Interview with T.D. McKinney:
Hi Ms McKinney. Thank you for doing this interview. I would like to welcome you to the Romance at Heart Interview and Author Grilling session. *bg* We are interested to find out as much about you as we possibly can, so lets get started...
- Please tell us about your latest book.
My latest release is an erotic contemporary comedy from Amber Quill Press. Eight Is Never Enough is about overwhelming attraction in the face of denial. F. A. Wilson, the reluctant owner of a sex toy company, is firmly convinced there is not way on Florida's sandy shore that he could be in love with a loose, immoral woman like Debbie Oaks. Debbie is certain F. A. is a jerk and a cad even if he is the hottest man alive. It's really hard to admit to love at first sight when you don't even like each other!
- What can we expect from you in the future?
I just finished the rough draft of "Walking After Midnight" a paranormal crime procedural. I'm in the polishing stage so it shouldn't be too long before it's finished.
- How do we find out about you and your books?
Go to www.tdmckinney.com
- How may readers contact you?
Go to tdm@tdmckinney.com or through my yahoo group at TDMCKINNEYNEWSLETTER
- How many readers contact you?
I hear from people several times a week. I love interacting with the readers.
- Do your fans' comments and letters influence you in any way?
I wouldn't say they make me change what I write but they do give me an idea of what elements the fans like. Comments can also set off a chain-reaction in my head and end up giving me an idea for a story.
- Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?
I can write anywhere, any time, any place. Computer, laptop, or pen and ink. Give me a few free minutes and I'll be writing.
- What about your family, do they know not to bother you when you are writing - or are there constant interruptions?
I have a seven-year-old daughter - need I say more?
- What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries?
Writing is what I do to relax.
- Where do your ideas come from?
Everywhere. Anything and everything can trigger an idea. A song, a chance comment, the way someone walks down the street. They all set my creative trigger off.
- What are your thoughts on love scenes in romance novels, do you find them difficult to write?
My love/sex scenes (they are not necessarily the same thing) are part of the plot so they make sense at that moment in the story. They aren't forced so they come easily.
- What kind of research do you do?
Oh lord. I am the research queen. I have sites I visit so often I've memorized the address - NOAA for weather on any given day in a specific place, the Naval Observatory for moon phase and moon/sun/rise/set times, the FBI, CIA, DEA, & ATF sites, historical record sites, civil war diaries, and too many others to go into. If I say the moon was half-full on a certain hot humid night in August with thunderstorms building in the distance, I can back it up with cold hard data.
I have a shelf of American Civil War books I can use, including some hard to find items. I research everything. I went so far as to ask the premiere criminal profiler in the country to read my book and tell me if I got the technique right! And he did! I have a recommendation from John Douglas on my crime novel. I have another gentleman, Russell Smith, who's spent a life time treating and studying incarcerated felons. He invented a profiling system and owns a profiling company - he runs behavioral analysis on my characters.
I have an extensive collection of books and audio tapes on the Cajun language. I visit the places I write about and make notes and sketches. I keep track of it all with interactive Excel spreadsheets. Yeah - I'm a little anal about it.
- What does your husband think of your writing?
He used to think I was crazy. Getting published cured some of his anxiety about that.
- Fill in the blank favorites –
Dessert - Chocolate! Any kind of nice dark chocolate!
City - New Orleans! That's a "duh" for anyone who's read my books.
Season - Spring - I love it when the azaleas are blooming.
Type of hero - snarky and sarcastic.
Type of heroine - bold and kick-ass.
- Do you have a favorite author? Favorite book?
Mindhunter by John Douglas
- Are you a member of any author groups - RWA, critique groups, etc.?
The North Texas Professional Writers Association, the Texas Coalition of Authors, Pulpwood Queens of North Tarrant County.
- What do you think of critique groups in general?
They can be a wonderful resource if you find the right group. I'm lucky. NTPWA is a great group of professionals devoted to helping each other with true constructive criticism and support.
- How long have you been writing - have you always wanted to be a writer?
Well, I wrote my first novel at 12....
- How many books have you written, how many have been published?
I've completed five. They are all published. I have rough drafts completed on two others with three or four or five more in the works. That's all in the last two years or so.
- After you've written your book and it's been published, do you ever buy it and read it?
Yes! They look different published. Like someone else did it.
- Among your own books, have you a favorite book?
Though I love them all, Dancing in the Dark and it's sequel Walking After Midnight which is a just completed rough draft are my favorites.
- Favorite hero or heroine?
Jack Niemczyk is definitely my favorite hero. I'm a little bit in love with him.
- What book for you has been the easiest to write?
Dancing in the Dark
- The hardest?
Walking After Midnight
- The most fun?
Eight Is Never Enough
- Which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?
All three are intertwined and needed for a great story. But if you have good characters, they will often give you the other two elements.
- Are you in control of your characters or do they control you?
*Laughing* I'm a complete control freak. They may have ideas but I have the last say. Though Jack can be really bitchy about it, I still always win.
- What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer?
The readers!
- If you weren't writing, what would you be doing?
There's something else besides writing? Seriously I've always made up stories in my head and later, once I learned to write, I put them on paper. I don't think I could function without writing.
Thank you very much, for taking the time with us and answering our questions. I really appreciate this interruption to your busy schedule. Good Luck, and we will be looking forward to the next delightful creation from your talented imagination!
Yours in good reading,
Rose!
Author Links:
T.D. McKinney
RAH Links:
Bio Interview
Purchase Links:
Buy T.D. McKinney Books
By T.D. McKinney's Books at Amber Quill Press
