Interview with Casi McLean, Author of Beneath The Lake

Sharon, thank you so much for having me as a guest on your blog. 

What made you decide to be an author? I think I've always been an author. My mother said I constantly begged for her to read to me. I created stories and dictated them to her before I could read or write.
 
What do you like best about being a writer? Definitely hearing how much my readers loved my work. That inspires me to write more. But I also like how writing sweeps me to another world.
 
What do you like the least? Pirates, promo and marketing.
 
How do you think your life experiences have prepared you for writing? Wow. That's a great question. I taught creative writing, drama and English for years, but I don't know if I would have ever written my first book if I hadn't taken a journey to find my biological father. Unraveling the secrets and lies in my past inspired my memoir and after that my writing flowed like water.
 
Have you ever felt as if you were being dictated to while you wrote a book--as if the words came of their own accord? If yes, which book did that happen with? Every book I write has a life of it's own. I start with a basic outline, but the stories twist and turn in directions I never imagined, as if my muse takes over. Beneath The Lake has so much eerie lake lore and history wrapped up in the ghost town beneath Atlanta's Lake Lanier, I felt as if the ghosts whispered to me along the way.
 
I wanted to share my trailer with your readers. Beneath The Lake Trailer
 
You’ve written a memoir, one novel, five novelettes, and are working on two sequels to Beneath 

The Lake. What’s your favorite time management tip? Write a little bit every day and the manuscripts will evolve.

Are you a plotter or a pantser, i.e., do you outline your books ahead of time or are you an “organic” writer? Research and settings trigger my storylines, but my work is character driven as well as plot driven. Once I have a feel for the plot, I live inside my character's heads and tell their story as it comes to me.
 
If you had one take away piece of advice for authors, what would it be? Whatever you do, do it with passion.
 
Did music help you find your muse with this book? If yes, which song did you find yourself going back to over and over again as you wrote? Actually, yes, Some Enchanted Evening played over and over and I used the song several times throughout the book as foreshadowing Bobby and Lacey's romance.  


Tell me more about Beyond The Mist, Book 2 in the Beneath The Lake trilogy.
I don't have a blurb yet, but the story picks up where Beneath The Lake ends, and the hero and heroine evolve from two minor characters in the first story. Both books are stand-alone, but tie in very well as I left a trail of breadcrumbs in Beneath The Lake. Since the sagas are time-slips, they go in different directions, but the suspense definitely builds on the first storyline, and the portal is beneath the lake.
 
How about an excerpt from Beyond The Mist:

Nick stood on the shore of Reynolds Cove, mesmerized by the salient lagoon. A soft mist hovering over the lake beckoned, lured him like a mermaid's enchanting whisper. He denied his destiny for long enough. Today, right now, was his only chance. He had to do this.
"Everything happens for a reason." Piper's words haunted him. She would be furious, but eventually she would understand.
He drew in a deep breath and waded into the murky water, clenching his fingers into a tight fist. A violent force grabbed him, dragged him beneath the surface. He stiffened, his heart pounding, as he swirled into the bottomless depths. A flash of blue haze squeezed the breath from his lungs followed by a sense of serenity. A moment later the mist had vanished and so had Nick Cramer.

 What great questions, Sharon. I loved this interview. Thanks again for hosting me on your blog.

Where can readers find more about your stories, books and you on the Internet?
Website: casimclean.com
Twitter: @casimclean
Facebook: Casi McLean
FB Author Page: Casi McLean-Author
Goodreads: Casi McLean
Amazon Author Page: Casi McLean

Casi, thank you so much for being with us here today. I know my readers will enjoy your work and your interview.