Cameron McVey

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Author

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your hobbies and interests.

I love storytelling in all its forms: books, TV, movies, conversations, essays, presentations, documentaries, etc. I’m a fairly quiet, low key guy. I spend time with my wife whenever possible. My big night out is going to play trivia with a group of friends at a local brewery. I’ve done some traveling and lived in different areas of the U.S. I was a cultural anthropology major as an undergrad. Differences in cultures, attitudes, approaches to life, and worldviews fascinate me. As well as the deeper commonalities underneath those differences.

When and why did you start writing books?

I quit my job and dedicated myself to writing in June 2011. Simply put, it was time. The desire had been percolating for several years, decades even. It was a combination of things. The call to create was stronger than it had ever been. I needed to dedicate myself to a creative process, one with a chance of developing an audience. I needed to move beyond writing for just myself. I needed to put myself out there because that’s an essential part of creativity, in my opinion. Also, I felt a need to give back to the world of books that has given me so much joy and wonder over the years.

What made you decide to tackle writing as a career?

I knew if I didn’t, I would regret it the rest of my life. My mother is a poet. My father was a teacher and loved the written word, loved presenting arguments forcefully and logically. I am somewhere between the two. I love writing - its persuasive and evocative qualities, the play of words and ideas.

Which one of your books or characters is your favourite?

That’s an impossible question to answer. As I write each book I become enmeshed with the characters. I’ve written a number of books. It would be impossible to choose. That being said, the character of Sebastian in Monsters of Utopia - while he only had a short part - was incredibly fun to write. Incredibly fun. That was a number of years ago. More recently, K.C. Hall has become - perhaps, perhaps - my favorite character ever. That’s why I’ve written two books centered on her and plan on writing a few more.

Which one of your books was the hardest to write and stretched you the most as a writer?

Saucerland. It's unlike any of my other books. It’s an amalgam of stanza and paragraph format. It’s a stream of consciousness, first person narrative. The character talks you through the aftermath of an alien invasion and his role in helping the planet overcome the tragedy and trauma while delineating the cost he paid doing so. Writing that book split open my head and forced me to become a better writer.

Who is your favourite author and book?

Another impossible question. I’ll toss out a few: Umberto Eco - Island of the Day Before, Virgil - The Aenied, Ray Bradbury - his short story collections, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Stephen R. Donaldson -The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (all of them), The Mordant books, David Wingrove - The Chung Kuo series. That’s a good start.

What book are you reading right now?

The past few months I’ve stayed solidly in the mystery genre. It’s a bit of self-assigned writer’s homework. Simon Brett’s Fethering series. Ann Cleeves’ new series. And her older ones. A couple of classic Agatha Christie books. The pacing in a good mystery is truly something to be appreciated.

Where do you get your inspiration for your books?

As I recently told a coworker, it’s all grist for the mill. Life, the universe and everything. It pours into my head, sloshes around then, maybe, it comes out in my writing. Depending. On everything and nothing. Yeah. That’s it.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Watching sports, reading books, watching movies, walking along the river trail in town, hanging out with friends, doing whatever my cat commands me to do.

Do you have any new books in the works?

I’m currently working on a modern twist on the vampire genre. Then, immediately after that, I’m jumping back into the world of K.C. Hall, the third book in that series.