Learning about Maryann Miller

It has been such a pleasure having Maryann Miller with us this week. She has been a wonderful guest – very interesting to learn about and fun to visit with.

Today, she answers some questions about her personal life. The questions and answers are followed by more of the excerpt from chapter one of her book “One Small Victory."

Q. Talk a little about your family.

A. I have been married for 43 years to the same wonderful man, Carl. I have six children and eight grandchildren. Our children are all professionals and doing quite well in their adult lives. We are so proud of all of them. We all love to get together here at “Grandma’s Ranch” and have BBQ and play farmer all day. If I did more than generalize about my family, that could take pages and pages. Family is THE most important thing in my life. I remember before I got married, my father took me out for a beer and this is what he told me, “You know, Maryann, I have never had much more than a few coins to rub together. But I am a rich man.” He went on to tell me how precious each one of his children and grandchildren were to him and I have never forgotten that.

Q. Who is your favorite author? What is your favorite book?

A. Oh, gosh, these are always such hard questions to answer as I have so many authors I enjoy and books that I could read over and over again. Of Mice and Men, The Color Purple, The Old Man and The Sea, The Great Gatsby, are just a few of the great 20^th century books I love. More current authors and books include Jan Bryant, Raymond L. Atkins, Elizabeth Gilbert, Slim Randles and Dennis Lahane. I have read Mystic River a couple of times. I love all of the Anne Tyler novels. Anne Lamott. Laura Castoro. P.J. Parrish. Jonathan and Faye Kellerman. Sue Grafton, and Lisa Genova. Her book Still Alice is one of my top picks of reads this year. But there are so many more authors and books I enjoy, it would take pages to list them all.

Q. What made you try your hand at writing?

A. I’ve always loved stories and decided when I was about ten years old that I wanted to be a writer. Then when I was twelve, I won an award in the Scholastic Writing Awards contest and I thought it was destiny.

Q. What authors have influenced your writing?

A. All of the writers I enjoy have influenced me in that they introduce me to new ways to use the craft, but Steinbeck has been the greatest influence in being my first exposure to writing that plumbs the depths of humanity with such deftness.

Q. When you’re not writing or visiting hospitals, what do you do to relax and unwind?

A. I have a number of hobbies that I enjoy, sketching, puzzles, quilting, and I just learned how to knit. Those are activities I do when I am watching TV with my husband. It is hard for me to just sit there. I can always hear my grandmother, “Idle hands ...” So I have to be doing something. But what really relaxes me the most is to go outside and just spend time with my horse or do some work in the gardens. That is pure heaven.

Q. What would readers be surprised to learn about you?

A. I can lift a 50 pound bale of hay.

Q. Share a favorite quote with the readers.

A. “A room without books is like a body without a soul.” Cicero

Q. What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

A. Read. Write. Read some more and analyze what works in the books you enjoy the most. Write some more and try to utilize what you learn from reading and maybe from a good critique group. It is also vital to learn the business side of writing because we are pretty much our own marketers now, unless our name is James Patterson. And in the beginning it was his marketing savvy that helped launch him into the big time.

Q. How can readers help promote literacy?

A. By getting involved in literacy programs at local schools and libraries. Mentoring young readers. We have a program here at our middle school for at-risk students and when I first volunteered there, I met a boy in the fifth grade who could not read. Seriously, my four-year-old granddaughter could read better than this boy could. Now, two years later, that boy is still in the program, but he is reading now probably at a fifth grade level. That is thanks to the wonderful teachers who run the program and the mentor who works with this boy.

Q. What are you currently working on?

A. Currently, I am working on the second book in a mystery series that I hope Five Star will pick up. The first book, Open Season, is under consideration now and I am about halfway through the second book, Stalking Season. The series features two women homicide detectives in Dallas, who are thrown together as unwilling partners in the midst of racial tension in the city and the department.

Excerpt

The words had played endlessly in her mind ever since. “Mrs. Jasick . . . Your son, Michael has been in an accident . . . He’s been taken to North Texas Medical Center . . .”

They wouldn’t tell her over the phone whether he was okay or not, but somewhere deep inside she’d known. A mother always knows. She drove her ailing Ford Taurus toward the hospital while the awful dread grew from a kernel of apprehension into a grotesque monster that gnawed on her heart.

By the time she’d arrived at the ER, some coping instinct had mercifully kicked in and she’d numbly received the news that Michael was dead. Nothing else was clear in her mind or memory. She didn’t know how her mother had known to come. Or who she was supposed to call about arrangements and when. Or was someone supposed to call her?

“Oh, God . . .” Carol’s voice brought Jenny back to the present. “I’d do anything . . .”

