It’s my pleasure to bring back Linda MacKillop to the blog. With all these new and updated questions, I’m looking forward to getting to know her better. Linda is also graciously giving away a copy of each of her books, The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon and Hotel Oscar Mike Echo to one U.S. resident. Check out the details below. If you missed the last time she was here, here is a bit about her before we dive in.Â
Linda MacKillop is the author of the Christy-Award winning novel, The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon, and the middle-grade novel Hotel Oscar Mike Echo, a finalist for the Christianity Today Book Awards for Young Adult. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and is a member of the Redbud Writers Guild. Her articles and essays have appeared in magazines and literary journals. Linda makes her home in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. Discover more on lindamackillop.com.
You can connect with her through: Website  | Newsletter | Instagram | SubstackÂ
Now for the fun stuff! I have to admit I am partial to my Fast Five. 🙂 So settle in as I hit Linda with rapid-fire.
CC: Rain or snow?
LM: Snow. I’m a Northern girl.Â
CC: Makeup or no makeup?
LM: A modicum of makeup. Â
CC: Personal maid or personal chef?
LM: Oh, definitely a personal chef!! One who cooks paleo.Â
CC: Arrive early, just on time, or late?
LM: My husband calls me “the on-time airline” if that answers the question.Â
CC: Food fight or water balloon fight?
LM: Water balloon fight–on a warm summer day.Â
I love that your husband has a nick-name for you. I think if mine gave me a nick-name for my tardiness, I’d be the Better Late Than Never gal. LOL
What kind of stories are your favorite to write?
LM: I write about broken people trying to make their way in life. This comes from my own background with troubled, broken parents who divorced. I have experienced God as healer, and I hope that I convey that truth and experience in my writing.
CC: I love that. We are essentially a world of broken people, and we all need the truth, hope, and healing of Christ in our lives.
Do you read fiction while you are writing your own stories?
LM: I read lots of fiction while I’m writing my own. I’m looking for a sense of strong voice and presence in the story, and I’m inspired by these kinds of books. They push me to work on my own story’s voice. And I like to be inspired by other writers.Â
CC: I love that. It’s definitely important to be reading the fiction you want to by inspired by as you write.
What is your favorite part about writing?
LM: Definitely the revision part is my favorite. Getting words down on a blank page for me is torturous and my least favorite part. But rewriting–or polishing–is so fun as you begin to see the story shine. This is also the part where I’m surprised by what appears on the page.
CC: That is wonderful. I haven’t decided if I love it or hate it yet.
Do you have a general writing process you follow or does it change all the time?
LM: I have a general process I follow. I pray before I write, usually on my knees, and then often, I read a little poetry to get my head around thoughtful, artful words. I write for about half a day, and then go off and do other things, like take care of my home, go for a walk, make dinner. The joy of the writing process for me is that when I step away from the desk, I still see the story developing in my brain, often answering questions that had me stumped while I sat at my desk.Â
CC: I love that. I definitely need to get better about getting away from my computer and just living life.
Do you have any advice for those who want to write their own stories?
LM: Start writing and don’t be afraid to write badly at first. Find a great critique group with experience writing and who will give you kind but truthful feedback. Read everything you can find in your preferred genre.
CC: Those are all great tips!
Now I’m excited to talk about The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon and Hotel Oscar Mike Echo.
The Forgotten Life of Eva GordonThen Breezy announces she’s getting married, and they’ll be moving to her new husband’s rundown family farm, where he lives with an elderly uncle. They’ll be one big family–but only Breezy and Brent think it’ll be a happy one.It’s all too much for Eva. Too much change, too much togetherness, too much of an over-crowded life she never wanted. But as her desire for privacy collides with her worsening memory, Eva may find herself in a pickle she can’t get out of.
Hotel Oscar Mike EchoPurchase your copy at The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon | Hotel Oscar Mike Echo Â
CC: What will fans of your books love about your story and characters?
LM: I write quirky and unusual people and situations.
CC: Those are some of the most interesting books to read.
LM: I originally wrote Eva Gordon in the first-person point of view of a person with increasing dementia. It was too difficult to write that close to a confused brain. It limited my storytelling, so I switched to a close third-person point of view.
CC: I can imagine how difficult that would be. I tried to write a first-person POV with a character in an asylum and I just couldn’t do it.
LM: I was pondering a nagging question: If you have extremely difficult people in your life, why and how do you still find them loveable?Â
CC: That is a hard question and one I’m sure most of us deal with.
LM: In the Eva Gordon story, it was Mabel. She popped into the novel unexpectedly and added such a great dimension to the writing.Â
CC: I love it when characters add unexpected dimensions to the story!
LM: Repair what you can in life before it’s too late.Â
CC: So easy to say, and so hard to do, but rarely is the right and good thing to do the easy thing to do.
I always like to end with a fun question so . . .Â
LM: I would be a book because I could change the title on it each year while still wearing the same costume, and it would be easy to make from a cardboard box. My favorite costume as a child was when I made myself a Christmas package.
CC: Oh, that is such a fantastic idea!!! I love it! Thanks for hanging with us today!
Reader, have you ever read a book where a character was facing dementia, Alzheimer’s, or something of the such? What was it?
Giveaway
Here’s your chance to win a copy of The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon and Hotel Oscar Mike Echo. Comment on the blog and enter the Rafflecopter for your chance to win! Entries close at 11:59 p.m. EST on 4/15. Open to legal U.S. residents. See Giveaway Policies for more details.
These stories sound so good. I would love to read these. Linda MacKillop is a new author to me.