MARY ADAIR SHARES HER PASSION



Mary Adair

 Today I’m happy to welcome my first ever critique partner, Mary Alice Adair. We joined Romance Writers of America and a local Fort Worth chapter at the same time. Each of us had a burning desire to create stories and have them turned into published books, but didn't know the first thing about technique, craft, character arc, yada yada. We still do have that fire to create books! Hopefully, we have each improved our craft along the way. Mary writes Native American historical romance, much based on family research that includes both Cherokee and English ancestry.

Much to my sorrow, Mary moved from my area to Eastern Oklahoma. Selfish of me to wish her still here, because she and her husband live in a cottage on the side of a beautiful mountain forest where they have dogs, chickens, and a menagerie of animals. Mary is a skilled medical technologist who works as radiologist at the local hospital. She has regained the rights to her first two books and published them on Kindle. She'd like to tell you about them today. Introducing you to my friend, Mary Adair is my pleasure.



Caroline: Readers love to get to know authors. Please tell us about growing up.


Mary: I was actually raised by foster parents. My first set, the only parents I called Mommy and Daddy, raised me from the age of about 18months to 8 years old. Mommy was a full blood Native American, and Daddy was Chief of Police in the small town where we lived. When I was 8 years old, Mommy died from cancer. Daddy died from a broken heart the next year. I actually found out not too many years ago that Mommy was related to me, though I don’t know how and no one is living now that can tell me.


After my parents died I went to live with Mommy’s grown up and married son, Gary, his beautiful wife and their two younger girls. I grew up in a rural area just outside of the little town where Mommy, Daddy, and I had lived. When I wasn’t enjoying playing with my two younger sisters, I was riding my horse. I stayed in this family until I grew up and married my very own Prince Charming.


Caroline: When you’re not writing, what’s your favorite way to relax and recharge?

Woods near Mary

Mary: I love to read and I love movies. I also enjoy walking in the woods, so I guess it is a good thing I live in the country.


Caroline: I love country life, too. Would you like to share any guilty pleasures that feed your muse?


Mary: I don’t think this would fall under “guilty,” but I love to sit on the porch with my husband and just talk about my stories, the characters, and my plot. He has such an imagination and it always amazes me how much history he knows. On second thought, maybe I should feel guilty. My husband is wonderfully patient with the time I spend with my characters.


Caroline: How long have you been writing?


Mary: I think my joy of writing started when I was very young. I remember writing little stories and reading them to Mommy. She always made a big deal of each story. When I went to live with Gary, I would write stories for the girls.


Caroline: Where do you prefer to write? Do you need quiet, music, solitude? PC or laptop?


Mary: I do not need music, quite or solitude, though all those are nice. When I’m planning a book, I write on paper napkins, gum wrappers, the edge of a newspaper, the palm of my hand, any surface I can find. This all while sitting in a movie, eating at a restaurant, or pretending to be listening or paying attention to whatever I am supposed to be doing at the time. I use both a PC and laptop.


Caroline: Are you a plotter or a panzer?


Mary: Great question! I love to plot, but it has to work with my title, which I choose first. Then of course, there are those many wonderful scenes that came to me while standing in the grocery check out or while I was feeding the chickens or pretending to listen to the news. Of course, none of them work with the plot, so you just have to change it or add to it. I think that makes me a plotting panzer.


Caroline: I think they call that being a plotzer. I have been so impressed with the details of your research. Tell us about the research you did for this series. Do you use real events or persons in your stories or as an inspiration for stories?


Mary: I love to write stories that are historically correct. My first book was very loosely based on an ancestor of my husband’s. Some of the things I read about him would put Indiana Jones to shame! When I wrote about my main female character, I thought about my biological sister and how I think she would react or what she would do in that spot. I knew my sister growing up, but we were not raised together and did not see each other often. After we grew up, we have made it a point to get to know each other. She has told me a lot about her life when we were apart, and I can see how she has become the brave and self-reliant person that she is. I wanted New Moon to have her spirit and her beauty. I also looked back at the love shared by my Mommy and Daddy and drew on that as well. Oh my, does all this make me a romantic plotting panzer?


Caroline: What do you hope your writing brings to readers?


Mary: Shear enjoyment. I want to bring joy, excitement, a bit of fantasy, adventure, mystery and always a happy ending.


Caroline: What long-term plans do you have for your career?


Mary: I plan to create and tell stories for as long as I live. It would be nice if everyone that read one of my books enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it, but even if not everyone enjoys my books, I will still keep writing.


Caroline: Me, too. I think I’ll have to live to be 200 years old to get all my current ideas written. Would you like to tell us what you’re working on now?

Artist's rendition of a Cherokee
village like the one in PASSION'S VISION

Mary: I am working on book three of the Passion series as well as a Fantasy Adventure. There is also an inspirational story tugging at my heartstrings, so I may have to bring it up on the list.


