TuesGay Spotlight: Monica McCallan
Monica McCallan is the renowned author of Better Than A Dream, Back to the Start, Sweat Equity (Currently #1 on the lesbian fiction best seller list), and most recently - Charm City.
Having recently read Charm City, I can tell you that it's totally worth checking out. You won't regret it, trust me. For only $2.99 on amazon (free with kindle unlimited), it's practically a steal.
I was lucky enough to get the chance to ask Monica a few questions about the book and her writing career. Read the interview below, then read the book (or vice versa - just as long as you do both)! Enjoy! :)
What can you tell us about Charm City?
It’s my first holiday-themed book, and it centers around the two protagonists, Carson and Taylor, who don’t really see eye-to-eye on working together. Taylor is a perfectionist event planner and Carson is a capricious bar manager, so they quickly butt heads from the start. There’s lots of snark and drama, but both characters are coming into the story with baggage that makes things difficult.
How did you come up with the idea for the book?
I’d never done a book for the holidays, and seasonally, writing about Valentine’s Day made the most sense within my writing schedule. I’m not a fan of characters falling in love in a day, so I tried to find a way to spread the book out over a longer timeframe while still keeping the spirit of the holiday deeply entrenched in the book. I’m also doing sober January this year, and I guess I subconsciously wanted to punish myself extra by writing a book where the entirety takes place in a bar.
Who is your favorite character in the book?
I don’t typically have a favorite because I like different parts of each character, and I most like how they work together (or sometimes against) one another. I appreciate that Taylor is positive even in the face of setbacks, which is something I aspire to do but am still not great at, and Carson is loyal and loving but only if she lets you into her inner circle which doesn’t happen with many people.
Can you share your favorite line from the book?
“If the bar wasn’t in such a bad position, she’d tell Taylor exactly where she could stick her bows and arrows.”
If Charm City had a soundtrack, what song(s) would be on it?
Heartbreaker - MSTRKRFT In My Blood - The Veronicas What I Need - Hayley Kiyoko Together, Locked Safely - SAFIA Strange Fruit - Billie Holiday Tell Me You Love Me - Galantis Wildfire - SBTRKT, Little Dragon Arch & Point - Miguel Not Above Love - AlunaGeorge Feels - Kiiara Slush - Human Pyramids You & Me (Flume Remix) - Disclosure Lovers - Anna of the North
If Charm City was made into a movie, who would you want to play the main characters?
I mention in another question that I’m really, really into Orphan Black right now, and I think Évelyne Brochu, who plays Delphine, would make a great Taylor. For Carson, I’d love to see Shay Mitchell, although I’ve never seen her play dark and broody before. I’m typecasting for her amazing hair on this one.
The one MC in the book hates Valentine’s Day. How do you feel about the holiday?
In some ways, I can lean toward Carson’s sentiments about the issues with the holiday, but I don’t think it’s a bad idea for people to have a special day that encourages appreciating one another and showing love. I just don’t think that needs to be done with expensive gifts or flashy gestures. Personally, I’m more about private, heartfelt displays.
What is your favorite and least favorite part of being an indie author?
My favorite part is the autonomy. I can write when I want and how I want based on my life at any given moment. I’d say that downside is that I don’t have a built-in resource network for great editors, audiobook narrators, marketers, etc unless I find those people individually. With a traditional publishing house, they help connect you with reputable people, so I’m doing all that legwork on the back end myself and hoping it’s a positive relationship.
With your first book being published at the end of 2017, you are pretty new to the writing world. What made you get into writing?
A few years ago, I was working in a startup that was all straight men (and me!), and even living in San Francisco, I didn’t feel as connected to the lesbian community as I had in the past. I started reading more lesfic novels because of this, and eventually, I decided I wanted to write my own. Writing was a fantastic way to engage with lesfic authors and fans, and it’s opened up a whole new world for me.
What is your process when writing a book? Do you like to plan everything out or do you just jump right into it?
I strive for a combination of both. I start with thinking about the major storyline and what tropes I want to employ. After that, I build out the character traits for the two main protagonists. From there, I look at all the reasons they shouldn’t work and the things that will cause conflict within their relationship but also within themselves, hopefully spurring some personal growth. I’ll outline the chapters, but some are no more than a sentence or just a few words conveying what’s going to happen. After I have that framework, I free write chapter by chapter.
On average, how long does it normally take you to write a book?
When I was working full-time at another job, I was able to publish about 2 full-length novels per year. Now that I’m writing full time, I’m planning to publish at least 4-5 novels in 2019. I tend to get a bit obsessive when I write, so I can easily crank out 10k words per day for a week or so and get the majority of a work written.
Do you ever work your own personal experiences into your books?
Definitely! I spent 6 years working at San Francisco-based startups, and a lot of my stories have characters in and around the Bay Area. A lot of my characters’ more finicky personality traits are based on my own. I’m embarrassed to admit that like one of my characters, Avery from Sweat Equity, I’ve also watched all sixteen seasons of CSI.