“I know.” Jenny kept her voice soft in an attempt to hold her friend’s emotions at bay. Grief hung like a pall throughout the house, crowding out any other feeling; and Jenny was sure one more tear would break her fragile hold on sanity.

Carol wiped the smear of moisture from her face. “I hope you don’t mind that I just walked in?”

“Of course not. Mi Casa your casa.”

Carol forced a small smile. “Someday we’re going to have to learn that other Spanish word.”

Jenny tried to match the smile but was afraid her face would crack under the effort. She figured Carol would understand. They had learned to understand a lot since sharing the tragedies of high school that paled compared to what happened in the real world.

Thanks again, Maryann, for joining us this week. I hope everyone will look for the book “One Small Victory” at their local store or order it online. It’s a super novel and one I know my readers will enjoy.

More with author Maryann Miller

This morning, we continue our interview with author Maryann Miller as she discusses her calling in hospital ministry. We also continue the excerpt from chapter one of her book "One Small Victory."

Q. How and why did you get involved in hospital ministry?

A. My involvement with hospital ministry started in part from visiting friends in the hospital who told me I had a way of bringing an extra dose of comfort when I visited. I also spent time supporting a friend through a long crisis with her mother, and that friend also said my presence with her was a great help. I realized that I had an ability to handle crisis well and enjoyed helping people, so I decided to join the hospital ministry team at our church. We were trained informally by a woman who had Clinical Pastoral Education experience, so I learned a lot then. Much later, I went on to take Clinical Pastoral Education myself, so I could work as a hospital chaplain.

Q. It’s not an easy task, yet you seem to truly enjoy this calling. What advice do you have for someone thinking about joining this field?

A. Chaplaincy is first of all not necessarily about religion or saving souls. That is the biggest misconception most new students to CPE have, especially if they come from a strong evangelical church. It is also not about you. It is about the person you are visiting. You can’t go into a room or into a situation with an agenda. A chaplain’s role is most crucial at times when patients or families are facing difficult situations and they have feelings or issues they cannot talk to anyone else about. Being able to be quiet, to listen, to be intuitive are great assets to being a chaplain.

Q. What is the most rewarding part of this ministry? What is the most difficult part?

A. The most rewarding part of the ministry is knowing that you may have helped someone on a very deep level. There is a sense of peace that comes over patients when you validate their feelings, when concerns can be articulated in a prayer if they request it. There have been times when I have felt the power of God so strongly in a room it took my breath away. The most difficult part is dealing with untimely death, especially children. There is no way you can bring any sense of comfort or understanding to parents who have just lost a child. You just stand there powerless in the midst of that pain. But you stand there, none the less, and embrace them and their pain.

Q. You have two blogs. How do they differ and how are they similar?

A. The Many Faces of Grief has been focused on grieving issues, while It’s Not All Gravy is a general commentary and can go in many directions. I started the grief blog primarily because grieving issues are such an important part of "One Small Victory," but I don’t know if I will continue that one for much longer. It seems to be one that has run a course, so to speak. But the other, because it is so open, can go on indefinitely.

Excerpt:

Jenny pulled away and saw a mirror image of her own pain reflected in the murky depths of her son’s eyes. They were so dark they were nearly black and defined the adage, “windows to the soul.”

Scott wouldn’t like it if he knew she could see so much. He thinks he’s such an expert at hiding beneath layers of loud music or sullen remoteness. But he’s always there, just waiting to be discovered.

She wanted to say something. Ease his pain. But he broke contact before she could formulate appropriate words.

Again, Jenny didn’t know what to do. She was the mother. She was supposed to know. She was supposed to take care of this child. That child. If only she hadn’t let Michael go camping that weekend. If only. God, how perfect the world would be if we could go back and change things.

The agony of loss cut so deep she turned away from Scott for a moment to gulp in air. Was it always going to be so hard? And who was supposed to take care of her while she was trying to take care of what was left of her family?

She felt a light touch on her arm. “It’ll be okay, Mom.”

God. She wanted to scream. It was not going to be okay. Nothing was okay. But she had to pretend. If not for herself, for Scott. She forced the anger into a far corner of her heart.

“Did I wake you?” she asked.

“No.” He shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep.”

“I couldn’t either.” She tried a tentative smile, and her emotional burden shifted ever so slightly.

She reached up and touched Scott’s face, feeling the soft stubble of immature beard. “You need a shave,” she said. But the message was, ‘we’ll be okay.’

Though Scott pulled away, his eyes said, ‘thank you.’

“Jenny?” a voice called from down the hall.

Giving him another brief smile, she hurried into the living room and almost collided with Carol.

“There you are.”

The naked anguish on her friend’s face scraped against Jenny’s emotions. “Where else would I be?”

