Interview with ... KG Mach
- robynnmariehyde
- 4 hours ago
- 9 min read
It has been a pleasure getting to talk with KG Mach and hear about her publishing journey and how her historical middle-grade novel came to life! Her book Present, Still Missing was published in September 2025 by Golden Bridges Publishing. She has amazing advice for new/aspiring writers - "Follow your heart" - and talks about how to know when advice and feedback rings true (or not!) for your story.
She has generously offered a free, signed copy of her book as a giveaway!
This is a wonderful chance to win this heartfelt story about a daughter's love for her father. To enter, either comment on this blog post or comment/follow/share on social media - make sure to tag myself and KG Mach! This giveaway is open to people in US, Canada and UK and the drawing will occur on Thursday 20th November.
Q: When did you realise you wanted to be a writer?
A: I think I wanted to be a writer from the moment I learned to write my name. Seriously! As soon as I learned my letters, and the magic of how they go together to create words, identities, and ideas, I was hooked. There’s a famous story in my family of how I got hold of a permanent marker shortly after I learned to write. I uncapped that marker and unleashed on some furniture and a basement wall. I wrote my name large and proud, absolutely amazed by the power of the printed word. (The marks are still on the basement wall!)
Most of my childhood was spent in a state of make believe and storytelling. I grew up in a wooded area with siblings and one set of neighbors. Imagination and storytelling was how we entertained ourselves, but for me it was something different. Deeper. I have always been writing, but it was not until my early thirties that I began to pursue publication in earnest.
Q: What is your book about?
A: Kirkus Review calls it
“an engaging and moving novel about the emotional toll warfare takes on both soldiers and their families.”
Present, Still Missing is a book and a topic that is close to my heart. It is a middle-grade historical fiction set post WWII and deals with the impact of PTSD (or Combat Stress Disorder) on families of returning service members. In the U.S., our historical accounts of post WWII jump right to the 1950s and the iconic image of the perfect family. But that wasn’t all that happened.
In Present, Still Missing Irene can’t wait to get back to normal once Daddy returns from the war. But soon after he arrives home Irene knows something’s not right. At first it’s small stuff. He’s quieter, short-tempered, and pacing the floor at night when he should be sleeping. Then there are the outbursts and the nightmares that wake Momma and Irene. When a deep sadness overtakes him, Irene knows it’s more than ‘readjustment.’ She can’t shake the feeling that instead of fading, the echoes of war grow stronger. When Irene overhears Daddy say he wished he hadn’t survived the war, she knows she’s losing her father all over again, and this time it could be forever.
Q: That is such a powerful story and must have been really hard to find the right balance for the age group. What drew you to WWII and PTSD as a subject for your book?
A: My interest in the time period goes back a long way. I was fortunate to have grandparents, great aunts and uncles close by growing up. They were storytellers by nature and often shared their memories with me and my cousins. As I grew into my teen years, I would seek them out and ask them to tell me more stories. I became steeped in the details of that time period, and in the language they used. (Some of their phrases found their way into the book!)
Later, I started finding more stories on my own—through research and reading historical fiction. I found, and continue to find, that there are thousands of untold stories from that time period, because WWII was all encompassing. No one was untouched by it. One of those missing stories is the story of PTSD in those who served. The war did not ‘end’ for them when they came home.
I chose to show this experience through the eyes of a child because children are a beacon of hope, and I am the kind of person who needs to see hope in every story. In Present, Still Missing, it’s the love Irene has for her father that ultimately encourages him to take that terrifying step and seek help.
Q: Tell me about your road to publication.
A: In a word? Difficult. There was a lot of doubt, but I never gave up. It took twelve years to finally get my yes for publication. In the lead up to that I won some awards, had a couple of full requests, wrote other books, queried other books, and then finally I tried a small, independent press. I hadn’t queried Present, Still Missing in about five years, but the publisher was looking specifically for middle-grade historical fiction. So, I sent the query and they asked for the full manuscript. Then honestly, I forgot about it. I’d been close before. I wasn’t expecting a response. I was stunned when two months later I got an offer of publication with the words, “this is exactly what we’ve been looking for.” Finally, this story had found a home.
Q: What is the biggest bump or hurdle you’ve encountered so far in your writing career?
A: Not comparing myself to others! It is hard. We all do it. The truth is there are a million paths to publishing and what is right for each author, and each story, is unique to them. Most importantly, there are many ways to sell your work and promote your book. The measuring stick we all need to use is does it feel true to you? That goes for social media, your launch, and any book events you attend. You have to be able to be your authentic self. I hold onto the idea that ‘the work will speak for itself,’ and it does. Every time I doubt (because that does not go away!) I reread a note from a reader. (Yeah, I keep them and I highly recommend others do too!)
Q: What surprised you most about your latest launch?
A: I love this question because it is something I reflected on in the days after. The launch was overwhelming in the best possible way, but what surprised me was other people’s excitement. There was so much support in that room from family, friends, and my school community. Several of my current and former students attended, and for many of them it was their first ever book launch. The two things that really got me (and still make me tear up now!) were seeing middle school students counting out their own money to buy a book and then watching students in the audience open up their books and follow along as I shared a reading. My teacher and writer's heart were overflowing. Absolute magic. I will always remember that gift.
