We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Regan W. H. Macaulay. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Regan W. H. below.
Regan W. H., appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
At least one of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on (and continue to work on) is my middle grade novel series, “Peter Little Wing.” Book one is published and out in the world, book two, “Peter Little Wing and the Bay of Islands” is out later this year, and I’m currently working on books three and four.
This is my first foray into full-length novel writing. I have written novellas for adult readers, but nothing of this length, especially when you consider the full series of novels.
The series is set in Aotearoa New Zealand with endemic and non-endemic animal characters, the main character being Peter, a Southern tokoeka (kiwi bird). In the first book, Peter and his other friends, who live in captivity at the Aquarium, set out to find mysterious set of ingredients to cure his ailing Nandy (grandfather) Enzo, that they can only find in the wild. He and his friends must escape, figure out what the ingredients in this riddle are, then bring them home–only, they accidentally find themselves hundreds of miles from home. So, they end up on quite the quest, and it’s a steep learning curve for these young animals from a captive environment!
I have always been a huge animal enthusiast and after my husband and I visited New Zealand for the first time in 2003, the landscape and unique animals (and the wonderful people) were so incredibly inspiring that this story sprang right out of my heart and mind. It’s been a long journey for me, crafting this narrative, and revising it after feedback from many different sources, including family, beta readers, editors, and publishers I submitted the story to. In the beginning, the characters are learning about themselves and the wild of the “wop wops,” as they call it, but in future books, themes of conservation, endangered species, and extinction are introduced. I hope in my small way I can help bring awareness to young people about these issues and inspire empathy and activism in my readers, too.
One Canadian dollar from every sale of “Peter Little Wing” (book one) goes to Kiwi Park in Queenstown, NZ, to support them in their conservation efforts.
Regan W. H., before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’ll stick to the author side of my life in answering this, as it does dovetail into my other businesses (filmmaking and even Canine and Feline Massage Therapy, in that animals are such an inspiration for me).
I’ve been writing since I was six years old and my parents and teachers always encouraged me, and I’m incredibly grateful for this. I know a lot of people in the arts are not encouraged or are outright discouraged from pursuing a creative career. I wrote short stories in middle school and high school, and I also started writing for children and writing plays in high school. I wrote my first screenplays while at TMU (at the time, Ryerson University) in the Radio and Television Arts Program. And I continue to write books, short stories, plays, and scripts for adult readers and children.
I currently have nine picture books published with another six or so on the way, the first of my middle grade novel series with book two coming out this year, a “Trilogy of Horrifically Half-baked Ham” for adult readers (horror-comedy…heavy on the comedy), and have also published some of my scripts, too. I co-wrote, co-produced, directed, edited, etc, etc, my feature film, “Space Zombies: 13 Months of Brain-Spinning Mayhem!” as well.
I feel that I create adventurous tales, and fill them with magic and humour from various unique perspectives. My characters may be whimsical, and are often anthropomorphic, running the gamut from outrageous and over the top to shy and awkward—relatable at any age!
Writing is what I do, and I write what I write when I want to. Wherever my imagination takes me, I write what inspires me.
My gift is in the diversity of my stories with different qualities that resonate with different people. I truly feel I have something for everyone because I have so many different stories to tell. No matter who comes to the table, you will find a story that is meant for you.
I’m particularly proud of the partnerships I’ve managed to strike up with organizations I believe in. For example, 50% of net proceeds from sales of my picture book, “Tamara Turtle’s Life So Far,” goes to Little RES Q Reptile Rescue. They helped me make the story as accurate as possible, and we also team up to do class visit presentations with schools in the Toronto area, to teach kids more about turtles and responsible “exotic” pet care. I have also recently partnered with the Parrot Sanctuary (Canada) in the same way with my picture book “Chloe the Unfeathered Parrot,” which is based on a true story and a true parrot! We also collaborate on class visits and they ensured the authenticity and accuracy of the book’s content.
I have a similar partnership with Kiwi Park in New Zealand with book one of my “Peter Little Wing” series, as I mentioned earlier. And I’m working on partnerships for future books with an urban park and conservatory here in Toronto, a bioregion (similar to a conservation organization) in Ontario, and a Māori organization that coordinates conservation efforts in the Waitangi region of Aotearoa.
Going forward, I am learning about animation, and I hope to create episodes from my own stories (now and new).
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Rejection letters/emails are something every writer must go through and develop a thick skin for.
I submitted “Peter Little Wing” to about a hundred different agencies and publishers before I finally found the right home for it. There were a couple of times I almost snagged a publisher–one decided to wind down its operations after it had accepted the manuscript and asked for a revision. I worked with another trying several different directions with the book (and books) before we mutually decided it wasn’t the right publisher for this series. I was also close to securing an agent at one point, but they had a change of heart.
My first few picture books also accumulated dozens of rejection letters before they found “homes.” Oddly, all of my current picture books have been or are about to be republished with new publishers (some have gone through this twice!).
Keep revising. Keep submitting. Don’t give up. You need this resilience to get your work out there. If you are dedicated enough to work this hard on your stories, eventually you will find the right fit. And then your work will finally get out there.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Most of us had to pivot in some way during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finding ways to launch books online through Zoom, Facebook, or other platforms was certainly interesting. I also feel like I relied on social media more heavily to sell books during the pandemic. This is because I was unable to sell my books at in-person events when there were lockdowns and everyone was being extra cautious regarding potential exposure. I think the pandemic forced all businesses, creative or not, to become creative in figuring out ways to maintain their businesses and get their products and services out to the public.
I am also finding that there are points in my life where I’ve needed to pivot for my own growth. I feel I started my career in theatre, which I maintained for a number of years, and then added film and television to the mix. But after a while, I needed a change, and shortly after two things happened: I started Kurī K9 Massage, my mobile Certified Canine and Feline Massage Therapy business, and I dedicated my writing time to books–picture books, and novels for young readers as well as books for adult readers. I have continued with marketing my feature film, some webisodes, and a short film, but up until now, it has mostly been about animals and my books.
My next pivot is happening now, and it involves the reintroduction of film into my creative world. I will be producing documentaries related to the pet industry (I’ve already begun this with one ten-minute and another hour-long doc), and I will be expanding my education by learning how to animate my stories. That’s going to be the biggest challenge and learning curve for me–re-learning editing/post-production in film/TV/video is one thing, but animation is a whole new ballgame for me. But art was something I was very interested in high school and I’m happy to be returning to it.
I think pivoting is essential in life and business, otherwise you and your business will stagnate. You need to allow room for growth. Listen to your instinct. They will tell you when it’s time to meet your new challenge (and what that challenge should be).
Contact Info:
- Website: https://reganwhmacaulay.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reganw.h.macaulay/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/regan.macaulay/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWtJuSgTEqepHXlyNd1_ayg/videos
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.ca/biz/kuri-k9-massage-toronto
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/tripletakeprods
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2o_DjC3ddwZLmAFqoul4UA/videos
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj7V0ndozKJlL4wBr4oHWlQ
https://www.kurik9massage.com/
https://tripletakeproductions.weebly.com/
https://www.tiktok.com/@reganmacaulay
Image Credits
Illustrations by Gordon Bagshaw, Kevin Risk, Regan W. H. Macaulay, Johnny Vong, Wei Lu, and Alex Zgud