Interview with Margaret Callow

I hope everyone's had a nice weekend. Let's give Monday a softer touch by getting to know writer Margaret Callow.

Hellow, Margaret. Tell us a bit about yourself.

Living near Norwich in the UK. Married with grown up children and a host of grandchildren!

How long have you been writing?

I came to writing novels late after a working life as a nurse, but I have written poetry since I was very young, much of which has been published, so I suppose the answer to the question is about three years.

Tell us about A REBELLIOUS OAK. What’s the story about?

It's historical written as a novel. It's a true story about a rebellion in Norfolk in 1549 known as Kett's Rebellion so I have taken a factual skeleton and hung fictional flesh on it.

What a great description! How did the idea of the story come to you?

Partly because my love for social history and also because when I was researching the maternal side of my family, I found my great, great grandmother was a inmate pauper in a workhouse in 1900 when she was seventy. It inspired me that there must be so many stories waiting to be told, not about famous Kings and Queens or the wealthy, but about ordinary people who lived in the past. I have written a novel which is set in Victorian times about those who live just under the surface of respectable society and am now writing about East Anglia which played a part in the Peasants Revolt in 1381 which is a WIP.

Do you have a critique group/partner or beta readers, or do you self-edit?

I am part of a forum group on Authonomy which is a critique group for Historical Fiction and I'm editing A Rebellious Oak at the moment with the publisher.

Are you a planner or a pantser?

I do a lot of research so I suppose I'm a bit of both, but the actual story just unfolds as I go along.

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

When I stop writing!

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Let’s get to know you on a deeper level. What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

A view of my garden and a cup of coffee.

Sounds perfect! If you could have any super power, what would it be?

The ability to go back in time and see past centuries for myself.

What's the weirdest thing you've ever googled?

A look at my childhood home forty odd years ago, thanks to Google Earth!

Quick writing test! Use the following words in a sentence: slyness, familiarized, and horse.

As he spurred the horse on, he familiarized himself with places he passed missing no details, not difficult with his natural slyness.

Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Let's hear your shout outs.

First it's got to be you, Dorothy on FB who has given me the chance to write this, the good people on Authonomy and there are many who've always given me honest but kindly help, new friends I've made in the 'virtual' world in Barbados, USA, S. Africa and Taiwan who have been awesome and so unselfish with their encouragement and Running Hare Press who have enough faith in me to want to publish my book.

Aw, thanks for the shout out. And finally, where can people find you and your books online?

I have a website that was started for me, but is defunct at present and Spirit of the Butterfly and Of Wheat and War are still up on Authonomy at the moment. Running Hare Press are on FB and have a website. As for a Rebellious Oak, the launch will be mid' March in Wymondham just outside Norwich. All bookstores will be sent details from Neilsens Book data and hopefully Jarrolds, Waterstones and Ceres Bookstore in Swaffham will stock it. I guess it will be on Amazon too.


Running Hare Press will have the book available in their online shop.

Sounds fabulous. Thank you so much for chatting with us, Margaret. Your book sounds great, and I wish you lots of success.

Interview with Eileen Schuh

Happy Friday, everyone!

Sit back and get comfy, because we have another great interview I'm sure you'll enjoy. We're chatting with another possible future best seller, Eileen Schuh.

Welcome, Eileen. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m a journalist by training and trade, but currently I’m an aspiring novelist. My dream has always been to publish fiction. Now that my children are grown, and time and money are mine, I’m pursing that dream with a passion.

How long have you been writing?

I have been writing for half a century. I was 14 years old when my first story was published in Wee Wisdom Magazine—that’s a bit less than 50 years but I was writing for almost a decade before I achieved that milestone.

Do you rely on critique groups or beta readers for your manuscripts?

I have used the Writers Guild of Alberta Reading Service to help me with my manuscripts. Throughout the years, I’ve discovered that my daughter is my most helpful critic. She’s honest but knows how to be gentle. (I have a fragile ego.)


I haven’t joined any critique groups but I’ve tried beta readers. The experiences started out well. We connected on line. However, all three readers vanished before I received feedback. It’s a bit mysterious...

Sounds like a mystery novel in the making, lol. What's the hardest part of writing for you?

Trying to get published is the absolute worst part of writing. It takes so much time and energy. Repeated rejections can devastate self-esteem. I’d rather be writing. However, if I want people to read what I’ve written, I must persist.

Out of the books you've written so far, which one are you currently pitching?

My pre-teen novel, Aerdrie, placed second in the 2009 Bookland Press Literary Award Contest. I’d love to see this timely novel published.


I’m also marketing my adult novel, NORAEBANG. It’s a crime novel that explores Stockholm Syndrome (the tendency for captives to bond with captors) and abusive relationships. An earlier version of this novel also placed well in the Bookland Press contest (in 2007).

Let's hear your pitches.

Aerdrie pitch: Aerdrie is my literary response to law enforcement’s recent pleas for community help in keeping youngsters from falling into the clutches of gangs.


Noraebang pitch: NORAEBANG is an irresistible, tightly knit, intriguing story set in an exotic locale and spiced with a few torrid love scenes. The characters’ inner lives drive the action in NORAEBANG. Their pasts, their emotions, their loves, and their fears are intricately intertwined with kidnapping, drug dealing, murder, and betrayal.

How did the ideas of the manuscripts come to you?

The NORAEBANG characters came to me while I was vacationing in South Korea. They were a bit of an annoyance—downright intrusive at times. It’s challenging to enjoy a gimbap with friends while an imaginary biker gang one table over is chugging Soju and plotting to import cocaine.

Wow! You've piqued my interest. So what's the best tip you can share with other aspiring writers?

Don’t do anything, listen to anybody, or make any decisions that lessen your desire to write. Be strong and persistent and always accept that you have much yet to learn. Above all else—enjoy.

Great advice. Who are your inspirations?

People inspire me. I’m a ‘people watcher’. Always have been. People do the most interesting, unexpected, and totally random things. Strangers as well as...in-laws.

Hehehe. Good point. Let’s get to know you on a deeper level. Can you name three things about yourself people may not know?

1.  I volunteer for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
2.  “Eileen” is Irish and means “Goddess of Light”. In Cantonese, it means “lovely lotus.”
3.  I love yoga. I can do the Tree Pose.

Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Who would you like to give a shout out to?

Many and much thanks to hubby for bringing home the bacon while I pursue my dream. Thanks to my daughter, Renita, for her careful and considered critiques, her enthusiasm, and her encouragement. Thanks, as well to my other daughter, Tracy, and my son, Chris, for their ongoing support. My family, my friends, everyone in my community—wonderful fans who are proving to be as persistent as I am. I can’t forget to thank Cheryl K Tardif, my cyberspace pal and my book marketing coach.

And finally, where can people find you online?

My website is http://www.eileenschuh.com I have several interesting features on my website. Aside from the usual (my bio, excerpts from my novels, etc.), I have the popular “Did you know...” page. As well, I get lots of traffic to my article “I met a man with empty eyes...”


I invite everyone to visit my blog for a light-hearted and quick read. I update it often. I’ve written on topics as diverse as my Quest to Quit Smoking, writing tips, and interviews with authors. I’ve also posted some great guest blogs. http://eileenschuh.blogspot.com


As well, people can find me and the opening chapters to my Adult crime/romance novel FIREWALLS on the Harper Collins Authonomy website. http://www.authonomy.com/ViewBook.aspx?bookid=18428 Drop by for a free read. Leave a comment. Vote for me if you like.

Eileen, thank you so much for letting us chat with you. It's been great getting to know you, and I wish you much success with your books!