The slight woman froze, her brown eyes wide and pain-filled, and Jenny immediately regretted snapping. She seemed to have so little control over her reactions since The Phone Call last night. That’s what it’ll always be, she thought in some weird twist of mind. The Phone Call. Forever in capital letters.

Tomorrow, we will find out more about Maryann ... including a secret most of her friends probably aren't aware of. Plus, we'll have a guest post from this great author!

Please join us.

Author Interview with Maryann Miller

Good morning! I’d like to welcome all my readers to enjoy a few days with author Maryann Miller.

Maryann has written a wonderful book titled “One Small Victory.” It’s the story of a woman who takes on the local drug dealers in her town after her son is killed in a tragic car wreck. The underlying cause was drugs.

She joins forces with the police department to fight the escalating drug problem, working undercover to nab the main dealer.

Maryann is no stranger to tragedy. She works as a hospital minister and provides a shoulder and words of comfort to those who, for whatever reason, need a helping hand to deal with sadness and/or loss.

She will be here through Thursday, so please take the time each day to stop by and visit.

Today, she has answered a few questions about her career as an author and her two books – “One Small Victory” and “Play It Again, Sam.”

Q: Other authors have written books about deaths of loved ones. How “true to life” are the reactions of the characters?

A: I tried to make the reactions of the characters in One Small Victory as true to life as I could. Having facilitated a lot of grief support groups and being with hundreds of families as they faced the death of a loved one, I was able to witness a multitude of reactions and drew from that to write the scenes dealing with grief.

Q: How does you role as a hospital minister help with your career as a novelist?

A: I certainly have benefited from the fact that my training and work as a chaplain gives me experience to draw from and fodder for characters and stories. My play There is a Time came from my experience with cancer support groups and Hospice. Also, the qualities of being able to listen, to be intuitive, to allow the full experience of feelings that make me good at hospital ministry, also make me able to really relate to characters.

Q: Discuss your two books. How are they similar? How do they differ? Where did the ideas come from?

A: One Small Victory and Play It Again, Sam both feature strong women characters who must work through a period of great difficulty in their lives. They explore real life issues such as death and divorce, and hopefully give readers some insight into the experiences that might help them if they face similar situations. One Small Victory is billed as a romantic suspense by the publisher, but it has very little romance in it. There is an attraction between two central characters, but it doesn’t go down the same path as a true romance. On the other hand, Play it Again, Sam is a romance, so it does go down that path and the romance is the major plot. In One Small Victory, the main plot revolves around Jenny, the central character, working as a confidential informant and helping to bring down the main drug distributor in the area.

Both stories were inspired by real women and real situations. For One Small Victory, I read a news item about a woman who joined a drug task force and infiltrated a drug ring after her son was killed in a car accident and marijuana was found at the scene. It was a very short story, perhaps four inches total, but right away I felt a connection to this woman and knew I had to write her story. Play It Again, Sam came from the experience of a good friend of mine who shared her story with me as it evolved over a year or so. I asked if she would mind if I used it as a jumping off point for a book, and she was gracious enough to say, “yes.”

Tomorrow, I will be sharing more questions and answers with Maryann Miller. Please join us.

Here’s an short excerpt from chapter one of “One Small Victory” for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!

Life can change in just an instant.

That thought wove its way in and around her mind as Jenny fingered the clothes jammed along the wooden rod in the closet. His funny T-shirts promoting the likes of “Prince” and “Dilbert.” His one good shirt, only worn under duress. His leather jacket that still carried a faint aroma reminiscent of saddles and horses.

Sometime soon she’d have to clean out the closet. Isn’t that what usually happens?

Tears burned her eyes and she turned away. She didn’t know what was supposed to happen. No one had ever told her. And a multitude of questions swam through her mind like restless minnows in a pond.

There were books on choosing a college. Books on how to plan a wedding or how to help your child find a job. But no one had ever written one on what to do when your son dies.

In that moment of truth, the weight of the pain overcame her. It was like being smothered under a huge quilt. Gasping for breath in between sobs, Jenny ran from the room, slamming the door.

Her chest heaving, Jenny stopped halfway down the hall.

I’ve got to get control.

She wiped the trail of tears from her cheeks, then ran her fingers through the tumble of hair that persisted in falling across her forehead.

The door to Scott’s room opened, and he cautiously poked his head out. “You okay, Mom?”

Jenny nodded, not trusting her voice to words.

Her younger son stepped into the hall, all angles and oversized joints common to fifteen-year-old boys. In a flash, she saw Michael as he’d been at that age, muscles just starting to form under the softness of childhood skin, a rakish smile on a face squaring away to that of a man, a tousle of dark brown hair so much like her own.

