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Maria Murnane

Goodreads Author

Website

http://www.mariamurnane.com

Twitter

mariamurnane

Genre

Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Humor and Comedy

Member Since

November 2008

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The way Maria became an author is a little crazy. She used to work in high-tech PR but hated it, so one day she quit and ended up playing semi-pro soccer in Argentina for a year. While she was down there she decided to write a novel, which was something she'd always dreamed of doing. Fast forward a few years and she's now the best-selling author of Perfect on Paper, It's a Waverly Life, Honey on Your Mind, Chocolate for Two, Cassidy Lane, Katwalk, Wait for the Rain, and Bridges. And yes, she still plays a lot of soccer!

Learn more and sign up for her mailing list at www.mariamurnane.com
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Popular Answered Questions

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Maria Murnane I'm no stranger to writer's block, which at times can feel paralyzing. And stressful. And did I say stressful? I've learned to battle this dreaded aff…moreI'm no stranger to writer's block, which at times can feel paralyzing. And stressful. And did I say stressful? I've learned to battle this dreaded affliction with three strategies:

1) When I feel stuck on a scene, or if the creative muscle to write clever dialogue or interesting descriptions just isn't there, I make placeholders in ALL CAPS and move on. For example, in the first draft of my latest novel I included placeholders such as:

*DESCRIBE RESTAURANT HERE - HAVE IT RUSTIC AND ON THE BEACH

*HAVE HER WALK ALONG THE BEACH ALONE AND FEEL SAD

*ADD IN SOME DETAIL HERE ABOUT THEIR PREVIOUS TRIP TOGETHER

It's not pretty, but the ALL CAPS thing works because it keeps me focused on the plot. If I've learned anything at all about writing novels, it's how important it is to keep the story moving forward. I can always go back and edit later.

2) When I've done the above but have no idea where to take the plot next, I go to the gym and bring my phone. I jump on the stationary bike with my Kindle Fire and start watching TV. Inevitably I'm struck by an idea, so I whip out my phone and email myself a note. I'm not sure why exercising helps me so much, but it works every time - and it keeps me in shape. A win-win!

3) When I come up with an idea for something to include at some point in the book, I add it to a cleverly named document called "To include at some point." This is basically an eclectic list of bullet points, but it's a great way to make sure those bursts of inspiration don't get lost.

I'm not sure how scientific my approach is, but it works for me!(less)

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What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Maria Murnane I love that my job is to do something that I don't consider "work," and it's great to have my own schedule. I live in New York but most of my family l…moreI love that my job is to do something that I don't consider "work," and it's great to have my own schedule. I live in New York but most of my family lives in California, so I go home quite often to see them as I take my "favorite auntie" title quite seriously. (I'm pretty sure some casual acquaintances in San Francisco don't even realize I moved to the East Coast haha.) I also never have to use an alarm clock to wake up, and I can work out whenever I want. When I had an office job I remember feeling guilty for running to Walgreen's in the middle of the day. Good God,. If I had to go back to that kind of restriction on my time, I would probably quit or get fired the first week. Not joking.

I think my FAVORITE part of being an author is reading all the wonderful emails I get from fans. It makes me so happy each time a reader enjoys one of my books enough to take the time to get in touch with me. Much like the heroine of one of my novels (Cassidy Lane), sometimes when I have a bad day I read fan emails to cheer myself up, and it always does the trick. Reading emails from actual readers reminds me how lucky I am to be in this position. If you've ever emailed me, thank you!! (less)

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Combine Editions
Maria Murnane’s books

Average rating: 3.83 · 18,087 ratings · 1,291 reviews · 17 distinct works • Similar authors