What are your writing goals for 2019?
First and foremost, to make it as an independent author full-time. What that looks like in execution is probably 4-5 novels published throughout the year as well as building my online presence and diversifying my offerings by publishing physical books and audiobooks by the end of 2019.
Can you tell us anything about what you are currently working on?
I just hit publish on my Valentine’s Day novel, and I’ll start very soon on books two and three of the LadyLuck Startups Romance series. I also have another WIP that’s slated for later in 2019 that’s a friends-to-lovers fauxmance set in Hawaii.
What is your favorite romance trope?
As a writer, I absolutely love enemies to lovers. It’s so fun to write, and there’s never a dull moment as the characters clash and collide in the beginning. As a reader, I’m a sucker for a good celebrity fauxmance because you get to watch the characters do loving and relationship-oriented things right away without them truly being together yet.
Who is your favorite lesbian character from a book, movie, or tv show?
Such a tough question! I tend to revisit things I enjoy, so my obsessions constantly cycle through. I know I’m like five years late to the party, but right now, I’m in love with Delphine from Orphan Black.
Do you prefer e-books or paperback?
E-books right now, as you can have so many of them and they’re extremely accessible via Kindle Unlimited. I still love a good physical book, but I’m a fast reader, so it makes it difficult to have enough on me at any given time.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
My partner and I just moved across the country and bought a house, so my days are currently spent unpacking and trying to figure out how to decorate our new home. I’m also doing sober January this year, but in a few weeks, we’ll start going to bars in our new city. I also love to play pool. I used to play 2-3 times per week, and I’m hoping I can get back to that frequency now that we’re settled somewhere.
This blog is all about bringing light (and humor) to the not-so-pretty parts of life. Do you have a funny story you would like to share about you and your partner stumbling through life?
My partner and I met when I first moved to the Bay Area. I rented an apartment sight-unseen since I was coming from across the country. She had a small dog, and sometimes it’s difficult to find affordable housing with pets. We had both recently moved into separate apartments in the building, and the place, to put it mildly, was an absolute shit show. We’re talking slummy landlords, insane roommates, and just over the top situations playing out at every turn. I’m legitimately thinking about writing a book about my experiences there. We both lasted there for only about nine months, but I can never regret it because we wouldn’t have met otherwise.
What is your best advice to an indie author who is just starting out?
It’s never going to be perfect. Don’t wait until something feels “finished” because that’s a relative term. You learn by doing, and the more you write, the more of a capacity you have to get feedback, grow, and ultimately, produce work that better resonates with readers.
Having recently read Charm City, I can tell you that it's totally worth checking out. You won't regret it, trust me. For only $2.99 on amazon (free with kindle unlimited), it's practically a steal.
I was lucky enough to get the chance to ask Monica a few questions about the book and her writing career. Read the interview below, then read the book (or vice versa - just as long as you do both)! Enjoy! :)
What can you tell us about Charm City?
It’s my first holiday-themed book, and it centers around the two protagonists, Carson and Taylor, who don’t really see eye-to-eye on working together. Taylor is a perfectionist event planner and Carson is a capricious bar manager, so they quickly butt heads from the start. There’s lots of snark and drama, but both characters are coming into the story with baggage that makes things difficult.
How did you come up with the idea for the book?
I’d never done a book for the holidays, and seasonally, writing about Valentine’s Day made the most sense within my writing schedule. I’m not a fan of characters falling in love in a day, so I tried to find a way to spread the book out over a longer timeframe while still keeping the spirit of the holiday deeply entrenched in the book. I’m also doing sober January this year, and I guess I subconsciously wanted to punish myself extra by writing a book where the entirety takes place in a bar.
Who is your favorite character in the book?
I don’t typically have a favorite because I like different parts of each character, and I most like how they work together (or sometimes against) one another. I appreciate that Taylor is positive even in the face of setbacks, which is something I aspire to do but am still not great at, and Carson is loyal and loving but only if she lets you into her inner circle which doesn’t happen with many people.
Can you share your favorite line from the book?
“If the bar wasn’t in such a bad position, she’d tell Taylor exactly where she could stick her bows and arrows.”
If Charm City had a soundtrack, what song(s) would be on it?
Heartbreaker - MSTRKRFT In My Blood - The Veronicas What I Need - Hayley Kiyoko Together, Locked Safely - SAFIA Strange Fruit - Billie Holiday Tell Me You Love Me - Galantis Wildfire - SBTRKT, Little Dragon Arch & Point - Miguel Not Above Love - AlunaGeorge Feels - Kiiara Slush - Human Pyramids You & Me (Flume Remix) - Disclosure Lovers - Anna of the North
If Charm City was made into a movie, who would you want to play the main characters?
I mention in another question that I’m really, really into Orphan Black right now, and I think Évelyne Brochu, who plays Delphine, would make a great Taylor. For Carson, I’d love to see Shay Mitchell, although I’ve never seen her play dark and broody before. I’m typecasting for her amazing hair on this one.
