Interview Marilyn Gardiner

by

J. D. Webb

1) First, tell us bit about yourself.

Reading, writing and music are my passions. I’ve been married most of my life to the same man, have two grown daughters and a number of brilliant, beautiful and beloved grandchildren.

2) This is your eighth novel with Wings. Is this a sequel to any of your previous works?

Yes, Window On Windemere is Book Two of a three-book series.

3) What genre is this book? It seems to have a paranormal slant. Is that how you would categorize it?

Actually, Book One, Dancing Ladies, is an old-fashioned ghost story--clearly a paranormal romance. The log line for Window On Windemere reads: “Zoe realizes her husband is either setting her up for committal or planning murder. She turns to childhood friend, Wiley, for help.” The book is classified as Romantic Suspense.

4) What drew you to write this book? Was it something you have had in mind for a while or just a new novel that evolved quickly?

While watching an old, late-night suspense movie I began wondering what it would be like to suspect your own husband of trying to drive you crazy. The idea took off on its own and I couldn’t get it out of my mind, so I had to write the story.

5) Are your characters based upon real people or do they just develop as you write?

I may occasionally pattern a character from a single characteristic of someone I know, but I am very careful not to draw him/her completely from a real live person.

6) Do you do any other writing besides novels?

I’ve been writing and selling short material for a long time. I’ve sold poetry, short stories and articles to newspapers, magazines, and religious publications of all kinds. I’ve sold everything from stories for very young children to senior citizen love stories. I’ve written newsletters, booklets of daily meditations, and Bible studies. You name it and I’ve written it.

7) Can you give us a glimpse of how you put a novel together? Do you come up with a story first or the characters?

Since I write primarily from character development, I begin with a character. I always know how the story will begin and how it will end (although that has occasionally been known to change), but I don’t have a clue as to how I’ll get from point A to point Z. The characters themselves tell me their stories as I go.

8) Is there a genre you secretly have a desire to write, but haven’t yet?

Well, I’ve already written it, but haven’t marketed it anywhere. It’s a protest novel about a mining incident in West Virginia and what happens after the dust settles--and/or the flood to dry out the area--to the families of those who were directly involved. It’s a serious novel about a serious problem. It’s also a love story between a husband and a wife who thought they had the perfect marriage and discover a deep crevasse that appears to be too wide to bridge.

9) What is a typical writing day for you? Do you have a set time to write?

Normally I’m at the computer between 4:00 and 4:30 am. At 7:30 I break and go to my aerobic swim group, and then I’m back at the computer until roughly noon. I do whatever rewrite is necessary after dinner in the evening. I put out at least a chapter a week when I’m working on a novel.

10) Will you give us a sneak peak at your work-in-progress? What's next?

Ah… I don’t know. I’ve just barely finished first draft of the third book in the series. It’s called Banjo Eyes. Again, it’s romantic suspense. I’m into rewrite at the moment and toying with possibly making my three-book series into a four-book series. There is a fourth friend: Zoe, Bree, Lily and Kate--and I haven’t yet written Bree’s story. If I go ahead with the book, it will be a Christmas story. In the past I’ve written and published a ton of short Christmas stories, but not a novel. But I also have two other ideas that I’d like to explore, and I need to decide what to do with the West Virginia story. And I have two short pieces to polish up and send out into the world. Add to that the fact that my office is a wreck--I feel as if the piles of paper are going to cave in on me at any moment--and I desperately need space to dig through the rubble. There just isn’t enough time!!!