by Mary | Jun 29, 2018 | An Unremembered Life, Current events
There are a lot of variations on “those who do not study the past are doomed to repeat it.” My response has always been, “Those of us who do study the past are doomed, too. We just feel worse about it.” We are living in a country that past...
by Mary | May 28, 2018 | Uncategorized
If you’ve read more than one of my books, you probably won’t be surprised by my politics. If you follow me on Facebook, you certainly know where I stand in great and vivid detail. Ordinarily I confine this blog to book-related posts. Today, I can’t...
by Mary | Apr 6, 2018 | Uncategorized
My review of Charles Frazier’s superb new novel Varina was published yesterday by the Washington Post. And it has been my pleasure to read and blurb three other novels so far this year. Madeline Miller’s Circe is a reimagining of the story of Odysseus,...
by Mary | Apr 4, 2018 | Jane Dystel, Unremembered Lives, What I'm working on now.
Two months ago, I wrote that my agents had sent Unremembered Lives out to publishers. In that blog, I compared the publishing process to selling a house. Well, last month, the right buyer took a good look at the property and said, “I love this. Let’s...
by Mary | Feb 1, 2018 | DOC, EPITAPH, Wyatt Earp
When I base characters on real people, I pay particular attention to their childhood. I believe our first fourteen years are the basis of much of what comes afterward. We build on a solid foundation, or we spend years trying to repair the damage, or we wander in the...
by Mary | Jan 13, 2018 | Natural History of a Novel, Uncategorized, Unremembered Lives, Writer Tech
“Publishing a book is one accomplishment you get to celebrate over and over.” That’s what my friend Karen’s mom used to say. You finish the first complete draft. YAY! You finish editing it. You sent it to your agent. YAY! The agent likes it but...
