How/why did you start to write?
I started to
write for publication as an alternative to working 60 plus hour work-weeks as a
bank officer. I had five children at home under the age of eight and I didn’t
want to look back on a life where they were raised by caregivers instead of at
least one of their parents. It was not an easy decision, especially when I
learned that just because you write a book does not mean you’re ready to have
that book sell and be published, but it was the best choice for my family and
myself.
How did you
become an author?
A lot of hard
work on top of hard work. Writing is not the same as writing for publication.
It took me about five or six full length completed novels to learn all the
major elements of the craft of writing, a process that is ongoing. The reason
it took so many novels is that the editorial review process was, for a lot of
good reasons, very long, so it was just as easy for me to write the next book
while waiting to learn how the previous one could be improved. My first
published book took over two years to be reviewed and revised and reviewed
again and it wasn’t until I sent a nice, but pointed note to my future editor
suggesting that if they were still considering the project I’d be happy to
rewrite the sex scenes to incorporate wheelchairs and walkers because the
characters had aged so much. I received The Call within the week.
What was your
first published piece?
A Category
Romantic Suspense novel. I researched the market and looked for what genre and
which publishers offered the most openings and career opportunities for debut
authors. That’s who I then targeted. What I learned though was that through
traditional publishing there was a strong tendancy to grow an author by having
them write more of the same. But as a creative I’d already moved on in what
made me excited to write. The tension between the publisher’s needs and my
needs was something I took into
account. Fortunately I had a wonderful editor who was willing to see a
different type of novel from me, after I tried to write the type of story I’d
written before. I was lucky that the publishing house I was with was in the
process of opening a new line that was tailor made for what I wanted to write.
Where was it
published?
My first and
second novels were published with Silhouette. The second one was part of a
three book series with a kick-ass heroine (I read the parameters wrong and
thought they wanted smart-ass heroines which was right up my line) and more focus on a woman’s story journey
rather than just about the romance. Unfortunately the roll out of that line met
some marketing issues (readers expected romances from Harlequin) so that by the
time my second and third book were scheduled for release, the line had closed.
A great lesson in flexibility, which is always important to learn as any
entrepeneur.
How long ago?
Back in the Stone
Age? Some days it feels like that. I actually keep track of time via my
children so an easy-reference time frame is I started writing when my oldest
child was eight and the youngest three. My first published novel was when my
youngest was starting high school (I’d like to pretend he was a very advanced
student but I can’t) and I moved on to Indie Publishing when my youngest was
leaving college. Boy, does the time fly!
What are you
currently writing and why?
I’m currently
writing nonfiction writing craft books to help other writers learn elements of
the craft of writing. At this time I’ve published the WRITING ACTIVE SETTING
series that’s met with a lot of positive feedback. I’m also writing an Urban
Fantasy series called the INVISIBLE RECRUITS series with the initial books
focusing on Alex Noziak, a part witch/ part shaman who is recruited with other
women to fight preternatural threats in a world that’s unaware that we’re not
all human. The books and novellas combine the pacing of thrillers, the
who-done-it of mysteries, and a strong dose of romantic elements as Alex and
her teammates learn to use their inate abilities in new and untested ways.
What did you do
before embarking on your writing career? Was it an asset to your writing? How?
One of the things
I’ve found fascinating about so many writers is that we can get bored easily so
tend to have an eclectic career path. In other words a fun/intriguing job wins
over the same job day after day. I worked in accounting, international banking,
as a magazine editor and contributing editor among other jobs and yes, there is
nothing that goes to waste for a writer. My sons once asked me if their dad
could take them to the Emergency Rooms for broken bones and injuries because
I’d get talking to the doctors and nurses about bullet wounds and how a
vampire’s blood might be different than a human’s.
What inspires
you?
Learning
stretches my comfort zone and makes me excited. Travel, lots of travel, new
places, meeting new people, sharing with others, exotic food, handwoven
textiles, the list can go on and on.
