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Q. Tell us a little about your background (Brief)
A. I’m the third of eight children, born in Toronto. I have a
wonderful husband who I’ve
been married to for over 35 years. We have four
beautiful children and four
grandchildren.
Q. When and why did you begin writing?
A. I wrote lyics as
a young teenager because I could not hear nor make our the words
from tv, records or even radio, even though I
loved the music and its sounds, it was
then that I started to write my own songs to sing
to myself. I helped my husband start
up our business and after our children left home
to start their own lives, I began to
write lyrics again and armed myself with the info
I needed to know. I submitted my
lyrics into contests and joined different
organizations.
Q. When
did you first consider yourself a writer?
A. When I saw the
awards that I was winning with my lyrics and poems and with all the
encouragement from my husband, Mike, and my
family, I started to feel like a writer.
Q. What
inspired you to pen your first novel?
A. My daughter,
Krista, who believed that I could do it. I shocked her and I shocked
myself.
Q.
You've written your first novel. Tell us about the impetus for writing
it.
A. Fall is my
favourite season and I used my great-grandmothers maiden name and her
coats of arms. Both my great-grandmother and grandmother told
me stories of how
their families came from Scotland over 220 years ago. In my
second book I am using
my great-grandfathers name of Windor from England. I hope to
enlighten our readers
by telling stories about different countries.
Q.
How much of it is based on your own experiences and how much of it is
fiction?
A. Other than the
names, my book is totally fiction. My upcoming book will be the
hardest one to write as one of the four ladies is
hearing impaired, like myself, and she
will have to find her own way out of Paris’s
Catacombs and let her instincts guide her.
This is going to be the hardest challenge of the
four books but I am looking forward to it.
Q. How
do you begin a story--with a concept of character or plot?
A. I began my first
book with the concept of a character – I used my own feelings and
thoughts and was able to develop a character that
I find fascinating.
Q. Did
you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
A. I realized how
much I enjoy plotting and creating characters – making their stories
come to life. Patience and research is the name of the
game!
Q. What
challenges do you face as a writer?
A. My education. I
was not able to complete my education but I believe that I am creative
and determined enough to overcome this. For this reason, my
husband and I supported
our four children in furthering their education.
Q. What
was the hardest part of writing your book?
A. Staying in the
mood of the characters and their feelings – there were many times I
had
to put the writing down in order to regroup.
Q. What
books have most influenced your life?
A. All of Sylvia
Browne’s books and Leonard Cohen.
Q. If
you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
A. Sylvia Browne.
Q. What
new author has grasped your interest?
A. Myself! Honestly,
I have not had the time to read up on new authors.
Q. How
does your family and/or friends feel about your book or writing
venture in
general?
A. They are all
shocked but have been very supportive and understanding.
Q. Do
you have any advice for other writers?
A. Plan out your
characters, their names and actions, even if you have to plaster paper
all
over walls in order to make notes or write down things
that come to you in the middle
of the night….do it, this will keep you on track at all
times.
Q. What
would you say / advise an new writers?
A. Do your research!
I cannot stress how important this is. Above all, follow your heart,
follow your instincts!
Q. Do
you have anything that you want to add?
A. Don’t forget to
breath and take breaks – the story will always come back to you!
Learn which organizations and publishers will be on your side
and stick with them.
Q. Can
you tell us, is there any more books for the future?
A. I am planning on writing three more novels, each one about the
other three Covehill
ladies and their lives.
Q. Is
there anything additional you would like to share with our readers?
A. You will never
know if you are a writer until you try it!
Q. Do
you have any latest news you could share with our readers?
A. My lyric line
number 17 “Give them wings and watch them fly” won a conest called
“Song the World Wrote.” The song is entitled “Oceans of Love”
which will be coming
out soon. This is a combination of lyric writer who pay
to enter the contest and submit
lyrics from all over the world to help complete the
song. The money collected goes to
The Cancer Society.
S
Ducker: Thank you Mary Anne for taking the time out of your busy
schedule to
do this interview. Our sincere best wishes and congratulations on your
book ‘McColl's Gate, The Covehill Ladies Series’
Mary
Anne Lonergan: Thank you to Stellar Showcase Journal for taking the
time to get to
know me and my work! Happy reading!
Interview conducted by Stella Ducker, Editor
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