Author Meeting Place Interviews Author Maryann Miller of Winnsboro, TX
Bio: A diverse writer of columns, feature stores, short fiction, novels, screenplays and stage plays, Maryann Miller has won numerous awards including being a semi-finalist at the Sundance Institute for her screenplay, A Question Of Honor.
Her work has appeared in regional and national publications, and the Rosen Publishing Group in New York published her non-fiction books for teens, including the award-winning Coping with Weapons and Violence In School and On Your Streets.
A novel, One Small Victory, was released from Five Star Cengage/Gale in June 2008. Play It Again, Sam was a July ’08 release from Uncial Press as an e-book. Her young adult novel, Friends Forever, is available through Kindle.
Other experience includes extensive work as a PR consultant, a script doctor, and an editor. She is currently the Managing Editor of WinnsboroToday.com, an online community magazine. She has been writing all her life and plans to die at her computer.
How many book/s have you written? I have written 13 books and contributed to 2 anthologies.. Nine of the books are nonfiction, and the others are novels.
Please share with us your book titles:
BOOKLIST
From the Rosen Publishing Group/ New York:
COPING WITH CULTS - 1990 COPING WITH A BIGOTED PARENT – 1992 COPING WITH WEAPONS AND VIOLENCE In Your School and on Your Streets--- 1993, 1996, 2000 YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD; Winning Strategies for the Job Interview – 1994 WORKING TOGETHER AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE – 1994 DRUGS AND DATE RAPE – 1994 DRUGS AND GUN VIOLENCE – 1995 CAREERS INSIDE THE WORLD OF HOMEMAKING AND PARENTING – 1995 EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DEALING WITH THE POLICE – 1995
From Clocktower Books – www.clocktowerfiction.com DOUBLETAKE (as Sutton Miller) – 2000 (out of print)
From Five Star Cengage/Gale – ONE SMALL VICTORY 2008
From Uncial Press PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM (e-book) 2008
From Freyer’s Bower ONE TOUCH, ONE GLANCE ANTHOLOGY (e-book) 2008
What genre/s would you like to write in? The genre I most enjoy writing in is mystery, although I also like to write some romance and some humor.
Please share with us who or what encourages you to write and why: I am encouraged to write by the story ideas that pop into my head and the characters that come to life and bug me to write about them.
It is also very motivating to get comments from readers who have enjoyed what I already wrote. I think I would write anyway, as I am always compelled to express myself, but knowing that people out there are enjoying my story the way I enjoy another author's story is just amazing.
How long did it take for you to write your book/s? The time it takes to write the books varies depending on the topic and the size of the book. Many of the nonfiction books were short, so it took about 6 months to do all the research and writing. For the novels, it took about a year to two years to complete all the research, writing and rewriting.
How long did it take for you to publish your book/s? My nonfiction books were all done by contract and it didn't take too long to get them published. I had six months to complete the manuscripts, then the books usually came out within a year. Some of the fiction took a lot longer in terms of finding a publisher after I finished the writing, then waiting for the book to make it through production. I laugh about it taking longer for a book to be released than it takes to have a baby.
Who did you publish with and why: My books have been published by a variety of publishers for varying reasons.
The nonfiction is with The Rosen Publishing Group in New York, but I didn't chose them, they chose me. I submitted a proposal for the first book, Coping With Cults, after I heard from a business acquaintance that Rosen wanted to do a book about destructive cults. They offered me a contract for that book, then came to me with the ideas for the other books. That was a nice, comfortable gig while it lasted.
I published One Small Victory, a suspense novel with a touch of romance, with Five Star Cengage/Gale because they are a reputable hardback house noted for being very author friendly. They also only buy hardback rights, so I can market the other rights myself.
Play it Again Sam, a woman's novel, went to Uncial Press after I met the publisher online and liked what the company was planning in terms of marketing e-books.
I listed Friends Forever, my young adult novel, with Kindle because that reading device for e-books seems to be all the rage. Plus, I needed to practice how to load a book to their platform, so I can list my other books some day.
The two anthologies I am in came about also from meeting the publisher or editor online. The Holiday Mixer from Haypenny Press contains stories from a group of authors who have shared an online list for many years now. The One Touch One Glance anthology from Freya's Bower is a collection of "sweet" romances from authors who originally met online.
