Interview with Author Mindy McGinnis

Today's guest is author Mindy McGinnis, who is an Edgar Award-winning novelist who writes across multiple genres, including post-apocalyptic, historical, thriller, contemporary, mystery, and fantasy. 

While her settings may change, you can always count on Mindy’s books to deliver grit, truth, and an unflinching look at humanity and the world around us.

She is is the author of Not a Drop to Drink and its companion, In a Handful of Dust, as well as This Darkness Mine, The Female of the Species, Given to the Sea, Heroine, and the Edgar Award–winning novel A Madness So Discreet.  Find more info here at:
www.mindymcginnis.com/
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Tell us about your work.
 
I write very gritty, intense novels for teens. I’m not scared to tackle the difficult questions, and often do so in a way that invites discussion. As a result, my books are often a love / hate situation for a lot of readers, and I’m fine with that. They’re both strong emotions, at least!
 
What was your favorite book when you were growing up?

Hard to say. I liked to collect series and often felt the need to re-read from the beginning if a new title in a series came out. So I read voraciously but I always returned to the Bunnicula series!
 
What is your favorite book now as an adult?

The Stand, by Stephen King is a perennial favorite for me.
 
I always reread my favorite books. Do you reread books and if so, which one(s) have you read over again?
 
The Stand, for sure. Also all of the Outlander books. Other than those, I’m not much of a re-reader.
 
Who are some of your favorite authors?

Stephen King, Matt Haig, Val McDermid, Diana Galadon, Colleen McCullough – these are all authors I can depend on.
 
A lot of creatives (artists, writers, musicians) have talked about how the pandemic has impacted their creativity. How has it been for you?

It’s been okay, honestly. I worked from home before, so things didn’t change drastically for me. I actually started working out more intensely than before, because I knew the possibility for my anxiety and depression to spike was there. I’ve always been able to count on exercise to pull me out of ruts, so if anything the pandemic has made me healthier.
 
What is your writing schedule like?

I don’t write every day, but when I am actively working on a project I aim to write 1000 words a day, or 5000 in a week. If Thursday rolls around and I’m clocking a 0 word count, the next few days are going to hurt.
 
What are you working on now?

Not actively writing anything new. I’ve finishing up edits on my 2022 release, The Last Laugh, which is the second in a Poe-inspired duology.
 
You can find Mindy and all her social media pages here: : https://www.mindymcginnis.com/
 
Mindy's upcoming release, The Initial Insult, releases February 23, 2021. Read about it here:
 
Welcome to Amontillado, Ohio, where your last name is worth more than money, and secrets can be kept… for a price.

Tress Montor knows that her family used to mean something—until she didn’t have a family anymore. When her parents disappeared seven years ago while driving her best friend home, Tress lost everything. She might still be a Montor, but the entire town shuns her now that she lives with her drunken, one-eyed grandfather at what locals refer to as the “White Trash Zoo,” – a wild animal attraction.

Felicity Turnado has it all – looks, money, and a secret that she’s kept hidden. She knows that one misstep could send her tumbling from the top of the social ladder, and she’s worked hard to make everyone forget that she was with the Montors the night they disappeared. Felicity has buried what she knows so deeply that she can’t even remember what it is… only that she can’t look at Tress without having a panic attack.

Tress has a plan. A Halloween costume party at an abandoned house provides the ideal situation for Tress to pry the truth from Felicity – brick by brick – as she slowly seals her former best friend into a coal chute. With a drunken party above them, and a loose panther on the prowl, Tress will have her answers – or settle for revenge.

Pre-order the book here:
 www.mindymcginnis.com/initial-insult