with Mary Ellis

 

 

Welcome to Reflections, Mary!
Tell us about your epiphany moment when you decided you were going to seriously pursue writing and eventually publication.
My epiphany moment came when I finished writing longhand (in three binder notebooks) my first historical romance. 105,000 words…longhand. I was so proud of myself that I’d actually finished it. Then I took a word-processing class and bought a computer. That masterpiece is still unpublished, but hey, some day its time will come.

 

Which of your books (published or upcoming) has been the most fun for you to write and which character is your favorite?
Honestly, my latest release, Sarah’s Christmas Miracle, has been the most fun to write. For one thing, it’s shorter than my average length, and it contains scenes in downtown Cleveland, Ohio where my husband and I met at college. It was so much fun being a tourist in your own hometown on my research days. Of course, I love my heroine most of all. She is smart, funny, pretty, tender hearted—how could you not love her?

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?
Time management—once you open email or start reading the loops, your “writing time” is gone in a hurry! I don’t believe I have overcome it yet!

Which character in your new release most interested you while you wrote?
Sarah’s brother, Caleb, is the most interesting. He’s a character study in how our guilt over past mistakes keeps us trapped in our current, unhappy circumstances.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?
I once was a volunteer snake handler at the Cleveland Zoo for school group reptile programs.

Are there things you put off doing because you dread them?
Housecleaning. I hate washing the kitchen floor and I’m not fond of scrubbing the shower enclosure either since we have well water.

What would a perfect day for you look like?
What a fun question! On my (fantasy) perfect day, I would step onto the balcony of my condo-on-the-beach (any beach!) with a mug of coffee; breathe in the salty air, and settle with my laptop in a chaise to create my stories while gazing out at the big blue sea. AHHHHH. (no, I’ve never done this…)

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I love reading inspirational fiction, romantic suspense, literary fiction like Tracey Chevalier or Charles Frazier, or women’s fiction set near the sea like Dorthea Benton Frank.

Are there certain foods or snacks keeps the words flowing for you?
Candy—any and all chocolate, Jolly Rancher fruit chews, Atomic Fireballs, Toostie Roll Pops, Hershey’s Bliss, Good-n-Plenty’s. All that’s just off the top of my head. It’s a miracle I don’t weigh 500 lbs. (yet..)

Are there spiritual themes you like to write about?
I love to write about judgmental characters that must come to terms with themselves being (unfairly) judged. Don’t we all find ourselves in that category at some point in our lives?

What lesson is the Lord teaching you right now or recently taught you?
To not sweat the details. He is in charge of my life. Things will happen according to His timetable, and I simply need to pursue my work and leave the details up to Him.

When is your next book due out and can you tell us about it?
My next book, Abigail’s New Hope, will be released in March of 2011. It has a dual plot with two sisters: the elder sister is an Amish midwife who runs afoul of the law when a birth goes horribly wrong. The younger sister falls in love with a deaf recluse living in the backwoods while teaching him how to better communicate with his fellow man.

You can purchase Sarah’s Christmas Miracle from CBD and Amazon.

Mary is giving away a copy of Sarah’s Christmas Miracle. To be entered in the book giveaway, leave a comment by Monday, December 13th and check back on Tuesday, December 14th to see if you’ve won. You can enter twice–once on this post and once on yesterday’s spotlight with Mary. If you want to guarantee that you’re notified if you win, then leave your email address in the comment, otherwise, you can just check back and email me through the button in my sidebar.
**Annoying little disclaimer: This giveaway is open only to U.S. addresses.