Author Interview with Zachary McIntire
Hey y'all! Do you remember last week when I reviewed
Susanna Don't You Cry
and told y'all that I was going to post an author interview soon? Well, the day has come! I enjoyed reading Zachary's answers to my questions and hope that you do, too. Make sure you enter the interview at the end of
this
post for your chance to win a copy of Zachary's newest book.
And now, for the interview:
1. First off can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started writing? Well, before anything else, I’m a 30-year-old child of God, justified by faith in Jesus Christ, seeking to be sanctified daily through the work of the Holy Spirit. I live in the beautiful Missouri Ozarks, surrounded by acres of land and animals that are owned by neighbors who get up a lot earlier than I do. (I love rural life, but have never so much as personally milked a cow.) The awesome family I live with includes my retired parents, and five adult, as-yet-unmarried siblings. Having graduated from homeschool, we all eventually partnered in a home-based business, and our church also meets in our home. For some reason, we tend to be found at home more than most people. I’m still trying to figure out why that is....How did I get started writing? Well, at the ripe old age of two (so I am told) I learned a small piece of oratory from founding father Patrick Henry, which I liked to deliver with great gusto on any and all occasions. Mistaking the indulgence of my family for an endorsement of my rhetorical skill, I apparently decided at that early age to devote the rest of my life to the spoken and written word. I am sorry to say that I have generally made more time for the former than the latter (leaving King Solomon to frown at me from Proverbs 14:23).In the late 90’s, I took my first stab at a full-fledged work of fiction: a historical novella set in Huguenot France. Knowing very little of Christian fiction at the time, I actually thought that this was an original setting. Suffice it to say, however, that a lack of uniqueness was by no means the most salient fault of that particular effort, which will remain forever under lock and key, unless perhaps my grandchildren get really bored someday.2. What does a writing session look like for you? Do you have a certain place you normally work? A certain time you set aside for writing? Snacks you eat, etc...? It usually looks like some part of a Sunday afternoon or evening. Being the only day we don’t work (note to budding entrepreneurs: self- employed = no regular hours) Sunday generally affords the only time slot in the week that’s long enough for me to do any meaningful writing. Unlike some authors (I suppose), I can’t just sit down and dash off five hundred words on lunch break. I write quite slowly, editing as I go. Once I get warmed up (usually an hour or so in) the pace can pick up a bit. Eating at my desk is something I basically never do, mostly because consuming food somewhere other than the kitchen or dining room was always strongly discouraged in our house, but also because I am a congenital neat freak. (If you don’t believe me, ask my brother Jason, who is not a neat freak, yet still has to put up with being mistaken for my not-quite- Siamese twin.)3. When I write I generally listen to music, gesture wildly, chew on my earbud cord, drink large amounts of water, and do a kind of sitting down dance while brainstorming. What are some of your writing quirks? Lydia, compared to you, I am so boring that it borders on the soporific. I pretty much need complete quiet, with maybe some white noise to cover up the sounds of our ever-busy house. When I need inspiration, I will sometimes pace around the room, fiddling with whatever object I’m currently keeping on my desk for the purpose. (Right now that position is vacant, leading to my pen being pressed into service, and likely shortening the useful life of its spring.) I also do this while talking on the phone, which I guess is kind of quirky, but Jason tells me that it’s also a trend in ergonomics, apparently to avoid the dreaded “sitting disease.”4. If you could take a month to go anywhere and write, where would you choose and why? That is a tough one. I have never done much traveling, so if the circumstances of my life were different, there are a lot of places I’d love to visit. Israel would have to top the list, but other places with a lot of history, like the castles of Europe, would be high up there too. I think that staying in a Swiss chalet while writing a historical novel about the Waldensians (one of my many interests) would be really cool.
5.What was your favorite part of writing Susanna Don’t You Cry?And why is that your favorite? It’s been over a year now since I finished writing the book, so it’s hard to remember which part was my absolute favorite. I know that the scene with Susanna and Tommy (which you kindly helped me improve just before the launch) was one of my favorites. When I can really get into the emotions of the characters, and extrude the Gospel through scenes that feel real – that’s the best that writing ever gets for me. (Second place goes to the humorous parts – see below.)6. Who is your favorite character in Susanna Don't You Cry? Why? I think it would have to be Phil, the screwball private eye, even though he only appears in two or three chapters. Writing him was really relaxing, because he isn’t directly involved in the more serious aspects of the story, so I was free to make him a little bit quirky and (hopefully) use him to provide some comic relief.7. Do you have any plans for future books that you can/want to share? Assuming I never make it to the chalet (which is a pretty safe bet) I hope to finish the novel I had started on before Susanna, which is a historical piece set in the Civil War. I got the idea for the book from reading about the service record of my great-great-grandfather, Elisha Paschall, who was a 2nd Lieutenant in the 46th Tennessee Infantry, and spent some time in a Union prisoner-of-war camp. (According to family legend, this is where he met another great-great-grandfather of mine. Having not much else to do, they reportedly discussed the possibility that their grandchildren might one day meet and marry, which in fact they did, that being the reason I am here to answer these questions!)8. If you could give aspiring authors any writing advice, what would it be? Be the writer God made you to be. Don’t try to be Tom Clancy, or C.S. Lewis, or Jane Austen. If you feel called to write in one of their genres, and can do it with competence and sincerity, by all means go for it. But if your gift is to write stories about snails, then don’t consider that calling too meager. Above all (to paraphrase the Apostle Paul) whether you write novels, or clean out gutters, or become the next World Pickleball Champion, do it with all your heart to the glory of God. In the end, His Name is the only one that’s worth being remembered.
