Interview with Monica McCabe, author of Diamond Legacy

 

Title: Diamond Legacy
Author: Monica McCabe
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Format: Kindle/Paperback

Blood diamonds, corruption, and undercover spies are no match for the chaos of one stubborn veterinarian…

What happens when a dental zoologist flies to Botswana to give a rare albino hippo a root canal? She lands smack in the middle of a diamond smuggling ring and right in the way of an undercover agent for International Diamond Security—one who knows firsthand the horror of conflict diamonds. Determined to bring down the cartel, he accepts the veterinarian’s help. But when the past catches up to him and the stakes skyrocket, he must risk all to save her from an evil that has haunted him for fifteen years.

ORDER INFORMATION

Diamond Legacy is available for order at  Amazon,  B&N,  Kobo and Google Play  

Q: When and why did you begin writing?

A: In my mid-twenties I had a unique job offer in Alaska. So I up and moved. In December. Totally a spur of the moment decision, but ended up spending 4 years there. It was pretty much fantastic, but winters were a bit challenging. I needed something to distract me from the intense cold and perpetual dark and since I’ve always been an avid reader, I figured writing a book was just the thing. So I wrote a historical romance, complete with a dashing sea captain hero. It was awful and I gave up on the idea of being the next NYT best seller. But a funny thing happened. The urge to write never really left. Time passed, I traveled a lot more, and eventually settled in Nashville, TN where I tried my hand at it again. I got smarter this time around though and took classes, and in 2002 I joined Romance Writers of America.

Q: Have you developed a specific writing style?

A: When I first started writing, I was devouring historical romances. So naturally, I thought that is what I’d write. My first couple attempts at a novel were set in 1812. Tall ships, sea captains, and smugglers. When I got brave enough to let others read my story the feedback was pretty consistent and along the lines of …Have you ever thought of writing contemporary? Turns out, I didn’t have the voice to write historical, no matter how much I loved reading them. But it’s all worked out for the best. Contemporary is my game. I write romantic intrigue and suspense, high-stakes adventure, and all with a strong dose of humor. I can’t help the funny bone, it just happens.  

Q: What do you consider the most challenging part about writing a novel, or about writing in general?

A: Believe it or not...new words. They are hard. Ideas are easy to come by. Revising, editing, and restructuring, I love, love, love to do. Getting brand new words down in a logical and interesting manner is surprisingly difficult. They don't just flow from my fingertips to the keyboard. Most of the time I have to yank them out. But when the floodgates open and a scene pours out, that is the absolute best feeling in the world.

Q: How has your upbringing influenced your writing?

A: I grew up believing we were part gypsy. Seriously, we constantly moved. And not just across town, we moved across the USA, multiple times. I grew up on the move, kept it up on my own, and even though I've finally settled and grown roots, travel is an absolute necessity in my life. I believe it enriched and empowered my writing too. It certainly gifted me with an intense curiosity of all places yet unseen. Maybe I am part gypsy after all, because even my stories go places. My debut book, DIAMOND LEGACY is set in Botswana, Africa. Book #2 is in St. Lucia, West Indies, and book # 3 will be in Northern Australia and Singapore. I've learned that story setting is every bit as important as my characters. None of us can seem to sit still, no matter what.

Q: What is your favorite quote, by whom, and why?

A: The Other Side of Fear, is Freedom. I don’t know who said it, but those few words have such powerful meaning. I keep them in a visible place to remind me that no matter how nervous I get, take a deep breath and power on.

Do you like stories set in unusual or exotic locations? How about unique or interesting occupations? Combine both, wrap them around romance and adventure, and that’s the kind of reading that takes you places! It’s also a style of writing for Monica McCabe. Always a bit of an adventuress, she’s lived in and explored places like Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, Florida, Mexico, California, Maine, Washington, Canada, and yes, even Las Vegas. At every location she seized the opportunity to explore, hike, camp, raft, canoe, fly, ski, scuba-dive, or zip-line. She’s climbed glaciers and ancient Mayan pyramids, dived shipwrecks and reef caves, camped in sasquatch country, drove across the USA three times, and is now working on gathering as many official stamps in her National Park passport as she can. So far, nineteen and counting. Also an avid reader, the writing bug bit her hard somewhere between Alaska and Montana. Slowing down enough to actually put words on paper took a while longer. She scribbled notes, played at writing a historical romance (her favorite reading), but it wasn’t until she landed in Tennessee that writing became a passion. Now that she’s sprouted roots alongside her husband of seventeen years, tossed in two lazy cats and two happy dogs, she’s finally turned that wanderlust into crafting stories of adventure and romance. And all that travel and exploration lends realistic detail to her writing. Plus she’s been known to sneak in a bit of her own experience, and a pet or two, because they like the fame.

For More Information

Visit Monica’s website.
Connect with Monica on Twitter