Name of Author: Mary Ann Giasson (AutumnJewel)
Title of Book: Drawn to Troubled Waters
Favorite Authors: Barbara Michaels, Nora Roberts, Madeline L'Engle and my absolute favorite book: The Otherwise Girl was written by Keith Claire.
Bio:
I grew up on the Coast of Maine where I was either reading or writing. I have a B.S. in Education from University of Maine Farmington but spent most of my younger years working with the public at various jobs that range from a restaurant to my absolute favorite working at a bookstore! I'm still here on the coast and an currently working at a local high school as an education technician. I wrote my first full length novel in high school and another one in college. I think of them as practicing for the 'big one.' I have a few others in various stages. The other big passion in my life is theatre and it has a tendency to creep into a lot of my writing. I'm married and have a blossoming teenage daughter who will soon be out and leaving her own footprints on the world.
Can you explain what your book is all about?
Roberta is afraid of bridges. She has no fear of water, just those structures that arc gracefully over bodies of water. The artist in her is drawn to their loveliness. She sketches from afar. Until the day a mysterious benefactor entices her to Money, Mississippi. There's a bridge waiting for Roberta to sketch. What she finds on the quiet banks of the river just might answer the ever burning question: why bridges?
Who is your target audience - and why?
I guess if I had to pinpoint my target audience it would be women between the ages of 15 to 25. My characters tend to be in their mid to late twenties and so their experiences are going to resound with this audience. What is 'paranormal' about your story? (Guidance - creatures, experiences, setting etc) I'm not sure if this is your typical 'paranormal' story but it has some elements that I consider to be 'otherworldly.' My main character is haunted by dreams that connect her with a different time and a different place.
Does it contain other genre elements, if so which ones - and why?
I think more than a paranormal story this is a love story. Why? Because I'm a hopeless romantic and I believe in the possibilities of happily ever after.
Tell us about your writing process - how do you get from story idea to a Wattpad published story?
Well, I'm what is lovingly referred to as a pantser. I've tried to work with an outline and plans but they just don't seem to work out. So now I embrace just creating as I go- there's lot of surprises that way. I have a writing group that meets each week and they were a big help in the editing process. As for inspiration- this one came from a song that has intrigued me since I first heard it as a child.
Did you encounter any challenges when writing, if so - how did you overcome them?
I confess to being horrible with tenses. I've gotten better but it's still something I struggle with. I thank my writing group for all the help with all the grammar edits! I did run into a few plot problems but that's what re-writes are for, right? You often hear that 'writing well' is the baseline for success. What does that mean for you? I think that especially in this day and age of multi-media we do a lot more communicating through our writing. To be able to convey our ideas we need a set of tools that allow us to be flexible in how we write. I'm not sure that "writing well" is as important as being able know when and where to use our different tools. Writing a novel is a lot different than writing a company manual.
You often hear that 'writing well' is the baseline for success. What does that mean for you?
I think that especially in this day and age of multi-media we do a lot more communicating through our writing. To be able to convey our ideas we need a set of tools that allow us to be flexible in how we write. I'm not sure that "writing well" is as important as being able know when and where to use our different tools. Writing a novel is a lot different than writing a company manual.
One final question, this being the Paranormal genre: Have you ever had a paranormal experience?
I've never seen a ghost but I certainly believe they're out there. I have gone into places that just give off a certain vibe but no sightings yet.
