Author Bio:
Marcia Meara lives in central Florida, just north of Orlando, with her husband of over thirty years, four big cats, and one small dachshund.
When not writing or blogging, she spends her time gardening, and enjoying the surprising amount of wildlife that manages to make a home in her suburban yard. She enjoys nature. Really, really enjoys it. All of it! Well, almost all of it, anyway. From birds, to furry critters, to her very favorites, snakes. The exception would be spiders, which she truly loathes, convinced that anything with eight hairy legs is surely up to no good. She does not, however, kill spiders anymore, since she knows they have their place in the world. Besides, her husband now handles her Arachnid Catch and Release Program, and she’s good with that.
Spiders aside, the one thing Marcia would like to tell each of her readers is that it’s never too late to make your dreams come true. If, at the age of 69, she could write and publish a book (and thus fulfill 64 years of longing to do that very thing), you can make your own dreams a reality, too. Go for it! What have you got to lose?
Marcia has published seven novels, two novellas, and one book of poetry to date, all of which are available on Amazon.
What inspires you to write?
A lifelong love of reading combined with a head filled with stories begging to be told.
Tell us about your writing process.
Definitely not an outliner, though I will often start a story, then pause to start a What-If sheet, once I know who I'm writing about. That's where I brainstorm, rather than outline. I write in Word, using a template set up for the way I want my books to look when finished. It saves me time when I reach the part of being self-published I actually don't enjoy–assembling it all for upload, both as an eBook and as a print-on-demand version.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
My characters talk to me. Constantly. I ignore them at my peril, as they can become somewhat belligerent if I don't pay attention. Basically, they dictate what's going on while I type. And believe me, I'm careful to tell their stories exactly as they wish. Then there's that certain little mountain boy who stays in my head all the time, making droll comments on "this here world" we live in. (But please don't tell a soul about that. There are already those who think I'm nuts as it is, so let's keep this our little secret.)
Who are your favorite authors?
My favorite author of all time is Daphne du Maurier. Her beautiful, descriptive prose has stood the test of time remarkably well, even with the outdated social customs of the era in which she lived. Her knack for ending her stories with a wicked twist is one of the reasons several of her books were made into movies by Alfred Hitchcock, including my favorite novel, Rebecca.
My current favorite authors run the gamut from the fantastic to the sublime, and the list is long and varied. It includes writers of fantasy and urban fantasy such as Brandon Sanderson, Sebastien de Castell, V. E. Schwab, Maggie Stiefvater, DB Jackson, David B. Coe, Ilona Andrews, Devon Monk, Jonathon L. Howard, Robin Hobb, Rachel Caine, and Jim Butcher. My go-to guy for shivers is Dean Koontz. When I'm in the mood for sheer beauty, I turn to Marissa de los Santos, and for laughs, no one can beat Terry Pratchett.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
Easy one. I'm 75 years old. I wrote my first book at age 69, and I figured I didn't have decades in which to tell my stories, so waiting around through possible rejection letters for months or years (as most new writers do) wasn't a good option for me. I finished my first book, found an editor, taught myself basic formatting, and self-published, all within nine months. It sold well and garnered some great reviews, so I did it again seven more times. I also self-published two spin-off novellas and a little book of poetry. So far, self-publishing has worked well for me, though I admit, I'm not fond of the marketing aspect. I intend to improve on that in 2020.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I suspect self-publishing will continue to thrive, and traditional publishing will continue to be a viable options, though perhaps with a few changes in their approach.
What genres do you write?
Cross-genre: Fiction, Poetry, Romantic Suspense, Legends, Ghosts, Family Drama
What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print, Audiobook
Website(s)
Marcia Meara Home Page Link
Follow Marcia Meara On Amazon
Author’s Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
All information is provided by the author and is presented as it was submitted so you the reader get to hear the author’s own “voice” in their interview.
