This Virtual Book Tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.
You can see the entire tour schedule by clicking HERE.
Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour!
It is my pleasure to bring you Morgan Hannah MacDonald and her book Sandman!
She has graciously offered this interview:
? When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I fantasized about it for sometime. Then after years of being fascinated by serial killers, I learned that I had actually dated one myself. When I got over the shock, I knew there was a story in there somewhere. Then one weekend when I was visiting my parents, my father asked me what I would do if I ever won the lottery? I told him I would buy a cabin in the mountains and be a writer. He gave me his old laptop that day and told me not to wait. The instant I got home I started writing SANDMAN .
? How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?
Ha! Too many to count! But they all have given me great life experiences for writing. I think my entire life has led me up to this point. I was the lead singer in a rock band, then a punk band, was a hair dresser, worked in banking, worked at Surfer Publications, photographer at Sears Portrait Studio. I could go on, but I won’t.
? How long does it take you to write a book? I wrote SANDMAN in three months. The story just flew out of me. But if you want to know about rewrites, well then *giggle* that’s an entirely different story all together.
? What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
I honestly don’t know that I have one, and if I do, it’s not very interesting.
? Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write?
I get up in the morning, pour myself a big cup of coffee and sit down at the computer. I’ll read my last chapter to get myself into the story and then go for it!
? Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?
Sometimes it’s people I meet. Like the medical examiner, Cheryl, in SANDMAN. I stayed at this woman’s house one weekend with friends. She was quite the character. She swore like a sailor, had a gruff demeanor, but was actually sweet and a gracious hostess. She was in her fifties and lived in a house on the beach in Mexico
Sean and Katy O’Brian who play close friends of Meagan’s from SANDMAN were based on a couple of close friends of mine. And believe me, they are real characters. He’s an artist and a surfer. His wife listens to a police scanner. She’s a ghost hunter. And she’s guest stared on numerous reality shows. For years we talked daily on the phone. She even called me on my honeymoon night!
Meagan McInnis, the heroine of SANDMAN, is loosely based on me. I say loosely because I gave her the looks I wish I had and she’s much healthier. I don’t get up at six in the morning and jog along the beach! *grin* But her personality is pretty much mine. Also, her misadventures in dating are all inspired by true stories. So when you read SANDMAN, don’t go thinking that all those things couldn’t happen to one woman, because they did. Including that icky boss of Meagan’s. And many more. I could fill a book on the crazy guys I dated after my divorce. I wouldn’t even have to exaggerate to make it interesting! After all, how many women do you know have dated a serial killer? So when women say they have lousy luck with men, I’ve just got to laugh. Seriously? I’ve got you beat sister. It’s no wonder I’m single, huh?
Don’t get me wrong, the story itself is fiction, but I did borrow some actual facts from the killer I dated. I just mixed them up and gave them to the different suspects so that anyone who knows the case wouldn’t know who the real killer was.
?How do you decide what you want to write about?
I write about what interests me. Serial Killers for one thing. My next book I add ghosts to the mix. The book after that has a private investigator who sees dead people. But the one constant will always be serial killers. I find them fascinating and scary. They bring an element of suspense to the story because you know there will be more deaths, so there is always danger lurking around every curve.
? What books have most influenced your life?
Thomas Harris’ Silence of the Lambs. Up until I read that book, back in the late 1980’s, I had not read anything that delved into the mind of a serial killer and I found it fascinating.
? What is the first book you remember reading by yourself?
I don’t know about that, but the first book that got me hooked on reading was Stephen King’s- Carrie. I read it in high school and became a fan of his after that.
? What are you reading right now?
Lisa Jackson’s-Born To Die
? What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I’m an avid reader, of course. I play scrabble. I love movies and music. I have eclectic tastes, from The Rolling Stones to Nine Inch Nails. Boogie boarding. Swimming, Gardening. Knitting. Evenings with friends.
? What is your favorite comfort food?
I make Cajun pork chops with green beans , mashed potatoes and country gravy. Mmm, makes me hungry just thinking about it!
? What do you think makes a good story? Suspense. I love that adrenaline rush when someone’s life is in danger.
? Who would you consider your favorite author and why? I have several. Tess Gerritson, Lisa Gardener, Lisa Jackson, Erica Spindler, Beverly Barton, Karin Slaughter, Patricia Cornwell. Their stories have grit and they know how to keep a reader interested.
? What book, if any, do you read over and over again? None. There are too many books out there I haven’t read. I don’t want to waste time reading one that I already know the ending to.
Fun random questions:
- dogs or cats? Dogs
- Coffee or tea? Coffee definitely. I can’t wake up without it!
- Dark or milk chocolate? Oooh Milk Chocolate
- Rocks or flowers? Flower’s, for sure.
- Night or day? Day
- Favorite color? Royal Blue
- Crayons or markers? As a child, it was crayons.
- Pens or pencils? Pens. I love those gel pen’s. I can’t use anything else anymore and they have to be in black! *chuckle*
SANDMAN
By Morgan Hannah MacDonaldBeware the SANDMAN he’ll put you to sleep. . .forever.
A serial killer on the loose, a woman being stalked, and a homicide detective who must find the connection between the two before she becomes the next victim.
He collects women. He imprisons them, plays with them, tortures them. Until they bore him. Then he removes a souvenir. They call him the Sandman.
Meagan McInnis is being plagued with late night calls, yet when she answers, no one is there. Then one night she makes a grisly discovery in her own backyard.
The caller is silent no more.
Homicide Detective, J.J. Thomas, realizes Meagan is the key to finding the Sandman. Now not only must he protect her, but he must find the connection between Meagan and the killer before she becomes his next victim.
WARNING: SANDMAN is a Romantic Thriller that contains adult language, explicit sex and graphic violence.
More About the Author:
Morgan Hannah MacDonald writes Romantic Thrillers-Not for the faint of heart. She has always been interested in writing and serial killers, but it wasn’t until she found she had dated one herself that a true writer was born. She belongs to Romance Writers of America’s San Diego Chapter, as well as the Kiss of Death Chapter. She resides in San Diego, California where she is busy working on her next novel.
Email: morganwrites@yahoo.com
Website: www.morganhannahmacdonald.com
