Escapist Reading to Another Time: Author Interview with Stephenia McGee

You’ve now published multiple books in three different romance genres, but what inspired you to write that first one? How long did it take you to write your first book that was published?
I wrote my first story using my first grade spelling list. I continued to play around with short stories at various times throughout school, but it was my husband who inspired me to tackle my first novel. I’d tell him all these story ideas floating around in my head on long drives and one day he pulled over and bought me a notebook at a gas station. He said I really should start writing down those ideas. That notebook led to my first novel. It took about a year to write my first published book.

How do you go about doing research for your books – whether they’re historical or time travel? 
Anytime I'm in a bookstore, I look for interesting local history books or commentaries on historical events. I'm especially interested in personal primary sources like letters people sent home and journal entries. Those really give a personal touch and help me get a feel for the sentiments of the era rather than just the cold facts. Many times, I'll discover an interesting story or obscure event that sparks an idea for something I can use in one of my novels. 

How do you choose a time period? 
Choosing a time period is partially why I love my time travel series so much. It gives me a fun way to jump around to all kinds of eras. Whichever one snags my attention next. There are so many interesting times and places!

What’s one of the most unique facts you’ve discovered in doing your research?One of the funnier things I discovered while researching for one of my time travel books (A Castle for Christmas) was that our swoon-worthy compliment of "my knight in shining armor" would have been an insult to a medieval knight. A knight who still had gleaming armor meant he hadn't engaged in battle and therefore was considered a coward. One of the grosser things I learned during research for another of my time travel stories (Her Place in Time) was how doctors used to think that puss meant a wound was healing. So, they would then take puss from one soldier's wound and put it in another man’s to "help" with his healing. Yikes.  

What’s the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing?
Reader letters. Writing can be a very solitary job, and you never really know how a story will be received until it's already out there in the world. Getting notes from readers telling me how something in my story touched their lives, helped them somewhere in their faith, or kept them up all night laughing means the world to me. It encourages me to keep plucking random ideas from my brain and weaving them into fiction.

Marketing is the biggest key to making sales. What is the best marketing source you've used that has produced more sales rather than just clicks?
Opening my own bookshop has been the biggest game changer for me. With my author's bookshop, I have complete control over when and how I do sales, the ability to have discounted unique book bundles, offer my readers signed paperbacks, and--most importantly for marketing--access to my readership. After I make an initial sale, I now have my reader's contact information. (When someone buys from Amazon, they are Amazon's customer, not mine. Amazon has their information and can send them emails about other products and other people's books. They aren't generally interested in offering my readers more of my books) 

When my readers are also my customers, I can offer them a chance to join my newsletter, tell them when I have another sale, or let them know a new book in a series they are reading is out. Advertising to places like Amazon or B&N might get a short term bump in sales, but when I send readers to my store instead I create a lasting connection with them. I can keep building that relationship and directly offer them new books as they come out and special bonus extras they wouldn't get otherwise. I can't do that when someone purchases my books from a third party retailer. 

What do you know now about writing you wished you had known sooner?
It’s not as easy as it looks. People tell me all the time that they would be a writer if they just had time to sit at a computer that long. As though that’s all it takes. I once had that misconception too. But while chair time is obviously important, writing a novel is more than just putting words on the page. It didn’t take long into that first book to realize I needed to study the craft. Learn plot and structure and character development and emotional arcs. 22 published books later and I still study the art of writing. Yes, there’s that fun creation side, but writing is also work.

What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give?
Better right than rushed. Take time to study the craft. There is so much temptation to jump right to publishing or take shortcuts. A good story is like a perfect cup of tea. It takes time to steep. There's all this pressure these days to put out more books faster. And some writers are in a place in their career where they can churn out quality content quickly. That's awesome. What I'm saying is that if that's not your pace, that's okay. Better to take longer and release story you love than to be in a hurry to publish something you don’t. 

Are there any other points about writing you would like to add?
Critique partners are the best. If you don’t have one, find one.

What is the next book coming out? Can you give me a short synopsis?
Book 7 in my Back Inn Time Series just released in September  with retailers and came out in August from my bookshop. (Another perk for my bookshop readers is early access.)

He never asked for a blind date—especially not one from 1864.

If Connor Payne had known his grandfather was up to a matchmaking scheme on their weekend trip to a quirky B&B, he would have stayed home on the farm. But it turns out his accommodations come not with a blind date, but a trip to 1864—with a war on the doorstep and no idea how to get home. Rescuing a stubborn beauty and her grandfather from the burning of Atlanta was not on his weekend agenda. Now getting her to safety might mean dragging her through time… and into a future neither of them understands.

Amanda Lashley never imagined the ticking clocks in her grandfather’s shop could signal the end of everything she’s ever known. But when two strangers arrive out of nowhere and insist they must leave immediately, she makes a choice that catapults her into a world of strange customs, dazzling inventions, and impossible surprises. Now stuck in a future she never asked for, Amanda must find her footing, her courage—and maybe even her heart.

That's all for today's newsletter. If you'd like to learn more about this author's books, here are some links to get you started.

Author's Bookshop: https://shop.stepheniamcgee.com/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Stephenia-H-McGee/author/B007P5NISY

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StepheniaHMcGee

Here's a special tip for my readers...If you sign up for her newsletter (I did), you'll get a short eBook called Mrs. Easley's Guide to Unexpected Time Travel and other Peculiar Predicaments. I've already started reading and enjoying it. Pick up a copy for yourself and you'll find a fun story to make you a smile and lift your spirit on a meltdown day.  https://dl.bookfunnel.com/qpgj8tmeaz