Guest Post: Faith McKay, Author of Prophecy Girl

Hiya, minions!  Today, I'm excited to have fellow author, Faith McKay here on my blog.  She's here as my guest to discuss her recently released novel, Prophecy Girl.  

Minions!...I give you Faith "On the Importance of Enthusiasm."

Thank you, Mina for having me.

I've been told to calm down more times than I could ever remember. I've been told I laugh too much. I care too much. I get too involved. I need to slow down and not stress and play it cool and I never really understand what people are talking about. There was a period of my life where I really gave it my all to do this—to be a more mellow person, more socially acceptable. All this seemed to do for me was grow a healthy sense of apathy. You know what apathy is really bad for? Creativity. I didn't really understand the concept of creativity, because it was just my whole life, until I became apathetic and lost that part of myself. In its absence, I learned its power.

"I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. He taught me that if you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it at full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good. Hot is no good either. White hot and passionate is the only thing to be."
Roald Dahl, My Uncle Oswald

There is this quote, from My Uncle Oswald by Roald Dahl, and it is a reminder of why it's okay that I laugh so much, I care so much, I become so involved and just enthusiastic—because the alternative leaves me without much idea for what to do with myself.

It's not very prestigious. It's not very dignified, or socially acceptable. But I'm just not sure how to live, let alone how to write, without that white hot passionate drive that gets me up at five in the morning with a document open, typing away as fast as I can, lost in my own head.

If I wasn't so enthusiastic while I pursued my stories, I think I'd be miserable as I approached another day of trying to reach my word count. I couldn't imagine the long and slow process of revising a novel without the enthusiastic need to see it completed.

That's not to say I don't wake up some days lacking that enthusiasm. I may still feel the motivation to work, but I'm not naturally enthusiastic and driving forward with passion. So, what do I do then? I find a way to find that in myself. You'd be surprised what a good air drumming session to a great song (or a REALLY bad one) can do for me. Honestly, banging my head to "Pour Some Sugar On Me" is one of the fastest ways to feel completely silly. A little bit of silliness can be just the ticket to loosening up, and then a quick reminder why I love to write, or about the importance of enthusiasm with that quote from Roald Dahl, and I'm usually ready to enthusiastically have a go at a word document.

What makes you enthusiastic, and what do you do when you lose it?

Faith McKay's Bio:

Faith McKay writes stories about characters with real world struggles in otherworldly settings. She is the author of PROPHECY GIRL, a story where characters struggle with the idea of having a destiny. In comparison, she feels really lucky that her destiny was to struggle with comma placement and be that awkward lady who points out puns at parties.

Other things to know about Faith… She wears two different colored shoes. She is a survivor of child abuse. She has lived with chronic illness for over a decade. A lot of people don't like her because she laughs too much. It's also the reason a lot of other people do like her, so go figure. She listens to more music than people are probably supposed to. She's a nomad. The word sounds really cool, so a lot of people say it, but she actually lives in an RV with her husband and their pet bunny rabbit, Dorian Gray.

Prophecy Girl:

Ever since Samantha Winthrop's mother moved them to Lacuna Valley, supposedly in search of better weather, the list of strange questions she has no answers for has been growing out of control.

Does her little sister, Violet, have the ability to make things happen just by "praying" for them? Are Sam's dreams really predicting the future? Is she destined to marry the boy she just met, and what is the mysterious orb that he's guarding? Why does she get the impression that there are dangerous creatures watching from the woods?

While Sam should be focusing on answering those questions, there is one other that makes them seem almost irrelevant: Is her mother planning on killing her and Violet?

***

Thanks, Faith!

You can purchase Prophecy Girl via Amazon of Barnes/Nobles.
Or check it out on GoodReads.

To learn more about Faith visit her at any of the locations below.

Faith's Website:  http://faithmckay.net 
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/faithmckaybooks 
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/faithmckay

Mina B.