Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have done several of these interviews but it’s been a while since the last, so I decided an update is in order. I am a farm girl who has lived all of her life within five miles of the Missouri River. My husband and I own/operate a farm that has been consecutively operated for five generations. We have two grown sons, two lovely daughters-in-law and the two most awesome grandchildren on this earth
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest published book was Robin Unaware, the fourth in the e-book Birds in Peril series. Published January 2016:
Life is constant change, sometimes planned, sometimes instant and devastating. For Stephanie Harvester-Garrett, life takes an abrupt curve when her husband is killed in a car accident.
Determined to secure a stable home for her three children, Stephanie returns to Missouri to be closer to family and to accept employment in her brother’s law office. A whole new world opens for Stephanie and her children when they move into a log house owned by Hunt R&C employee, Todd Sellers.
Life appears to be too good to be true. Not only does living in the valley present the quiet, secluded existence Stephanie seeks for her children to heal from their tragic loss; she finds means to face the world head on, the world where none of her family knew she and her husband were spiraling toward an ugly divorce. Much to her surprise she quickly finds herself in an intimate relationship with her new landlord.
Having been where Stephanie is, years before (when his wife died and he was left to raise their daughter alone), in the beginning, Todd only seeks to give Stephanie the support she needs not only to survive, but to embrace the future. Much to Todd’s astonishment, he falls as hard and fast and as deeply for Stephanie as she does him. Unfortunately, not all of Stephanie’s family approves of this new found relationship. The heartbreak comes from those she would have leaned on and trusted the most.
In midst of it all, several mysteries involving those of the Hunt-Harvester-Cromwell team begin to unfold. Pieces slowly begin to fall into place after Dan Pentherst’s accident the same night Dr. Ross Garrett was killed. When Todd’s home is broken into, it becomes apparent someone embraces a sinister intent.
The dream of living a peaceful country life is interrupted by unexpected ghosts of the past, and hatred spawned in the name of love.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a night owl. I write every night for at least two hours. If the muse is working I may stay there until the wee hours –or sunrise. Night is when there are no other sounds but my breathing and the clicking of the keys on the keyboard. No television to distract my thinking, no phones to answer, no one hollering “Hey, Mim!” to get my attention. I really do accomplish my best writing during the darkest hours of the night.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favorite book of all time is Ashes in the Wind by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss. But I have several favorite authors. My reading habits are eclectic, from historical romance to how-to. I’m as intrigued by romance as I am futuristic science-fiction.
What are you working on now?
I am preparing to publish a story I have been writing and rewriting since the late 1970’s. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve rewritten the story or how many people/readers/publishers/editors I’ve asked to give me insight on ‘the right way to publish it’. This past winter, it seems, I finally reached that golden epiphany. The problem with Sweet Pea has always been that it is too long. So—I intend to publish Sweet Pea as a trilogy. My plan is to publish all three divisions in a few weeks of one another so my readers can keep the story in their minds–and hopefully in their hearts. I’m working hard now to reach this goal. Sweet I: The Demise of Innocence is scheduled to be published no later than September, 2017. Sweet Pea II: Time to Deceive will be published in October, 2017 and Sweet Pea III Passion’s Price will be published in November 2017.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I believe that interviews such as this are vital to promoting an author’s work. Writers groups help to encourage the author but many do not necessarily promote that authors work beyond an initial announcement. My greatest shock when I was first published was to discover, even though my book was published by a New York Publishing House, they expected me to do a huge amount of the marketing, especially on the local level. It’s a bit different with e-books. Amazon really does work to help independent authors publish and promote their work. But, websites that link to Amazon, or interviews like this, and other author promotional sites go a long way to get your advertising word out there. Most authors also need their own website as well as Facebook and Amazon Author pages.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
In addition to ‘just do it’. Write it and finish it. I also tell newbie-writers, the number of times they rewrite a story/article/poem is irrelevant. Do whatever it takes to make that story/article/poem the best it can possibly be
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
‘Finish it!” Spoken very firmly, and somewhat loudly from a much published fellow author/friend who knew what she was talking about.
What are you reading now?
I just finished reading Newt Gingrich’s fictional thriller ‘Treason’. A very good book. Even though it’s fiction, it gives stunning insight about what may take place behind closed doors in Washington D.C.
These next weeks while I edit/proof/ etc. the Sweet Pea Trilogy, I probably will not read anything else. I don’t want someone’s ideas (or published work) to distract or influence my written word in any way.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Once Sweet Pea is published I will return to my Birds in Peril Series. I’m hoping to publish number five in the series, “Wise, Bold Eagle’ early in 2018, if not December 2017.
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?
My Bible, My Kindle (and pray it can be recharged on that island). Right now, my Kindle holds around 30 books I have yet to read. If I can’t take my Kindle, Nora Roberts has a couple newly published books, as does Sherrilyn Kenyon and Heather Graham. I hope I have time to purchase those before the I take off on that doomed cruise
Author Websites and Profiles
Mary Elizabeth Fricke Website
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