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interview with molly mcternan
- Grace Johnson
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
At last, we're here to share our interview with Molly McTernan, one of our poets featured in Of Storm & Sea, author of "Shattered Shells"! We hope you enjoy learning more about her and her story!
Thank you for joining us for an interview, Molly! To begin, could you introduce yourself?
Thank you so much for having me - I’m honored to have a poem in this anthology! My name is Molly McTernan and I’m a daughter of the King who loves folk music, learning new skills, and spending time with my family and friends.
Your poem, “Shattered Shells,” is featured in Of Storm & Sea. Could you tell us a little bit about the story behind this piece?
I knew as soon as I learned about this anthology that I wanted to tell a story through poetic form. I brainstormed until I had a firm idea of how the beginning and end would reflect each other, but wrote “by the seat of my pants” for most of it!
You recently published a poetry collection—Poetic Surrender. Tell us more about this project!
Yes, Poetic Surrender is a faith-based poetry collection on everything from prayer to colors! I published it a few years ago and have definitely grown in skill since then, but I don’t regret putting it out in the world.
What first prompted you to become a writer?
My love of stories! I was homeschooled and my mom always read out loud to my sisters and I, which helped instill a love of stories into me. As I grew older, the desire to create my own stories naturally sparked from that and I’ve never looked back.
What are some of your top reads and authors?
I really love reading classic novels like Starship Troopers and A Tale of Two Cities, poetry collections (Emily Dickinson is my favorite poet), and YA contemporary and fantasy stories like Gary D. Schmidt’s Orbiting Jupiter and Rachelle Nelson’s Embergold.
What do you do when you’re not writing?
Currently, I’m in school, so a lot of my days are spent in classes or doing homework! But I love spending time with my friends and family, being active and outside, doing art, or playing violin.
Finally, if you could share one message with your audience, what would it be?
That there is always light shining in the darkness. My aim for my writing is to glorify the Creator and encourage the reader, and while that might be more overt in some stories and more subtle in others, I know that words hold power and want to use mine to shine light.
Where can readers connect with you and learn more about your work?
The best place is my website https://mollymcternan.com! There, you can sign up for my monthly newsletter, which has insider information and updates that you won’t find elsewhere. I’m also active on Instagram @MollyMcTernan and you can find links to my other platforms on my website.
Thanks so much for having me!
about the Poem
"Shattered Shells" is an allegorical poem following Lafina, a lightkeeper’s daughter who sets out to make her dreams of adventure come true, even if it costs her relationship with her father.
about the author
Molly McTernan is a daughter of the King who loves good books, folk music, and being outside. She writes sweet and soulful stories and poetry and loves connecting with fellow creatives. When Molly isn't writing, she can usually be found reading, playing her violin, or spending time with her family and many pets. If you’d like to learn more, you can find her online at mollymcternan.com
about the anthology
Of Storm & Sea is a nautical adventure anthology that captures the romance and wonder of the ocean, with stories and poems that range from contemporary tales of ghost ships and first love, to mythology-inspired quests, to mer-queens and ex-pirates, to finding faith and footing on the rough sea. There's something so stirring and romantic about the sea, something that beckons us come and see what adventure finds us—and this collection accurately captures that idea and the emotions the ocean evokes in us. Even if you're not a pirate captain or mystery-solver or mermaid or runaway or adventurer, there's something to each of these stories you can relate to or resonate with. Just like the sea speaks to us, these stories speak to our soul's longing for escape, for redemption, for love, for a new beginning.
Featuring work from Michaela Bush, Anna Huet, Molly McTernan, Jessica B. Brown, Norah Case, Rose Everille, M.C. Kennedy, Bree Pembrook, Jennifer G. Satnic, Emma Thrasher, Linyang Zhang, Grace King-Matchett, and Lilly Tanis.
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