Yes, I write under many names: Megan Crane, Caitlin Crews, M.M. Crane, and Hazel Beck. But no matter the name, the story is always all mine. Why do I write under a variety of names? I have Reasons.
I discovered my first romance novel at the age of twelve in a bargain bin at the local five and dime. It involved swashbuckling pirates having grand adventures on the open sea, a heroine with a mind of her own, and a seriously masterful hero who swept her away no matter how clever she was.
I was immediately smitten with romance and all the romantic themes I could get my hands on. (I still am.)
I had grand plans to star on Broadway — preferably in Evita, just like the great Patti LuPone. Sadly, my inability to wow audiences with my singing voice required a back up plan, so I launched myself into academics instead. This was not a good fit for someone who liked lounging about and reading books a lot more than dissecting them in classrooms, but it did allow me to live in England for half a decade, so I can’t complain.
Writing (and finishing!) my first book was a relief. And actually publishing that book was one of the greatest thrills of my life.
Now I’m more than 100 books in, I’m still a romance fanatic, it still thrills me to see my books on shelves, and yes, I’m still plotting my Broadway debut.
If you’re new to my books, try starting here.
If you are looking for information for journalistic/editorial purposes, view my media kit.
What’s your favorite book of the ones you’ve written?
I won’t say I love all my books the same, because I don’t, but my feelings about them are complicated.
Some books I love while I’m thinking about them in advance. Some books I love while I’m writing them. Some books are pure torture all the way through, and I only have fond feelings for them when they’re in my hands. Some books I will hate forever, and other books make me grin for no apparent reason.
But I’d never want to weight a reader’s experience of a book one way or the other, so I don’t want to say which is which.
Didn’t I read somewhere that you write Young Adult?
You did!
(It was probably Wikipedia.)
I wrote six young adult novels and one young adult novella a while back. But these were all work-for-hire projects, which means my name isn’t on them and I can’t tell you what they are. I can tell you that the first one I wrote hit the New York Times bestseller list, which was fun, if secretive fun. And that I got to play around in worlds that I didn’t entirely build from scratch myself, which I found a fascinating sort of writing exercise.
Maybe someday I’ll write some books in this genre under my own name. You never know!
Can you read my book/critique my chapter/edit these pages for me?
I would love to! I love doing all those things! But you probably don’t want to ask me.
The reality is that I don’t have much free time, and so I guard what little I have very carefully and use it to read for pleasure. And hang out with the people I love, of course! But mostly read. And while I’m sure your writing is fantastic, if you ask me to read it in a professional capacity, that’s not going to be pleasure read for me but a work thing that I’ll do during my working hours. I break my working hours down into the big blocks of writing I have to do daily, the support-the-writing stuff I also have to do daily, and then anything else that fits in order of priority.
My friends get priority. So do any requests from my editors. Or contests I might have agreed to judge. That means that unless I know you, and feel connected to you in some way (and honestly, even then) it’s going to take me a long, long time to get around to reading your work. And when I do, I tend not to pull my punches when I give feedback. At all.
You might want to ask someone else, is all I’m saying.
Interviews
And here are some other items of note:
- Video: A fun Valentines Day interview on 5 Things Friday.
- Video: The Gregory Mantell Show, it's not super new, but I'd still say all the same stuff on the subject of Frenemies.
- Caitlin discusses The Return of the Di Sione Wife with BookTrib.
- Video: My Process (as Megan and Caitlin, on Conversations with Cupid)
- Podcast: Action and Emotion (as Megan, with my husband Jeff, on the Nerd Out podcast)
- On Shame and the Romance Heroine (as Caitlin, on Dear Author)
- Falling in love with the Rodeo (as Megan, a guest on Jane Porter's blog)
