Les Mac! A True Crime Author
And True Gentleman
Here is my fun interview with Les Mac.
He is a very sweet man who always has great advice for a new author. I
definitely enjoy his answers and happy to see he has such amazing support from
his wife and son. I am very grateful he took the time to answer all my
questions (even the sillier ones). Please enjoy. At the end we have the links
to his media (Facebooks and Twitter) find him! As always read his books if you
can and review it on Amazon!!
-What is your name or Pseudonym if you rather?
Les MacDonald. Les Mac on Facebook.
-What genre do you consider your work?
Non-fiction
-What projects are you currently working on?
I've been writing a true
crime series with my son Tristan. That project just goes on and on. Right now,
I am just about to finish a book called Any Last Words? and also a book about
the Beatles to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the British invasion. I
also have a fiction book dancing around in my head. Actually, a few chapters
have been written.
-Are any of your works published? If so what are the titles?
The Day the Music Died is
in print and The Day the Music Died Updated is a kindle version with extra
chapters added. The rest of my titles are Hollywood's Unhappiest Endings:
Legends Never Die Updated, Justice Denied, Sports Deaths and Disasters, Hell
Hath No Fury: Women Who Kill and They Walk Among Us: Serial Killers. Those are
all e-books.
-How do you publish your work? Indie? Self? Small publishing
house? Large publishing house? Or how do you intend to publish your work?
For me personally, Indie is
the way to go.
-Outline your writing process.
I'm very much old school. I
write out everything long hand. Of course that leads to the problem of reading
my own writing. There are always ideas running around upstairs. I guess that is
why I usually have three or four projects on the go.
-Do you use a literary agent?
No.
-Do you have future works planned? Do
you plan any sequels, trilogies, etc?
They Walk Among Us is set
to be a series of five or six books, maybe more. The first in the series They
Walk Among Us: Serial Killers was released on January 14. I've also just
started a new series as a bit of an experiment. The Timeline Series which tells
the story of the subject in timeline form with plenty of pictures. The Beatles
book is the first in that series. I am also making an attempt at my first work
of fiction...a work in progress
-How do you develop your characters? Do you have a system?
I am still trying to figure that out for
my first fictional effort. I am essentially a non fiction author but I have
always admired the writers that can make up a story from scratch. I am
attempting to see if I can do that or not.
-How many hours a week do you devote to writing?
It just depends. Some
weeks, I get very lazy Lauren.
-Who does your editing? How do they do it ie Print and mark
the copy up? Let Microsoft word take care of it? How important is editing to
you? When do you edit?
Editing is huge. I'll tell you a quick
horror story. My first book was a mess. A rough draft ended up being printed.
When I came back from vacation, the book was waiting for me in the mail. I was
so excited and then I read it. To this day, I still cringe. Eventually I edited
the mess into an ebook and it was a success. At least when I edit, I know if
there is a mistake it's my mistake.
Do you have pre-readers? If so would you like to name them
and say a little thank you?
A big shout out to my wife Terri who has
helped a lot.
-What/Who do you use for marketing and publicity? Do you have
a website?
I do have a website. I think it is
important to have a visible presence where readers can go to sample your work.
-Do you use twitter? Blog service? Facebook?
I think it is very important to have
some kind of presence on the social networks. I do have a facebook account with
an author's page and a few seperate pages for the books.
-Do you collaborate with other authors? Why or why not? If so
who is it?
I have only collaborated with my son who
is writing the true crime series with me. I have thought about looking for some
writers to contribute to a true crime anthology but that is in the future.
-If you could collaborate with someone who would it be and
why?
Anne Rule who is probably the most
successful and prolific true crime author. I admire her diligence and attention
to detail. Also Patricia Cornwell.
-What is the dream result from your books? Do you strive for
a New York Times Best Seller? Oprah book sticker? Movie?
I want to turn out a book that I can be
proud of. If readers find it interesting and it sells a few copies, all the
better.
-What inspired you to start writing?
One day I was asked online if I would be
interested in writing football articles for a magazine. I did that for a few
years and really enjoyed the writing aspect of it...the deadlines, not so much.
So, I looked around for a subject that I really enjoyed. I always have loved
movies and found that writing about Hollywood was a good fit. That is how the
first book came about.
-How old were you when you started writing, or realized you
wanted to be an author?
I was a late starter. I was already in
my mid forties when the football writing started.
-How has writing helped your life?
It means you're never bored. I can
always pick up a pen and get lost in a story or some research.
-Do you have a space set aside for writing? Do you just write
wherever you feel like?
I have a corner of the apartment that is
mine, all mine. I have written in airports, hotels and even shopping malls.
