Interview With Author Shawn McCarthy
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve worn many hats in my life, and all of them have had something to do with writing.
After college I was a newspaper reporter for five years. I mostly wrote for small town newspapers, but had several freelance articles published by The Washington Post. Later on I worked for organizations such as The Smithsonian Institution, National Geographic and Time-Life books, focusing on research, writing and curriculum materials. After receiving a Masters Degree from the George Washington University, I mostly focused on magazines and then drifted into corporate work. But I always maintained a focus on fiction writing. My tenth book, Local Honey, will drop in late June, 2025.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My new book, coming out in late June, 2025, is titled “Local Honey.”
It’s a work of historical fiction inspired by my interest in the rapid changes America experienced at the start of the 1950s. Roads were under construction everywhere. Architecture was changing, as were social attitudes.
It tells the story of Jim Yarrow, a wounded World War II veteran who returns home to small-town Massachusetts where he manages to find peace, family, and a comfortable routine. But even though that’s soothing, his calmer life doesn’t fully silence the echoes of war, which has had an affect not only on him, but the whole town.
Local Honey is also the story of Becky Bivens, a destitute but resilient woman returning to her childhood home ten years after her mother’s scandal forced them to flee. Intent on rebuilding her life as a simple beekeeper, Becky finds her past waiting for her—a past that includes Yarrow. The book is a study of haves vs have-nots in post-war America, and how people get drawn into situations that are beyond their control, forcing them to make stark choices about their lives and who they will listen to.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’ve found that my most productive time s is late afternoons and early evenings. so that’s when I try to write. That’s the opposite of a lot of writers I talk to. They seem to prefer early mornings. But I can’t ignore my most productive time, so I just run with it. Also, in the summer, I sometimes like to work outside on my patio. There’s something about immersing myself in the great outdoors, with its sun, wind, bugs and all, that helps me focus in on the nuances of scene setting and descriptions.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
When I was younger, I loved to read books by irreverent writers such as Tom Robbins or the dark humor and social commentary of authors like Kurt Vonnegut. As I grew older, I developed an interest in historical fiction. That introduced me to writers like Ken Follett, Kristin Hannah, Anthony Doerr and Delia Owens. I love not only how they capture the feel of a specific time, but also how they tell stories in a way that can help readers understand more about the people and places of a specific era.
What are you working on now?
I’m dealing with the final edits of “Local Honey.” And I’ve already started working on the outline for a book that’s set in various Boston colleges during the early 1960s. It will focus on that era’s turbulent politics, changing music scene, emerging drug culture and the long-term lessons learned from that highly politicized era.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I really enjoy talking to podcasters and blog creators who are focused on historical fiction. We often start by discussing my books, but veer off into wide-ranging discussions about politics, social influences and more.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Books are like jigsaw puzzles. You don’t find all of the pieces immediately, so you work with what you can find, with a mind toward the larger picture. So I tell new authors to keep going. If you have a story in your head, just keep trying to write it. You may throw out ninety percent of your first effort, but that’s the only way you can get the excellent ten percent that you’re trying to write. And if nothing else, polish your outline, and make an effort to flesh out small pieces of the story as you do that.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
– Marry for love, not money.
– Write what you love, not just what you think will be commercially successful.
– Remember “the law of the farm.” That means you have work a bit each day on what you’re growing. The harvest comes later, and that harvest will not happen unless you put in all the other work. Patience is a virtue.
What are you reading now?
I’ve been wrapped up in my own projects for the past several weeks. But next up on my list is “The River Knows Your Name” by Kelly Mustian
What’s next for you as a writer?
This summer I’ll be attending book festivals and literary events in New England and beyond. This fall, it’s back to the keyboard as I work on my eleventh book. (1960s historical fiction this time.)
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?
Maybe something that would teach me how to make a satellite phone out of coconuts? But other than that, I’d like to have a series of anthologies, by writers like Mark Twain, Stephen King, or John Steinbeck.
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