Please welcome super-talented author Marilyn Brant, who’s here to talk about her newest book, Friday Mornings at Nine. I finished it recently, and I loved it – possibly even more than her first book, According to Jane, which won the prestigious RWA Golden Heart award. The three women were so likable and interesting, and their stories so riveting that I had a lot of trouble putting the book down until I found out how everything worked out for them.

By the way, as a bonus we’ll give away a copy of Friday Mornings at Nine to one lucky commenter at the end of this week. Believe me, you want this one! Plus, just because we both love them so much, I’m also throwing in a bag of delicious Ghiradelli chocolate squares. (See below for details.) In the meantime, see what this wonderful author has to say about her newest book – and about writing in general. When you’re done, be sure to take a look at Marilyn’s blog, where she writes about a variety of topics in her trademark warm, witty voice.

Hi, Marilyn! Thanks for coming. So, what is Friday Mornings at Nine about?

Thanks for having me, Caryn. It’s great to be here. Friday Mornings at Nine is the story of 3 forty-something suburban moms who find themselves questioning their marriage, their friendship and themselves. I think the back-cover blurb encapsulates it well.

What a great premise! What inspired you to write it?

I’ve talked with a lot of women about their marriages — and, in some cases, about their affairs. Sometimes these revelations came in the form of random comments thrown out unexpectedly. Other times they were part of well thought out discussions about whether the women in question should or shouldn’t stay married. I met my husband 20 years ago and we’ve been married for almost 18 of those years. I consider us to be pretty happy, but I don’t know anyone who’s been married that long who hasn’t experienced some ups and downs. I think the fortunate couples are the ones who keep choosing to be together and work on their relationships despite all of those years and the inevitable changes. Of course, it takes both people to do that, and it also takes a lot of time and effort. The individuals involved have to want to get to know *now* these people they married (who may be different creatures than the ones they met a decade or more before), and they need to really pay attention to their own needs and desires, too. They have to know why they’ve chosen to be in that relationship (or friendship). Sometimes, in the process of that kind of deep analysis, it turns out there was a profound disconnect somewhere along the line, and it’s possible to reconnect. In other cases, it’s not… So, essentially, I wanted to write a story about three women who have marital disconnects to some degree, and this makes them wonder what would have happened if they’d chosen differently. Then I wanted them to finally take the time to examine their lives so they could choose mindfully where to head next.

So what’s next?

My next novel is scheduled to come out on 11-29-11 — it’s a contemporary women’s fiction  story called A Summer in Europe. It’s about a woman who’s never left the States, but she gets a 5-week bus trip through Italy, France, Switzerland, Hungary, Austria, Germany, France, Belgium and England as a 30th birthday gift from her eccentric aunt. The only catch is that the two of them are going with her aunt’s senior-citizen Sudoku and Mah-jongg club, which is — in my heroine’s opinion — a cast of rather offbeat companions. There are, however, hot European men and delicious regional dishes to serve as distractions, along with lots of visits to fun European landmarks ;).

It’s always fun to see writers’ offices. Care to show us where you work?

Usually, in my messy home office. As you can see in the photo (to the right) I have my writing and reference books within easy reach and can check whatever story details I need to online. Must limit myself when it comes to email, blogs  and Facebook, though!

What is your writing schedule like?

I write or do writing-related things *all* the time. There’s really no end to it and no set hours. My real life exists alongside of the writing life and I’m simultaneously doing things for both — all day — from the moment I wake up until I go to bed. I need to read/respond to emails, write blog posts, give interviews (like this one — thanks, Caryn!) and interview other authors, give talks to libraries and other organizations on writing/publishing, take part in real or online book-club discussions (I’m participating in one throughout March as part of the B&N General Fiction book club — fun!), create and send out promo material, do research for the manuscripts I’m currently writing, make editorial revisions on a book that’s coming out, read for fun or as a judge in RWA-related contests, do critiques for my small band of critique partners and, of course, write the novels I’m contracted to write as well as, sometimes, just work on a story idea because I’m curious to see where it’ll go…

Any suggestions for writers who want to become published?

There are NO shortcuts. Read a lot, especially in the genre you want to write, but read outside of it, too. Study writing craft — not every book or handout on novel structure will work for you, but try a number of things until you find a few techniques that help. I found I had to write about one million words (yes, one MILLION) before I became the master of my own voice. You may be able to do it with fewer than that, but writing ten 100K manuscripts before selling is not uncommon. I wrote 4 full manuscripts (and rewrote a couple of those) before I wrote the book that eventually became my debut novel, According to Jane. That was book #5, which had to be completely revised before it sold, and I then wrote 2 more novels before I got The Call on it. During this time, I was also writing and actively submitting short stories, articles, essays and poetry to magazines and newspapers…so it was a very long process that, for me, took about 8 years.

That sounds time-consuming! How do you balance your family life and your writing?

Not well enough! Seriously, this is VERY difficult and I’m still working on this juggling act. Trying to get all of the things done that I need to during the day within the writing world while, still, taking care of my family, the house, cooking/cleaning, exercising, spending time with those friends and loved ones who enrich my world, sleeping sometimes…and then, of course, there’s my Nathan Fillion/Castle addiction! 🙂

That was great, Marilyn! Thanks for visiting.

Thank YOU! If your readers have any other questions, I’ll try to stop by to answer them.

Enter to win a copy of Marilyn Brant’s Friday Mornings at Nine and a bag of delicious Ghiradelli chocolate squares (caramel, mint, or raspberry – your choice!) Entries close at midnight Eastern Standard Time (9 p.m. PST) on Saturday, March 12. I’ll post the name of the lucky winner sometime Monday.

How to win:

1) Leave a comment below

and/or (for a bonus entry)

2) Tweet about the contest on Twitter. Link to it and use hash tag #fma9 so I can find you and count your entry. For example:
Win Ghiradelli chocolate + a copy of Marilyn Brant’s Friday Mornings at Nine! https://www.caryncaldwell.com/tester/fma9 #fma9

Can’t wait to see if you win, or want to pick up a copy for a friend? Friday Mornings at Nine is available at Amazon.com, at Barnes & Noble, and at your local independent bookseller.