Once again,Bookpleasures.com welcomes as our guest Gary D. McGugan author of Three Weeks Less A Day, The Multima Scheme. Unrelenting Peril, Pernicious, Pursuit, A Web of Deceit, and his latest novel, A Slippery Shadow.

Norm: Good day Gary and thanks once again for taking part in our interview.



Gary: Hello, Norm. Thank you for the opportunity!

Norm: As a man, how do you manage to write female characters such as Fidelia Morales and Suzanne Simpson?

Gary: To capture the Point of View of a woman, I try to make a conscious effort to think as I perceive a woman might think with every sentence. I’m lucky.

Throughout my business career, I’ve worked with many women of diverse backgrounds in several different regions and have long been a student of human behavior.

As I write, I call up from memory circumstances and personalities and imagine what those women might have said or done in similar circumstances. It’s not foolproof, but the process seems to be working well!

Norm: Where do you write?

Gary: I have a spacious, comfortable office in our home. It’s quiet and well-equipped. I can focus and concentrate on writing there for hours at a time.

Norm: Do you ever dream about your characters?

Gary: Never. In fact, I have rarely been able to recall a dream throughout my lifetime! I’m not sure what that means, but it may be how my brain tends to compartmentalize everything.

Norm: You have written several thrillers, are you ever afraid that's it, you have run out of ideas, you have lost it?

Gary: No. I think of new writing ideas almost every day. I also continue to have my lifelong passion for learning and travel. Every trip, I experience things that trigger ideas for stories. Every book I read prompts new ideas.

Norm: Who is the first reader of your novels?

Gary: Let me answer that by telling you the strategy I followed when I started writing my first novel, Three Weeks Less a Day.

As a new writer, I was determined that my debut novel should be a good one—a book that would encourage readers to buy more of my stories later.

I used 4 different editors, recognizing that each editor brings a different perspective. Intentionally, I chose both women and men. And I chose editors of various ages. I still use multiple editors, welcoming diverse perspectives and biases. As a result, I have readers from 18 to 85 of both genders.

Norm: How do you live with the way people interpret and analyze your books? As a follow-up, has a review or profile ever changed your perspective on your work? How do you deal with criticism?

Gary: I welcome criticism. My life-long passion for learning has helped me understand that well-considered criticism is an opportunity for me to learn and improve.

Particularly with my editors, I insist they ‘bubble up’ every possible concern they have about a plot, word choice, or grammar preference.

It forces me to think about their point at the very least, and often leads me to a better way to address a concern or express an idea.

Norm: How do you celebrate a novel's completion? 

Gary: I celebrate by shifting gears and moving from creative writing to creative promotion!

As you know, promoting our books remains almost entirely a writer’s responsibility unless we have the budget to hire high-priced publicists. I’m not a celebrity, so I work as hard promoting my books as I do writing them!

Norm: How have you used the Internet to boost your writing career?

Gary: The Internet is my weakness. Although I understand it quite well and use the Internet in my stories like A Web of Deceit, I haven’t exercised the patience to develop a strong presence there.

I think part of that reluctance is a genuine preference for reading paper books rather than digital versions. To truly exploit the Internet, I think writers must embrace digital technology and hone their skills with it daily.

Norm: How did you formulate the plot for A Slippery Shadow?

Gary: I was living and working in Europe when Russia's current political and business leadership evolved. I was always struck by the trepidation people of Europe had about that evolution compared with North Americans.

Business people feared the government would become akin to a massive crime syndicate.

In several of my novels, I’ve inferred such a link and decided to magnify that reality—and its worrisome connection to American politics—as part of the plot in A Slippery Shadow.

This story portrays how the Russian government may play a far more significant role in business and politics than many North Americans realize.

Norm: Did you know at the beginning how the story would end?

Gary: Yes.

Norm:  What was one of the most surprising things you learned in writing A Slippery Shadow?

Gary: I was surprised to learn how many spectacular homes there are in the Quebec region known as the Laurentians.

While I often visited that area north of Montreal in my youth, it has been several years since I was there.

After I decided to use the Laurentians as a locale for part of my story, I needed to research homes in the area and was delighted to find a treasure trove of luxury homes for sale or rent!

Norm: Where did you get the idea of inserting into the plot the Shadow character?

Gary: I think the Shadow fits nicely with my concerns about the government of Russia and its links to both European and American politics.

Norm: Are you working on any books/projects that you would like to share with us? (We would love to hear all about them!) 

Gary: I’m in the early stages of research and writing a seventh novel. It will be another in the Multima series but more involved in espionage.

I’ll use some of the characters readers have grown familiar with in stories like The Multima Scheme and Unrelenting Peril, but I’m excited about some of the new twists I’ll introduce. Number seven will release in late 2023

Norm: What is next for Gary D. McGugan?

Gary: First, a spring and summer of promotion for A Slippery Shadow and my other novels.

I get wonderful support from Canada’s largest booksellers and genuinely enjoy visiting their stores to introduce my latest titles and meet their customers.

I’ll do much of my research for novel #7 during that time, then get to serious and focused writing in October.

Norm: Where can our readers find out more about you and  A Slippery Shadow?

Gary: The best place is always my WEBSITE.  I post lots of reviews and information about my promotion events if readers like to meet up in my travels.

Norm: As this interview comes to an end,  what is your advice to others to achieve success as a writer?

Gary: I give the same advice to any writer, novice or expert.

Join a community of writers. Networking with other writers is an excellent way to learn new trends, hone the craft of writing, and develop contacts who have dozens of ideas about better ways to write, promote, and sell more effectively.

I belong to the Writers’ Community of York Region in Canada, but we find similar communities around the globe. The benefits of joining can’t be overstated.

Norm: Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors.

Gary: Thanks again for the opportunity to chat!

Follow Here To Read Norm's Review of A Slippery Shadow