Ask the Author: M.M. DeLuca
Answered Questions (6)
M.M. DeLuca
I never met my father's mother. She died before I was born, but apparently she was a lovely, well-dressed woman who was also a spiritualist and a medium. My father always told us about his memories of when he was a small boy, sitting near the door of a large room where adults sat around a table, my grandmother at the head, holding a seance. The table would thump and people would speak in tongues, but he wasn't afraid. My mother claimed my grandmother's spirit visited her the night she passed away, and when my dad came home to give her the news, mom sameaid, "Your mother is dead" before he could say a word. I'd love to know if she really was the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter as she claimed and how she came to discover her "powers." I've been exploring this in a new novel I'm working on called "The Night Side."
M.M. DeLuca
I have two new books coming out:
THE SAVAGE INSTINCT: is about Mary Ann Cotton who was regarded as one of England’s most infamous and prolific serial murderers, arsenic being her poison of choice. I first became acquainted with her story when I discovered that she was born just around the corner from the street my grandmother lived in, in a place called Lower Moorsley, County Durham. That street was a place I visited many times as a child. In my research I read various accounts of her life, her actual letters from prison and many of the newspaper articles that filled the press all over the country. This case was notable for the media attention it received, and that inspired me to create a story, not necessarily about Mary Ann Cotton’s crimes, though the story does touch on them, but about the impact her arrest and trial had on Victorian society at the time, as well as what it revealed about that society’s attitudes towards women who “strayed from their natural ‘God-given’ roles" and might often be labelled as "insane."
THE SECRET SISTER: Before I became a full-time writer I was an English Lit teacher. During my teaching career I spent eight years working in an inner-city school with kids from marginalized backgrounds. I was in awe of the courage they displayed in getting to school every day, often overcoming almost insurmountable odds to get there. I discovered that education and the love of learning often unlocked doors that had been closed to them and gave them a feeling of self-worth which would often propel them towards success. I was also inspired by research I'd done on the long term effects of chronic grief among children of multiple foster homes—a problem that has been largely ignored in the past, as well as several real criminal cases of those who would take advantage of marginalized children.
THE SAVAGE INSTINCT: is about Mary Ann Cotton who was regarded as one of England’s most infamous and prolific serial murderers, arsenic being her poison of choice. I first became acquainted with her story when I discovered that she was born just around the corner from the street my grandmother lived in, in a place called Lower Moorsley, County Durham. That street was a place I visited many times as a child. In my research I read various accounts of her life, her actual letters from prison and many of the newspaper articles that filled the press all over the country. This case was notable for the media attention it received, and that inspired me to create a story, not necessarily about Mary Ann Cotton’s crimes, though the story does touch on them, but about the impact her arrest and trial had on Victorian society at the time, as well as what it revealed about that society’s attitudes towards women who “strayed from their natural ‘God-given’ roles" and might often be labelled as "insane."
THE SECRET SISTER: Before I became a full-time writer I was an English Lit teacher. During my teaching career I spent eight years working in an inner-city school with kids from marginalized backgrounds. I was in awe of the courage they displayed in getting to school every day, often overcoming almost insurmountable odds to get there. I discovered that education and the love of learning often unlocked doors that had been closed to them and gave them a feeling of self-worth which would often propel them towards success. I was also inspired by research I'd done on the long term effects of chronic grief among children of multiple foster homes—a problem that has been largely ignored in the past, as well as several real criminal cases of those who would take advantage of marginalized children.
M.M. DeLuca
I read a lot—photography books because images inspire me. I also read science articles which often inspire me to write sci-fi. I do a lot of walking and listening, observing people (which has sometimes got me into trouble), I travel and take a journal with me. I take many photographs because they can suggest an idea to me. I'm a great history buff so I read and watch a lot of historical material. I'm never short of ideas. I also draw at times on my own life.
M.M. DeLuca
I'm working on another psychological suspense novel. It's the second in a two-book deal I made with my publisher. It takes place in winter which for me is a time particularly charged with a kind of cool magic. I love to describe wintry landscapes. Not surprising since I live in one!
M.M. DeLuca
You need to read a great deal. READ in many different genres, read at every spare opportunity. It's the fuel that drives your imagination. Go out and walk. Really look around and notice the smallest details about everything. Look at how people interact, listen to them talk. Sit down and WRITE every day. Being a writer requires the discipline to commit many hours, days, weeks and years to developing the craft of writing. Be prepared to outline, draft, revise and rewrite and have the courage to shelve or put away writing that isn't working. Go on to the next project. Don't try to chase trends. Write about what really matters to you. Write about things that move you, thrill you, frighten you, make you laugh or cry . Write as if you have a movie camera in your head and you can actually see the world you are creating as well as the people in it. Reach out to others to read your work and give you honest feedback. Join a writers' group. There's nothing like sharing your work with others with the same love of writing. Be prepared to face rejection or criticism. They are just part and parcel of the writer's life. With patience and persistence you will find satisfaction in being a writer.
M.M. DeLuca
The best thing about being a writer is that imagination has no boundaries. I can be sitting in my office working and it's winter outside, but in my story I can travel anywhere, do anything and create characters who I often become attached to like friends—even the villains! Also being a writer trains you to look at the world in a different way. I call it developing writer's eyes, ears and other senses. You become more alive to the world and everything in it. You notice details that others might not, possibilities others might not recognize, societal issues that many ignore. The best thing about it is that my work can be shared and enjoyed by many people across the world, which is really the most rewarding aspect of being a writer.
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