What a pleasure to feature my friend,
Merry Farmer. She lives up to her name because she has always been cheerful when I've seen her. Merry has come up with what I think is a clever idea. She
publishes two versions of each of her latest books—one spicy and one sweet. No
matter what type book you enjoy, she has one for you. Now here’s her interview:
Please
tell us about growing up. Siblings? Locale?
I was raised by a single mom after my dad
left when I was six and my little brother, Stewart, was 3. It was pretty tough
for us, because this was 1979 and we lived in a pretty conservative town
outside of Philly where practically no one ever got divorced. My mom was
wonderful, though. She did everything she could for us, including getting a job
as the secretary of our elementary school so that she could be with us pretty
much all day, every day. When I was in 5th grade, we moved in with
my grandmother after my granddad died. I never really connected with her
(that’s a long, long story!), but we lived in a huge, beautiful house built in
1917. It’s our family home. My mom grew up there, and my granddad and his
siblings grew up there. It’s still in the family too. Right now my aunt lives
there, but I happen to know what her will says, and let’s just say I’d better
save my pennies for upkeep so that it stays in the family!
Growing up, I was definitely shy and, well,
shell-shocked from a lot of sad things that happened, including my dad leaving
and my granddad dying. I loved to read and write from the moment I learned,
though, and I escaped in books a lot. I started writing in third grade when I
realized that I didn’t have to wait for my teacher to assign a creative writing
project to write something. Best day of my life!
Wow, you look a lot like your mom. Who
are your favorite authors and favorite genres?
I enjoy a lot of stuff across several
genres. Of course, I loved the Harry Potter books and think J.K. Rowling is
pretty amazing in person too. I’ve always been a big fan of L.M. Montgomery
too, and not just for her Anne books. As much as I love Anne, I actually liked
the Emily books a little more. As far as romance, I’ve been working my way
through Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series this year and loving them. And I love
Courtney Milan, Elizabeth Boyle, and Elizabeth Hoyt.
When
you’re not writing, what’s your favorite way to relax and recharge? Hobbies?
I am a big knitter. Of course, this year
that’s become a problem. I ended up with an overuse injury in my forearms from
all the typing and knitting (sort of like carpal tunnel, but it’s the muscles
that are strained, not the tendons). I had to cut back on knitting to preserve
my writing.
Where
do you prefer to write?
Do you need quiet, music, solitude? PC or
laptop? I always have music playing in my apartment, no matter what I’m doing.
Usually it’s classical. There’s a local classical and jazz station in Philly
that I love, WRTI, but they have news reports every few hours, so I’ve stopped
listening during election season, because I just can’t take it. I’ve been
listening to BBC3 (BBC’s classical station) online and another online classical
station out of Princeton, NJ lately.
I listen to classical music when I'm writing. I’m
a plotter and know the answer to this but will ask anyway: Are you a plotter or
a panzer?
I’m definitely a plotter! In fact, I think
I’m the biggest, most extensive plotter of any of the authors I know. The
process I use is multiple steps with character sheets and scene cards and all
sorts of things. But it means that once I’ve outlined a book, I can draft it in
no time, and I have fewer large issues that I need to work on in editing
because I’ve sorted them out before I started writing.
Do
you do your research before you begin a new project, or as you go along?
Well, that’s an interesting question. I
majored in History twice in college, so I learned a lot about the time periods
in which I write back then. I also like to read history books for fun. So a lot
of the time, reading the history books is what sparks story ideas to begin
with.
Tell
us about your writing schedule. Do you set goals? Do you write daily?
Because I’m a full-time writer, I treat
writing as my job. So I have “working hours” during the morning and early
afternoon, and I always set myself a word count for the day. I’m a pretty
disciplined person, so I am able to keep to that schedule.
I
set myself word count for the day. Tell us something about yourself that might
surprise readers.
I was really unpopular in school and was
bullied A LOT. It was pretty miserable. But I always knew that I was destined
for something greater. It took a lot of work—and a lot of therapy—but I was
able to achieve my dreams! The moral of the story is that you should never
listen to who other people tell you to be. Always believe in yourself and keep
your eyes on the prize.
I
can’t imagine you being unpopular because everyone loves you now. What do you
hope your writing brings to readers?
Really, I just want people to be
entertained. I tend to fall in love with my characters and the world I put them
in, and I want other people to fall in love with those worlds and people too.
Perfect
answer, Merry. What advice would you give to unpublished authors?
If you know that this is what you really
want to do, that you can’t imagine yourself doing anything else, then keep your
nose to the grindstone and keep working, no matter what anyone else may tell
you. But be prepared to make sacrifices in order to reach your goals. I was
working a full-time job and writing for hours every day for a couple of years
when I first started. That meant almost no social life. But I was willing to do
it because I knew it would get me to the place where I wanted to be.
Tell
us about your latest release.
My latest release is the eighth book in my
Brides of Paradise Ranch series. Talk about a town and a bunch of characters,
including secondary characters, that I love! This is totally it. Here’s the
blurb for the latest book, His Secret Bride (Spicy Version)/Bonnie: The Secret
Bride (Sweet Version)
Bonnie Horner, madam of Haskell, Wyoming’s
house of ill repute, Bonnie’s Place, has worked hard to make a better life for
the girls unfortunate enough to end up in her employ. In fact, her Place serves
more as a shelter and refuge than a brothel. For years, Bonnie has sacrificed her
own happiness for the sake of her girls, going so far as to manufacture a sham
engagement to local cattle baron Rex Bonneville in order to keep her Place
financed. But when Rex demands the wedding take place, Bonnie finds herself in
an impossible situation. Before she can marry Rex, she must divorce the husband
she has kept secret for nearly ten years.
Rupert Cole has built a life for himself as
half of the extremely successful King Cole Construction company out of
Everland, Wyoming. But he has never forgotten the wife that he disappointed and
drove away. When Bonnie appears in Everland, he thinks his deepest wishes for a
second chance have come true. Instead, he finds himself embroiled in the battle
of his life…the battle to win Bonnie back. But can love truly conquer all, or
will Rupert and Bonnie both be forced to sacrifice their chance at happiness to
save Bonnie’s girls?
His
Secret Bride – the spicy version:
Bonnie:
The Secret Bride – the sweet version
 |
| Merry Farmer, Author |
How
can readers learn more about you?
Twitter: @merryfarmer20
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