Do you only write YA fiction?

Yes. I do plan to finish the one non-fiction book that has been floating around in my head for the past year. Be on the look-out.

Did you always want to be a writer?

No. I was Business Editor of my HS literary magazine, Patterns and that is about all I can say for literary aspirations at that time. However, I’ve always been an avid reader. I wanted to be a singer and a songwriter and studied music theory in college, then changed my major in sophomore year to something called “Public Justice.” I thought perhaps I should become an attorney: an entertainment lawyer. I ended up in marketing (because isn’t that what a lawyer does–convince people of his truth?) and found I was really good at it and had a particular interest in launching new products from idea to super success. I started a music management and marketing company called W3G Entertainment Group (before that I produced large, complex websites for internet companies) and ran it successfully for about 10 years before moving out of NYC and closing it down. Not sure what to do next, I took 2 corporate jobs, and after getting laid off from the second, I decided to write PRAEFATIO–or rather PRAEFATIO decided that I would write it. The ideas came faster than I could write them down, and the rest is history, as they say.

Did you have favorite books or authors when you were growing up?

I remember when I was really young my parents read Dr. Seuss and I loved it. GREEN EGGS AND HAM, FOX IN SOCKS and THE CAT IN THE HAT were my favorites. They also ordered Ranger Rick (nature magazine) for me and I couldn’t wait to tear into it each month. I loved reading about the animals and their adventures! When I got older, I started picking up books by VC Andrews and read every one I could get my hands on. My life changed when I read ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET by Judy Blume.  End of story. Other life-altering books for me growing up as a teen were LORD OF THE FLIES (William Golding), 1984 (George Orwell), THE CATCHER IN THE RYE (J.D. Salinger), NIGHT (Elie Weisel), I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS ( Maya Angelou), and as I write this I realize there are so many others I could mention, but the list would be too long.  As I became older, after college graduation, I started getting into John Grisham, Anne Rice, and read every single one of their releases. These are the authors that made me a lover of literature, a true reader.  These are the authors that showed me what writing and story telling is all about.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Write as often as you can.  Don’t worry about being perfect, just write. Carry notebooks with you because you never know when an idea will strike.  Join a local writers and or critique group (online is good too). Good advice from people who care about helping you become a better writer can make all the difference in the world. I have been very lucky to have the support and advice of some awesome published and not-as-of-yet published writers! Also read as much as you can. Read books both in your genre and outside of it. Be well-rounded in your knowledge of literature.

Do I have to be a member of YALitChat Online to Join The Weekly Twitter Chat?

No. But the online community is there 24/7 if you need it and is not bound by the constraints of the 140-character rules. Membership in our online community and participation in the weekly chats on twitter is the the best way to optimize your YALitChat experience. Click here to join.

Where can I get your books?

My first novel PRAEFATIO will be published on May 21, 2013 and will be available wherever awesome books are sold!

Do you make visits to schools?

Yes. I offer k-12 presentations on storytelling, writing, how books get made into film and how one goes from writer to author. I also speak at the univsersity and corporate level on personal branding and social media.  There is also a special Author Workshop, applicable to both published and pre-published authors. If you would like to request a visit you may do so by sending an email to georgia at georgiamcbride dot com.  Just be sure to remove the spaces and put “speaker visit” in the subject line. Please include your full name, name of your organization, city, state and contact information (phone number and email) and I will be in touch! Please note the SKYPE visits are also available. Thank you for your confidence!