Name:
Mari Collie. That isn’t quite true. That’s my penname. Real name is Marilyn Collier, but anyone can see the correlation.
Title:
Fall and Rise of the Macas
Subtitle:
Fall and Rise of the Macas Book 6 Chronicles of the Maca
Where are you from?
Are you ready for this? I was born on a farm in Iowa on a mattress (covered with oilcloth) that my parents had made. There was no electricity, but there was a bathroom upstairs. Then we moved and that farm had no inside bathroom. Rather than write an epistle, let’s just say I’ve also lived in Phoenix, in Northwest Washington on the bank of the North Fork of the Snoqualmie River, and now in the quirky little city of Twentynine Palms in the high desert of Southern California. The U.S. Postal system refuses to let there be a hyphen in Twenty-nine as is correct for that makes more characters than they allow.
In what genre do you write?
Mostly science fiction, although the first three of the series contained American and world history. The entire series is a family saga. The family just happens to be beings from another planet that produced mixed alien/Earth children with different abilities. My short stories can be anything from science fiction, love stories, even a couple of normal “feel” good stories, mystery, horror, and most have a twisted ending since they sprang from my take on humans and the world.
In your own Words, what is your book about?
The Thalian/Justine mutant, Maca of Don, has cleared his planet Thalia of Justines, Krepyons, and the Sisterhood, but a new aggressor has arisen. The Thalians win the battle against the Draygons and return to a peaceful Thalia. That is when the murders begin. The new Kenning Woman almost dies in the search for the Book of Gar. Each continent of Thalia is ruled by a hereditary Maca of the House. One Maca is accused of the murder and then collapses. The Maca of Ishner is so incompetent, her continent is overrun with the resurgent Sisterhood and verging on chaos. More of the Maca of Don’s Earth family arrives and interrupts the investigation. The Maca of Don takes matters into his own hands and hunts down the murderess. The riots begin on Ishner and a new Maca arises. In short, it is one action scene after another.
What is your writing style?
I sit down at the keyboard and my fingers type the story that is running through my head. I can see the characters, hear them talk, smell them, and I know the color of the clothes they are wearing. I have to keep myself from writing the exciting chapters first as they are much more fun than the needed ones to keep the story moving.
Have you ever written a story and thought, “The world has got to see this?”
Why else would I publish the novels and stories? I want people to enjoy reading them as much as I have enjoyed reading the works of others.
Why else would I publish the novels and stories? I want people to enjoy reading them as much as I have enjoyed reading the works of others.
Do you have an editor or cover designer, or do you do this yourself?
I’ve hired an editor once. Then she found a nine to five job. I go over and over the novels and stories. Creativia does editing and designs the covers. That is why they charge a fee. The fee they charge is smaller than what I would have to pay a cover artist and they do fabulous covers.
Who is your favorite author?
People really don’t understand, but Will and Ariel Durant are my favorite authors. I wanted to be a historian or archaeologist, but my family could not afford to send me to college. I couldn’t even afford to use the two scholarships I did receive. Yes, I still read history and archaeology books.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Yes, the editing. I know what I wanted to write. How could it be wrong? Then there is the research for medical conditions. No problem on the historical research, just understanding the medical and putting that into intelligible form.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Yes, the marketing.
Do you write your characters or do they write themselves through you?
They write themselves.
Do you ever write yourself into one of the characters?
Not really. My stories are far more exciting than my life. Like any author I do take characteristics from people I’ve known. Anna, a character in the first three novels has a personality like my mother’s.
Is writing your full time job or are your keeping your day job?
I did not write to publish until I retired. I had published a short story when I was in my thirties and realized that was not going to pay for an automobile.
If you could go back in time and meet one famous person or legend in history, who would it be?
Martin Luther; the one that nailed the 95 Thesis on the All Saints Church door in Wittenburg.
There are millions of new books released every year. What in your mind makes yours stand out from all those millions in your genre?
I tell a story that draws you in and keeps you there. Then, when you finish, you want to know what happens next.
In the world on the Indie, marketing is very difficult, especially if you don’t have the funds to pay for it. Have you found a great free way to market your work that you think other Indies would benefit from?
Alas, I am clueless when it comes to marketing. I know if I were in a metropolitan area, I would be able to find bookstores that would let me do a reading. This area, however, doesn’t have “new” bookstores, but two of the used bookstores are carrying my works. Like other Indies, I rely on the social media. Creativia does do some of the marketing so that has been a huge help.
You’ll find my book sites here:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/child7mari
Website: http://maricollier.com/
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Mari%20Collier%22?Ntk=P_key_Contributor_List&Ntx=mode%20matchall
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