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Monday, July 29, 2013

Write it Right--Tips for Authors




A native of Walnut Grove, in California’s Sacramento River Delta, Mary Deal has lived in England, the Caribbean, and now resides in Kapa`a, Kauai, Hawaii.
Mary is an award-winning author of 10 books and also a Pushcart Prize nominee. She is a newspaper columnist and Associate and Contributing Editor of a magazine. Additionally, she is an oil painter and photographer and maintains two online galleries, http://www.marydealfineart.com and http://www.islandimagegallery.com.
Learn more about Mary and read short stories and novel excerpts, and watch video trailers for each of her books in the Video Theatre on her Web site: http://www.writeanygenre.com.
             I am also honored to call her a friend. Welcome back, Mary.

Thank you so much, Susan.

Tell everyone how many books you've written.

Ten published, with 5-6 more still waiting for final polish or re-editing. Of the 10 published, 6 are suspense/thrillers. One is a collection of zany short stories and flash fiction. Two others are references for authors. This last one is also a writer’s reference.


Give a short synopsis of your most recently published book.

I’ve just published another writing reference. I’ve taken the two smaller Write It Right – Tips for Authors eBooks and turned it into one 362 page paperback. In doing so, I’ve fleshed out some of the articles and added other bits of information as well. The title of the paperback is Write It Right – Tips for Authors – The Big Book.     


Author Gary Val Tenuta has this to say:

When it comes to an expert writing about writing, Mary Deal, editor and award-winning author of several suspense novels, has extensive knowledge about the craft. Fortunately for the rest of us, she’s willing to share her expertise, which includes demystifying the mysteries of how to get your work published. I whole-heartedly recommend her resourceful guides, Write It Right – Tips for Authors, for authors serious about their work and the craft of writing in general.
~ Gary Val Tenuta, Author, Artist, Book Cover Designer

Yes, I've had Gary over on the blog a couple of times.

What challenges did you face while writing this book?

If anyone writes about grammar and hopes to sell it to writers, authors and just anyone, the rules of grammar must be quoted correctly. Too, the grammar used by the creator of such a book needs to be correct too. You can bet I did a lot of research and backed up my statements and instruction with references to other major sources, like the Chicago Manual of Style. While most people shy away from that mega-source book, when they find something to solve their writing problems in my book, they will see it is backed by other sources standard in the industry.


Can you tell us your future writing goals/projects?

I have 4-6 books in progress, at different stages. Several of those are nonfiction. One of them is the 2nd exciting sequel to River Bones, A Sara Mason Mystery. I’m excited about that but have so many published books to promote right now, and convert to either paperback or eBook, that it will delay me producing anything new for a while.


Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

My mega-website, http://www.writeanygenre.com has been called a major resource for writers. Additionally, information about my own books can be found there too.


Are your books available in print and eBook formats? (please provide the buy link for easy reader accessibility)

The 1st mystery is out of print; 4 of the remaining 5 are in both eBook and paperback at Amazon  and Smashwords. The 6th and 7th, The Howling Cliffs and Off Center in the Attic, are in eBook format and going to paperback sometime this year. The 2 smaller Write It Right volumes are in eBook, with the combo book already in paperback and may also go to eBook soon. Whew!

My books can be purchased at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Deal/e/B0035B02X6/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1342115321&sr=1-2-ent

and Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/MaryDeal

 It you haven't read any of Mary's books, please do. Start with Tips if you're a writer. For readers, I recommend that you start with River Bones, a great read.

5 comments:

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I need to pick up her book, as grammar is not my strong suit. (I'm not afraid to use the Chicago Manual of Style, either.)

Mary Deal said...

Susan, your blog is always beautiful as well as informative. Thank you for having me as a guest.

Mary Deal said...

L. Diane, thank you for stopping by. A local friend who's always wanted to write but knew little about grammar and such, said Write it Right - Tips for Authors - The Big Book is easy to understand. Grammar always scared her. If you're familiar with The Chicago Manual of Style, you'll will understand everything I've put into my book.

Susan Whitfield said...

It's always a pleasure, my friend.

Mary Deal said...

Susan, I've never had a blog, only my website and the announcement blog connected to it - which isn't anything like this. You make me want to have a blog as well. It's a wonderful tool to help other writers, which is what my website does too.