The one MC in the book hates Valentine’s Day. How do you feel about the holiday?
In some ways, I can lean toward Carson’s sentiments about the issues with the holiday, but I don’t think it’s a bad idea for people to have a special day that encourages appreciating one another and showing love. I just don’t think that needs to be done with expensive gifts or flashy gestures. Personally, I’m more about private, heartfelt displays.
What is your favorite and least favorite part of being an indie author?
My favorite part is the autonomy. I can write when I want and how I want based on my life at any given moment. I’d say that downside is that I don’t have a built-in resource network for great editors, audiobook narrators, marketers, etc unless I find those people individually. With a traditional publishing house, they help connect you with reputable people, so I’m doing all that legwork on the back end myself and hoping it’s a positive relationship.
With your first book being published at the end of 2017, you are pretty new to the writing world. What made you get into writing?
A few years ago, I was working in a startup that was all straight men (and me!), and even living in San Francisco, I didn’t feel as connected to the lesbian community as I had in the past. I started reading more lesfic novels because of this, and eventually, I decided I wanted to write my own. Writing was a fantastic way to engage with lesfic authors and fans, and it’s opened up a whole new world for me.
What is your process when writing a book? Do you like to plan everything out or do you just jump right into it?
I strive for a combination of both. I start with thinking about the major storyline and what tropes I want to employ. After that, I build out the character traits for the two main protagonists. From there, I look at all the reasons they shouldn’t work and the things that will cause conflict within their relationship but also within themselves, hopefully spurring some personal growth. I’ll outline the chapters, but some are no more than a sentence or just a few words conveying what’s going to happen. After I have that framework, I free write chapter by chapter.
On average, how long does it normally take you to write a book?
When I was working full-time at another job, I was able to publish about 2 full-length novels per year. Now that I’m writing full time, I’m planning to publish at least 4-5 novels in 2019. I tend to get a bit obsessive when I write, so I can easily crank out 10k words per day for a week or so and get the majority of a work written.
Do you ever work your own personal experiences into your books?
Definitely! I spent 6 years working at San Francisco-based startups, and a lot of my stories have characters in and around the Bay Area. A lot of my characters’ more finicky personality traits are based on my own. I’m embarrassed to admit that like one of my characters, Avery from Sweat Equity, I’ve also watched all sixteen seasons of CSI.
What are your writing goals for 2019?
First and foremost, to make it as an independent author full-time. What that looks like in execution is probably 4-5 novels published throughout the year as well as building my online presence and diversifying my offerings by publishing physical books and audiobooks by the end of 2019.
Can you tell us anything about what you are currently working on?
I just hit publish on my Valentine’s Day novel, and I’ll start very soon on books two and three of the LadyLuck Startups Romance series. I also have another WIP that’s slated for later in 2019 that’s a friends-to-lovers fauxmance set in Hawaii.
What is your favorite romance trope?
As a writer, I absolutely love enemies to lovers. It’s so fun to write, and there’s never a dull moment as the characters clash and collide in the beginning. As a reader, I’m a sucker for a good celebrity fauxmance because you get to watch the characters do loving and relationship-oriented things right away without them truly being together yet.
Who is your favorite lesbian character from a book, movie, or tv show?
Such a tough question! I tend to revisit things I enjoy, so my obsessions constantly cycle through. I know I’m like five years late to the party, but right now, I’m in love with Delphine from Orphan Black.
Do you prefer e-books or paperback?
E-books right now, as you can have so many of them and they’re extremely accessible via Kindle Unlimited. I still love a good physical book, but I’m a fast reader, so it makes it difficult to have enough on me at any given time.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
My partner and I just moved across the country and bought a house, so my days are currently spent unpacking and trying to figure out how to decorate our new home. I’m also doing sober January this year, but in a few weeks, we’ll start going to bars in our new city. I also love to play pool. I used to play 2-3 times per week, and I’m hoping I can get back to that frequency now that we’re settled somewhere.
This blog is all about bringing light (and humor) to the not-so-pretty parts of life. Do you have a funny story you would like to share about you and your partner stumbling through life?
My partner and I met when I first moved to the Bay Area. I rented an apartment sight-unseen since I was coming from across the country. She had a small dog, and sometimes it’s difficult to find affordable housing with pets. We had both recently moved into separate apartments in the building, and the place, to put it mildly, was an absolute shit show. We’re talking slummy landlords, insane roommates, and just over the top situations playing out at every turn. I’m legitimately thinking about writing a book about my experiences there. We both lasted there for only about nine months, but I can never regret it because we wouldn’t have met otherwise.
What is your best advice to an indie author who is just starting out?
It’s never going to be perfect. Don’t wait until something feels “finished” because that’s a relative term. You learn by doing, and the more you write, the more of a capacity you have to get feedback, grow, and ultimately, produce work that better resonates with readers.
Thank you so much Monica for taking the time to answer these questions for us!
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