Please share with us how you prefer to market your book/s: I don't have a strong preference for how I market my books, although most recently I have started doing a lot of online marketing. The Internet has opened all kinds of avenues for promoting: virtual book tours, blogging, social sites, guest blogging, and sites such as the Author Meeting Place.
On the other hand, I do still love to meet readers and enjoy signing events and other events that bring readers and writers together. It is especially gratifying to meet young people who are interested in writing and spend an afternoon with them offering advice and encouragement.
Please share with us any event/s that you have planned in marketing your book/s: Events that I have planned to market my books include participating in the East Texas Book Fest September 25, 2009 10:00-6:00 at the Ornelas Acitivity Center in Tyler, Texas.
Tyler In October and November I will be participating in art fairs but exact dates and places have not been determined. I will also be doing a Book Fair at a high school, but that date has not been set.
Do you wish to share any additional information with our readers?: In addition to writing books and novels, I write plays and screenplays, and one of the great thrills of my career was the opportunity to direct one of my plays at a community theatre here in East Texas.
Another great thrill was hearing from a teenager who used one of my nonfiction books for research. She said the book was so helpful, plus she really enjoyed reading it. She laughed and said that was one of the few reference books she could say that about.
Life can change in just an instant. That's the harsh reality that Jenny Jasik faces when her son is killed in an automobile accident, but never in her wildest dreams did she ever expect to be working undercover as a member of a drug task force. She is, after all, just a mom. But don’t discount what a mom can do when the safety of her children is at stake.
Book Review/s to share: “
One Small Victory is great Romantic Suspense and a read you won't want to miss.” Victoria Kennedy, Midwest Book Reviews
“One Small Victory is not for the faint of heart, but it is an excellent, well-crafted and written novel. The tension is all pervasive, and heat, rage, sorrow, despair, and all-enveloping terror fill every page.” Carolyn Crisher Romance Reviews Today
"One Small Victory is an engrossing suspense thriller with a hint of romance that is intelligently kept very minimal and mostly off page." Harriet Klausner for Amazon.com ***** FIVE STARS
“One Small Victory is an amazing, heart pounding, emotional tale about one mother's love of her children, and the steps she takes to protect them from harm.” Jennifer Lawrence for Amazon.com **** FOUR STARS
"A compelling read of a grieving mother's crusade to rid the streets of her home town of drugs, and those who lure our children into addiction." Laura Castoro, author of Icing on the Cake & Love on the Line
“One Small Victory is one huge win for author Maryann Miller and her readers. This is a novel that rings sadly true as readers follow a mother's journey from the depths of grief and loss through menacing territory ruled by street gangs and drug lords. Miller's done a masterful job of creating interesting, sometimes quirky but always believable characters and in weaving a story sure to be a favorite among lovers of mysteries and countless other genres.” Paula Stallings Yost, Editor/Author, What Wildness is This: Women Write About the Southwest, Editor, StoryCircleBookReviews, www.storycirclebookreviews.com
“One Small Victory is a riveting journey through fear, love, and a woman's determination to make things better.” Slim Randles, author of Sun Dog Days, Raven’s Prey and the syndicated humor column, Home Country.
When her husband comes home from work one day to announce that he's moving out, Samantha Rutgers thinks it's a joke. She hopes it's a joke. But he packs a suitcase and walks out, leaving her in emotional devastation. She thought their marriage was just fine. Their life was just fine. What happened?
As Sam rebuilds a life that will be so different from the past twenty-five years, she finds strength she never thought she had and recognizes how capable she is in ways she never realized.
Book Review/s to share: "A life and love affirming look into real life events of divorce, children, memories, regrets and the courage to love again." Laura Castoro, Icing on the Cake, A New Lu, Crossing the Line, The Gamble (as Laura Parker.)
"Maryann Miller's Play It Again Sam, is wonderfully written, full of heartache and hard lessons learned." Robin Peek for Romance Reviews Today
"A tribute to those forced to rediscover romance the second time around." J.B. Scott
"An easy going and pleasant novel to read." Delores for CoffeetimeRomanceReviews
"Written with skill and humor, Play It Again Sam is a rich story with well-drawn characters you'll care about. Once you start this book, you won't be able to put it down." Lyn Morgan for Ivy Quill Reviews
Email to share: maryann@maryannwrites.com
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