Welcome Penelope Marzec

It’s time to interview another author friend. Today we have Penelope Marzec. How did you get started in writing?

I got started writing one summer when I was nine years old. I had an idea for a story in which the young heroine could fly. I wrote out my tale in green ink on a yellow legal pad and drew the illustrations. It was so much fun to make my own book. I loved the process. Still, I knew the book I made wasn’t good enough to become a real book. But I vowed to myself that someday I would get a book published.

I continued to scribble down ideas but never became truly serious about writing until the age of forty loomed on the horizon. At that point, I decided to get to work. Still, it took many years for me to become a genuine published author. In the meantime, I read plenty of books about writing and joined the NJ Romance Writers. Most of all, I kept writing until finally I got a contract for Sea of Hope. It won an award and I was overjoyed. Then I continued to write, one book after another because writing is fun.

I love how you continued to work at it. Tell us about your recent release.

THE KEEPER’S SECRET is set in Shucker’ s Point, New Jersey, where there has never been a murder until now. Jack St. Marie, a well-known research scientist is missing, and Trooper Bryce Johnson believes the worst of Jack’ s wife, Evie.

In high school, Bryce loved Evie–enough to want to marry her, but that was before he witnessed her phone in a bogus bomb scare. And only two months before Jack disappeared, Bryce saw Evie aiming a gun at her husband. Can Bryce believe in Evie’s innocence when her husband’ s body is found in a fishing dredge twenty miles out at sea? Could the most beautiful woman in Shucker’ s Point be capable of such a heinous crime? He doesn’t want to believe it.

Bryce refuses to let his heart guide the investigation…until someone shoots at Evie. Then he must protect her. But can he protect his heart?

One idea for THE KEEPER’S SECRET came from a visit I made to a clam festival in southwestern NJ many years ago. The town had set up the easels on a bridge over the marsh, providing watercolor and brushes for anyone who wanted to try their hand at making a painting the scene. I thought it was great fun even though the vista was mostly sky, mud, a little water, and lots of grass. Of course, there was the aroma of the marsh, too. Since I grew up near a marsh, I don’t mind that odor at all. The festival did not include a ferris wheel but it did have a boat show, and lots of seafood. There was also a giant frog. It was a wonderful adventure.

That’s neat. What do you enjoy most about the writing process?

I like making up the story, putting together a very simple outline, a calendar, delving into whatever research I need, naming all the characters, and then sitting down to type out the whole thing. It’s the most fun when I get into the flow state and while that doesn’t happen all the time, it does when the writing is going well.  Then I’ll close my eyes and simply type out what I envision in my mind. It’s quite delightful. But I like the editing part, too. Editing makes the story so much better.

Chuckle. I’m not crazy about the editing part. What is your least favorite aspect of writing?

For me, the most difficult part of writing is marketing. It is a constant chore, but it is necessary due to the considerable amount of competition. However, it takes time—lots of time. I bought a subscription to Canva to help me in making up my own ads but most folks are so used to ads that the minute they see one, they keep scrolling. I’ve found the most reliable way to sell books is to buy an ad at a book promotion site, like Ereader News Today or the Fussy Librarian, but there is no guarantee that I will make up the price of the ad in royalties.

Then there’s the newsletter, another time-consuming task along with all the social media posts. The nicest thing about being part of a publishing group is when all the other authors pitch in to help with marketing. We review each other’s books. We offer to blog about fellow authors and repost or share about their books on social media. To me, writing is fun but marketing is work but I am grateful to everyone who helps.

I can relate. Do you have a favorite setting for your books?

 New Jersey is one of my favorite settings for my books. I’ve lived in this state all my life. Aside from the beaches, which are beautiful, the Pine Barrens is a fascinating part of the state. I used the Pine Barrens as a setting for part of Angel of the L Train. However, in that book I also used New York as a setting. After all, New York isn’t far away and while I am not a fan of urban living, it is exciting to ride the NY subway and to see the museums.

I have traveled to other states and other countries though. I spent six weeks in Florence, Italy, once and I fell in love with that city. So, who knows? One of these days I may make use of an entirely different country for one of my books.

Wow! That’s exciting. Where can readers find you online?

 I have a website at www.penelopemarzec.com

I also have a blog at https://penelopemarzec.blogspot.com

I have a fan page at Facebook https://www.facebook.com/penelopemarzecbooks/

Twitter at https://twitter.com/penelopemarzec

Then there’s Instagram at  https://www.instagram.com/marzecpenelope/

Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/penelopemarzec/