WWR: Mary, tell us about your journey to publication. How many years did you spend writing before you had your first sale?
Mary: While I taught third grade, I got up at 5:00 a.m. to write a young adult romance. That early rising gave me an hour and a half before racing off to school to my pesky full-time job. Writing that book took nine months 'cause at the time, I had two teen sons at home in various sports and extracurricular activities. That was my first attempt at novel writing for publication. The manuscript has since been shredded—it was pitiful.
I've always loved the Regency period and after reading hundreds of traditional Regencies, I tried my hand. The result was THE RELUCTANT VISCOUNT with a lot of romance but not much plot. I submitted the ms. to Jessica Lichtenstein at Harper Paperbacks. She rejected it, but asked if I had others. I finished AN INNOCENT RUSE, shipped it off to her and within a week (yes, amazing) she called to make an offer. It's hard to describe my feelings that day. If it's possible to float a foot above the floor, that would definitely be where I was. I remember she introduced herself as editor of—I interrupted her, saying, "Oh, I know exactly who you are."
Lesson # 1 to aspiring authors: Don't interrupt the editor when she/he is speaking." She laughed, but I'd wished later that I'd kept my mouth shut. Why? That wasn't the only time I interrupted her—I thought I knew everything.
How many years did I spend writing before that first sale? I'd say 7-10. Before I attempted novels, I'd written fillers with minimal success.
WWR: You've been candid about the fact that it's been a while since you've had a published novel released. Can you tell us a little about the setbacks you've had to deal with?
Mary: Looking back I'd say any setbacks I experienced were of my own doing. Rejections have a way of allowing doubts to creep into our writer brains. However, about the time I finished the YA the bottom dropped out of young adult romances. The market switched to more angst in young readers' books. Angst was not my style so I switched to writing Regencies.
As for the Regency market, almost as soon as AN INNOCENT RUSE was released the various traditional Regency lines closed.
For a time, I simply stopped submitting although I continued to churn out books.
WWR: What (or who) inspired you to write romance fiction? You've told us that you've finished several young adult novels. What led you to write for the young adult market? Are you still writing romance?
Mary: I don't know if there was a who or what. I've always loved reading (everything), and writing came easily. As a child if I didn't have anyone to play with I made up stories (and acted them out) for my own entertainment. I never outgrew the pretending except now it goes on paper.
WWR: What's been the most memorable moment of your writing career?
Mary: The phone call from Jessica Lichtenstein definitely, and the day she sent me a cover flat—I fell in love with the cover and my husband had it framed for me. Also, a book signing at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington, KY. I sold out the 20 copies of my book the store had ordered—the only book signing in which that happened.
WWR: Where do you get ideas for your books?
Mary: In one word: Everywhere. Ideas hide in newspaper fillers. They are incidents that happen to you while you're standing in the checkout line at the super market.
Example: Two years ago we discovered our apartment complex laundry rooms were getting robbed. Someone obviously had a key to the coin boxes on the washers and dryers. Long story/short version: Fortunately, after a few months, my husband caught the thief.
I put the idea in my current completed young adult novel and set the fifteen-year-old heroine the task of catching the thief on her own—since it was her fault the thief had the key.
I wrote AN INNOCENT RUSE and ISLAND RENDEZVOUS after two family trips to Canada. Ideas float in the air in the Kingston, Ontario area.
WWR: Would you tell us a little about your current works in progress or books you've submitted recently?
Mary: I'm working on the second novel in the three-book YA series/romances about three best friends and the hazards of high school. The three heroines have different personalities, but it's my belief that all females (teen or adult) possess some of each of the qualities these girls demonstrate. In THE QUEEN OF STANDING ON THE SIDELINES, Jan Madison is a quiet girl with black curly hair in a sea of gregarious and sleek blondes. She does not need constant excitement, but she gets it to the umpth degree.
In HOW TO DUMP A DRUMMER, Leslie Rowe is the ultimate posh princess of the three. Her contagious enthusiasm draws people. What's her problem? How to dump her clinging boyfriend.
In PUTTIN' ON THE POPULAR, Dawn Evans loves every minute of her high school experience. Life is slammin' except—she's never met her dad.
Adult fiction: One book I submitted recently is a short contemporary category romance. ISLAND RENDEZVOUS: Sabotage plagues Talbot Lodge and Campground, and Elena Talbot is committed to finding the person responsible. She can't help but notice that the more involved she becomes with irresistible Troy Coldier, the more it seems someone is out to get her. Is it Troy? Or is a web of danger closing in on both of them?
WWR: You've said you have a critique partner. How helpful do you feel your partnership has been to your writing?
Mary: When my critique partner and I hooked up, I was at a low beyond low in my writing. If it hadn't been for her encouragement translated as "Get off your butt and write" I would've quit. A critique partner who tells you the TRUTH while convincing you your writing has merit is worth a truckload of chocolate.
WWR: Do you have any favorite authors?
Mary: Tons, of course, but three I want to mention are (in alphabetical order) Liz Bevarly, Teresa Medeiros, and Patricia Rice. Although I was writing a romance before I met them, their extraordinary books and spectacular success inspired me to dream the Big Dream.
WWR: If you could give someone only one piece of advice about writing romance for publication, what would it be?
Mary: In today's increasingly competitive market my one piece of advice would be to make double sure you write with sparkle. Slosh it on and don't tweak it to death. Editors and agents are looking for writing with something that stands out from the crowd.
I don't know how to tell you to do that. It's something we know when we see it but can't exactly describe. Each of us must develop our own sparkle and hope an editor discovers the bubble and fizz while reading the submission.
WWR: Mary, thanks so much for spending time with us! We appreciate you taking the time to answer our questions, and we look forward to seeing your name on the bookshelves again soon!
