practice reported, in hypnosis, a traumatic experience at the hands of a doctor.
The title and idea for the Law of Tall Girls came about when I saw a short girl with a very tall boyfriend, and I joked to my own daughter that when I was made Queen of the World, I'd pass The Law of Tall Girls forbidding that. (I'm a tall girl, myself, lol.)
In 2012, I was lying wide awake in the middle of the night in a B&B in England, when a vision of a scarred girl standing in front of a class of teens, and being sneered at by a cute boy fell into my head. I knew she thought he found her ugly, but that wasn't the real reason for his attitude. That was the beginning of one of my YA contemporary romances, Scarred.
Hushed was born when I revisited my favorite childhood fairy tale - The Little Mermaid - and realized this was actually a story about how young women too often give up their "voices" and identity when they fall in love, in a self-sacrificing attempt to win approval from men. I challenged myself to retell the story in a modern, realistic (non-fantasy) story.
The Recoil Trilogy was born from a combination of sources: seeing a TV documentary on professional army snipers and being gobsmacked at how little bothered they seemed about killing people, and wondering what it would be like to be an expert markswoman who truly did not want to hurt or kill; combined with a horror at the then spreading Ebola epidemic; plus concern about political developments in the world which constrain personal freedoms under the guise of providing "security".
So, really, anything can serve as inspiration for story or character. For me, ideas are the fun and easy part - it's writing (and finishing!) the book that's the hard part!
Hope that answers your question :)
Always keep reading,
Joanne Macgrgegor
My adult psychological thriller, Dark Whispers, was sparked by a newspaper article about a psychopathic doctor and I wondered what I would do if one of my clients in my psychological practice reported, in hypnosis, a traumatic experience at the hands of a doctor.
The title and idea for the Law of Tall Girls came about when I saw a short girl with a very tall boyfriend, and I joked to my own daughter that when I was made Queen of the World, I'd pass The Law of Tall Girls forbidding that. (I'm a tall girl, myself, lol.)
In 2012, I was lying wide awake in the middle of the night in a B&B in England, when a vision of a scarred girl standing in front of a class of teens, and being sneered at by a cute boy fell into my head. I knew she thought he found her ugly, but that wasn't the real reason for his attitude. That was the beginning of one of my YA contemporary romances, Scarred.
Hushed was born when I revisited my favorite childhood fairy tale - The Little Mermaid - and realized this was actually a story about how young women too often give up their "voices" and identity when they fall in love, in a self-sacrificing attempt to win approval from men. I challenged myself to retell the story in a modern, realistic (non-fantasy) story.
The Recoil Trilogy was born from a combination of sources: seeing a TV documentary on professional army snipers and being gobsmacked at how little bothered they seemed about killing people, and wondering what it would be like to be an expert markswoman who truly did not want to hurt or kill; combined with a horror at the then spreading Ebola epidemic; plus concern about political developments in the world which constrain personal freedoms under the guise of providing "security".
So, really, anything can serve as inspiration for story or character. For me, ideas are the fun and easy part - it's writing (and finishing!) the book that's the hard part!
Hope that answers your question :)
Always keep reading,
Joanne Macgrgegor
Joanne Macgregor
This is an easy one - Hogwarts!
See you at breakfast in the Great Hall?
See you at breakfast in the Great Hall?
Joanne Macgregor
Hey Frieda!
Obviously, I love the couples in my own books, but if we exclude those, hmmm. Romantic couples: I love Rhett Butler and Scarlet o'Hara - unforgettable! Also, Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet.
Family couples, I love Sam and Dean Winchester (hey, you said fictional, not in a book, right? Also, I do not ship them a romantic couple. They are brothers, people!)
For a crime-fighting duo, I love Inspector Linsay and Barbara Havers (in Elizabeth George's books) because they are such polar opposites and keep each other grounded.
My favourite wizard couple would be Harry and Hermione. Yeah, I know they didn't wind up together, but they complemented each other so well, they should have! (are you listening, Jo?)
And I know it's not considered cool to like Twilight, but Bella and Edward, man, Bella and Edward.
Who are yours?
Obviously, I love the couples in my own books, but if we exclude those, hmmm. Romantic couples: I love Rhett Butler and Scarlet o'Hara - unforgettable! Also, Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet.
Family couples, I love Sam and Dean Winchester (hey, you said fictional, not in a book, right? Also, I do not ship them a romantic couple. They are brothers, people!)
For a crime-fighting duo, I love Inspector Linsay and Barbara Havers (in Elizabeth George's books) because they are such polar opposites and keep each other grounded.
My favourite wizard couple would be Harry and Hermione. Yeah, I know they didn't wind up together, but they complemented each other so well, they should have! (are you listening, Jo?)
And I know it's not considered cool to like Twilight, but Bella and Edward, man, Bella and Edward.
Who are yours?
Joanne Macgregor
Hi Min Yue,
I think that being a psychologist helps me have a deeper understanding of the nature of personality, and the problems that can occur.
Many of my characters (like many people in real life) have problems of, for example, anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress. And I think I write more accurately about this because I know what it looks and feels like.
Sometimes I read a book where a character loses their mother or sister to death, for example, and they have a little cry and then seem to be over it a chapter later. But that's not how grief works!
So I think (I hope) my books are deeper, more nuanced, more complex and realistic when it comes to these issues.
What I never do is to use the actual experiences and specific details that clients disclose to me in therapy sessions in my stories. What happens in the therapy office stays in the therapy office!
Thanks for a great question :)
Joanne Macgregor
I think that being a psychologist helps me have a deeper understanding of the nature of personality, and the problems that can occur.
Many of my characters (like many people in real life) have problems of, for example, anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress. And I think I write more accurately about this because I know what it looks and feels like.
