Cover Revealed Today

It's here, so feast your eyes on my wonderful cover. I'm dancing, singing, and hopping around the room. MY HUSBAND'S SIN is revealed, what do you all think? My good friend, author Daniel Kaye, said he could hear my screams miles away and I even managed to shatter his windows! So join in my dance, jump for joy and watch the windows people!

My Husband's Sin is a story about loss but not in a sad way, it is about how people adapt their lives when the worst is thrown at them. We all have heard that the pen is mightier than the sword and in this novel it is shown to be appropriate. Lacey Taylor receives a letter from her Mum, Lillian, destroying all that Lacey believed to be truthful in her life. But what Lillian hadn't bargained for, was the effect her letter would have on her other three children.
And so the story begins, what happens next? Will Lacey and her siblings recover from the amazing revelations or will the Taylor family fall apart?

All shall be revealed on August 22nd when MY HUSBAND'S SIN will be launched by Tirgearr Publishing, Ireland.
Keep tuned in for the launch day when I'll be giving away some prizes and maybe a free copy or two.

Let the party begin!

Six Word Stories

Every now and then I and my writing friends go through some exercises to challenge our word-play or get the creative juices bubbling. It was time for a few six word stories, made famous by the late Ernest Hemingway. The following are a selection of which I came up with. Why not give it a go and have a bit of fun with your writing?

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Pretty seashells, echoes the oceans song

Exhaustion, one final push, new life

Morning sunshine promises family day out

Magpies gather, calling loudly, treasure found

Storm clouds roll, warnings go out

Breaking and entering, Goldilocks charged, guilty.

Latest review for my collection

Below is a review of my short story collection by Roisín Peddle, journalist, writer and editor. Catch more of what Roisín has to say on her excellent blog at
http://randomdescent.wordpress.com

 



...Not only that, Mary is a very talented writer and editor. Her debut short story collection was launched last November and is still available to buy as a hard copy in the North Cork area (including Philips in  Mallow and Dick’s Newsagents in Charleville) as well as online, through Amazon and other e-book outlets.
With the nights drawing in an the air getting colder, it’s time to wrap up warm and enjoy a good book. A Baker’s Dozen is perfect for those cosy evenings by the fire. Thirteen stories, some with more than a touch of darkness and others with a tinge of the supernatural, but all are told with Mary’s heart-warming charm.
The stories concern themselves with the moments where lives interact and things begin to change. There’s both pathos and humour in the collection, and Mary captures the best of human nature as well as its less savoury moments. But for everyone there is redemption, and what’s more, a real sense of hope.
There the sinister coalman who is exerts his influence over his family and the community, the moralising librarian with a nasty streak, the woman whose mysterious powers demand good customer service, and other fascinating characters.
Many of the stories deal with illness, whether of the mind or the body. The final story, ‘A Sunbeam’ is a beautiful tale of loss, release and love, and the bonds that we have with those we love, even after we die.
Family bonds and the ties that bind are also present in many stories. ‘A Family Broken’ examines the aftermath of a family row that ends in tragedy. What happens in a mere moment can change our lives forever, and for this family it is something that will never ease.
On a lighter note, the charming ‘Would Mother Approve?’ sees a successful director realise that her late mother is giving her a standing ovation in the form of white feathers.  We are never forgotten: love remains. This is the powerful theme running throughout the collection.
Not every character has a happy ending. With Mary’s customary mastery of the twist in the tale, and a lovelorn girl working in bar who never quite manages to work up the courage to speak to her Prince Charming comes to regret it. But to say more would be to spoil the simple, yet delicious twist.
The topic of abortion has been to the fore more than ever in recent months in Ireland and ‘A Secret Farewell’ tracks a young woman’s lonely journey to London to end her unplanned pregnancy. My own favourite story has to be ‘A Mysterious Customer’ where a surly waitress gets her comeuppance at the hands of a woman who may or may not be a witch.
For those with a love for short stories looking for some escapism, A Baker’s Dozen is perfect fare...

Writing in the Gaps :)

It’s in all the writing magazines, blog-posts and author pages. What is? I hear you ask. Making time to write, that’s what I’m talking about. Sounds easy, just a tab of discipline needed, so ‘they’ say. Well, when you have housework, children, work and life in the mix, finding time to write is a luxury. I’ve burnt the bacon, boiled the eggs dry, wore my jumper on inside out and don’t ask what happened with the cabbage. But the neighbours smelled it for a week later and all because I was writing in my head. Clenching thoughts and ideas in my brain cells, until I get a pen in my hand and allow them to escape along the page. Excitement rising.

Making time to write is about keeping a notebook nearby, I feel. Grabbing every opportunity that presents itself, this is why this post is being written at the hairdressers, while my luscious locks are being attended to. Honest? Okay the greys are being covered.

Light-hearted aside I do make time to scribble each day. It may be thirty minutes, it may be ten and when life allows, a trip to my local library for a few hours. The dust collects, the laundry gathers, the vegetables go soft regardless of the crisp salad box they’re in, yet I sneak a few notes down, an idea here and there. So they get written, a short story, a blog-post, an entry for a competition and inspirations for other projects.

But to have a clear run of the day to write is a dream for many. Imagine having full days where the cup of tea is handed to you and dinner prepared. Oh bliss! we all deserve this time, why? Because we are worth it as they say on a certain hair product. So if the opportunity arises where a full day is gifted to you for writing, grab it and enjoy. If not, use your notebook.