Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Quietus is my first novel which came out in November, 2017. I also wrote Cradling the Past, A Biography of Margaret Shaw.
I have several short stories published in journals in Canada and USA.
I am a former school teacher and I now teach creative writing to adults. I enjoy long walks, classical and pop music.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Quietus. The word, quietus, means death. I read about WWII Germany and how the Nazis dehumanized people. I also read some history of the Russian revolution and the revolution in China. There are a lot of similarities.
What is to prevent totalitarianism from creeping into our society, from infiltrating the education system, media, courts and religious institutions? Stalin said, “Ideas are more powerful than guns. We don’t let our people have guns. Why should we let them have ideas?”
In our current society, euthanasia and eugenics are slowly becoming more acceptable. The the question that inspired Quietus: What is to prevent a dictatorship from using euthanasia as a form of population control?
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My favorite time to write is in the morning. I pick a piece of classical music to match the mood of scene I’m writing, whether somber, upbeat, or intense. It helps to focus my mind.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love reading history. I also love literary fiction, for example, books by – Don Gillmore, Alice Munro, Carol Shields, Donna Tartt, Elizabeth Strout, as well as classical authors such as Tolkien, Jonathan Swift and Charles Dickens. Lately, I’ve taken an interest in dystopian fiction, which influenced Quietus. The Road by Cormac McCarthy, 1984 by George Orwell, The Giver by Lois Lowry. A non-fiction book by Sharyl Attkisson, called Stonewalled, was my inspiration for one of my characters in Quietus.
What are you working on now?
I have a novel coming out summer, 2018, called Yin Yang Eyes. It is a YA novel about a Chinese girl living in Borneo during the Japanese invasion in WWII. She and her family have to escape into the jungle to survive for the duration of the war.
I am currently writing a sequel to Quietus and a sequel to Yin Yang Eyes.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I primarily use Twitter, my Facebook author page and my website to promote my books.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Number one, learn the craft. Take creative writing classes. Read and practice. Read and practice. Read and practice some more. Once you’ve done all that, write your practice novel, then you can write your real novel. Get a good editor who understands your vision. Then you must learn about the publishing industry.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be true to your voice. Let the writing be sensory, (show don’t tell).
What are you reading now?
I am currently reading The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen. It’s the story of a spy during the Vietnam War. Next on my list is In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote, and after that I will read The Sense of an Ending, by Julian Barnes and then The Magic Mountain, by Thomas Mann.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I will publish Yin Yang Eyes and my two sequels. After that? Time will tell.
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?
Seeing as how I read 3 or 4 books a month, I better not be stranded for very long. I think I would take along a survival guide in addition to the works of C.S. Lewis and Chesterson.
Author Websites and Profiles
Madelaine Shaw-Wong Website
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