Counting the days....
Saturday, July 12, 2008
With just over two weeks until the publication of IT ONLY TAKES A MOMENT, I feel like an expectant mother who is counting the days until her child is born. The conception and gestation have passed and now its time to see how the baby will do in the world.The first editorial review has come from Publishers Weekly...and it was a glowing one. They called IT ONLY TAKES A MOMENT "Riveting"! And said the the book "....will keep the reader guessing to the shocking conclusion."
This is a good sign, but the real test comes on/after July 29th...when the readers will decide.
posted by Mary Jane
Many are called, but few are chosen....
Sunday, May 4, 2008
My newest book, It Only Takes A Moment, won't be out until August 5th....and the reviews aren't in yet. But we just got word that Mystery Guild has chosen It Only Takes a Moment as a September Main Selection....a great honor and a very good sign.posted by Mary Jane
Happy New Year...Belatedly!
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Let me be the LAST wish you a very Happy New Year!Question: How do two months go by without a post?
Answer: I was finishing the next book.
But, IT ONLY TAKES A MOMENT is written now and it will be published this summer. August 5, 2008 to be exact.
IT ONLY TAKES A MOMENT is the story of a high-profile kidnapping and what that means…for the kidnapped child, for her famous mother, KEY News anchorwoman Eliza Blake, for their family and friends, for the kidnappers, for the media and for the people who are working on solving the case. It’s about icy fear, anguished helplessness, self-recrimination, the nightmare of being looked at as a suspect while time passes and the child you love drifts further and further from you and the desperate pursuit of the ruthless criminals who have disappeared with her. Every decision, every action, every false lead, every mistake, every moment is amplified, becoming a matter of life and death.
This time, its personal for Eliza and the Sunrise Suspense Society as they band together to try to find Janie Blake.
IT ONLY TAKES A MOMENT is the story I’ve wanted to tell but was afraid to write because it deals with kidnapping, a subject that has frightened me since I was young.
Labels: Happy 2008...Belatedly.
posted by Mary Jane
Deadline December
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Every year, for the last ten, when December rolls around, it means two things to me:1. Time to get ready for Christmas
2. The new book is due to be submitted to my editor next month.
I've been tackling #2 up to now, working on IT ONLY TAKES A MOMENT. Just finished a 14 stint during which I left the house only twice as I completed the first draft. (That doesn't mean that I wrote the WHOLE book in 14 days... I WISH I could do that.)
IT ONLY TAKES A MOMENT is about a kidnapping. Eliza Blake's seven-year-old daughter, Janie has been abducted from her camp and it's big news. The inspiration for the story comes from the fact that, when I was growing up, my father was a Special Agent with the FBI. He worked on high-profile kidnapping and extortion cases which fascinated and terrified me. As a result, years later, the idea of somebody snatching my children was at the front of my mind as I raised them. Probably abnormally so.
I thought it was finally time to confront my fears.
Anyway, it's all on paper now, or at least most of it is. I can really enjoy Christmas and a short to trip to Florida with Elizabeth and David. When I get back, there will be time to polish the manuscript before sending it in the the publishing house.
IT ONLY TAKES A MOMENT will be out next summer.
MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYBODY! I hope this season is filled with good health and happiness for all of us.
posted by Mary Jane
Sarasota Reads...alot.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Just wanted to say something about the experience I had at the Sarasota Reading Festival earlier this month. Wow, was it memorable!Many of the streets downtown were closed to traffic all day Saturday as, literally, thousands of people, young and old, showed up to celebrate reading. They came to enjoy, they came to buy books and they came to listen to wide array of authors speak.
When I learned I was scheduled for a 9:30 a.m. speaking time, I was sure nobody would even show up that early in the morning. Instead, the Methodist Church chapel was filled with people who listened with enthusiasm as I stood at the pulpit (a first for me) and talked about gettting away with murder (probably a first for the pulpit). Especially touching for me was the fact that both of my parents, who spend time each year on Siesta Key, were able to be there as well.
Afterwards, there were long lines for Lou Dobbs, Barbara Taylor Bradford and Gene Wilder. Children's authors read to their young fans, cookbook author demonstrated favorite recipes, and local television news crews covered the fesitivities, interviewing writers and revelers.
Nice going, Sarasota.
posted by Mary Jane
Impressed in Indiana
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Three years ago, when budget cuts threatened the Carmel Clay Public Library, a group of dedicated volunteers got together with the idea of developing and hosting a major fundraising event for the benefit of the Library.They came up with The Guilded Leaf Annual Book and Author Luncheon and, as an invited speaker, I can attest to the astounding success of their efforts. 450 PEOPLE showed up this year to hear six authors speak, get their books signed and eat a delicious lunch.
With a ticket price of $60.00, you do the math. The Carmel Clay Public Library Foundation Guild raised a significant amount for the Library. Even more impressive to me was seeing how the community came out in such numbers to make the event the huge success it was and support the public library.
Way to go!
posted by Mary Jane
Long live public libraries!
Thursday, October 18, 2007
This week I had the opportunity to speak at the New England Library Association luncheon in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. I was reminded, once again, if it hadn't been for the public library, I wouldn't be writing books today.My sister, Margaret Ann, and I went to story hours when we were little, then, as we learned to read ourselves, carefully selected our four library books each week from the children's library shelves. We treasured our library cards. We learned to love reading. In fact, the first mystery I ever read, The Mystery of the Auction Trunk, came from the shelves of the Westwood, NJ Public Library.
To see that the tradition continues, that the librarians of today are as devoted as they've always been to ensuring that everyone, no matter what thier economic status, has the chance to enjoy books, makes me feel good about the prospects for all those little, future writers out there.
posted by Mary Jane
