Interview with Jenny McGill, author of DRAMA & DIPLOMACY

Although the American flag is given the highest respect, diplomacy takes on a new meaning as the author slips and slides through the darker side of consular work on foreign soil.

This is the premise of Jenny McGill´s new book, Drama & Diplomacy: In Sultry Puerto Vallarta.

We interviewed Jenny to find out more about her new book and what it´s like living in Puerto Vallarta where her book takes place.

Thank you for this interview, Jenny. Can you tell us briefly what your latest book; Drama & Diplomacy: In Sultry Puerto Vallarta is all about?

It is an anecdotal account of Puerto Vallarta´s early growing years after John Huston´s filming of Night of the Iguana in 1964. My husband and I moved to Puerto Vallarta in 1973 and the book recounts my personal involvement for twenty-five years. Fourteen of those years were working as a consular agent for the U. S. Government.

The consular work covers what the Department of State referred to as the 4 Ds: Detentions, Disappearances, Destitutes and Deaths. I´ve tried to show my readers how some of their tax dollars are spent in a not-too-distant neighbor country. In dealing with grim tragedies, I´ve kept the book in an easy-to- read light. I´ve been told that it is even an educational book.

Can you tell us what (or who) was the inspiration behind your book?

I think I can give credit to my friends who encouraged me to tell the stories. Allen Drury, Pulitzer Prize winner for his book, Advise and Consent, was a frequent visitor to Puerto Vallarta and he always encouraged me to keep records so that I could write a book some day. I used to tell all of them that if I ever wrote a book, nobody would believe it because it would sound like science fiction. In fact, the book is a true story. All my characters have valid dates and places of birth, but some of the names have been changed.

Is this your first published book and if so, can you tell us your experiences in finding a publisher for it?

Yes, this is my first book and I self-published. I didn´t go through the rejection trauma of many authors. Even though I speak Spanish, my nightmare was dealing with printers and government offices in a foreign country, but I had some training for that as a consular agent.

Can you tell us how long it took you to write your book and how long it took until it was released?

It took me almost six months to the day for the writing and editing. I didn´t write every day, but I had no researching to do either. It was all in my files and memory, but it was an emotional trip for me also, so I needed a break from time to time.

Do you have any words of inspiration from other writers who would like to be wearing your shoes?

I think there is a story in all of us that can be shared with the world. If you have a dream about writing a book, go ahead; make your dream come true!

What´s next for you?

I´m in the final first draft stage of another manuscript with the working title of The Woman in the Trunk. It is a historical novel set in the Sierra Madre Mountains in the 1860s. We now live in a small mountain village in Jalisco, Mexico, that was once a thriving mining town. My new book is based on fact.

Thank you for this interview, Jenny. Can you tell us how we can find out more about you and your new book?

I have a website that probably needs ´watering like all new plants do´. Check me out on www.MJMcGill.com I also write a monthly column for www.mexconnect.com , which is Mexico´s biggest English e-zine.

Drama & Diplomacy, in its second revised edition is also available on www.amazon.com.

Thanks, American Chronicle. I´ve enjoyed this interview and invite you to sunny Mexico. You know where you can find me.