Mary Cunningham is the author of the popular 'Cynthia's Attic' tween fantasy/time-travel series. She's also the co-author of the soon-to-be-released book, WOOF: Women Only Over 50, an uplifting collection of personal anecdotes and poems about how it feels and what it means to be a woman in her fifties. Mary lives in the beautiful mountains of West Georgia and is a member of The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, The Georgia Reading Association, and the Carrollton Creative Writers Club.
Thanks for this interview, Mary. Tell us, who came up with the idea for the WOOF book?
Oh, my goodness! It’s been so long ago, the story has gotten muddled, (They say the 
memory is the first to go!) but I’ll do my best. Co-writer, Diana, and her friend Carol were discussing the “joys” of reaching the half-century milestone. Their commiserating and laughter resulted in the idea to form a club/support group of friends who are still puppies at heart, beginning with themselves, another friend, Dot, and me. Melinda soon joined the ranks.
The WOOFers Club soon led to the book. The first edition of WOOF: Women Only Over Fifty was published in 2000. An updated, (translation: BETTER!) edition will be published DEC 1, 2008 by Echelon Press. The book has been a complete collaboration with Diana Black, Melinda Richarz Bailey, and me.
How was it writing a book with two other authors? Would you do it again?
There were some rough patches on our first go-round several years ago... imagine three “divas” trying to write a book together! But, we learned tons from that experience! The new and improved WOOF has been a total pleasure. We had a purpose. To make this 
book the best it could be, and to reach women who are creeping up on Fifty, or have already stumbled over the line and need a good laugh.
What was the best part about writing this book?
The best part, for me, was writing stories and poems from personal experience, and realizing that being fifty doesn’t have to be depressing. It can actually be funny, and more importantly, freeing! I’ve gotten beyond worrying about what other people think of me, and I hope readers will get the same message and learn to howl at the aging process.
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