Post Meeting Write-up
The September SFSNNJ Face the Fiction meeting, and a very full house with several new
faces, welcomed guest speaker Clayton McNally, author of such titles as To The Stars,
Surviving Behind Enemy Lines, Liberty and Freedom - To Die For from the Galactic Force
series.
Steve S arrived early to make sure the microphone and other equipment was set up, the
calendars were ready to go, chairs were set up and that we were good to go. Announcements
were made - especially one very noteworthy announcement to congratulate Paul Dellachaie for
his amazing accomplishment. Paul very graciously allowed me to take pictures of him for the
website - with the cover of the magazine, with the article showing, smiling, looking serious - he
never once complained and very nicely humored me. Thanks to both Steve and Paul. At 8:00,
Steve introduced our guest and we were ready to roll.
Clayton McNally came ready to entertain. He had his books, he had samples of artwork,
storyboards, background stories and more. He not only discussed his books, but also the ins
and outs of publishing - he even went as far as talking about how much things can and do cost
new writers out-of-pocket. Mr. McNally was very thorough, with an easy manner and a keen
sense of humor. The audience particularly liked his stories involving his wife, as she patiently
sat in the back allowing him his moment. We think there will be many "red pen moments" after
this presentation! You see, one of the stories was how editors don't edit any more. Many
publishing companies now use Word or similar programs with spell check - if the program
doesn't find the error - it goes uncorrected. Clayton told us a warning bell went off when he sent
his draft in for "editing" and it came back with only 400 errors. He told us flat out that grammar
was NOT his thing, so he knew there were way more errors. He gave his wife the draft, she
took it with red pen in hand, read it, returned it - with over 1,400 errors! She thought it was funny,
not so much for Mr. McNally. His face was too funny to watch. He then said, "she bought a
whole pack of those red pens!"
Mr. McNally discussed his current series of books, the Galactic Star Force series, and
explained not only the story/characters, but how the characters are developed, drawn and put to
page. He explained how he works with his artist on both the character's look and the look of the
ships - they must have wings - he likes wings! Big long ships with imposing wings. While
discussing the design aspects of the books, we were also told how he found his artist and gave
us a never-before-heard sneak preview of the design of his next ships - awesome sounding
motorcycle-like ships with a force field around them that can not only fly (complete with lasers)
but can hover on land. I think Brian K is going to pester Ana for one of those. **we also got a
heads-up about his next series, coming not-soon-enough for many of us, about two vampiric
races, from another galaxy, that discover we make great snacks.
From there, he moved on to explain that the stories are very much human survival stories that
go beyond SF but have much SF for the hardcore SF fan. In fact, his books are currently some
of the top selling SF books on amazon.com. There is also a lot of hand-to-hand combat and
martial arts for fans of those two things. These elements combine with technology and
unconventional ingenuity for a fast paced read. He also throws in romance - in the truest sense
of the word. No erotica here - which led to a couple of very funny stories: the first was about
Clayton McNally being asked to be on a panel with a writer of erotica (his re-enactment of his
response was a visual I couldn't possibly do justice with the written word) and the second story
involved an on-going dispute with his two daughters that the two characters involved in the
romance should finally get to kiss. He continues to drive his daughters nuts by not allowing this
- they get sooooo close and wham - they get called into battle or some other distraction.
The galaxies used in the stories were discussed, and we were advised to never go to
Pegasus. He's not sure why, but he always puts the "baddies' on Pegasus. Other galaxies
used are Sol and Alpha Centauri - both deemed OK. We learned how he came to writing from a
circuitous route and a teacher who saw talent and fostered it. We took a brief break for
purchasing and signing. When we reconvened, Mr. McNally opened the floor to questions.
Questions were varied, interesting and we were rewarded with thorough and amusing
answers. Todd asked how Mr. McNally likes to write, with or without music or other distraction.
