Maryann Miller has had success as a journalist, a playwright, a novelist, an on-line newspaper editor, and more.   Currently, it’s her series about two female detectives from Dallas that is getting five-star reviews and some serious notice.  Today, we get to interview her.

Jim:  You told stories to your sister when you were young, but didn’t see yourself becoming a writer.  When did you decide to be a writer?

Maryann:  Before I answer this first question, I want to thank you for hosting me here, Jim. I am thrilled to be here. As to when I decided to be a writer, I always did want to write stories and books. I made that decision when I was about ten and had just finished reading a book that touched me deeply. That dream was discouraged when I was in college, and a professor suggested that I take up basket weaving as a creative outlet. I could not seem to please my literature teacher with the papers I wrote. Turns out he hated Steinbeck and Hemmingway and I loved their work. The first paper I wrote on James Joyce garnered my first A.

Jim:  So much for a professor’s advice. You’ve been a journalist, novelist, screen writer, Managing Editor, free-lance editor.  Which is your favorite, and why?

Maryann:  It’s hard to pick a favorite as they are all rewarding in their own way. That said, I think I prefer fiction in all its forms to non-fiction. Most of my early career was spent with nonfiction work, as well as public relations, because that paid a few more bills than the occasional sale of a short story. The concept of the starving artist is alive and well, and I only moved into writing primarily fiction when my novels started doing well.

Jim:  I completely understand you early career.  Mine was in mathematics. But before we leave non-fiction, your book Coping With Weapons and Violence in School and on Your Streets may have been written in 1995, but is certainly topical today.  Any plans to reissue it or revise it?

Maryann:  Sadly, this is a topic that continues to be relevant. I have not talked to the publisher about doing a revision. It has gone through two already, and I don’t know if they are thinking of another or not.  Quite honestly, I have been so busy with my new mystery series, I don’t know where this would fit into my schedule.

Jim:  You’ve done so much, I hardly know which way to turn.  I know you were a semi-finalist at the Sundance Institute for your screenplay A Question of Honor.  Did you continue to work on screenplays after that?

Maryann:  I’ve written a number of screenplays since then. Some are my own, and others I wrote with a producer/director in New York.  He has also hired me to do script doctoring for one of his original scripts that may soon come to theatres. My script adaptation of Open Season, was a semi-finalist in the Chesterfield competition, and I keep hoping one of the production companies that have inquired about film rights might come back with a real offer.

Jim:  You’ve won many other awards.  Which is your favorite and why?

Maryann:  There are two awards that mean a lot to me. The first is the Scholastic Writing Award I won when I was 12 for a short story. The contest was sponsored by the Detroit News and the awards were given out at a beautiful old theatre in downtown Detroit. The Fisher Theatre had red velvet curtains and lots of gold gilding on the cornices and fancy lights along the walls. It was like a palace to a poor kid from the wrong side of the tracks, and I felt like a princess when I was called to the stage to get my award. The other award that is so special is the Page Edwards Short Story Award. I received that one in 2004 for a short story that is included in my small collection, The Wisdom of Ages. Maybe Someday was a special gift from my muse that came to me as a whole piece in one sitting. As you well know, that doesn’t happen very often. Most good stories are rewritten several times to get them just right.

Jim:  Moving on to your current work, Publishers Weekly had, in part, this to say in a starred review about you latest, Stalking Season.   “ . . . gripping second mystery featuring Dallas, Tex., police detectives Sarah Kingsly and Angel Johnson. . . . The relationship between the women is just as absorbing as the search for the killer. Few readers will anticipate the closing twist.”  Wow!  Do you want to tell us anything else about the book, besides where to buy it?

Maryann:  It is such a thrill to have received that review. I can remember being so excited to read something similar for one of my favorite authors, and to have that for my work just blows me away. The mystery series has been described as “Lethal Weapon” set in Dallas with female leads, and that is an apt description. The two central characters have issues with the partnership that flavor the relationship in interesting ways.  My publisher markets heavily to libraries, so people can request that their local library order it. It is also available via most bookstores by special order. Anyone who would like a signed copy can contact me at: maryann@maryannwrites.com  and I will be happy to make arrangements for them to purchase direct.

Jim:  Of course, the first in the series was Open Season.  Will there is a third?  Fourth?

Maryann:  As soon as I finish the history book I’ve been working on, I will get back to the third book in the series. I have a number of other story ideas outlined, so I will write in the series as long as the characters keep talking to me and stay fresh and interesting.

Jim:  I forgot to mention you are the Theatre Director at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts.  But, you also act. Where do those fit in?  One of your favorites? Or just a hobby?

Maryann:  Oh my gosh, I have been bitten by the acting bug big time. I’d always worked as a director, but did not get on stage until just a few years ago. Something about it always scared me, but once I did it the first time, I was hooked. My biggest thrill was playing Martha in “Arsenic and Old Lace”.  That has always been a favorite show, and I had so much fun working with a terrific cast. Being involved in theatre is a real passion for me, and I find that it compliments the creativity of writing quite well.  I also love working with the Young Players and watching them blossom as performers. One young man was recently named the Best Actor by the County Line Magazine. I’d like to say I was solely responsible for his honor, but he is simply a talented young man.

Jim: And I’m exhausted just hearing  all you’ve done.   But, before we close, give our writers who have not been as successful as you one good piece of advice.

Maryann:  Write, write, write. Read, read, read, then write some more. Seriously, nothing is better for a writer than to read a wide variety of books and absorb good writing. I can see in my own work a steady improvement from the earliest stories to present ones, and I think that is true for most of us. We can’t help but get better the more we write, and nothing sells like a well-crafted story. Some people with great marketing skills can make a big splash with a book, but if subsequent books don’t measure up, they fizzle.

Jim:  Well, if that doesn’t inspire you readers, nothing will.  Get busy and write.  If you want additional information on this very and multi talented writer, here’s some links.  And do leave her a comment – even a short one.  Thanks.

Website:  http://www.maryannwrites.com

e-mail:  mcm0704@peoplescom.net<mcm0704@peoplescom.net

Maryann’s books on Amazon:  http://amzn.to/UBJIub