On a personal note, I am married, and we have six children, three in-law children, and eight grandchildren. My husband and I live on five acres in East Texas where I happily play “farmer” whenever I can. We have a horse, two goats, three cats, two dogs and a horde of moles the cats can’t seem to keep up with.
Was there anyone in your life that you can give credit to helping pave the way?
Absolutely. I have to thank my husband for getting me into this mess. I had given up the idea of having a career in writing after a college professor told me to find another outlet for my creative interest – maybe basket weaving. Not being very assertive at the time, I figured he was right – after all, he was the professor – so I abandoned my childhood dream. Even so, I didn’t stop writing. Some time later, my husband asked to read a short story I had written and deemed it “quite good.” He encouraged me to keep writing and keep submitting until I finally got published.
Can you tell us a little about your latest book?
I actually have two books that just came out this summer. One Small Victory was released in hardback from Five Star Gale/Cengage, and Play It Again, Sam, was published as an e-book from Uncial Press. Both books are inspired by true stories and feature strong women who triumph over great difficulty. One Small Victory is billed as romantic suspense, but there is actually very little romance in it. Play it Again, Sam is a true romance, featuring an older heroine who must rebuild her life after her husband of 25 years dumps her.
What was the inspiration behind your book? Why did you feel a need to write it?
One Small Victory was inspired by a woman who infiltrated a drug ring in her rural town and helped bring down the main distributor in the area. When I read the short news item about her, I was amazed at the courage this woman displayed. Her oldest son had been killed in a car accident and drugs had been found at the scene. This was the first she knew about how pervasive drugs are in rural areas. For her to have the courage to be so proactive, especially after losing a child, amazed me, and I just knew I had to write about this incredible woman. Play it Again, Sam was based loosely on what a friend of mine experienced, and as she shared her story, it made me wonder what it would be like to have to go through something like that. Wondering about things always leads to stories for me.
Article comments
1 - Sharon - Aloha is Forever
I really enjoyed reading this interview. Both books sound like wonderful reading. In reading the interview, Maryann's blog title, The Faces of Grief, caught my attention. I'm going to check that out as that is something I am very interested in. Thanks for hosting this great interview.
2 - Maryann Miller
Thanks for coming by to read the interview Sharon. Appreciate the visit and the interest in my blog. I was intrigued by the title of your blog, too. So I am going over to check it out.
All best,
Maryann