We learned that Clayton McNally loves noise and can't work without chaos - not only the radio
but the TV on at the same time. He also mentioned that he and his wife share an office and she
does not work as well amidst chaos - I predict more "red pen moments" - lol. Authors of
interest, inspirations for characters and/or concepts, and how he got his television commercial
aired on SciFi channel were also talked about. We very begrudgingly ended the meeting, much
applause for our very engaging guest, put the store back to order, and headed out for the diner
with Mr. & Mrs. McNally.
The fun continued at the diner. I couldn't keep track of all of the conversations around the table,
in fact, I couldn't even hear the conversation at either end of the table because people were too
far away at either end. Too many people were crammed around the table making for a buzz of
conversation. Suffice it to say there was conversation. I left about 12:00ish and the dirty stay
outs harangued me for leaving so early and stayed. They might still be there - dirty stay outs -
lol. That Taras, he was probably the ringleader ;)
Join us next month when we have a unique first - a Paranormal/Mystery Panel. Our guests will
discuss their books, answer questions and read some of their work. Sure to be interesting and
fun.
The September SFSNNJ Face the Fiction meeting, and a very full house with several new
faces, welcomed guest speaker Clayton McNally, author of such titles as To The Stars,
Surviving Behind Enemy Lines, Liberty and Freedom - To Die For from the Galactic Force
series.
Steve S arrived early to make sure the microphone and other equipment was set up, the
calendars were ready to go, chairs were set up and that we were good to go. Announcements
were made - especially one very noteworthy announcement to congratulate Paul Dellachaie for
his amazing accomplishment. Paul very graciously allowed me to take pictures of him for the
website - with the cover of the magazine, with the article showing, smiling, looking serious - he
never once complained and very nicely humored me. Thanks to both Steve and Paul. At 8:00,
Steve introduced our guest and we were ready to roll.
Clayton McNally came ready to entertain. He had his books, he had samples of artwork,
storyboards, background stories and more. He not only discussed his books, but also the ins
and outs of publishing - he even went as far as talking about how much things can and do cost
new writers out-of-pocket. Mr. McNally was very thorough, with an easy manner and a keen
sense of humor. The audience particularly liked his stories involving his wife, as she patiently
sat in the back allowing him his moment. We think there will be many "red pen moments" after
this presentation! You see, one of the stories was how editors don't edit any more. Many
publishing companies now use Word or similar programs with spell check - if the program
doesn't find the error - it goes uncorrected. Clayton told us a warning bell went off when he sent
his draft in for "editing" and it came back with only 400 errors. He told us flat out that grammar
was NOT his thing, so he knew there were way more errors. He gave his wife the draft, she
took it with red pen in hand, read it, returned it - with over 1,400 errors! She thought it was funny,
not so much for Mr. McNally. His face was too funny to watch. He then said, "she bought a
whole pack of those red pens!"
Mr. McNally discussed his current series of books, the Galactic Star Force series, and
explained not only the story/characters, but how the characters are developed, drawn and put to
page. He explained how he works with his artist on both the character's look and the look of the
ships - they must have wings - he likes wings! Big long ships with imposing wings. While
discussing the design aspects of the books, we were also told how he found his artist and gave
us a never-before-heard sneak preview of the design of his next ships - awesome sounding
motorcycle-like ships with a force field around them that can not only fly (complete with lasers)
but can hover on land. I think Brian K is going to pester Ana for one of those. **we also got a
heads-up about his next series, coming not-soon-enough for many of us, about two vampiric
races, from another galaxy, that discover we make great snacks.
From there, he moved on to explain that the stories are very much human survival stories that
go beyond SF but have much SF for the hardcore SF fan. In fact, his books are currently some
of the top selling SF books on amazon.com. There is also a lot of hand-to-hand combat and
martial arts for fans of those two things. These elements combine with technology and
unconventional ingenuity for a fast paced read. He also throws in romance - in the truest sense
of the word. No erotica here - which led to a couple of very funny stories: the first was about
Clayton McNally being asked to be on a panel with a writer of erotica (his re-enactment of his
response was a visual I couldn't possibly do justice with the written word) and the second story
involved an on-going dispute with his two daughters that the two characters involved in the
romance should finally get to kiss. He continues to drive his daughters nuts by not allowing this
- they get sooooo close and wham - they get called into battle or some other distraction.
