This week I am excited to introduce everyone to Marianne Jones. Marianne is a Canadian children's author with a few titles written. This is the first time Marianne has been on Genuine Jenn, welcome Marianne!
Tell us a little bit about your book(s) and yourself.
I’m a wife, mother and grandmother of two
darling wee girls. I’m also a retired teacher and children’s choir director, an
actor, playwright and director. I’ve written a collection of poetry, called Here, on the Ground, which was a winner
in The Word Guild’s 2011 Writing Awards, The
Land of Mogan, a fantasy novel for young readers, The Serenity Stone Murder, a mystery set in Thunder Bay, and Great-Grandma’s Gifts, my first picture book, which I wrote for my
grandchildren about my Mom, who passed away at Easter.
When was your first
book published?
I self-published The Land
of Mogan in 1998. I used to read it to my grade four students. It’s great
fun when they come up to me as young adults now and remind me of that. It’s
nice to know that is one of their pleasant memories of elementary school.
Are you currently
working on anything?
I am working on several books, but the main one is
tentatively called The Girl Who Wouldn’t
Die. It’s an as-told-to account from a survivor of horrific abuse, who is
now a speaker for the Canadian Mental Health Association. It’s amazing how much
she went through, and inspiring to see how she has triumphed over it all.
Why did you decide to
become an Author?
When I was ten or eleven (I think.) I loved reading, and
devoured books voraciously. I also wrote poetry, and spent considerable thought
over crafting them and trying to choose the exact right words. One day it
occurred to me in one of those “moments of truth” that I wanted to spend my
life creating the things that gave me so much joy. From that moment, I knew my
path.
Who and what inspired
you to write?
The magic of books themselves inspired me, and my own love of
words, their beauty and what they could do. But that love was nurtured by my
mother, who also loved to read and was very happy that I had chosen writing as
my vocation.
When you are writing
to you like to listen to music? What is on your playlist?
I actually don’t. I
love music, but it distracts me. I’m likely to start singing along! I need
quiet and solitude to concentrate. I love Paul Simon, and all the classics from
the 60s. I don’t keep current.
Who is your favorite
character in your books?
That’s hard to answer. Each book is like a good
friend. Why play favourites among your friends? But I like Emily in Emily of
New Moon by L.M. Montgomery.
Do you ever take
characteristics or nuances from close friends or family when working on character
development and if so has that friend or family member noticed and what was
their response to it?
In The Serenity
Stone Murder, the protagonist has a personality similar to mine. The other
characters don’t particularly remind me of anyone I know. In a novel I’m
working on, the characters do bear some resemblance to certain family members,
but I don’t think they’ll mind. I guess I’ll find out!
What is your favorite
book of all time?
The Idiot, by
Doestoevsky. I love everything of his.
Tell us in one
sentence why we should read your books.
My writing is lively and humorous, very accessible, with underlying meaning and
love.
List your books that
are available.
Here, on the Ground, The
Land of Mogan, Great-Grandma’s Gifts, and The Serenity Stone Murder.
Where can people
connect with you?
Giveaway Time! Marianne would like to offer one lucky Genuine Jenn reader a Great-Grandma's Gift prize pack!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Genuine Jenn. All opinions are honest and my own.*~
hello, it was nice to learn about you above.
ReplyDeleteThank you tanya! Sorry to be so slow in responding. I haven't been checking these blogs for some time (obviously.) It's so good to know you enjoyed it.
DeleteHi! I can't wait to read your books! You have an interesting variety of writing genres. I live in T.Bay, so it will be very interesting to recognize local landmarks in your book, Serenity Stone Murder.
ReplyDeleteOf course, my favourite time will be reading Great-Grandma's Gifts to my grand-daughter.
:o)
Hi pippirose! Another Thunder Bayite! Yay! Thank you for your interest.I hope your granddaughter enjoyed Great-Grandma's Gifts. I hope we meet sometime.
DeleteHi, what's your favourite book to read to your grandchildren?
ReplyDeleteHi Kayla,
DeleteAt this point, whatever my grandchildren pick! They are one and a half and three and a half. They have stacks and stacks of books, and are very strong-minded about what they want to hear. I look forward to the day I will be able to read fairy tales to them.
Looking forward to reading one of your stories to my three year old :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cheryl! My older granddaughter is three and a half. She likes Great-Grandma's Gifts, and I have a sequel to that, Where is Peachy Keen? slated to be published this spring. I hope your three-year-old enjoys the stories.
DeleteDidn't know about you before. I'd love to read your book aloud to my future children
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I loved reading to my children, and now my daughter loves reading to hers. What a gift to give your children--the memories of storytime and the lifelong love of reading!
Delete