The pain of remembering was like being gut-shot, and she crumbled like a doe in hunting season.

Scott closed the distance quickly, and his arms went around her in an awkward hold that was as much embrace as support.

Silent messages of mutual reassurance passed between them like fragments of electrical current. Jenny could smell the muskiness of night sweat on his shirt and heard the muted thump of his heart. And for a fraction of a second all was okay in the comfort of their embrace.

American Fiesta Amistad ...

... Festival of Friendship.
Here in Othello, we have a population of 70 to 80 percent Hispanic, depending on the time of year when heads are counted. Unlike many places, the people here are very tolerant of each other and, in fact, there are some very deep friendships between the Hispanics and Anglos.
One way the town celebrates that relationship is with the annual American Fiesta Amistad. It’s a fun and exciting weekend that demonstrates how the two cultures influence each other and the city.
It’s a music festival with a variety of styles. Every one gathers at the park as band after band takes to the stage. The idea is to alternate between Mexican bands and American bands.
The result is a great time of music, food and fellowship.
This year marked the 10th anniversary of the festival. As usual, my husband and I were at the park for most of the day. I’ve interviewed many of the bands for a variety of publications and they always stop by to say hello when they see me sitting in my lawn chair enjoying the event.The pictures I’ve posted are of two bands that performed that day.



This young man is Ricky Garza (left) with the band Destino Norteno. He’s very good at playing the accordion, a traditional Mexican instrument. Destino is getting ready to go on tour soon. It will be their first time on the road and I wish them a successful journey.

This photo on the right is Andy Sulzman, who has a Christian rock band. I worked with his wife for a while and she has babysat my grandson on occasion. Andy and his “Band of Brothers” recently returned from a two-week tour.

We're Thirsty!

I just had to add this photo. I also took this one at American Fiesta Amistad. The two little guys were trying so hard to figure out how to work the faucet. They were so cute. They never did get water to come out of the pipe and ended up wandering back to where their parents were sitting.
I call this "Who cares about the music? Where's the water?"

Silver Bells

I thought it would be fun to read a Christmas story in the middle of summer. We’ve been having temperatures in the high 90s for weeks, so snow sounds good to many people here right now. I picked this one by Luanne Rice because she is the type of writer who takes you right into the story.
Each December, Christopher takes a load of Christmas trees from his farm in Nova Scotia to a particular spot in Manhattan to sell. Often, he will bring his children along.
One year, the oldest son decides he prefers life in the big U.S. city of New York and runs away from his father and sister. He has no desire to return to the farm and the hard labor involved in raising the trees.
Christopher continues to return each year to sell his trees and makes it a point to try to find his son. Unbeknownst to him, a woman he often talks to is in constant contact with Danny and helps him by providing food, shelter, etc. You see, Danny became a street kid. His life on the farm did nothing to prepare him for the big city.
Catherine witnessed the running of Danny and how Christopher tried to stop him. She misunderstood the situation and saw it as an abusive relationship between the two. However, that was nowhere near the true facts. Actually, Christopher, who is a single parent, loves his children deeply and would do nothing to ever harm them. At the time, he was distraught because Danny had just announced he wasn’t ever going to return home to his family and tempers flared. The police showed up and arrested Christopher. Once the circumstances were explained, they let him go and the officer made it his mission to try to help find Danny.
As Catherine and Christopher visit on the street corner, she begins to find the man more and more fascinating. Eventually, a love affair develops between them. All is well, until he finds out she has kept the whereabouts of Danny from him.
This is a fun story and makes the reader think about such things as loyalty, trust and promises. Don’t wait until the holidays to read this book. It can be read any time of year and may provide some relief from hot summer days for you, as well.

Where or When

Anita Shreve is one of my favorite authors. Her writing is very poetic and wonderful to read.
I know several people who refuse to read her books because of the little twists she puts at the end. For me, that’s one of the things I enjoy about a book. I find it fun when I’m sure I have a story figured out and the writer proves me wrong.
I found “Where or When” particularly poignant for today’s society. There are many people who have located former friends and lovers via the Internet. What does a person do if they suddenly find they still have feelings for someone they haven’t seen for many years?
That’s the premise of this book, although the two former lovers don’t find each other in a different way. The woman is a poet and gives a reading where the newspaper does a write-up about her. The man sees it and recognizes her right away.
Needless to say, he contacts her and they begin a passionate, emotional affair despite the fact they both have spouses and/or families who depend on them.
Shreve has made this book one that leaves questions in your mind whenever you put it down. Not only do you wonder what happens next, it makes you think about the topic in general – as I mentioned at the beginning of this review.
This is a marvelous book and I think you’ll enjoy it.