Q: How did you get your start writing fiction and what genre do you predominantly write in?
Q: Would you tell us about your current book release Prince Incognito? |
Rachelle McCalla interview with Susan Sleeman
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June 03, 2011
A. So far I write inspirational romantic suspense. My first historical comes out in December. I’d love to write for young adults—that’s my favorite genre to read. Q: What does your writing space look like? (Insert picture if possible) A: My writing space is a corner of my bedroom. There are no pens there. The pens have all been stolen by my children. If I want to use a pen, I have to go look under my kids’ beds. That’s also where I usually find my chapstick. Q: In this busy world, how do you find time to connect with God and how does this impact your writing? A: I try to make time every day to read the Bible. I also listen to Christian music and, of course, read Christian books. And my husband is a pastor, so that helps, too! Q: What’s part of a writing career do you find most difficult? A. The biggest hurdle for me is finding time to write. With four kids under the age of ten, I get pulled in many different directions.
A: The royal family of the tiny Christian kingdom of Lydia has been attacked by an insurgent uprising. The royal siblings must scramble to save the crown, and their lives. Prince Incognito is the third book in the Reclaiming the Crown series. Q: Where did you get your inspiration for Prince Incognito? A: When I was a kid I loved the Back Stallion books. The second book in the series followed Alec into the desert to find his horse. I had that book in mind when I started thinking about this story. I went back and read that book. The first half or more is about a long series or airplane rides. Very boring. So I wrote a story that looked like what I wished that story had been, with more kissing and praying and dead bodies.
Q: Tell us a little about your main character and how you developed him/her: A: Prince Alexander is a soldier, but shortly after our story opens he’s injured in the attack on his family and loses all memory of who he is and why angry militants are chasing him. If he’d been alone, that would likely have been the end of him. But a lovely lady with a heart for wounded creatures meets up with him and helps him. When he saves her life in return, they realize they can trust each other. In fact, there’s no one else they can trust. Q: What did you enjoy most about writing this book? Least? A: I very much enjoyed the romance between Alec and Lily. I disliked editing—but then, I always dislike editing. Q: What is the main theme or spiritual message of this book? A: I don’t really give the stories morals or anything overt like that, but there is a strong theme of family running throughout—of who our families are, and how they influence us, and how, sometimes, even if we come from a total crud family, we can find new people to love and have a family of our own choosing. Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now? A. There’s a new series coming out on the tails of this one, and it’s a spin-off of Reclaiming the Crown. It’s called Protecting the Crown, and you’ll get to see the characters from these stories as they move forward and get married, while the men of the royal guard have more adventures guarding them and their loved ones. Plus more kissing, praying, and dead bodies. All of my books have those three things. Q: If you could have dinner with 2 people, who would they be? A. Franz Ferdinand and Sophie Chotek, preferably in July of 1914. And I’d have told them, “don’t go to Sarajevo.” Q: Do you have a favorite hobby? A. If a person watched me go about my daily business, they’d probably guess that my hobby is doing laundry, but I actually prefer gardening—not that you could tell that from my yard. Q: What is the most rewarding thing you have ever done? A. I have four kids. They’re still works in progress, and I can’t really claim them as accomplishments per se, but I’m quite proud of them. Q: Where can readers find you on the internet? A. I’m on Facebook and Goodreads. My website, www.rachellemccalla.com, is a great place to look for news about upcoming books and background tidbits about my stories, plus recipes and other fun things. Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us? A. Prince Incognito has a pivotal scene featuring the Lydian National Anthem. If readers would like to hear the song, which was composed in the ninth century by the Lydian Queen Gisela, there’s a link to the YouTube video of the song on my website under “extras.” |
As far back as the fourth grade, Rachelle McCalla knew she wanted to be an astronaut. Her best friend wanted to be an author, and so they argued about whose chosen profession was better. Rachelle soon discovered she had no aptitude for science, math, or weightlessness. She’s been writing ever since.
Rachelle is a graduate of Hastings College and the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, where she learned her husband’s Greek skills far surpassed her own. Together they have served a variety of ministries in Iowa, South Carolina, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Nebraska.
When she’s not writing, Rachelle spends most of her time working on her servant’s heart with her four children as relentless but adorable taskmasters. In her free time, she is an overly-creative cook, a distracted reader, and an avid gardener whose black thumb of death strikes fear into plants everywhere. She is forever grateful to her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for his eternal love and forgiveness, to her family for their continued encouragement and support, and to her best friend from the fourth grade, who gave her the idea to write in the first place.
