Interview With Author Mary Brotherton
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a 2022 Prestige-award-winner and am known as the Angel Author. As the founding president of bUneke, an educational charity, I serve as the editor-in-chief of bUneke Magazine and the director of bUneke Radio. I’m honored to interview fascinating people and work with global writers, editors, photographers, filmmakers, podcasters, interns, and experts. When not managing the administrative side of the nonprofit, fundraising, or mentoring others, I’ll be writing, painting, or illustrating children’s books for myself and others. My current project is a guided meditation journal I was inspired to create, though I have several novels, fiction and non-fiction anthologies, and scripts at various stages of completion.
The fourth of eight children, I grew up in a small, rural town in South Carolina, where I also raised two sons. My “best husband” and I currently live in Florida, after starting life together in Atlanta. We are the sole possession of an orange cat born in 2004. When we moved to Florida, I joined the writing community and was deeply involved in the local and statewide organizations, until I founded her own private writers’ critique group in 2009.
I worked on “Go with Angels,” my debut book, for 40 years before publishing it. Two weeks after its launch, I was inspired to create “My Angel Book,” for children and spent only four months from idea to publication. The inspired idea for “A Journey with Angels” came to me during another interview, just days before launching the children’s book.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest published book is “My Angel Book,” which was inspired by a conversation with my niece who bought a copy of “Go with Angels” for her three-year-old granddaughter who kept taking her copy. Within four months of that conversation, I held copies of “My Angel Book” in my hand and have been selling multiple copies to people who give it away as gifts.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wrote my first novel during a NaNoWriMo, fueled with sweet, hot tea and protein bars. Now, I eat a healthier diet, but can be single-minded when inspired to write. I can sequester myself in my home office for hours without breaks and sometimes, my husband needs to request my presence to get me to leave my desk. I have written compete children’s books on my cell phone and created short stories or chapters on paper napkins while eating out, but most of my writing is done at my keyboard.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
O Henry, Jack London, Tom Clancy, Jim Butcher, Diana Galbadon, Dean Koontz, Steven Coonts, and Leonard Elmore are among my favorite authors. However, I have probably been more influenced by the indie authors I’ve been honored to work with as their editor or peer reviewer.
What are you working on now?
“A Journey with Angels” is my current work in progress, which was inspired by a question during an author’s podcast. This will be a guided meditation journal about angels.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t believe I have a one-best-method, but think that by using all available options, I have been successful without Amazon. I have used Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram to promote my books in addition to purchasing ads in print such as bUneke Magazine and Natural Awakenings. I attend as many author events as possible and if affordable, promote my books at non-specific public events. I always keep a copy of each book with me, always ready to bring it up and have sold copies as car meets, doctors’ appointments, and hair stylists. It’s important to note that I also carry a credit-card reader and change with me. I cross-promote with others, such as psychics, whenever possible and search for opportunities to be interviewed online or on podcasts or even traditional newspapers. I created postcards that promote my first two books and give those out when I meet new people. I also leave a postcard whenever I tip a server. I have donated copies of my books to local public libraries, little free libraries, and charities and believe those donations will lead to more sales.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Do not think that your work as an author ends when you finish your book. It’s just starting.
Whether you publish completely by yourself, employ an agent/publisher, or work with a publishing service, you cannot rely on someone else to promote your books. Don’t be shy about introducing yourself as an author, everywhere, and remember you have accomplished something that only about 10% of the US population has been able to see to fruition.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t be afraid of what can happen if you publish now. Be afraid of what will happen if you don’t.
What are you reading now?
Gillian Harris’ “Have we Met?” and Tamara Dalton’s “The Art of Coping.”
What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan to finish “A Journey with Angels,” and unless the angels inspire me otherwise, I want to revise “Go with Angels” in larger print. Then, I will use AI to illustrate a friend’s children’s book before I tackle my five existing children’s books. I need to tweak my second novel, take a hard look at my NaNoWriMo novel, and compile my many short stories. Then, I might take a break – or not – because I want to compose all of my mother’s handwritten journals and diaries into a single book, or a series of books.
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?
A planned stranding would require my brother, Mike Worden’s “Family Orchard,” so I can finally see all the people I’m related to. I’d probably bring the complete works of O Henry and at least one copy of an Elmore Leonard or Dean Koontz that I haven’t yet read.
Author Websites and Profiles
Mary Brotherton’s Social Media Links