Meet another one of Lockhart’s local writers, Phil McBride, who writes civil war and early Texas historical novels. With lots of battle scenes!
What drew you to writing novels?
Curiosity. As a reader of novels, for fifty years I was in awe of those who could write hundreds of pages about people they created, and figure out wheels within wheels of plot. All my adult life I wanted to try my hand at it. Now I regret I waited so long to start.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I am in no particular order a husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, uncle, Christian, friend, volunteer for a couple of worthy causes, and compulsive writer. I am a retired public school educator. My 38-year career as a public servant started as a night janitor in Austin while a student at UT, and finished as assistant superintendent of schools in Lockhart, TX, where we still live.
Being principal of Lockhart High School for nine years was the hardest and second-most gratifying job I’ve had. Writing novels is the second- hardest and most gratifying job I’ve had. I have to admit that as a writer, nobody gets mad at me over things other people did, which happened a lot when I was a school principal. But I certainly earned more money as a high school principal than I do now as a novelist.
What is one piece of advice you’d give beginning writers?
It’s all about the characters you create, and we’re all human, even our paper people. So put your own soul into your words, and a heart into every character, even the stinkers. Put at least a hint of a dark side into every character, even the sweeties. 
Tell us about A Different Dragon Entirely,
I love dragon lit. I grew up with Ann McCaffrey’s fantasy dragons and Tolkien’s Smaug and now writer Naomi Novik’s Temeraire, the Napoleonic War dragon. I wanted to try my hand at dragon lit, but I wanted my dragon to be a Texas dragon, a critter set apart from all other dragons.
ADDE is historical fantasy about a teeny weeny female horny toad who lived on the Texas frontier in 1840. One memorable day a very old and very odd priest laid some Druid magic onto the little lizard, enabling her to grow to house size and fly. She became a Texas-esque dragon named Leine who lives a hundred years on the prairie in solitude. Then she meets Mally, a saucy fifteen-year-old farm girl. After a bumpy start, a girl-meets-dragon bromance begins. Mally’s family worries that Lien is more demon than dragon, and Leine herself can’t decide how human she wants to be. The pair get pulled into the Great Comanche Raid of 1840 and the historical Battle of Plum Creek.
I confess I had more fun writing ADDE, my sixth novel, than any of the others. There is a freedom in creating a main character who is a dragon, a license that is missing when all your characters are excruciatingly human. Maybe that’s why all those superhero movies and vampire and werewolf novels are so popular these days.
I know you are a re-enactor. Tell us a couple of your experiences being one.
I’ve been a Civil War reenactor for twenty years. It’s an odd hobby involving military history, old-style camping without modern gear, wearing wool uniforms during a whole weekend even in the southern summer, and messing around with muskets.
Over the years I’ve had a few magic moments where my immersion into the role of a Civil War soldier transported me back in time, if ever so fleetingly. My biggest surprise learned in my first sham battle was that when the shooting starts, a soldier’s world immediately narrows down to his own tiny slice of the battle. You become intensely busy loading and firing your musket. Doing your job becomes all consuming. There’s no time to gaze around to sort out what’s going on, to see how others are doing.
My reenacting experiences and reading the memoirs, letters, and diaries of real Civil War soldiers jointly spurred me into writing my first novel, Whittled Away.
Do you have a book signing coming up? If so, where and when?
Sorry, no book signings on the horizon.
NOTE FROM GRETCHEN: Phil’s books are available through Amazon.com at https://www.amazon.com/Philip-McBride/e/B00HPM46A6/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
And he writes a consistently entertaining and informative blog you’d enjoy http://mcbridenovels.blogspot.com/
WHAT I READ THIS WEEK: FantasyLife by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
An excellent writer and imaginative storyteller. Proud to know him.
Very interesting to hear about the re-enactments and how that has affected Phil’s writing and perspective. I’ve read all but one of Phil’s books and find them very engaging with deep characters who I root for. Being in the critique group with Phil, I seen his writing grow and blossom over the years. It is nice to learn a few things I didn’t know.
My older brother, God love him, pointed out I wrote dairies instead of diaries. Our grandpa had a dairy when we were little bitty guys, milking those guys every morning, but he never kept a diary that I know of. Anyway, oops.
Made me laugh, though.
I just fixed it. Sorry I didn’t find it earlier.
A Different Dragon entirely is an altogether fun read. It takes quite an artist to make an unbelievable character perfectly understandable and enjoyable.
Phil has shared his love of history for many years with our children. He began his re-enactment by painting toy soldiers and then playing war games with them. His impact was the greatest on our eldest son who is still engaged in gaming and painting his own warriors – fantasy characters. So it is fitting that Phil’s latest book is of that genre.
I’ve been impressed by Phil’s talent and creativity. His knowledge of Texas history makes me want to read and study more. I think he has a strong work ethic and solid abilities in shaping and crafting story. Being a writer, I find him to be a strong role model.