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When I reviewed the young adult novel, The Fisherman’s Son, by Marilyn Peake, I gave it a less than stellar review, but that didn’t stop Ms. Peake from sending more of her books to me. And she kept at it,
growing as an author, until she’s become one of the best e-authors on the Internet, with several great short pieces included in Double Dragon Publishing’s Twisted Tails anthology series. Because she kept her cool and didn’t burn any bridges, she
worked her way up to a spotlight space at NightsandWeekends.com. That marks Ms. Peake as a professional and a delight to read.
Ms. Peake grew up in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where she spent many hours in a huge park across the street, which included an apple orchard, a stream, a community swimming pool, and park rides. She spent many hours with her friends, climbing trees, hiking through the woods, catching tadpoles, swimming, and diving off the diving board. In the winter, they went sled-riding and skiing from a steep slope behind her house. While living in Pennsylvania as a child, she often had a recurring dream about finding gold and treasure under the ground in her back yard and inside the large trunks of their willow trees. She’s always been an optimist and dreamer.
When Ms. Peake isn’t writing, she enjoys photography. She even won a ribbon at a local contest, which was judged by a photographer for National Geographic Magazine. You can check out her photos at her Web site address listed below. She’s passionate about politics, and she loves spending time with her family, traveling, great books (both genre and literary), photography, art, movies, and plays. She also has a nice collection of books signed by their authors.
On Writing, in Ms. Peake’s Own Words
What or who inspires you to write?
Many things inspire me to write. I’ve written short stories since I was in high school. Sometimes, I hear a news story on TV that sounds so unusual that the wheels of fiction start turning in my head. For example, a while back, I heard a news story reporting that bones had been found from an unexpected time period at Stonehenge. Working
backward from that fact to build a fictional account of how the bones might have arrived there, I wrote a time travel short story, “Moonbeams Upon Stonehenge,” now published in the time travel anthology, Twisted Tales II Volume 2: Out of Time.
Why did you begin writing?
In high school, we read some fantastic literature: novels, short stories, and poetry. I fell in love with writing and have written ever since.
Which author inspires you?
Many authors inspire me. Some of my favorites are: Cormac McCarthy, Barbara Kingsolver, Kurt Vonnegut, Hermann Hesse, and Mark Z. Danielewski. Right now, I’m reading the graphic novel, Watchmen, named one of Time Magazine’s Top 100 English-language novels—and wow—the fantastic writing in that book has me incredibly inspired! The beautiful writing in certain TV shows like Joss Whedon’s Firefly series also inspires me to write the best work I can possibly write.
What do you find most rewarding about writing?
Creating fictional words that I can explore as I write them, and shaping language to express thoughts. Writing is hard work, but it’s also exhilarating.
Have you ever experienced writer’s block? And, if so, how did you cure it?
Yes, I definitely have, halfway through writing several projects. It usually means that I’m stuck, that I haven’t figured out where the story should go, or I’ve started rattling off too many facts without slowing down enough to flesh out the characters and the fictional world. I usually cure writer’s block by stepping away from the work for a few days or weeks, then going back and adding details about the fictional world and the people I’m trying to create.
When is your next book due out, and what’s it about?
Soon, probably this month, one of my short stories, “Repo Girl and the Fortune Faerie,” will be published by the next Twisted Tails anthology, published by Double Dragon Publishing: Twisted Tails IV: Fantastic Flights of Fantasy. Also, I’m more than halfway through writing an adult science-fiction novel. After reading the first few chapters, several literary agents have expressed interest in reading this novel
when it’s completed—which is a huge first for me. I’m crossing my fingers, hoping that it will get picked up by a literary agent, and then I’ll see what happens after that.
You can gain information and news about all of Marilyn Peake’s publications at her Web site: MarilynPeake.com. Head on over and see what this talented author has to offer.
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