Savvy Saturday: Interview with Glenn McCorkhill, Co-author of Chatel’s Vision

Welcome to Savvy Saturday! This week we have an interview with Glenn McCorkhill, co-author of Chatel’s Vision.

Hello Glenn! We are exited to have you here on the Champagne Books Blog!

Very happy to be here, and thank you for this opportunity.

So, I hear that your journey to co-writing the second book in the Cheetah Princess series was a little odd. Mind telling us about it?

The review I wrote of Cheetah Princess in 2012 ended with the remark that I hoped a sequel might be in the works. The author, Joan Conning Afman, pleasantly responded. She said another book may follow, but had other new works that were occupying her time just then. About six months later we became Facebook friends and that’s when our journey began. Since the ending of Cheetah Princess left open the possibility the story might continue, I asked again if she had given it more thought. We discussed what might happen to the main characters if the antagonist, Vadent, found his way into their lives once again. After tossing around several ideas for what the sequel might entail, we got down to the serious business of putting it on paper.

How did co-writing the book go? Can you tell us a little bit about your fellow author?

It was a mess right from the start! We settled on writing alternate chapters, and gave it a good try for about six months. But with Joan being a seasoned author with many titles and experience under her belt, while this was my first real go at writing, trying to make our separate works mesh together into a seamless story proved a near impossible task. With little to show, we decided it was time for a new approach: I would write, and she would edit and mentor (for which I am very grateful!)

What was your inspiration for Chatel’s Vision?

Cheetahs have always been one of my favorite animals, and I’ve read many books that feature them. But the lead cheetah always seemed to be male, so I wanted a female cat to be the hero for once. And not born into the role, but coming from a simple background just like her owner, Chatel. Together, they could be swept up into a world unlike anything they had seen before, and come of age in the process.

Is this your first published work?

Other than a few sentences I managed to squeeze into an issue of Reader’s Digest last year, yes. But now that Joan and I have found a way to write together and make it work, we have more stories of all the Cheetah Princess characters in progress.

What would you recommend to a fellow aspiring author looking to be published?

Don’t be afraid to take a chance. Write reviews of your favorite author’s stories, and send them friend requests on Facebook. I haven’t had one author turn down a friendship offer. If they have a book signing in your area, go and meet them, even if it’s just to have a good book autographed by the person who put a large part of their life into telling the tale. And, if possible, try to experience as much in this world as your characters experience in theirs. If they go horseback riding and you never have, give it a try. Climb a mountain, paddle a canoe, do volunteer work. When it’s time to put your character’s adventures on paper, life will be the best teacher out there.

It was great having you Glenn, and we hope we haven’t seen the last of you.
Check out Chatel's Vision on Amazon, Kobo, or at the Champagne Bookstore.