	Perfect on Paper: The Misadventures of Waverly Bryson 3.66 avg rating — 5,256 ratings — published 2008 — 23 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	It's a Waverly Life (The 'Mis'Adventures of Waverly Bryson Book 2) 3.95 avg rating — 2,986 ratings — published 2011 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Honey on Your Mind (Waverly Bryson #3) 3.96 avg rating — 2,841 ratings — published 2012 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Chocolate for Two (Waverly Bryson, #4) 3.97 avg rating — 2,232 ratings — published 2013 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Wait for the Rain 3.76 avg rating — 1,817 ratings — published 2015 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cassidy Lane 3.75 avg rating — 1,304 ratings — published 2014 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Katwalk 3.88 avg rating — 1,216 ratings — published 2014 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Bridges: A Daphne White Novel 4.05 avg rating — 424 ratings — published 2018 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Alles auf eine Karte: Roman by Maria Murnane (Goodreads Author), Ursula C. Sturm (Translator) 3.40 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2011	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Amore su carta da zucchero 3.75 avg rating — 4 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Maria Murnane…

331 posts
Maria Murnane's Blog: http://mariamurnane.com/blog/

Tips for saving money on book marketing

A smart way to encourage influential people to read your book—think bloggers, book club moderators, social media addicts, etc.— is to offer to send them a copy. The cost to you will depend on how aggressive you are in your efforts (I’ve given away hundreds of books over the years), but here are three ways I’ve learned to save money:

Offer to email a digital copy.

If you can get a reviewer to rea

Series by Maria Murnane

Waverly Bryson (4 books)
by

Maria Murnane (Goodreads Author)

3.84 avg rating — 13,315 ratings

Quotes by Maria Murnane (?)

“You know you’re a real grown-up when nothing but Oreos is black and white.”
― Maria Murnane, Perfect on Paper (The

6 likes

“In your life, it shouldn’t matter what anyone else is doing, or what anyone else thinks. You are the only person keeping score of your life. All that should matter to you is what is important to you. If you make major life choices based on what other people expect from you, or what will earn the approval of others, you’ll never be happy.”
― Maria Murnane, Katwalk

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“Everything’s focused on the next step, and before they know it, they’ve spent all their best years always aiming for the future and never really enjoying the present.”
― Maria Murnane, Katwalk

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See all Maria Murnane's quotes »

Topics Mentioning This Author

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The Seasonal Read...: Winter Challenge 2011: Completed Tasks -DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC	2866	790	Feb 29, 2012 09:03PM
The Seasonal Read...: Summer Challenge 2012: Completed Tasks - DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC	2637	934	Aug 31, 2012 09:02PM
Romance Readers R...: Suzanne H's 2012 Reading Lists	11	163	Oct 10, 2012 04:29PM
Delirity: Across the States (12/31/12)	81	39	Dec 31, 2012 11:04AM
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The Seasonal Read...: Completed Tasks: Do Not Delete Posts	2625	600	Aug 31, 2014 08:59PM
Mount TBR 2014 Ch...: Rebecca NJ's Mt. Olympus Road Trip!	17	25	Dec 28, 2014 06:15PM

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Maria’s Quotes

“You know you’re a real grown-up when nothing but Oreos is black and white.”
― Maria Murnane, Perfect on Paper (The

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Maria’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-5) post a comment »

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message 5: by Maria

Sep 11, 2013 10:16AM

I'm so glad to hear that! :)

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message 4: by Maria

Mar 19, 2013 07:36AM

Caroline wrote: "Maria, I am so excited for you! For your newest curious readers: This series is great fun to read and had me splitting in two, the characters were so funny, honest, real, flawed and cherished. Your..."

wow, thank you! :)

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message 3: by Caroline

Mar 18, 2013 10:17PM

Maria, I am so excited for you! For your newest curious readers: This series is great fun to read and had me splitting in two, the characters were so funny, honest, real, flawed and cherished. Your characters are lovable too and I got to know them and enjoy their company. Thank you, keep writing!!!

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message 2: by Maria

Jan 21, 2013 12:12PM

Wow, thanks so much! :)

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message 1: by Sweetdulci

Jan 20, 2013 07:06PM

I absolutely adore these books and the characters. I tore through all three in four days, and I can't wait for more Waverly! Thanks for sharing your talent and wonderful characters with us =)

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