A Truly CONvincing Author

Today I'm talking with Gael McCarte, an author from Georgia.  Gael is married and has three children, ages 18, 22, and 23.

Gael, what do you do besides write?

Gael:  I work in our family business and I volunteer at least 2 days a week at the Red Cross where I'm the Manager for Social Media.  Also, I speak at various functions on any topics, more lately on "Social Media, a Writer's Best Friend."  I also blog and write for an e-zine.

How long have you been writing?   I've been writing since I was a child.  I'm involved with a local and international writer's group and an international Women's Speaker's Association.  

Tell me about your book, The Con.  Gladly.  This book is fiction based on fact. It is a crime novel for those who love the psychology of the criminal mind. The Con offers a twisted tale of cons, bikers, life in Australia and crushing Justice Department politics.  The reader gets a unique glimpse into the mind of the offender, bikers, cons, and family life in Western Australia.  They visit the cities, the famed bush, and the ocean, without needing a passport.  Anna, the psychologist in the story, proposes a solution to the offender assessment quandry, "...test the offenders to weed out, as it were, the truly psycopathic criminals, and treat the different categories of offenders differently."   The question is, will her suggestions be taken seriously or will the corrupt politics of the department neutralize them?

Can you give us a favorite line from The Con?  I love this exchange between Lachlan (Lachie) and his mother:

"Mum, why do they pronounce ninth as 'neye-nth' when there is no 'e' in it?"
If he could engage her in meaningful conversation, she might not notice he was still in bed.

You are right lovee, now pop up."

"Mum, shouldn't third be three-th?

"Why lovee?"

"Well you have fourth and fifth, why not three-th?"

"Why indeed?"

Why Australia and have you had personal interaction with prisoners?  Australia is where I was working at the time.  Since many people are interested in Australia, I wanted to offer my readers a virtual trip to that continent and to have them experience family life as it actually is rather than as they imagine it to be.  As to your second question, I've had literally thousands of contacts with prisoners.  My characters are based on real psychological concepts though, not on actual people.

What prompted you to write this book?  I would have to say that the book wrote itself since the characters would not leave me alone.  I was doing a lot of speaking within Justice and lecturing to adult and juvenile probation officers.  I presented composites of actual psychological variables seen in various offending behavior and these composites became my characters.  Colleagues begged me to tell them my "stories."  They were encouraged by them and learned there was hope.  I decided to write The Con so that a wider audience could benefit, enjoy my stories, and feel supported. 

Did you know how it was going to end when you started writing The Con?  No.  I always write to surprise the reader.  I want the reader to say, "Aaahhh she got me," but to be laughing when they say it.

Gael, is this book published and, if so, by whom and where can my readers buy the book?  This book was published by GlobalEd Advance Press in Tennessee.  It can be purchased through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and GEA. I invite those who are interested, to visit my pinterest board as I have collected photographs depicting areas and cultural practices portrayed in the book. The web site for that is:  http://pinterest.com/gaelmc/the-con-a-novel-set-in-western-australia.

Thank you, Gael.  It's been a great pleasure.  I also enjoy following you on Facebook and seeing the uplifting messages you leave!

Today's Quote:  “Long patience and application saturated with your heart’s blood—you will either write or you will not—and the only way to find out whether you will or not is to try.”  Jim Tully, October 1923