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3Q’s – Tim McGregor LURES the reader into his dark world!

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3Q’s today is with ANOTHER Canadian writer! How exciting. I’ve loved doing my best to try and get more Canucks on here, but also in front of you, the readers, eyeballs!

Tim McGregor has been churning out darkness for over a decade now. His latest has just dropped, which makes for a perfect time to have him on here!

Please welcome, Tim!

Tim McGregor

Steve: What does your writing time look like? Do you try to write at the same time each day? Do you have a word count you attempt to hit?

Tim: The writing time looks pretty glamorous; a guy staring at a screen with a confused expression, frequently interrupted by the cat scratching to go outside. I always laugh at the depiction of writers in movies. You know the ones where the writer gets a flash of divine inspiration and races to the typewriter to write like a demon while crumpled pages pile up around them. Who does that?

I’m all about routine; early in the morning and later at night. It’s a habit I got into when the kids were little. It’s a routine, but I think the fact that it’s routine is why it works for me. My brain/body knows it’s time to write, even on days when I lack enthusiasm or ideas.

I used to push for a daily word count of 2K, but I don’t do that anymore. It started to feel like a weird competition, followed by berating myself for failing to achieve that. So I stopped. Now I just write and see what the day brings. Sometimes it’s 3k, sometimes it’s 500 words. Writing is hard enough, so why add pressure to it, you know? (deadlines of course are a completely different story)

Steve: If you could write a story for another author’s fictional world/series, which would it be and why?

Tim: Writing something in the Cthulu mythos would be fun. Say, Miskatonic University in the 1920s, with all the characters being nerdy professors or socially awkward archivists. And then everyone goes insane glimpsing some “indescribable horror.” I’d give it a shot if I thought I could bring something new to it.

Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!

Tim: LURE comes out July 18 from the fine folks at Tenebrous Press. It’s a folk horror novella where a mermaid descends on a remote fishing village and turns their world upside down. It’s a weird piece, but one of my favorites and I hope it finds its way to a lot of readers.

Steve: Bonus Question! Do you have a cherished book?

Tim: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. It’s all about the voice with this one. Whenever I feel I’m floundering with my abilities or story, I read this for inspiration.

Thanks for chatting, Steve. All the best.

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