Behind the Quill with Prudence MacLeod

Welcome back to another Behind the Quill author interview! Today’s guest is the captivating Prudence MacLeod, author of over 30 novels. Her latest release is Hunter, the first book in the Corelian Guard series. I was ready to beg delighted when Prudence agreed to chat with me.

Here’s what she had to say:

Me: Okay, Prudence, you’ve walked a few different career paths in your life, and now you’re an author. When did you first know you wanted to be a writer? Or was this something has always been a part of your life?

PM: I’ve always been a storyteller. I’ve had characters in my head, telling me their adventures, as long as I can remember. And that is a very long time. Tee hee.

Me: You’ve published over 30 books, with Hunter being your most recent. Tell us about the very first time you had a book published. What did you do? How did you feel? And was that experience any different when you published Hunter?

PM: The first one was a collection of short stories based on the Norse settlers in Greenland and Northern Newfoundland. It was absolutely thrilling. At the big celebrations of 2000CE I was at L’Anse Aux Meadows. I sold quite a few copies there and basked in my fifteen minutes of fame.

Me: What was the biggest challenge you faced while going through the self-publishing process?

PM: Promotion, there’s no doubt about it. I’m great at promoting everybody else, but not so great at blowing my own horn. Help me people, promote my books!! Oops, sorry, don’t know what came over me there…

Me: If you could be a character from one of your books for a day, which one would you be and why?

PM: Calan MacLeod from the book Calan; she is the woman I strive to be.

Me: Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?

PM: Oh gee, all of them for certain, but right now I’m focused on fantasy with romance worked in. I’m not really sure what to call it, but I have three series in the works on this line of thought. One is contemporary fantasy, one is Sci-fi, and the others is paranormal.

Me: What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

PM: Oh, as an author you will hear it all and it sure can get nasty at times. This means you provoked an emotion in the reader. Good stuff. I was told my work was shit and should be burned.

The best compliment? “Oh my god, you’re Prudence MacLeod, can I get your autograph? Please?”

Me: What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

PM: Oh this is easy, and fun. The folks of Newfoundland (where I live) have a very distinctive dialect. I occasionally slip into that without realizing it.

Me: Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?

PM: Marion Zimmer Bradley and Diana Paxon come to mind as well as Terry Brooks. I found The Mists of Avalon very powerful.

Me: When you aren’t writing, what do you like to do?

PM: I have many hobbies, but reading or hanging out with friends and family top the list. An afternoon spent with friends monopolizing a coffee shop is my idea of heaven.

Me: What is your favorite food? If you cook, what type of food is your favorite and would you mind sharing a recipe?

PM: Oh, I’m a big carnivore so if you can barbeque it, I’m right there. I also love veggies stir fried in olive oil with lots of walnuts mixed in. The walnuts are like candy.

Me: Are you a pet owner? If so, what pets do you have and their names?

PM: I am an animal lover and do keep pets, always. Perhaps I should say they keep me and let me stay at their house. Right now I have four dogs, all rescues. They are Odie, Bran, Jokko, and Piper. I couldn’t manage without proper canine supervision as I write.

Me: What would you like your readers to know about your books or you in general? What do you want readers to see in your books?

PM: I want my readers to come play in my world for a while. Forget the stress, forget the to-do list, forget the darn phone; come have an adventure with me. You will have an adventure, get a smattering of my life philosophy, and you will get a happy ending because I firmly believe in them. My books may not have the best world building or most flowing descriptions, but they have people, very human people who face huge challenges and must rise to the occasion. My books are about people most of all.

Me: Tell us about your current or upcoming release. Will you have a new book coming out soon?

PM: I recently released Hunter. Hunter takes a young woman who has spent her life on the run because of a unique ability and tosses her into conflict with something very nasty. Her challenge is to overcome her natural instinct to run and hide, to embrace her uniqueness and face the danger. She gains an unpredictable and extremely dangerous ally, but will she prove worthy. Even if she does find her strength, will it be enough? Will it be in time? The book is free on my blog right now. Download it and see for yourself.

The download will make you eligible for prizes too. Check it out.

Me: What is one piece of advice you would give to aspiring authors?

PM: Never give up, never stop writing, there is an audience out there, waiting for you to share your gifts. Keep writing, and if necessary, publish it yourself.

Me: Such great advice, and so very inspiring. Thank you for being here with me today, Prudence!

Here’s a little more about Prudence MacLeod:

So, what’s my super power? I’m a storyteller, an entertainer. As you begin to read my words the stress of the day, nay, the stress of everyday begins to magically fade away. Transported into another world, your worries and troubles are forgotten for a time as you share adventures with me and my friends. My art, my power is as old as humankind, for the magic of the storyteller has ever been with us and it will always be.

I am a spiritual seeker, dog trainer, official Reiki Master and Interior designer, and personal trainer who has turned her hand to writing. I am also an avid chess player, not a great one, but an avid one. I build, I bake, I knit, and I tell stories.
I have roamed far and wide for over sixty years in this realm, and I have seen much; some I wish I had not, and a great deal that I would love to see again. Some days I feel like Bilbo Baggins, for I have been there and come back again. No, I haven’t written a book about my wanderings, but much that I have experienced, observed, learned, surmised, or imagined, is woven into the tales I have written. I do hope you enjoy them.
Wanna know more? Of course you do! So go check out her blog, Valkyrie Rising. You can also find her on Smashwords and Amazon, and don’t forget to follow her on Facebook, too!

So, what did you think? Have any more questions for Prudence MacLeod? If so, post them in the comments and I’ll see if I can get her to answer a few of them for us.