Q&A With Christina McDonald 

Today I have the honor of doing a Q&A with USA Today Bestselling Author Christina McDonald. Christina is the author of the novels, “Behind Every Lie,” “The Night Olivia Fell,” and “Do No Harm”, and the forthcoming “These Still Black Waters”.

Q: So Christina when did you realize that writing was your calling?

A: I’ve always been a massive bookworm and loved writing. I used to act out elaborate plays with my friends and would check out stacks of books from the library. I had a very active imagination and always spun off ‘what if’ stories from my dreams, from life, from things that happened at school. In early adulthood, a girl I’d been friends with in junior high was brutally murdered, and my ‘what if’ imaginings grew darker. I think it was then my imagination really spun off into mystery/thriller ideas.

Q: What advice do you give to those who want to write murder mystery thrillers like you? What advice do you give to those who struggle with writers block?

A: Writing professionally starts with a lot of rejection, so my first piece of advice would be from The Princess Bride: “Get used to disappointment.” But push through it and keep writing. Every rejection, take it, learn from it, then get back up and write another book. Then another. And another. Getting published is a remarkable confluence of luck, timing, and subjectivity. Write, and then keep writing.

I think writer’s block is often about focus. At least it is for me. I have too many ideas and don’t know what the right idea is. So I really have to think about what I’m passionate about saying, and sometimes that takes really sitting with it for a bit.

Q: Are you writing a new novel now? If so can you spoil a little bit about it?

A: I am! I’ve just turned in edits on my upcoming thriller, which is tentatively titled “These Still Black Waters” and is due to be released August 2023. It’s about a woman who’s escaped to a small lakeside town called Black Lake after a terrifying home invasion, only to become entwined in a chilling murder investigation, and the detective on the case who’s trying to escape ghosts of her own past.

Q: Does Hollywood have the rights to any of your novels? 

A: The Night Olivia Fell has been optioned for television by a major Hollywood studio, but I’m afraid that’s all I know at this time!