Please share one
of your successful author platform building techniques
One of the
platforms that has been a huge win-win for me is teaching. I didn’t have a
teaching background but loved learning and sharing what I learned with others
who wanted to write. I started teaching
online classes that quickly lead to speaking engagements with writing groups
around the US and Canada. Not only did I have the opportunity to meet writers
in a variety of genres but to make friendships around the globe. I hadn't intentionally thought of teaching as a platform until one of my NYT writing
buddies was giving me a hard time because every where she traveled, including
Australia and the UK, she kept running into people who knew of me.
Parting words
Expect writing to
be published to be hard work. First
novels are rarely ready for publication unless they’ve been rewritten multiple
times. We hear about first books being published because it’s the exception,
not the norm, and even then we rarely hear about how many drafts those books
underwent to be ready for publication. Know what you want out of your
writing—for enjoyment, to be published, as theraphy—whatever works for you
works. Writing for publication means you are writing for your readers, keep
that in mind, you are thus writing to meet their expectations and not only your
own. Not for every reader, but for
those core readers who read what you want to write. Honor that commitment to
them. Honor the commitment to yourself. To be a writer is a gift, an avocation,
a responsibility. Treat it as such and
you can have a career that is ever changing, stimulating and exciting. And that
can happen all in the same day!
Mary Buckham's books...
Non-fiction...
Writing Active Setting Book One: Characterization and Sensory Detail
Readers usually remember the plot and characters of a story, but Setting is every bit as important in creating a memorable world. Discover the difference between Ordinary Setting that bogs down your story, and Active Setting that empowers your story -- creating a compelling story world, regardless of what you write.
See how to spin boring descriptions into engaging prose. Learn to deepen the reader's experience of your story world through sensory details. Notice how changing characters' POV can change your Setting. Explore ways to maximize the Setting possibilities in your story.
Writing Active Setting Book Two: Emotion, Conflict and Back Story
Discover the difference between Ordinary Setting that bogs down your story, and Active Setting that empowers your story -- creating a compelling story world, regardless of what you write.
Active
Setting: Book Three Anchoring,
Action, as a Character, and More
Discover how truly Active Setting empowers your story --
creating a compelling story world, regardless of what you write.
Learn to use Setting to quickly anchor the reader into
the world of your story. Use Setting as movement through space effectively.
Explore Setting in a series. Learn the most common Setting pitfalls.Fiction...
INVISIBLE MAGIC
BOOK 1 ALEX NOZIAK
Available Now for Kindle, Nook and Print!
Hidden from a world unaware of magic, a recently and only partially trained group of operatives known as the Invisible Recruits are the only ones willing to stand between mankind and those powerful preternatural factions seeking to change the balance of power and gain world domination.
Alex Noziak, part witch/part shaman, anticipates facing dangerous preternaturals out for blood . . not fashion week. But when the rookie agent is sent undercover to find out who, or what, is behind a series of world-wide thefts of top-secret intelligence, Alex tangles with the Seekers.
Seekers hunt gifted human individuals like Alex and her squad whose rare powers can keep the balance between human and nonhuman squarely on the side of the humans. Her simple assignment turns into a battle of survival for everyone involved when she crosses Bran, a mysterious warlock, who might be her only ally or worst enemy.
To save the innocent, Alex must call upon her untested abilities, but at what cost?
INVISIBLE POWER BOOK TWO:
ALEX NOZIAK
The
second Alex Noziak novel
If she wins he’ll lose his freedom. If he wins she’ll
watch her brother die.
Sworn enemies and former lovers must hunt the same enemy
with different agendas. Alex Noziak, part-witch; part-shaman must save her
brother before warlock Bran eliminates the only man who knows where her brother
is hidden.
The IR Agency’s new recruits, each with unique if
untested abilities, are brought deeper into the world of the preternaturals as
their governing body, the Council of 7, is caught in a dangerous and vicious
feud between Weres and Shifters.
But when Alex has a chance to save her brother and
capture the Weres who held him hostage disaster happens.
