Ladies and gentlemen, I am very proud to present a Q&A with a brand-new authoress, Mae McKoy! It was such a pleasure to do this interview with her, and I am very excited for you all to get to read her answers.
So, who is Mae McKoy?
Mae McKoy is a teen author who writes fairytale retellings in engaging, new settings. A homeschooled highschooler, Miss McKoy enjoys all things music, book and coffee related. As a talented musician and singer, she has also been featured in several plays and local festivals in her hometown.
Her first book, Storylore, released just a few months ago. It tells the story of a terrified Princess named Cerys, a dashing pickpocket named Zion, his hilarious dragon, Atticus, and their Fae friends. However, when a threat arises that impacts her kingdom as well as her newfound allies, Cerys must find her courage and learn her new-found magic. The sequel of her book is set to release in Fall of 2025.
Q&A with Mae McKoy
Q: Tell us a little bit about how you got into writing.
A: I've been writing for as long as I can remember! I started when I was around 6 years old with writing picture books, then slowly started writing chapter books and novellas as I got older. I wrote my first full-length novel (over 50,000 words) when I was 13.
Q: What has helped you grow the most as a writer?
A: I think what has helped me grow the most is not stressing about every single detail. I tend to get hung up on every tiny imperfection, and sometimes what you need is to step back and see the whole picture, especially when writing longer books/novels! At some point you just have to let go of everything being absolutely perfect with no mistakes and let the story breathe and be its own work of art. And like all art, there are going to be some things you missed or things that could be done a bit better--but it's not worth stressing over.
Q: What is something you wish you'd known when you started writing?
A: Something I wish I knew when I started taking writing seriously is to not go back and edit what you've written before you've finished the story. I still have this problem of going back and deep editing (and I mean line editing, such as fixing grammar mistakes) before I've finished writing the book. You don't really know what's going to stay in the story, and you could spend a lot of time editing things you might end up taking out of the story altogether. In addition, it can slow your progress because instead of writing more of the book, you're picking apart what you already have.
Just moving forward and telling yourself you’ll come back to anything you have second thoughts about later can help you not get frustrated at not making progress. Just keep writing!
Q: Is there a book/author that has influenced you?
A: A lot of authors have influenced my writing--genre wise and style wise. There are honestly too many to count! I learn new methods with every new book I read, and typically if I like something an author does, I'll try to find a way to implement it in my own writing, without pushing it, of course. Some things don't fit your own writing style, and that's okay!
After falling in love with Marissa Meyer’s books, I decided I wanted to write fairy tale retellings. I also recently got into Stephanie Garber's universe, and her magical descriptions have influenced how I write my own, I think.
Q: Do you have any advice for other young writers looking to get published?
A: I can't say much about traditional publishing, since I've never tried querying for an agent, but I can talk about my own experience with self-publishing!
If you're a teen author and you're thinking about self-publishing, I would do a lot of research before committing! It's a lot of work and consumes a lot of your time if you want to have a wide reach. You also might want to strongly consider starting a social media so you can find new readers (with your parents' consent, of course). Indie authors are their own marketers, but this doesn’t have to be a bad thing! Promoting can be fun, especially on social media when you have such creative freedom. Have fun with it! Make it your own and share things you enjoy about writing and you book, like you were talking to a friend.
As for the process of self-publishing, there are a lot of tricky things your parents will most likely have to help you with (ISBNs, copyright, bank account setup with your publishing companies, etc.), and a lot of it will be tied to their name if you're a minor. I would HIGHLY suggest setting up your accounts with the publishing companies and getting all of the financial things out of the way before you set a release date for your book, as most publishing companies (such as KDP, Barnes & Noble Press, and IngramSpark) can take up to MONTHS to verify your account. After that, though, things get a lot easier and a lot more fun and exciting as your book launch approaches!
If you're looking for good resources on self-publishing, I would recommend watching Bethany Atazadeh or Mandi Lynn's videos on YouTube (with your parents' permission)!
Their tutorials and tips helped me SO MUCH during and even before my book release, and it ultimately helped me decide that I wanted to go the indie author route.
I could talk about self-publishing all day, but I think that would be my main advice on it!
A huge thanks to Mae McKoy for taking time out of her week to answer my questions! I really enjoyed this interview, and I'm sure the readers did too! Make sure to check out Storylore and support this young author. Be on the lookout for her next book in Fall of 2025! Feel free to drop a comment below, and as always, Ad Lucem.
-L.E. Levens
This was really helpful!
I just recently finished Storylore, so reading an interview with Mae is so fun! Thank you to both of you for putting this out!