Welcome multi-talented author Marilyn Baron. Marilyn writes suspense/thrillers and comedy.
Marilyn, please tell us about yourself.
I’m a Public Relations consultant
in Atlanta, Georgia, and a member of Georgia Romance Writers. I’ve been writing
since I was in the fourth grade. I have a degree in Journalism from the
University of Florida with a major in Public Relations and a minor in Creative
Writing. I worked in corporate public relations for AT&T and then for a
variety of clients in my own public relations business.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Read. I’m never
without a book. I read while I’m watching TV, standing in line at the post
office, at the doctor’s office, at the dinner table and right before I go to
bed.
What does your family think of your writing?
I think they’re proud
of me. My two daughters are my greatest fans, which I love, because I raised
them to believe they could accomplish anything and they both have fulfilling
careers. One of my sisters always prefaces our telephone conversation with a
warning: “This better not end up in your novel.” The other one, who is my occasional
writing partner, got me a sweatshirt that says, “Careful or you’ll end up in my
novel.”
I have used funny stories my girls have told me in my books so they know
to be careful what they say around me. My husband will only read books about
spies and World War II so I had to write one that was set in World War II
Bermuda so he would read it. It’s called Under
the Moon Gate.
How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
To date, I’ve
published three full-length novels with The Wild Rose Press [Under the Moon Gate, a historical/romantic
thriller set in contemporary and WWII Bermuda; Significant Others, a humorous women’s fiction set at a retirement
home in Boca Raton, Florida; and Sixth
Sense, a psychic suspense novel, Book I of the Psychic Crystal Mystery
series]. The Wild Rose Press [TWRP] has also published the prequel to Under the Moon Gate, called Destiny: A Bermuda Love Story. I’m now in edits with TWRP on the second in
the Psychic Crystal Mystery series called “Homecoming Homicides,” which will
come out in 2014. I’m working on Book III of the series and a new women’s
fiction, which I’m excited about.
My sister Sharon, a Florida
artist, and I have coauthored a short comedic mystery called Murder at the Outlet Mall (Things get
deadly when three women come to blows over a single Coach bag at the St.
Augustine Premium Outlets®); a
humorous women’s fiction with elements of murder, mystery and romance, also set
in Florida, called The Edger; and
we’ve just released a new musical called Memory
Lane about Alzheimer’s that takes a light-hearted, but poignant, look at
this global epidemic.
In addition, I’ve published four
humorous supernatural e-short stories with TWB press about angels and devils,
love and death, weddings and funerals. Happy endings
guaranteed. So far, my favorite novel is Under the Moon Gate. I also love Significant Others, which is a great holiday story.
Where do you start when writing? Research, plotting, outline, or...?
I always start with a title that I love, write the back cover blurb or develop
the concept, then start naming the characters. At that point, I start writing.
I don’t plot, although my novels are plot driven. I’m pretty much of a pantser.
If you could give the younger version of yourself advice what would it
be?
Finish the book. Learn your craft. Join a writing organization. Submit.
Don’t ever give up on your dream.
What are some jobs you’ve done that would end up in a book?
I was
an Information Specialist for the Florida Department of Offender Rehabilitation
for a year. Basically I did PR for the state prison system. My first day on the
job four inmates escaped from a women’s correctional institution. We had so
many inmates in the state we had to house them in tents in a “tent city.” Also,
I was a reservationist at the Downingtown Inn in Pennsylvania for the summer,
which was just like living the movie Dirty
Dancing.
What two authors would we find you reading when taking a break from
your own writing?
I read so many authors and genres, that’s a difficult
question. In romance, I love anything by Nora Roberts, Amanda Quick or Sandra
Brown. In the international thriller and espionage genre, I love Daniel Silva,
Ben Coes and the late Vince Flynn. One of my favorites was The Book Thief, a young adult book, which was brilliant. And
another YA book, The Fault in our Stars.
Both are being made into movies.
Tell us about your latest book.
My latest book is called Sixth Sense. It’s considered a psychic
suspense but it’s really a romantic suspense with paranormal elements. Book I
in the series—called the Psychic Crystal Mysteries—deals with serial killers
and a secret society of psychics, but it has romance and humor, which all of my
books have. It is set in Atlanta, Sydney, Australia, and a fictional seaside
community of psychics in Florida called Casa Spirito.
Blurb for Significant Others
For Honey Palladino, the holidays have lost their magic. She is sure her
husband is cheating on her. Her daughter plans to spend the time with a friend.
Her widowed mother sees the image of Jesus in a live oak tree. As if that’s not
enough, her mother is also talking about going on a Christmas cruise with some
old geezer, without benefit of marriage. That would be right after she signs
away the family business—the real estate agency Honey’s father built into a
company worth millions, the job to which Honey has devoted her life.
At her mother’s condo in Boca Raton, Florida, many have recently lost a
spouse and are now with “significant others,” and Honey is intrigued by the
promise of new love even at an old age, but doubts she’ll ever find another
significant other after her inevitable divorce. When her mother reunites with a
lost love from years before, Honey is completely undone, but the “Jesus tree”
puts into motion a series of holiday miracles. Discovering what’s important in
life brings a message of hope for lovers of all ages.
Excerpt from Significant Others
“So, Mom,” I began casually,
wondering how I would approach her, before I gave up the pretense of delicacy
and succumbed to my habit of hurtling right to the point. “Donny says you saw
Jesus in a live oak tree on the golf course at Millennium Gardens.”
“That’s right,” she answered, as
if seeing Jesus was a normal, everyday occurrence. “I called Mrs. Kane from
401—she’s Catholic—and she came down to see it. She couldn’t actually see
Jesus, but she said it reminded her of the time she saw the Shroud of Turin. Then
she turned to me, crossed herself, and whispered, ‘Oh, Dee Dee, this is very
important. You’re blessed.’ “Mrs. Kane thinks I should take a picture and sell
it on eBay, like that woman who saw an image of The Virgin Mary on a potato
chip, but I want to keep it quiet,” my mother whispered into the telephone.
“Well, then maybe you shouldn’t
have told the town crier,” I couldn’t help pointing out.
“She promised not to tell
anyone.”
“Let’s hope she doesn’t. You
shouldn’t be spreading this around.” Until you’ve had a thorough
psychiatric
workup.
“Mrs. Rubin in 415 thinks the face in
the tree looks more like a bearded rabbi carrying a Torah.”
Oh, so it was a
non-denominational holy tree.
“Honey, did I mention that two of
the tree branches overlap in the shape of a cross?”
“No, I don’t think so,” I said
evenly. The situation was even worse than I thought. My mother was either going
to have to convert or be institutionalized.
“If people find out, they’re
going to be flocking here, especially at Christmastime,” my mother added. “I don’t
want to start a riot or turn Millennium Gardens into a circus.”
Too late, Mom,
it already is a circus.
In case you didn’t know,
Millennium Gardens got its name from the approximate age of its 15,000
residents. Gardens was really a misnomer. Other than some broad-based palms scattered
around the complex like an afterthought, the sparse pink hibiscus bushes and
some less spectacular landscaping, the complex seemed more guard-like than garden-like.
Practically every city in South Florida had its own version of Millennium
Gardens. When my mother first saw the condo, she referred to the complex as
“the barracks” because of its “Early American Army” architecture and the
cookie-cutter four-story tan stucco and concrete block structures that
stretched into infinity. Since then, she and “the barracks” had come to terms
with one another. But it was still a love-hate relationship.
Significant Others is available at:
One last question, Marilyn. Where can readers find you?
Thanks for being here, Marilyn. It's been great getting to know more about you.
