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Please introduce yourself, who are you and what do you do?
Thanks so much for this interview! I’m the author of both novels and short stories. I also love traveling and photography.
What first inspired you to start writing?
Literature and writing are something I fell in love with at a very early age. In elementary school, I loved the art of storytelling. In high school, after taking English Literature, Honors English, and Creative Writing classes, I fell head over heels in love with both reading and writing. I was inspired by writers I read in high school. I started to read different types of literature on my own. One of my favorite authors in high school was John Steinbeck. I read everything by Steinbeck that I could possibly find. One of my favorite poets was Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Two of my favorite plays were THE CRUCIBLE by Arthur Miller and THE GLASS MENAGERIE by Tennessee Williams. Every work was so unique and beautifully written, I felt inspired to begin trying my hand at writing in high school.
And what motivates you to keep writing?
Now I’m motivated to keep writing by the experience of beginning to get an idea for a story, having the details take shape in my mind, and then at some point in the actual writing process, a door to an entire world suddenly opens and I get to step inside and finish creating the rest of the story. It’s an exhilarating experience! I’m also motivated to keep writing when I hear from readers that my writing has touched them in some way—that’s incredibly motivating for me.
Which author do you most admire and why?
That’s a tough question because I admire so many authors! I have a great deal of admiration for Hugh Howey. His WOOL series is phenomenal, as is his success in indie publishing. Not only has he succeeded beyond most writers’ wildest dreams, he never forgot his early days as a struggling writer and continues to offer advice and opportunities to other indie authors.
Where do your best ideas come from?
Many of my best ideas come from the news. Destructive world events really get to me and I frequently find myself writing a fictional story based on events in the news.
What unique characteristic do you bring to your stories?
I’d say adding unique fantasy and science fiction twists to real-world events. For example, in response to the near collapse of the worldwide banking system, I wrote a short story titled OCCUPY FAERIE, in which an evil faerie teams up with a corrupt politician and works to undermine the Occupy movement.
What was the last book you enjoyed reading?
Hugh Howey’s WOOL series.
What are you working on at the moment?
I was so fired up reading Hugh Howey’s WOOL series that when I found out Amazon had opened up fan fiction opportunities for the WOOL series, I sketched out an idea for a story, contacted Hugh to ask his permission before proceeding, and am now about three-quarters of the way through writing a story set in the WOOL universe. I’m very excited about this project!
Tell us about your latest release and how we can find out more.
My latest release is SHADE, a Young Adult Mystery novel with Paranormal elements. I’m delighted with how well SHADE has been received. There have been a few times I’ve actually welled up with tears, reading a review in which the reviewer mentioned being deeply affected by the story and the main character, Shade.
Here’s a summary of SHADE:
Thanks to her offbeat mother, Shade’s full name is Galactic Shade Griffin. Having a name like that while being the new girl in school is pretty much catnip for bullies. The summer before Shade’s junior year of high school, her mother breaks up with yet another boyfriend and moves them once again to a new town.
This time, they move into a dilapidated old house where Shade has an entire attic bedroom to herself—at least until she discovers it’s haunted by the ghost of a teenaged boy named Brandon Yates. When Shade’s best friend goes missing, her life becomes even more complicated. With the help of Brandon who’s struggling with his own issues in the world beyond, Shade faces the question of whether or not she has what it takes to become a true hero.
Although this novel deals with a number of serious issues—drug and alcohol abuse, cutting, and disturbing world events—it's primarily a novel about a teenaged girl finding out who she really is and that she's capable of so much more than she ever thought possible.
Here’s the Goodreads page for SHADE:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21941910-shade
And here’s a link to my website:
http://www.marilynpeake.com
Click here to buy Shade from Amazon US / Amazon UK
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