The galaxies used in the stories were discussed, and we were advised to never go to
Pegasus. He's not sure why, but he always puts the "baddies' on Pegasus. Other galaxies
used are Sol and Alpha Centauri - both deemed OK. We learned how he came to writing from a
circuitous route and a teacher who saw talent and fostered it. We took a brief break for
purchasing and signing. When we reconvened, Mr. McNally opened the floor to questions.
Questions were varied, interesting and we were rewarded with thorough and amusing
answers. Todd asked how Mr. McNally likes to write, with or without music or other distraction.
We learned that Clayton McNally loves noise and can't work without chaos - not only the radio
but the TV on at the same time. He also mentioned that he and his wife share an office and she
does not work as well amidst chaos - I predict more "red pen moments" - lol. Authors of
interest, inspirations for characters and/or concepts, and how he got his television commercial
aired on SciFi channel were also talked about. We very begrudgingly ended the meeting, much
applause for our very engaging guest, put the store back to order, and headed out for the diner
with Mr. & Mrs. McNally.
The fun continued at the diner. I couldn't keep track of all of the conversations around the table,
in fact, I couldn't even hear the conversation at either end of the table because people were too
far away at either end. Too many people were crammed around the table making for a buzz of
conversation. Suffice it to say there was conversation. I left about 12:00ish and the dirty stay
outs harangued me for leaving so early and stayed. They might still be there - dirty stay outs -
lol. That Taras, he was probably the ringleader ;)
Join us next month when we have a unique first - a Paranormal/Mystery Panel. Our guests will
discuss their books, answer questions and read some of their work. Sure to be interesting and
fun.
About Clayton McNally
Clayton McNally writes in a story-telling manner that is fast-paced and exciting. His stories grab
your interest from beginning to end, To The Stars, will engage the imagination of Science Fiction
enthusiasts. This action-packed novel includes hand-to-hand combat using Kenpo Karate and
major space battles utilizing unconventional ingenuity. Follow mankind across Galaxies in
search of peace. Forced to fight for survival, his battles display unconventional ingenuity against
overwhelming forces.
The second in the Galactic Star Force series Surviving Behind Enemy Lines will grab you from
the first page and hold you until the end. It is a compelling story of battles and human survival
when the odds are overwhelming.
The third in the Galactic Star Force series Liberty and Freedom - To Die For set the
Commonwealth and Galactic Star Force into battle on three fronts; Sol, Pegasus and Alpha
Centauri. Can humanity win one or even two fronts? Will a third front be too much?
Already a screenplay is being written for To The Stars, read it and Surviving Behind Enemy
Lines and see what has captured the attention of readers and the media.
Clayton McNally writes in a story-telling manner that is fast-paced and exciting. His stories grab
your interest from beginning to end, To The Stars, will engage the imagination of Science Fiction
enthusiasts. This action-packed novel includes hand-to-hand combat using Kenpo Karate and
major space battles utilizing unconventional ingenuity. Follow mankind across Galaxies in
search of peace. Forced to fight for survival, his battles display unconventional ingenuity against
overwhelming forces.
The second in the Galactic Star Force series Surviving Behind Enemy Lines will grab you from
the first page and hold you until the end. It is a compelling story of battles and human survival
when the odds are overwhelming.
The third in the Galactic Star Force series Liberty and Freedom - To Die For set the
Commonwealth and Galactic Star Force into battle on three fronts; Sol, Pegasus and Alpha
Centauri. Can humanity win one or even two fronts? Will a third front be too much?
Already a screenplay is being written for To The Stars, read it and Surviving Behind Enemy
Lines and see what has captured the attention of readers and the media.
Clayton McNally -- September 8, 2007
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