Ask the Author: Mary Flinn
Answered Questions (8)
Mary Flinn
I don't normally write mysteries but there is a mysterious thread in the story line of A Girl Like That. I took an actual happening from a national news story. I won't say what it is but if you have read A Girl Like That, you might recognize it. Interestingly, an agent who passed on that book said the happenings in that thread seemed to far-fetched to be believable. I think real life is great for finding crazy stuff to write about and the small-town moments and connections make the writing even more realistic. I have heard many people say, "You can't make this stuff up!" I think it's certainly true! The thing that has happened to me is that I use fact to create fiction and sometimes fiction becomes fact in my life. Someone told me I should write about a character who wins the lottery. I didn't want to win the lottery but in The Nest I wrote about one character who wrote a book about her life, got on the NY Times Bestseller list, and landed a big movie deal!
Mary Flinn
Hi Dalene! Start with The Nest. You can get an autographed copy from my updated website: www.TheOneNovel.com. Thanks for making contact!
Mary Flinn
Put your butt in the chair and just do it. Expect to gain some weight and get used to seeing dust bunnies and dead houseplants. You can't do it all, but if it's what you need to do, it will be worth it. Don't make yourself write a certain number of words a day; it 's unrealistic, but do spend quality time when you can get it. It doesn't take a remote cabin in the woods to get your inspiration. Once you start writing, all you really notice is the computer screen and a comfortable chair-- and maybe a nice hubby who will bring you a gin and tonic at cocktail hour! Good luck!
Mary Flinn
What other job can you do at 3 am in your pajamas? I love writing because it allows me to be whoever I want to be, a slut or a good girl, even a man with a roving eye. Writing, like reading can take me places I don't normally get to go, or it can take me back to my favorite ones. Getting in that writing "zone" is therapeutic for me, even though I didn't realize it when I started. Try it yourself; you might be surprised at what comes tumbling out of your pen.
Mary Flinn
I sometimes have a hard time transitioning from one juicy part of a book to the next, when I have to fill in the time and events that connect it all. Or once when I was writing The Nest, I couldn't figure out which of five ways I wanted to end the story. That's the most challenging part. I haven't really experienced writer's block, per se, but I have to share the desk and my computer space with my husband. When I started writing, he travelled a lot and I had the run of the house after I'd come home from work. Now I'm retired and he's home so much more, working from home. It makes me crazy! I write in my head until I can finally sit down and get down to business. I had to take up gardening to occupy the down time! But it's all good and he and I are enjoying the tomato sandwiches!
Mary Flinn
If you have read my Kyle and Chelsea series, which includes The One, Second Time's a Charm, Three Gifts, and A Forever Man, you will know the mean girl character, Elle. She pops up from time to time after her significant role in The One. My editor loved her! He wanted me to write her story, so that's what I'm working on mow. She's made a huge mistake early on in her life, has spent most of her life atoning for it, and is now attempting to start over. We'll see if she can pull off being a good girl. It's a constant struggle for her, but it's her only hope of finding true happiness.
Mary Flinn
I tend to live in a fantasy day-dream most of the time, and have since I was a child. Everything inspires me, so all I have to do is say, "What if...?" and then lie a lot. I can go anywhere I want, and be with anyone I choose by writing. The rest, the plot, the setting, and the conflict all comes tumbling out.
Mary Flinn
In Breaking Out, the book that will launch in the fall of 2014, I got my inspiration from several things: one was a visit to a small village community that I fell in love with and I wanted to write a small town story with some ideas I'd been filing away; another idea for the character of Myers came from a chamber music concert I attended, in which the performers were connected in a way that transcended just the music! Susannah, my main character is someone I made up completely, as one of those women I'd like to be friends with. She seems to be the favorite character of my readers so far. And Detective Chase? Mmm-mmm! Who wouldn't want to know him?
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