Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
J.G. MacLeod writes both fiction and non-fiction stories. To date, she has published seven novels: Abalone is an emotionally-charged read that tells the story of a young woman involved in a violent and controlling relationship & won the 2018 Online Book Club Book of the Year Award for ‘Other Fiction’. Lady Ellen (Book One in The Adventures of Lady Ellen Montagu series) is a historical romance set in nineteenth-century Ireland & won the 2018 Breakthrough Novel Award for Historical Fiction. It also received a Readers’ Favorite Award (Honorable Mention, 2019).
Ms. MacLeod has also released two sequels to Lady Ellen: Two Paths and New London, as well as a boxset that offers all three titles in one collection. These books take place in Ireland and Canada & contain themes of family, marriage, motherhood, exile, immigration, secrecy, betrayal, and love.
Ms. MacLeod’s most successful release, The Future Bride: A MacLeod Time-Travel Rom Com, combines research on the author’s own family tree with time travel. It is her first foray into the rom com genre & it is a bestseller in Celtic History. The Future Bride was a Finalist in the Independent Author Network’s Book of the Year Awards in ‘Romance’ (2020).
A Moment in Time, a romantic-suspense novel was released in 2021.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
A Moment in Time: A Romantic-Suspense Novel came out in April, 2021 and deals with themes of trauma, second chances, and bystander effect. This is the first book that uses J.G.’s twenty-year, teaching career as the foundation for the story. It also blends suspense, psychology, and thriller elements.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write very late at night, sometimes until 4 in the morning. I am also able to write easily if I go for a hike beforehand.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I was a huge fan of C.S. Lewis, Margaret Atwood, Agatha Christie, J.R.R. Tolkien, L.M. Montgomery, and Charlotte Bronte growing up. I earned an English degree with a focus on 19th-century British Literature, so there are many other notable authors who inspired me as well, such as William Blake and Jane Austen. The Lord of the Rings, Anne of Green Gables, and The Color Purple are three of my favourite books.
What are you working on now?
I am working on The Past Love, the sequel to The Future Bride. This story also takes place in 15th-century Scotland, but one year earlier than The Future Bride. It asks the question: is the future inevitable, or can we alter the course of our lives if given a second chance?
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Twitter and Amazon have been the most successful for promoting my novels.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be yourself and write what inspires and heals you. If you write, then you’re already a writer. Listen to your characters and treat them as you would real people. Don’t follow an outline so rigidly that your characters cannot breathe. If they say or do things in the heat of writing a scene, see where it takes them and worry about your outline and editing afterwards.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Get the first draft down and worry about editing later. Too many people edit obsessively as they go and never finish everything. I just write, like a faucet turned on, and worry about what to add and cut in later stages.
What are you reading now?
I am re-reading Jane Eyre currently. I am amazed at how effectively Charlotte Bronte uses first-person narration. The psychology captured within this story is stellar. Don’t listen to anyone who says you must write in third person all the time. I also love how Bronte shows us how slow travel was in the 19th century. She describes how a 6-mile buggy ride took an hour and a half!
What’s next for you as a writer?
I push myself to grow in some way with every project. A Moment in Time was my first time writing from both a male and a female point of view. I am going to write a non-fiction book next in which I delve into narcissistic abuse and how to end the cycle and heal.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Future Bride, as it is a comedy and would help me laugh in a tough situation. Tim O’Shei’s book, How to Survive on a Deserted Island. It might come in handy. And The Lord of the Rings, as it is my favourite book series of all time.
Author Websites and Profiles
J.G. MacLeod Website
J.G. MacLeod Amazon Profile
J.G. MacLeod’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account