Interview with Trish McCallan

Trish McCallan has been writing for as long as she can remember.

In grade school she wrote children’s stories, illustrated them with crayons and bound the sheets together with pencil-punched holes and red yarn. She used to sell these masterpieces at her lemonade stand for a nickel a book. Surprisingly, people actually bought them. Like, all of them. Every night she’d write a new batch for her basket.

As she got older her interest shifted to boys and horses. The focus of her literary masterpieces followed this shift. Her first full length novel was written in seventh grade and featured a girl, a horse and a boy. At the end of the book the teenage heroine rode off into the sunset . . . with the horse.

These days she sticks to romantic suspense with hot alpha heroes and roller-coaster plots. Since she is a fan of all things bizarre, paranormal elements always find a way into her fiction. Her current release, Forged in Fire, was the result of a Black Dagger Brotherhood reading binge, a cold, a bottle of NyQuil and a vivid dream.


Interview with Trish McCallan 

What will readers like about your book?

Forged in Fire is a rollercoaster of a romantic suspense with sexy Navy SEALs. If you like military heroes who read like military heroes, a love story with plenty of steam and a plot that will surprise you, you’ll love Forged in Fire!

Why did you self publish?

I hypothesized what the publishing industry was likely to look like two years in the future, which is when the book would have debuted if I had sold it right then, and I believed I’d have a better chance of getting the book noticed and finding an audience if I published it myself. I wanted complete control of the process from cover to price.

What is your writing process?

I fast draft the first draft, and then go back and revise scene by consecutive scene until the scene on the paper matches the image I’ve held in my mind. Then I send the chapters to CPs, and revise again off their feedback. After the book is finished, I let it sit a month, read and revise again, then send it to Beta readers. One last revision off Beta reader feedback and then it goes into production.

How long does it take you to write your first draft?

I took me two months to fast draft the first draft when I worked full time. I’m not sure how long it will take now. I quit my day job for full time writing. This will allow me to put in a lot more hours and should ramp up my production.

What inspired you to write this particular story?

I dreamed the opening sequence, and the story and characters just wouldn’t leave me alone.