Author Spotlight — Brian MacGowan

Title

You Gotta Have Heart

Author name

Brian MacGowan

Writing Prompt #903:

It started out as a simple game. How was I supposed to know it would turn into a life or death situation?

How did the prompt inspire this piece?

I had been mentally kicking around this story for a short bit. The prompt brought it to the forefront of my thoughts. I wanted to take an everyday situation and spin it into something unexpected.

About Brian MacGowan…

• What genre(s) do you write? I write in a variety of genres. This story, as befitting October, is horror. But I have also written mysteries, erotica, supernatural and twisted history. In twisted history, I will find and research a seemingly ordinary object, such as one of General George Washington’s swords, or a dagger from King Tutankhamun, even Thomas Jefferson's violin. I will then imbue it with a mystical property, something that will cause a conflict between good and evil.

• Which do you prefer to write: short stories, poetry, novellas, novels, essays, nonfiction… ? I do have a supernatural novel underway, but the bulk of my work is short stories.

• What genre(s) do you read? I read a variety of genres including sci-fi, fantasy, mystery and military

• What made you want to become a writer? Ha! That’s like asking “What made you want to breath?” I have always been creative whether is was writing or creating artwork.

• What is your first memory of writing? When I was a pre-teen I started a Star Trek like story. Fortunately for the world, it didn’t go very far.

• What and /or Who inspires you to write? I get my inspirations from situations, whether real or “what if”.

• What is your favorite book? This may seem like a cop out, but I am terminally open minded. I read a book once and move on. I do not establish favourites.

• What do you look for in a book? I look for a well written, interesting story, with well defined characters. I prefer stories where the logic of the universe that the story resides in makes sense.

• What turns you away from a book? Well, poor logic. I will drop a book cold if the editing and grammar is horrible. A few errors here and there are acceptable. When you start paying more attention to the errors than the story, it is time to bail.

• Who is your favorite author(s)? I do not have favourite authors. If I find an author that I particularly enjoy then I may seek out their other works.

• Are you a published writer? If so, what have you published? If not, are you planning to publish or is writing simply for pleasure? I would like to be published some day and actually make money, but in the meantime ai will keep writing and improving

Author Bio

Brian MacGowan grew up in the Canadian Maritimes. He is the IT/Facilities Manager for a large church in Indiana. A former Canadian Armed Forces sergeant, he graduated from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. He is currently working on a supernatural mystery novel based in a small east coast fishing town. Married for 26 years, Brian pretends that he is a responsible parent to their two daughters. 

I consider myself to be an intuitive writer (I dislike the term pantser). I have tried to plot and plan but my brain just eye-rolls my optic nerve and goes, "Ahhh, noooo." (I am starting to think that my brain is actually a smug and annoying teenage girl.) I have found that it is best not to second guess what my mind has in mind for the story, I just connect my fingers to the keyboard and let myself be amazed.

— Brian McGowan

Read Brian's winning Short Story