Dragon Soul Press had the chance to interview Mark McWaters, an author featured in the Fairy Rites anthology.

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1. Introduce yourself.
   • Hello, there! My name is Mark McWaters and I’ve been writing since I was a kid in
     elementary school. I was one of those annoying little boys that wrote poems for girls he
     wanted to impress. Did it work? No comment. I eventually earned an MFA in Creative
     Writing from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and parlayed that into a career
     as a writer and creative director for several advertising agencies.
2. What prompted you to begin writing?
   • Reading. The whole idea of telling stories and falling in love with the process started then. I
     gobbled up Hardy Boys and Doc Savage books and progressed from there. Stephen King
     and Dean Koontz sealed the deal. The loss of Michael Crichton was a tragedy.
3. Do you have a favorite story or poem you’ve written? What’s it about?
   • “Where Shadows Attach” is a short story about a man who’s afraid of his own shadow—with
     good reason. “My Father. My Sin” is a short story about an Amish daughter who ran away
     from the family farm because the elders thought her too exuberant. Now she’s some home
     with a mission. (Of course, I’m also partial to my two stories selected for the Dragon Soul
     Fairy anthology.)
4. How many projects do you have planned over the next few years? Tell us about one.
   • I plan to complete a few novels and of course, short stories. “Earth Witch” is #2 in a
     series for YA. “West Texas Bones” is a crime novel, #3 in a series.
5. What is your writing process like?
   • I wait for an interesting concept to come to me. Then I try it out as a short story to see if it
     might be worth a novel. I try to write at least five days a week. I belong to two writer’s
     groups. I highly recommend writer’s groups for all aspiring writers.
6. Where do you draw inspiration from?
   • I have a pretty quirky, wondering mind. I don’t want to question where my ideas come from.
     Most of my ideas start off with “Wouldn’t it be neat if…” or “What would happen if…”
7. Who is your favorite author / what is your favorite book?
   • Too many fave authors. Stephen King is a given—I prefer his earlier stuff. Scenes from The
     Shining and Salem’s Lot still haunt me. Crichton for his brilliant, scientific mind—hard to beat
     Jurassic Park and Andromeda Strain.
8. What is one goal you have for your writing future?
   • I want to see someone reading one of my novels on vacation at the beach. And of course,
     NY Times Bestseller list is always out there, waiting.
9. What do you hope readers enjoy most from your work?
   • To be entertained and enticed to read the next one.
10. Where can readers learn more about you?
    • On my website and on Facebook.