Carolyn: What advice would you give to unpublished authors?


Mary: Never, never, never give up.


Caroline: Oh, yes, the famous quote by Winston Churchill. I believe that’s true. Tell us about your rerelease.
 

Mary: Here's the blurb:


PASSION'S PRICE is the story of a woman willing to pay any price to realize her passion and a man who will deny his own passion to keep her safe.


The Great Spirit has blessed Golden Dawn with a gift of visions. A vision sends Dawn to England to protect her childhood friend, Little Buffalo. Will she be strong enough to stand between Buffalo and the danger threatening him? Can she convince her beloved Buffalo their paths are destined to be joined forever?


Raven Cloud is the adopted son of James Fitz-Gerald. He came to see himself as a half-breed savage who doesn't fit into the white man's world or the red man's world. Because of his rebellion he was asked to leave the village shortly after earning his warrior name Raven Cloud.


Excerpt:


Raven turned his attention to his mysterious visitor. "How may I be of assistance?" His eyes focused on her veiled face. He felt a twinge of familiarity and the heaviness of the bad wind threatened his balance.


The woman lifted the veil. What greeted him were eyes shining with the warmth of a summer sky. There was a spark of mischief in their blue depths, and he thought at once of another pair of blue eyes. His head swam when he noticed strands of dark golden curls beneath her bonnet that gently kissed her cheeks and clung to her neck. His throat tightened.


Then she smiled...and he knew.


"Dawn?" his voice cracked.


"Yes, Buffalo, it's me."


It took only a moment for Raven to regain his composure, yet it felt like a lifetime. "What are you doing here?" he demanded in his most commanding tone. Her response did little to ease his confusion.


"I came because you need me."


She'd changed little since he last saw her. She'd grown, most definitely, but her ability to toss him right over the edge with simple statements, spoken as if nothing else needed saying, remained.


"What?" He turned on Thomas, "What in the world is she talking about? Why have you brought her here? Does her father know?"


"Not exactly. Now settle yourself." Thomas took Dawn by the arm and shoved her behind him.


Dawn pushed at Thomas and resumed her position before Raven. She stood straight and tall, and tiled up her chin. "My mother knows I'm here."


There it was again, her one sentence 'that's all you get' answer. Raven scowled at Thomas.


Thomas slapped his hands together and chuckled, "Well, now that we have everything all straightened out, I must get Dawn settled in a room."


"You will get her settled right back on the Golden Lady, or whatever other ship you were so foolish to bring her here on..."


"Well, yaw see, I can't do that. The Golden Lady will be leaving in the morning to make a very important pickup. A pick up that is of no concern to you, because the Golden Lady is Dawn's ship. And, I might add, the one ship in James's fleet you have no control over or interest in." He hooked his thumbs in his belt and chuckled.


"Stop that, Thomas," Dawn scolded…


Caroline: I love that book, but I recommend  readers start with book one, PASSION'S VISION. Even though the books are stand alone, I like the continuity of beginning with the earliest story. Besides, at this price, why not buy both? Where can readers find your books?

Mary: Here are the links:
PASSION'S VISION is at
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006QQ0LVA


PASSION'S PRICE is at
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006UKCAG6


Caroline: Anything else you’d like readers to know? How can readers learn more about you?


Mary: My website is www.maryadair.com and I'm on Twitter as @maryadairdotcom


Caroline: Mary, thank you for being here today and sharing your passion (pun intended)




Readers, please return on Monday when another Mary visits, Mary Martinez. In the meantime, please remember our Amazing Authors Event is ongoing through January 24th. Here's the lineup:

Jan. 13. Beth Trissel (historical & light paranormal romance) http://bethtrissel.wordpress.com/
Jan. 14. Roseanne Dowell (romance)
http://roseannedowellauthor.blogspot.com

I'll include links for the following next week:

Jan. 15. Cathie Dunn (historical fiction & romantic adventure)
Jan. 16. Maggie Toussaint (romance & mystery with a Southern dash)
Jan. 17. Patsy Parker (paranormal fantasy romance)
Jan. 18. S.G. Rogers (fantasy, romantic fantasy, young adult fantasy)
Jan. 19. Linda LaRoque (western contemporary & time travel romance)
Jan. 20 Jacquie Rogers (dragons, princesses & romance)
Jan. 21. Karen Nutt (paranormal romance)
Jan. 22. Anna Kathryn Lanier (sensual contemporary & historical westerns)
Jan. 23. Barbara Edwards (riveting romance with an edge)
Jan. 24. Ginger Simpson (historical & contemporary romance)
On the last day of the tour, Ginger Simpson is going to post some fun and easy questions you must answer for the chance to win free reads. (Hint: there will be a link to each author’s post so you can quickly double check).

Thanks for stopping by!