P. J. MAC LAYNE (Cont.)
INTERVIEW
MFRW:
Why did you de-
cide to write? When did you submit
your first manuscript and what
genre was it?
PJM: I’ve been writing since high
school. (Many years ago!) I wrote
poetry for years, and was moderately suc-
cessful getting published in magazines, but
at some point the words seemed to dry up.
Then I heard about National Novel Writ-
ing Month. It sounded like fun, and there
was a story kicking around in my brain that
wouldn’t work as a poem. Well, I didn’t
make fifty thousand words in one month,
but I found a new creative release, and I
haven’t stopped writing fiction since!
MFRW:
PJM:
MFRW:
Who are your favorite characters among
the books you’ve written?
It’s normally the heroine of whichever
book I’m working on at the moment!
Overall, Harmony Duprie, my main char-
acter in the Oak Grove Mysteries, is my
favorite. She’s such a quirky character, and
I enjoy hanging out with her. Plus, she has
such great stories to tell!
How much of your personality and life
experiences are in your writing?
PJM: There’s a lot of me in my
writing. The books I’ve published so
far all take place in the general area
where I grew up—the rolling hills of
Pennsylvania. But I’ve lived in several
different parts of the US, so I’ve got
5
room to stretch out. (Spoiler alert—the
location for my next Free Wolves book is
Wyoming.) I write strong female charac-
ters, and I give credit to my mother for
that, because she helped my sisters and me
to grow up as independent women. But
none of my characters are carbon copies of
me.
MFRW: Are you in control of your characters or do
they control you?
PJM: We collaborate. I have the basis for a story,
and my characters tell me how it really hap-
pened. Sometimes we disagree, and I try to
trust my characters’ input. Sometimes I
have to go back and change things, but
usually they are right.
MFRW: Bubble baths or steamy showers? Ocean or
mountains? Puppies or kittens? Chocolate
or caramel?
PJM: Steamy showers. I’ve never been much of a
bubble bath person. Mountains, definitely
mountains. You only have to check out my
blog to figure that out! I’ve lived on both
coasts of the US and in the middle of the
country, and I’m quite happy being where
the mountains are only a short drive away.
Puppies or kittens? If
I can’t have both, give
me kittens. I know
they grow into cats,
but they suit my per-
sonality better. And
chocolate, always
chocolate.