What would you be
doing right now if you were not an author?
OK, right off the bat
I have to tell you how honest I am. I cannot make things up, yet I write
fiction which is all made up. But when it comes to stuff about me, I just . . .
tell the truth.
I don’t have a pen
name, I use my own photo on web sites and forums, and freely admit that I’m
older than dirt. So, given all this … what would I be doing if I wasn’t
writing? I’d like to say I’d be cleaning closets and swamping out my bathroom
but that would be a lie. Mostly likely, I’d be daydreaming about skiing in the
Alps, riding an Olympic dressage horse, or flying a fighter jet.
Five years ago, what
were you doing?
I was all excited
about flying to London for the launch of my debut women’s fiction,
Beachcombing, published by Macmillan (June, 2009). I grew up in England, so
this was going home … in grand style …
as a published novelist. My friends and family made a big fuss over me; I
swanned around bookshops and libraries and pretended to be a famous author. I
wasn’t, but I had fun anyway.
Do you have a certain
writing ritual?
No. I write when the
muse (or whatever) strikes. Some days I manage a whole bunch of words; other
days, I get nothing written down. Normally, I need perfect quiet at home, but
sometimes I can write a whole load of great stuff while in my daughter’s busy
kitchen with teenage kids and their friends (and dogs and cats) rushing around,
to say nothing of the ducks, chickens, and horses outside that require feeding
and attention.
What has been the
toughest criticism given to you as an author?
As a Brit and an
author of women’s fiction, I admire Joanna Trollope’s books. About eight years
ago I wrote to her (snail mail, to the UK) and asked her to take a look at the
first chapter of the novel I was working on. A month later, she wrote back with
an honest review.
But it wasn’t the
review I’d hoped for. With grace and gentleness, she shredded my work, and she
was absolutely right. I learned a lot, and I am very thankful for it.
Ever fangirled
another author? Who was it?
Jeanne Ray, author of
Julie and Romeo that I found at my library and fell in love with. I then dug up
Jeanne’s phone number on the Internet and called. Her husband answered the
phone, took a message, and Jeanne called me back. We have become good friends.
She stayed with me several years ago while on a book tour in my neck of the
woods. Her daughter is Ann Patchett, author of Bel Canto and owner of Parnassus
Books in Nashville, Tennessee.
Is there an author
you’d like to meet?
Yes, and does it
count that I already met him? If so, it’s Bill Bryson who never fails to make
me laugh. We connected at a local indie bookstore’s event. He’s just as
charming in person as he is in print. I’d also love to meet Lee Child.
Biggest writing pet
peeve.
Oh boy, this one’s a
biggie and it’s GEOGRAPHY. I’m one of those awful readers who keeps an atlas by
her side so that whenever an author cites a real place, I’m on it, immediately.
Get the directions wrong, the orientation to other places, and out the window
your book goes. If, on the other hand, the author creates a fictitious town,
I’m fine with it.
But … much as I adore
Stephen King, I wanted to slam him for the awful map in UNDER THE DOME. I hope
it was his publisher who messed it up, not him, because it didn’t work, no
matter how carefully I followed the roads and paths and directions his
characters took in the story. The map failed. Big time.
Do you read other’s
reviews of your books?
Yes, I read all of
them. The five stars are a big high. They can make one jump off the couch and
twirl around like a crazy person. The others make you think, and while I might
not agree with everything, there is something to be learned in all of them.
FUN FIVE:
Favorite color:
Green … no red. OK,
green and red, but let’s make that a delicate shade of pink and a sage green
and … oh, heck. I love all colors. I’m a gardener and quilter and I have more
flowers and fabric than anyone needs.
Fictional character
you’d like to spend the day with
The Cat in the Hat,
Lilly from Kevin Henke’s Lilly’s Plastic Purse (I’m a big fan of picture
books), and Elephant and Piggy by Mo Willems.
Favorite food
Curry … and sausage
rolls, but not necessarily together (British comfort food).
Favorite song and/or
singer
Anything by Steely
Dan, but in particular, Deacon Blues.
Guilty pleasure
This one’s easy. I
love reading Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books, but I rarely admit it. Oops, I
guess my secret is out. I’ll have to find another.
*********
A time travel
adventure for MG/tween readers (and older ones seem to be enjoying it, too!)
Two girls from two
different centuries and the horse that brings them together.
Teenage equestrian
Samantha DeVries wants to be the first African American to ride in the
Olympics. Her father, a successful trainer, pushes Sam to excel, while Sam’s
academic mother tries to instill a sense of heritage in her headstrong daughter
who’d rather be riding horses than studying history. But Sam’s beliefs and her
carefully constructed world shatter like a jelly jar when she travels through a
time portal and lands in the canopy bed of an 1860s Southern belle.
Even more surprised
by Sam’s unexpected arrival is Caroline Chandler. She’s a tomboy who wears
breeches beneath her crinoline and rides horses bareback, much to the dismay of
her critical mother.
But neither girl has
time to fret over petticoats and prejudice. The Civil War is raging, and soldiers
from both sides are stealing horses. At risk is Pandora, Caroline’s beloved
mare. Without her, Sam’s future Olympic horse, Nugget, might not exist in the
present.
Neither will Sam if
the slave catchers grab her.
* * *
Buy Links for Turning on a Dime:
Amazon US (ebook and print)
Amazon UK (ebook and print)
iTunes
Kobo
B&N (ebook and print)
Goodreads
(Maggie, as a teen, jumping her pony, Smokey,
without a saddle!)
MAGGIE DANA’s first
riding lesson, at the age of five, was less than wonderful. In fact, she hated
it so much, she didn’t try again for another three years. But all it took was
the right instructor and the right horse and she was hooked for life.
Her new riding stable
was slap bang in the middle of Pinewood Studios, home of England’s movie
industry. So while learning to groom horses, clean tack, and muck stalls,
Maggie also got to see the stars in action. Some even spoke to her.
In addition to
writing books for young horse lovers, Maggie also writes women’s fiction, and
her new book, TURNING ON A DIME, is a time travel book for MG/tween readers
about horses, the Civil War, and two girls from two different centuries. Born
and raised near London, Maggie now makes her home on the Connecticut shoreline
where she divides her time between hanging out with the family's horses and
writing her next book in the Timber Ridge Riders series.
* * *
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