Interview With Author Maria DiFrancesco
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My high school English teacher asked me what I was planning to study in college. When I told her Chemical Engineering, she said ‘What a waste – you should be a writer!’ I went on to get an engineering degree and then an MBA, and worked in Corporate America for many years. In 2021, I finally decided to pursue my dream of being an author, and published Ellicott City Ghost Story. Since then, I have published 7 more books.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Sarasota Ghost Story is my latest publication. I am inspired by beautiful places with interesting histories, and after visiting Sarasota I decided to do some research and write a story there. I very much enjoy traveling, especially to locations with haunted histories.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t like to start with an outline, just with a basic idea, then let the story tell itself as I go. It’s a lot more fun for me that way! And I love writing with music playing in the background.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have loved books and reading since I was a young girl. My mother would take me and my four sisters to the library every two weeks. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engel was one of my childhood favorites, along with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe series by C.S. Lewis. As an adult, I love Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Freda McFadden, and Elena Ferrante. I ready every single day.
What are you working on now?
I have decided to take a stab at Science Fiction, but it’s going a lot slower than my ghost stories have. It’ll be a great learning experience if nothing else!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I publish on Amazon KDP, and there are a lot of good ways to promote your books there. So far, I really like Awesome Gang too!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Set aside some time to sit and write every day. Even if you feel like you don’t have any ideas, they will come if you sit and put something ‘on paper’. And Amazon KDP is really user friendly for publishing.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write about what you know and what interests you. You can only please yourself – if you try to please everyone else, you are doomed to fail.
What are you reading now?
I always have 2 or 3 books going at any given time, so I can read what I’m in the mood for.
Right now, I’m reading The Devil Wears Scrubs by Freda McFadden, Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut, and The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. And I have 10 more books in the queue on my Kindle waiting to be read. I get nervous if I don’t have a backlog!
What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan to finish my sci fi book, write a non-fiction book on raising children, and continue writing ghost stories. Charleston Ghost Story will probably be the next one.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I don’t think I could survive with only 3 or 4 books!
Author Websites and Profiles
Maria DiFrancesco Amazon Profile
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