What Inspires Writers to Write? An Interview with M.C. Fox
Q & A With M.C. Fox
Many individuals idealize the notion of writing, but just don’t have the inspiration or fuel to do so. Some only have enough to write a poem or a short article, but in order to achieve the feat of completing an entire novel, you need a little more. In this article, I speak to published author M.C. Fox to get to the bottom of what a little inspiration can really do. A New York accountant by day, M.C. Fox utilized her train commutes each morning and evening to write and edit her first novel, Countdown America. Forgoing weekend and vacations to pen a novel while maintaining a demanding career may not seem like an easy thing to do, but M.C. Fox was fueled by recent history and our nation’s security.
When did you begin writing and what inspired you to do so?
While I was always wordy as a kid and wrote poetry, this book is what inspired me to begin to write.
Can you briefly describe the premise of “Countdown America”?
Countdown America is about a widowed single mom who is newly appointed as Chief Supervisor of the CIA Cyber Terrorism Unit. She has to fight her way through two attempts on her life, cyber terrorists, double agents and time to find her family. She also has to figure out what the plot against America is and how to stop it.
What inspired you to write this story and why do you feel the timing of the book's release is important?
The Cold War had ended in 1991 and at that time we were building the way to being allies with Russia. Then I heard about the Russian attacks on former countries of the Soviet Republic, for example, the Balkans and the Ukraine. When news came out about Russian spies in corporate America, I knew these people were not our allies and wanted to write Countdown America. We also hear more and more each day about hackers stealing information; cases of cyber bullies and stalkers. It has become a widespread threat and I realized I wanted to incorporate that in the book. As the news of the Russian hacking in the American presidential elections was released, I knew the timing of the book’s release was perfect.
Interview Continued
Readers will quickly learn that your main character, Isabella, loses her husband. Can you talk about how you wrote about grief; the loss of a spouse from Isabella's point of view?
Isabella has a heart filled sadness and hasn’t really gotten over the loss of her husband. When her kids are taken, we see her filled with guilt as she thinks of her late husband. She makes a promise in his memory to get them back.
What would you like readers to take away from the story?
We see Isabella as a very strong female role model. I hope it moves people to know that they can rise above circumstances and succeed. Also, we live in a day and age when everything is cyber related. I hope that it stirs the government and people to become more active in their efforts to prevent and remove cyber threats.
Are you working on another book?
Yes. I have a few book ideas I am working on now, including a follow-up book to Countdown America.
That concludes the interview with M.C. Fox! I hope you got to understand the writing process and how inspiration is paramount to writing a novel. To get M.C. Fox’s novel and draw your own conclusions, click here.