Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gary McAvoy. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Gary, thanks for joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Few writers I’ve ever known say they write for money, and those who start out with that mindset might be considered ill-guided (or at least ill-informed), since the “average” self-published book sells around 250 books in its lifetime. Compare that with a traditionally published book selling around 3000 copies—in its lifetime—and you’re hardly looking at a self-sustaining career.

Having been an entrepreneur all my life, I introduced writing into the mix in 2019, publishing my first book then. I’d always wanted “to be a writer,” but just never gave it the time nor attention such a commitment requires. But once I carved out the time it took to produce that first book, I was hooked. Since then I’ve written and self-published 10 novels in the highly competitive thriller genre, and of all the gigs I’ve ever done in my life, this one has not only been the most fun and rewarding, it’s paying off handsomely. Whether through luck or hard work—or most likely some measure of both—I’m now earning a solid mid-six-figures annually, which is only growing as I continue to publish 2-3 books each year to a wildly dedicated and growing fan base.

Gary, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m an author of numerous books including my bestselling thriller series “The Magdalene Chronicles,” and its companion series, “Vatican Secret Archive Thrillers.” My nonfiction work, “And Every Word Is True,” has been hailed as a sequel to Truman Capote’s landmark book “In Cold Blood.”

Apart from being an armchair historian and author of thriller and suspense novels, I’ve been a lifelong collector of original handwritten historical manuscripts—parchments and papyri from medieval times, papal documents from the Middle Ages, ancient illuminated manuscripts from hundreds of years ago, Gregorian chanting parchments…anything memorializing the human need to communicate and tell stories or document historical events. My home is like a museum, with framed historic written memorabilia on every wall, precious reminders of moments in time when someone thought what they were doing needed to be documented, usually in some form of achingly beautiful calligraphy when art was more important than expediency. Much of my collection often informs my writing projects.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Being able to make something substantial out of nothing more than a thought or idea. Being a writer is one of the most ecological careers in that regard, with a virtually non-existent carbon footprint. For my stories, I usually start with the seed of some historical person or event in their lives, expand on that in believable and creative ways, then build an entirely new world around it for a book-length story. The most common feedback I get from readers is, “It was impossible for me to tell what was real and what was fiction…” In response to that, I’ve added an Afterword to each of my books now called “Fiction, Fact or Fusion,” in which I distinguish which parts of what I’ve written are based on fact, and which are entirely made up. Readers seem to love knowing the difference.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

When building fictional worlds in a series of novels, readers are invested in the characters the writer has created. In my case that happens to be a Catholic priest in the Vatican, his close female companion who’s an investigative reporter, and two Swiss Guards who take good care of the two lead characters when they’re out on a mission. Keeping these characters true and believable, with fresh new directions in each book’s storyline, can be a real challenge, but that’s what drives me to sustain their world, and readers can’t get enough of them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.garymcavoy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gary_mcavoy
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GaryMcAvoyAuthor
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/GaryMcAvoy
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7RHaU2oeTmR51eIJjwkfDQ

Image Credits
Copyright © Gary McAvoy