Sometimes I read a book where a character loses their mother or sister to death, for example, and they have a little cry and then seem to be over it a chapter later. But that's not how grief works!
So I think (I hope) my books are deeper, more nuanced, more complex and realistic when it comes to these issues.
What I never do is to use the actual experiences and specific details that clients disclose to me in therapy sessions in my stories. What happens in the therapy office stays in the therapy office!
Thanks for a great question :)
Joanne Macgregor
Joanne Macgregor
Hi there,
Yes, she is beautiful, isn't she!
She's a stock-photo model and I'm afraid I don't know her name, but I really liked her look and thought she was perfect for Jinxy in the Recoil Trilogy of the books.
I chose the specific images very carefully - the wide-eyed, naive innocence of the first cover, the slightly more wary look in Refuse, and the hurt, suspicious look (with a hint of determination) in the third book, Rebel. I think the images mirror Jinxy's growth and change throughout the trilogy.
Thanks for your question!
Joanne
Yes, she is beautiful, isn't she!
She's a stock-photo model and I'm afraid I don't know her name, but I really liked her look and thought she was perfect for Jinxy in the Recoil Trilogy of the books.
I chose the specific images very carefully - the wide-eyed, naive innocence of the first cover, the slightly more wary look in Refuse, and the hurt, suspicious look (with a hint of determination) in the third book, Rebel. I think the images mirror Jinxy's growth and change throughout the trilogy.
Thanks for your question!
Joanne
Joanne Macgregor
Hi Wendy, and thanks for your great and thoughtful review!
I actually enjoy writing in different genres - it allows me to express different aspects of my creativity. I don't like being pigeon-holed too narrowly into any one box - maybe because I'm a gemini :D
There are probably some consistent elements across the different genres and books though, such as style and (I hope!) some hope and humor. The day I write a bleak and humorless news is the day I should be put out to pasture, lol. I've also begun a non-fiction book (based on my day-job as a psychologist), but haven't found the time to finish it.
I most enjoy writing YA, but that still leaves a lot of room for sub-genres -such as romance (Scarred and two books I'll be releasing next year), dystopians with a more complex plot (Recoil, Refuse, Rebel), and even modern-day retakes on fairy tales (watch this space!).
I'll probably never write fantasy or hardcore science fiction, though. I don't much like reading those genres and I'd really struggle to write them!
Thanks so much for your question, and stay in touch! (If you like my writing style, you may like to sign up to my readers' group to be the first to find out about special offers, giveaways and competition. Like the 99C sale I'll be running this weekend! You can sign up at me website here: http://www.joannemacgregor.com/newsle...)
All the best,
Joanne Macgregor
I actually enjoy writing in different genres - it allows me to express different aspects of my creativity. I don't like being pigeon-holed too narrowly into any one box - maybe because I'm a gemini :D
There are probably some consistent elements across the different genres and books though, such as style and (I hope!) some hope and humor. The day I write a bleak and humorless news is the day I should be put out to pasture, lol. I've also begun a non-fiction book (based on my day-job as a psychologist), but haven't found the time to finish it.
I most enjoy writing YA, but that still leaves a lot of room for sub-genres -such as romance (Scarred and two books I'll be releasing next year), dystopians with a more complex plot (Recoil, Refuse, Rebel), and even modern-day retakes on fairy tales (watch this space!).
I'll probably never write fantasy or hardcore science fiction, though. I don't much like reading those genres and I'd really struggle to write them!
Thanks so much for your question, and stay in touch! (If you like my writing style, you may like to sign up to my readers' group to be the first to find out about special offers, giveaways and competition. Like the 99C sale I'll be running this weekend! You can sign up at me website here: http://www.joannemacgregor.com/newsle...)
All the best,
Joanne Macgregor
Joanne Macgregor
I'm not sure I believe in writer's block. After all, whoever heard of plumber's block, or surgeon's block? I think we've romanticized common old procrastination.
Writing is hard work - it requires a massive creative effort in the face of our own insecurities and other's potential criticism and rejection. And, unlike plumbers and surgeons, we don't know if we ever got it "right", let alone "perfect".
As a psychologist, I know that overcoming procrastination often boils down to overcoming anticipatory anxiety in the moment, and (for me, at least), far and away the best way to start writing is to just begin. I set a timer for 15 minutes (you can do anything for fifteen minutes!) and give myself permission to stop when the buzzer rings. But fifteen minutes into a task, the creative engine has begun to warm up. You've usually stopped mucking about, you've overcome inertia and are no longer in a state of dread, and you're picking up momentum, so it's easier just to keep going for a while. After which you can reward yourself with a break, or a cup of coffee, or a picture of Jensen Ackles :)
Do this often enough, and you'll get into a working rhythm. Don't do it, and watch the anxiety and procrastination grow and overwhelm!
Writing is hard work - it requires a massive creative effort in the face of our own insecurities and other's potential criticism and rejection. And, unlike plumbers and surgeons, we don't know if we ever got it "right", let alone "perfect".
As a psychologist, I know that overcoming procrastination often boils down to overcoming anticipatory anxiety in the moment, and (for me, at least), far and away the best way to start writing is to just begin. I set a timer for 15 minutes (you can do anything for fifteen minutes!) and give myself permission to stop when the buzzer rings. But fifteen minutes into a task, the creative engine has begun to warm up. You've usually stopped mucking about, you've overcome inertia and are no longer in a state of dread, and you're picking up momentum, so it's easier just to keep going for a while. After which you can reward yourself with a break, or a cup of coffee, or a picture of Jensen Ackles :)
Do this often enough, and you'll get into a working rhythm. Don't do it, and watch the anxiety and procrastination grow and overwhelm!
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