Christa R. McCauley

I was blessed to be interviewed earlier this week by fellow author, Angelica Colon, a literary fiction writer who is also in my Master of Fine Arts program.

Angelica Colon

Alright, so today I have Christa McCauley. Yes. Hi, Christa. How are you doing today?

Christa McCauley 

I’m doing well. How are you?

Angelica Colon

I’m doing good. Thank you for asking. So, first, I just wanted to know when did you first decide that writing was something that belonged in your future?

Christa McCauley

Well, writing and storytelling in general has always been a part of my life. I grew up listening to my Dad, tell these really elaborate, amazing stories and I just loved listening to him and seeing how animated he was. And I think his love for storytelling really just became a part of me too. So I have always been writing whether it was songs, or I wrote plays in high school that I ended up directing and starring in and then I would also write, like short stories for my friends. And it wasn’t until I actually was going through my divorce where I decided I wanted to write a full novel. And for me, it was more of therapeutic escapism, I guess, to be able to deal with that very difficult time in my life, but it turned into something that I found really beautiful and I just wanted to keep going and being a part of creating something like that. So yeah, so I think it’s kind of always been a part of me, but as far as being a novel, you know, writing novels that really came through one of the worst times of my life, having to grow and deal with all of that emotional stuff.

Angelica Colon 

Absolutely. I find the the emotional experiences are kind of what drive writing a lot of the times for authors. Definitely

Christa McCauley

yeah absolutely.

Angelica Colon

So can you tell me a little bit about your selected genre?

Christa McCauley 

Yeah, so I like to write low fantasy fiction. And I think what I find so appealing about it is everything just seems so much more fantastical, you know, having magic as a part of our world or these impossible things happening. But then I also really fell in love with the genre because it was really where I found I think the first time in my reading experience strong female heroines where, you know, they were vulnerable but able and capable. And the men that were supporting them in the novel’s didn’t cower from their strength but found it very attractive or didn’t prohibit them from being who they could be. And so for me, again, being a woman who was going through divorce and learning how to stand on my own two feet, I just felt so inspired by these female characters who could do things that to me, I could only dream of or, you know, go on these epic adventures and do all of this amazing action type things that you usually saw with, you know, male characters. Like I grew up watching Arnold Schwarzenegger and John Claude Van Damme. I loved him so much so you know, that was the warrior role, and then getting to see women step into that space. I think it’s just, I really love it. And I enjoy writing in that genre. More than probably any other genre I’ve ever written in. So I really like it.

Angelica Colon

Oh, that’s awesome. Absolutely. Well, thank you for that. Can you tell me let’s see what inspired you to write your current novel?

Christa McCauley 

So my current novel I’m working on is a low fantasy historical fiction, based around Vikings and Norse mythology, and the reason I wanted to write that book is a lot to do with my personal heritage. I have quite a bit of my ancestral background coming from Norway. And so I wanted to do something that honored that ancestral line of mine, and then also I just, I happen to love history. I think it’s so interesting. So being able to take you know the history and kind of retell it was really intriguing to me. And also, it’s kind of frightening because I want to make sure that I am accurate, because I know there are going to be history buffs out there that will be like, oh, that didn’t really happen or that’s not the way it happened. And so it’s really, it’s really caused me to spend more time thinking about what I’m writing and doing the research and being very strategic on how I you know, plot it all out and elements that I want to include and elements that maybe I don’t want to include that happened, you know, in that historical time period. So I think it’s really stretched me as an author and I knew it would because it was, again, dealing with some things that really happened, and then throwing in this Norse mythology with it. And I really hope that in writing it, I’m able to really do my heritage proud with it. So it’s been very challenging, but I think all the best writing challenges you, right?

Angelica Colon

Absolutely. Yeah. That’s really inspiring and I love that you’re just writing about what you know from your culture. It’s beautiful. Thank you. Absolutely. In your opinion, what is the most tedious part of the writing process?

Christa McCauley

Um, probably, revision. I’d say editing and revising. And it’s definitely not the part that I naturally enjoyed. I don’t, I don’t know that I know any author that particularly enjoys it. Um, but I’ve definitely found why it’s so important. And I think like with my first published novel, I probably would have going if I were to do it again would have spent more time in that process of revising and editing. But it’s definitely the most tedious and I struggle with tedious tasks. So it’s one I have to really work hard to motivate myself through.

Angelica Colon

Got it. Yes. Revision is painful, to say the least. Yes. So Christa, to end this. Do you have any advice that you would give beginner writers?

Christa McCauley  15:11

Yeah, I mean, aside from again, falling in love with that revising and editing process. I think it would just be to write authentically as much as possible. I know, starting out very early on I tended to mimic other authors that I really liked. And it took me maturing and growing to really find my own voice but I mean, how very exciting it is, once you do find it, and then just really authentically sticking to that, rather than finding or following trends necessarily. Then I find when I am authentic with my writing, I’m so much more proud of that piece. Whether it does well or not like I’m proud because I, it was me, it was my voice and I was honest with it. So I think that would be the biggest thing is just really embrace your voice and be authentic.

Angelica Colon

Awesome. Well, thank you so much for your time today.

Christa McCauley

Yeah, thank you so much.