And now, for the interview:
1. First off can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started writing? Well, before anything else, I’m a 30-year-old child of God, justified by faith in Jesus Christ, seeking to be sanctified daily through the work of the Holy Spirit. I live in the beautiful Missouri Ozarks, surrounded by acres of land and animals that are owned by neighbors who get up a lot earlier than I do. (I love rural life, but have never so much as personally milked a cow.) The awesome family I live with includes my retired parents, and five adult, as-yet-unmarried siblings. Having graduated from homeschool, we all eventually partnered in a home-based business, and our church also meets in our home. For some reason, we tend to be found at home more than most people. I’m still trying to figure out why that is....How did I get started writing? Well, at the ripe old age of two (so I am told) I learned a small piece of oratory from founding father Patrick Henry, which I liked to deliver with great gusto on any and all occasions. Mistaking the indulgence of my family for an endorsement of my rhetorical skill, I apparently decided at that early age to devote the rest of my life to the spoken and written word. I am sorry to say that I have generally made more time for the former than the latter (leaving King Solomon to frown at me from Proverbs 14:23).In the late 90’s, I took my first stab at a full-fledged work of fiction: a historical novella set in Huguenot France. Knowing very little of Christian fiction at the time, I actually thought that this was an original setting. Suffice it to say, however, that a lack of uniqueness was by no means the most salient fault of that particular effort, which will remain forever under lock and key, unless perhaps my grandchildren get really bored someday.2. What does a writing session look like for you? Do you have a certain place you normally work? A certain time you set aside for writing? Snacks you eat, etc...? It usually looks like some part of a Sunday afternoon or evening. Being the only day we don’t work (note to budding entrepreneurs: self- employed = no regular hours) Sunday generally affords the only time slot in the week that’s long enough for me to do any meaningful writing. Unlike some authors (I suppose), I can’t just sit down and dash off five hundred words on lunch break. I write quite slowly, editing as I go. Once I get warmed up (usually an hour or so in) the pace can pick up a bit. Eating at my desk is something I basically never do, mostly because consuming food somewhere other than the kitchen or dining room was always strongly discouraged in our house, but also because I am a congenital neat freak. (If you don’t believe me, ask my brother Jason, who is not a neat freak, yet still has to put up with being mistaken for my not-quite- Siamese twin.)3. When I write I generally listen to music, gesture wildly, chew on my earbud cord, drink large amounts of water, and do a kind of sitting down dance while brainstorming. What are some of your writing quirks? Lydia, compared to you, I am so boring that it borders on the soporific. I pretty much need complete quiet, with maybe some white noise to cover up the sounds of our ever-busy house. When I need inspiration, I will sometimes pace around the room, fiddling with whatever object I’m currently keeping on my desk for the purpose. (Right now that position is vacant, leading to my pen being pressed into service, and likely shortening the useful life of its spring.) I also do this while talking on the phone, which I guess is kind of quirky, but Jason tells me that it’s also a trend in ergonomics, apparently to avoid the dreaded “sitting disease.”4. If you could take a month to go anywhere and write, where would you choose and why? That is a tough one. I have never done much traveling, so if the circumstances of my life were different, there are a lot of places I’d love to visit. Israel would have to top the list, but other places with a lot of history, like the castles of Europe, would be high up there too. I think that staying in a Swiss chalet while writing a historical novel about the Waldensians (one of my many interests) would be really cool.
5.What was your favorite part of writing Susanna Don’t You Cry?And why is that your favorite? It’s been over a year now since I finished writing the book, so it’s hard to remember which part was my absolute favorite. I know that the scene with Susanna and Tommy (which you kindly helped me improve just before the launch) was one of my favorites. When I can really get into the emotions of the characters, and extrude the Gospel through scenes that feel real – that’s the best that writing ever gets for me. (Second place goes to the humorous parts – see below.)6. Who is your favorite character in Susanna Don't You Cry? Why? I think it would have to be Phil, the screwball private eye, even though he only appears in two or three chapters. Writing him was really relaxing, because he isn’t directly involved in the more serious aspects of the story, so I was free to make him a little bit quirky and (hopefully) use him to provide some comic relief.7. Do you have any plans for future books that you can/want to share? Assuming I never make it to the chalet (which is a pretty safe bet) I hope to finish the novel I had started on before Susanna, which is a historical piece set in the Civil War. I got the idea for the book from reading about the service record of my great-great-grandfather, Elisha Paschall, who was a 2nd Lieutenant in the 46th Tennessee Infantry, and spent some time in a Union prisoner-of-war camp. (According to family legend, this is where he met another great-great-grandfather of mine. Having not much else to do, they reportedly discussed the possibility that their grandchildren might one day meet and marry, which in fact they did, that being the reason I am here to answer these questions!)8. If you could give aspiring authors any writing advice, what would it be? Be the writer God made you to be. Don’t try to be Tom Clancy, or C.S. Lewis, or Jane Austen. If you feel called to write in one of their genres, and can do it with competence and sincerity, by all means go for it. But if your gift is to write stories about snails, then don’t consider that calling too meager. Above all (to paraphrase the Apostle Paul) whether you write novels, or clean out gutters, or become the next World Pickleball Champion, do it with all your heart to the glory of God. In the end, His Name is the only one that’s worth being remembered.
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