Q: What is your advice for new/aspiring writers?
A: I actually wrote a guest blog post about this not too long ago!
Follow your heart.
You know, intuitively, the story you want to tell. I put this manuscript aside once (somewhere after draft two or three) because I took advice that did not ring true for me. A person I admire said there was a lot to love in my writing, but one element of the story did not ring true for them. This person felt very strongly that focusing on PTSD in WWII soldiers was not going to work because ‘these guys were heroes.’ Now, you know, and I know, that statement is incorrect. Every human being who experiences war is impacted and historical records show that. Yet, I was eager to be published, very green, and… I was flummoxed. I couldn’t write the story anymore. So, I put it away. When I did eventually go back I kept hearing my character, Irene, tell me that her father did survive the war, but he was not the same. He was present, but still missing everything— and I had my new title. I dug deeper into the research and found my instincts were 100% right. I watched documentaries on the treatment of WWII soldiers with PTSD (referred to as Combat Stress Disorder at that time), I read narratives, and I went back and revised the story again. I listened to my heart. And I got the story right.
Q: I love that advice for new/aspiring writers! It is very hard sometimes to get feedback and know what to action and what not to, but it really comes down to what speaks to you and the story you want to tell. Did you do any paid critiques or paid edits for this book or was it primarily beta-readers and critique groups that provided feedback?
A: It was critique groups that got me through. If I had decided to self-publish the book I would have paid for an editor because that is a critical step. I also like using contests as a way to judge the effectiveness of your writing. If you start placing in contests you know the work is well written and the story is sellable.
Q: What are you up to next?
A: I love writing fantasy and historical fiction and have a special interest in folklore too. I had a short story published earlier this summer called The Shoemaker of Siberia which is a fairytale retelling. (That one is free to read on my website!) In between novels I am always dabbling with these short story forms.
Currently I am querying Ekimmu, a middle-grade gothic fantasy about a boy who unearths an ancient curse that changes his beloved uncle into a soul-stealing monster and himself into a squirrel. It’s a little like The Night Gardner meets The Picture of Dorian Gray.
In the meantime, I am drafting a historic fantasy set in the forest of Poland in WWII. The research is intense with this one and I am, again, learning new things about the writing process.
Favourite craft/writing book?
Take Joy: The Writers Guide to Loving the Craft by Jane Yolen. This book helps me remember my ‘why.’ When I get stuck, I don’t necessarily turn to books that have plans and tips about story structure. I lean into inspiration. This is one book that definitely gets me back on track. I return to the highlighted passages again and again. One piece of advice she gives is this: “You shouldn’t look outside yourself for some target audience and hope to hit it…. The only constant in your life is you. The best audience for what you write is you—the child you were, the adult you are.” Those words help me return to the heart of my story every single time.
Favourite resource for writers?
I really like WriteMentor, although I have not been as active lately. It’s a fantastic, supportive community full of resources. I can’t even list them all here. Questions about publishing? Got it. Resources for self-published authors? Got it? Query trench support and guidance? Got it. Classes on writing picture books? Got it. On-line conferences? Got it. Contests with agents? Got it. Writing sprints? Got it. Seriously, the list goes on and on! It is absolutely worth a look. And there are both paid and free versions!
Favourite part of the writing process?
Revising is my favorite. Something amazing happens when you are tightening a manuscript. My mother is an artist and I always have this image of a sculptor at work when I am revising. You are drawing that story, that form, out of the clay, to make it visible, sharp, and real. With every small change you make the story becomes clearer and that’s where the voice really develops too. It takes a lot of time, (at least for me!) and I need to step back and give the story space, but revising is ultimately the place where the story starts to sing. With every change I fall in love with it all over again!
Least favourite part of the writing process?
The synopsis and the query letter! I am an over-writer by nature so trimming a story’s essence down to one page or a paragraph is like staring at a climbing wall with no harness. I know the handholds are there and the path will become clear once I start, but ugh. It’s grueling. I have friends who excel at outlining and they love the synopsis part. But my response is always "where did the heart of my story go?" I get there in the end, but my synopsis usually goes through about 15 drafts and the query letters are closer to 20.
Last book you read?
Just finished Mascot by Charles Waters and Traci Sorrell. This book in verse, written in multiple POV, highlights six teens with differing points of view about their current school mascot, a Native American Brave, and whether or not it should remain. The tagline on the front of the book is: Discrimination is discrimination, even when people call it ‘tradition.’ It was an eye-opener in so many ways.
KG Mach’s first words were recorded on the basement wall of her parents’ home— in permanent marker. Now she writes in a notebook and creates stories of historical fiction, fantasy, and reimagined folklore. When not writing she can be found teaching, knitting, or searching for stories in the nooks and crannies of life, and of course sharing a laugh with her family.
Published works: Present, Still Missing, September 16, 2025, Golden Bridges Publishing, The Shoemaker of Siberia, Summer ’25, Gramarye: The Chichester Centre for Fairy Tales, Fantasy and Speculative Fiction.