Welcome Mac. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hmm, let's see. I’m a wife, mother, and grandmother.
My husband and I were blessed with two rambunctious boys who we managed to
raise into wonderful men without any disfiguring mishaps. Dirt bikes and ESPN
are the order around our house, and life at the ‘Testosterone Ranch’ more
closely resembles one of today’s wacky reality shows, than yesterday’s Leave It
To Beaver. I’m one of eight kids, raised just north of Boston. My childhood was
a free-for-all, surrounded by hordes of family and friends and I’m happy to
report, that continues to be true today. I moved to Phoenix as an adult because
living in the southwest feeds my soul.
My love of books, specifically the romance genre,
has been a lifelong affair, both as a reader and a writer. A bout with breast
cancer sharpened my resolve to see my stories shared with others. As of today,
I am a five-year survivor, living my dream.
What inspired you to write this book and how did you
find the strength to write it?
That's a complicated question as I found my
inspiration evolving, depending where I was in my battle. And strength? LOL
Actually, it was more like desperation. Much of the book comes directly from
the journal I kept as I was going through treatments. As you can imagine, I was
completely freaked out at the beginning. My dad had passed away several years
earlier and I needed his voice of reason and love so desperately, I sat down
and wrote a letter to him while waiting to hear my diagnosis. The format was so
calming and enlightening, I continued the exercise from that point on. To tell
the truth, I never intended to publish my writings, but when all was said and
done, Dad and I had produced a road map to emotional survival. How could I not
share that with others who are just beginning their frightening battle?
Ahh...that is a beautiful image. How wonderful to have had such a man in your life to influence you like that. What was the most challenging part of the writing
process for you?
Since I never intended anyone to see it, the writing
itself wasn't a challenge. I was free to pour out my fears and weaknesses along
with all the goofy stuff I experienced. What proved difficult was seeing those
weaknesses in black and white. I'll tell you, I didn't like a lot of what I
read in my journal, like my complete absorption with "my cancer". The
woman I'd become in those early days was a dark and depressing stranger, one I
would avoid if I wasn't currently living in her skin. Disgusted, I made a
conscious effort to find me again, and it wasn't long before I'd left that dark
Mac behind.
The cover art for Where Would You Like Your
Nipple is incredible. Who is the artist and how did you come across their
work?
Isn't the cover gorgeous? It screams of hope in the
midst of despair, exactly the sentiment I was going for in "Nipple".
The image is called Open Heart by Lisa Scholder and the model for the piece is
an eleven year survivor whom I had the honor to meet just last week. I met Lisa
through one of my sisters, an art consultant in the Tampa area. Working with
Faces of Courage, a non-profit providing camp trips for cancer survivors and
their families, Lisa helps survivors realize the true beauty of their altered
bodies through her body paintings. I can't tell you how humbled I am to be
associated with Lisa and the folks at Faces of Courage. You can find out more
about these incredible woman at their websites.
http://facesofcourage.wordpress.com/
Thank you for those links Mac. I'll definitely be going to check them out!
A friend of mine mentioned what a wonderful gift
your book would make for someone suffering from, or having loved ones suffering from breast cancer. Are you looking at having WWYLYN available in print in the
future?
I've heard the same comment from several people and
couldn't agree more. As of last week, Nipple is availble in both e-format and
print. Here are the links.
How was the foray into self-publishing? Was it a
smooth ride?
I actually found the process easier than expected.
The choices in self-publishing are numerous these days and surprisingly user
friendly, even for a first timer. My biggest concern was producing a quality
project. With the glut of self-pubbed books out there, quality is too often an
issue. But, with the help of my wonderful beta readers and my talented editor,
Calisa Rhose, I believe I've achieved my goal.
I can attest to the fact that you absolutely have! I loved everything about this book. What is the main message you’d like your readers to
take out of WWYLYN?
Hang in there and have faith. I know from first hand
experience how frightening this battle can be and it's easy to lose yourself in
the day-to-day trials involved in beating breast cancer. But everything they
throw at you is doable with the right attitude, and you might just be surprised
at the new, stronger woman who emerges on the other side of the abyss.
What else do you write and what are you working on
right now?
I'm a romance novelist at heart. My joy is
cataloging the antics and romantic adventures of the voices in my head. I've
published several stories. Gift of the Realm (The Wild Rose Press) is a modern
fantasy romance set in Ireland and That Dating Thing (Still Moments Publishing)
is a lighthearted contemporary in the midst of Wall Street Greed. The
Billionaire's Con, another contemporary, is due out late this fall from Still
Moments. I'm currently working on a forth, with a football theme, and the
fifth, a follow up to That Dating Thing.
Phew! You've been busy and you've certainly kept to your word. Take THAT cancer! ;)
Where can we find you and your books?
You can find all of my books at my website
www.mackenziecrowne.com. The links to both the publishers and Amazon are there. And
while you're there, be sure to leave me a comment. I love making new friends.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Where Would You Like Your Nipple? was ultimately a
labor of love, but much of what I went through could have been avoided by early
detection. Please don't make the mistake I did. Do those self exams! You'll be
glad you did.
Thank you so much for visiting us and sharing such a personal part of your life with us all, Mac. Its been such a pleasure to have you here. Anybody have any questions for Mac before she pops off to her next adventure?