Recently, I spent a few hours in the Forum Shops in Las Vegas and just people
watched. Of course, I had a pad of paper and a pen. You can get some great
ideas just from people watching.
-What is your stance on book sex? Why?
Well, I don't believe in government
legislated censorship. I think we should be our own censors and determine what
we like to read and write etc. I do like a sexy story. If the book is just
balls-out sex though, it can be a little overwhelming. A little mystery mixed
in can go a long way.
-If your book were a movie whom would you want to play your
characters?
Jack Nicholson, Julia Roberts, George
Clooney. Hey, go for the best
-Do you have a college degree? If so please share what it is
in, you can choose not to answer. Do you want one if you don’t?
No degree. I started working right after
graduating from high school.
-What is your greatest accomplishment personally? What about
professionally?
Personally, it was meeting and marrying
my wife Terri. Easily, the smartest thing I've ever done. I just never get
tired of looking at her. Professionally, it was the book-launch for The Day the
Music Died. The local bookstore said that it was one of their most successful
launches and I was proud of that.
-What do you think is society’s greatest accomplishments?
Still existing after all these years.
-Who are your favorite authors? Why?
Stephen King. After all this time, he
can still hold my interest...a great storyteller. He's also very prolific. Anne
Rule, a great true crime author who actually took the time to return an email
to me and not just a form letter.
-What are your favorite books? Why?
I've always loved the concept of time
travel...of going back to change something. I was thrilled when King did
11/22/63 and tackled the idea of going back to do something about the Kennedy
assassination. Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi. It's the best selling true
crime book of all time and tells the story of Charles Manson. Riveting.
-How do you get your news? Online? TV? Paper? Google?
World news mostly CNN online. Local news
on tv.
-Very important question, Mac or PC?
When I saw "very important question",
I thought it was going to be boxers or briefs? PC.
-Do you consider yourself sleep deprived?
Lately, a little bit.
-Do you have a family? Kids? Dogs? Animals? Significant
other?
My son Tristan is 25. I've already
mentioned my significant other Terri. No animals.
-What is your favorite form for reading? E-Reader, print,
audio books?
I think there is room for all three.
E-Readers are certainly convenient and have changed the whole landscape. Having
said that, I still like the feel of a book in my hands and I hope that we
always have them. I haven't had all that much experience with audio books but I
have enjoyed the ones that I have listened to.
-What is one event that transformed your life and made you
who you are today?
I would have to say the birth of
my son Tristan. It was certainly a life changing event. He'll soon find out
what I mean. Tristan and his partner Courtney are expecting their first child
next month.
-What music helps you write? Particular Band? Singer? Genre?
Classic rock. The Beatles, Moody Blues,
Stones, CCR and on and on.
The Dreaded Personal
Section (LOL)
-What is your favorite song?
The Long and Winding Road
-What is your favorite band?
The Beatles
-What is your favorite cartoon?
Looney Tunes
-What is your favorite movie?
The Big Chill followed closely by
Casablanca
-What is your favorite TV Show?
The Following
-What is your favorite meal?
Terri's spaghetti followed closely by
any junk food
-What is your favorite drink?
My fave soft drink is Coke from a glass
bottle...always tastes better. Vodka and clamato juice for alcohol.
-What is your favorite candy?
Spearmint leaves.
-What is your favorite fast food?
Pizza.
-What is your favorite vacation spot? Dream vacation?
Las Vegas. Dream vacation? Hmm somewhere
in the middle of nowhere.
-What is your favorite car? Dream Car?
My fave car that I owned was a 1978
Triumph Spitfire. I'm not sure that I have a dream car...anything that is a
convertible.
-What kind of car do you currently have?
A Nissan Sentra
-What are your favorite pets?
I love dogs but we do not have a pet as
we live in a no pets apartment.
-What is your favorite adventure?
Every day with Terri, believe me, most
days are an adventure and she has a way of being able to make the bad days seem
like an adventure.
-What is your favorite quote?
"If I'd observed all the rules, I'd
never have got anywhere" Marilyn Monroe
Find Les on the Internet:
TWITTER:
https://twitter.com/LesMacsBooks
WEBSITE:
www.lesmacsbooks.weebly.com
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/lesmacauthorpage
www.facebook.com/lesandtristanwritetruecrime
www.facebook.com/thedaythemusicdiedbylesmacdonald
After we corresponded for the interview I was lucky enough to
get a little note in my email that made me smile!
“I'd like to thank Lauren for taking the
time for this interview and for some of the thoughtful questions. Some of them
made me stop and think! I had a great time!”-Les
