Interview: Coco McQ

Author’s Name:

Coco McQ

Publishing Credits:

Night Hunt! Ryukyu, Bible Studies, Devotionals, Articles on Interior Design, and the home. (Under different names)

What is your target audience?

For this children’s picture book, ages 4-8.

Why should anybody read your books when there are so many others written by famous authors?

Well, good stories can come from all kinds of people.

I guess you could think of it like a buffet. I definitely have my well-known favorites—roast beef, mashed potatoes—but I like to try new things too. Who knows? I just might discover that I absolutely love the new five-bean salad.

Famous authors will always have their place, but so will everyone else who has a story to tell.

Most authors believe they have original ideas that no one else has used. Can you give us an example of one of your original ideas?

When I was in sixth grade, I got into an argument with my science teacher—which was completely out of character for me. He refused to believe me when I told him I had invented the word ginormous. He actually laughed at me in front of the whole class. Something akin to righteous indignation rose up in me, and I refused to let it go. I knew I had invented ginormous! It was my very own original word. There was no way I was going to let him take that from me.

Of course, I hadn’t actually invented it—though I thought I had. Turns out, plenty of others thought they had too.

I think most of us like to believe we’re clever and original, but as the Bible says, “What has been will be again; what has been done will be done again. There is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

As a writer, I’m quite certain I haven’t invented anything completely original. Pretty much everything’s been said or thought of before, in one way or another. But that doesn’t hinder creativity. There are limitless ways to tell a story. That’s where creativity and originality come in.

Who had the most influence over you growing up?

My parents who taught me to: go above and beyond what is required to get by, strive for excellence in everything I do, tell the truth, make places and things beautiful, leave things better than I found them. Have faith, love family, and be loyal.

What kind of research do you do before you write a book?

This is probably completely unorthodox, but my writing is intuitive and by the seat of my pants—including the research.

For example, I just finished a mystery with several historical time jumps. I had a general idea of what I wanted to happen, but before long, the threads of my story were flapping in the breeze, so to speak. I needed to either twine them together or button them down.

That’s when the research began—filling in the gaps, chasing down facts, making a few U-turns, and grounding my overactive imagination in something real. I’m pretty sure that’s backwards, but that’s how I do it.

.

What is your favorite animal, and why is it your favorite?

I’ve never been able to answer the “what’s your favorite” questions—not about color, food, animals, or anything else. I like variety. I love horses, but I also love chickens, puppies, koi, quail, giraffes, owls, sheep… the list goes on.

Now, if you’d asked me about my unfavorite animals, that’s much easier—though there’s more than one of those too: spiders, scorpions, snakes… basically anything that’s venomous, stinks, drools, or wants to eat me. Those are my unfavorites.

Do you have any favorite authors and books?

I do have some favorite series: The Mrs. Pollifax series; The Number One Ladies Detective Agency series; James Herriot’s series, All Creatures Great and Small; and Little House on the Prairie, to name just a few. I really love to feel good after reading a book. Not scared, creeped out, grossed out, traumatized, or uneasy, just cozy and happy.

What events have made you into the person you are today?

Becoming a Christian. Marrying my husband and raising our five children. There’s more, but these are the biggest life-changing events.

What jobs have you held?

Wife, mom, teacher, writer, volunteer, rancher, interior designer, diplomat, grandma.

What do you think should be done when animals are in danger of extinction?

Everything possible. Habitat, anti-poaching, breeding programs, genetics, etc.

What is the hardest thing you’ve ever written?

A Bible Study. It takes a special kind of audacity, or an incredible amount of naivety to think you can write about God like He’s just another topic.

What advice do you have for people who want to become professional authors?

I remember the first writers’ conference I attended. The smaller sessions on the nuts and bolts were educational, but in the big group gatherings, the speakers waxed poetic about how you “just know” you’re a writer—each one out-inspiring the last, until the life of a writer sounded almost sacred.

I sat there thinking I had absolutely no business being there, as I didn’t fit any of their descriptions. Not one! Clearly, I wasn’t a writer.

I went home a bit discouraged, but I kept writing anyway. Not to build a career, or become a best seller, or because there was a heavenly calling to write, but simply to communicate what was on my heart and mind.

So, my advice? If you have stories that need telling, tell them!