I had the pleasure of meeting McGill and having a brief conversation with him at the recent Library Book Fair–and am now happy to bring you this look at writing in Idaho from a relatively recent arrival.
Before we get into things, why don’t you give the reader a brief introduction to you and your work.
I’m a veteran teacher. I taught elementary grades for the first eight years of my career; for the next eighteen, I taught middle school. I’m now a professor of English at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California, where I’ve been an instructor for twenty-five years. I wrote “The Cave” in 2008. It was an exciting time for me, attending book signings at places like Barnes and Noble and Borders Book stores. I published “No Father No Son” in 2022. It’s interesting that when I honestly answer the question, “What’s it about,” with the reply, “It’s the sad story of a boy’s childhood and how he copes,” people get very quiet.
What brought you to Idaho in the first place? What is it about Idaho that keeps you here?
I lived in California all my life until I moved to Idaho in January 2023. California has so much beauty, but it also has so much filth. The beauty is nature, and the filth is anything but nature. The filth stems from human interaction. It’s somewhat political in nature, but there’s more to it. Much more.
Are you tied into some sort of local author/bookish group/culture? If so, tell us about it
and how it helps you as an author. If you’re not, is there a reason for it?
I am not a part of a book club or group. The reason is that any club I’ve joined in the past tends to consist of less than serious readers. My experience with “intellectuals” is saturated with ego.
What kind of events in the area do you attend—either to sell/promote your books or to network with authors? Are there any outside of this area that you hit regularly and wish we had something like it here?
No for the same reason.
What’s the breakdown of your audience—do you have a strong local base, or are your readers from other parts of the world?
Most of my readers have been adults who enjoy an adventure story. Ironically, most of the readers of my young reader novel are adults.
Do you think there are particular challenges or advantages to being a writer in the Treasure Valley? (possibly both)
I hope the Treasure Valley consists of communities that are still readers, but social media has attracted even some of the most avid readers. There’s a vast difference between the experience found in deep reading and the experiences of cheap, shallow reading found online.
Do you bring Idaho (or some sort of Idaho-sensibility, assuming one exists) to your work? Whether or not anyone else sees it, can you look at some aspect of your writing and think “That’s Idaho” or “I would do ____ differently if I was a Kentuckian or from Illinois?”
I’ve only been in Idaho for a bit longer than a year, so the question may not apply.
One final question, is there a book (or two…or 18, if you get really carried away), that embodies Idaho/the Idaho spirit to you to recommend to my readers?
See the previous answer.
Thanks for your time and participation!
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