[Author Interview] Maryann Miller – One Small Victory

Maryann Miller, author of One Small Victory – $2.99, is an award winning journalist and author. Maryann has amassed credits for feature articles and short fiction in numerous national and regional publications. Before we get to her interview, a description of One Small Victory: Life can change in just an instant. That’s the harsh reality that Jenny Jasik faces when her son is killed in an automobile accident, but never in her wildest dreams did she ever expect to be working undercover as a member of a drug task force. She is, after all, just a mom. But don’t discount what a mom can do when the safety of her children is at stake. This book was inspired by a true story of a woman who did this in a small rural town, and while that may appear unbelievable, the basic facts of how she worked undercover as an informant are true. The rest is fiction. Interview with Maryann Miller.

Tell us about your books.

First I want to thank you for this opportunity to let people know about my work, and I think I will focus on my suspense novel, One Small Victory.  I always refer to it as the story of one woman’s courage, and that is truly what it is about; an incredible woman who stepped outside herself to accomplish something important. The book was inspired by a true story of a woman who infiltrated a drug ring and helped bring down a major distributor. Her son was killed in an automobile accident, and drugs were found at the scene. Until then, she did not know how serious the drug problem was in her small town. She worked as a Confidential Informant, so she couldn’t tell anyone what she was doing. Not her family. Not her friends. Not even her dog. That created another whole set of complications.

How long did it take to write the book?

I worked on this book off and on for a number of years. It started as a film project when I had an open door at Paradigm Entertainment to pitch story ideas to them. When the film project fell apart, I was still enthralled with the central character, so I decided to write the novel. At the time, however, I was making a decent living as a journalist, so fiction always took a back seat until I finally said, “enough is enough.” Then after my husband and I retired to the country in East Texas, I decided to dust off the manuscript and do a rewrite and start submitting. The book was first published in hardcover in 2008 with Five Star Cengage/Gale, and they also published my mystery, Open Season, this year. When the book went out of print, I decided to publish the electronic version myself.  

What is your family’s favorite story to tell on you?

If you asked my siblings it would have to be about the time I sang so many verses of Davy Crockett they all wanted to put Duct tape on my mouth. The family always liked to sing and one day the folks decided to tape us each singing a solo. Everyone else chose a short song, but I wanted to sing all the verses of my song. There really aren’t a hundred verses of Davy Crockett, but it seemed like there was when I was belting out the song and it went on and on and on. 

If you asked my kids, the answer would probably have something to do with the humorous column I used to write about the family for aDallassuburban newspaper. Each week they would look forward to the paper with a mix of anticipation and trepidation. What and who did Mom write about this week?  Sometimes they enjoyed the notoriety, other times they were embarrassed.

What brings you the most pleasure in your life?

First and foremost it is my family. We have a very close-knit family and I treasure the wonderful relationships with our adult children. And my husband has always been my greatest fan and supporter of my work. I know that some writers have not had that kind of support from their spouse, so that means a great deal to me.

Next to that, I would have to say that most recently my greatest pleasure has been playing farmer here on what my grandkids call “Grandma’s Ranch.” My dream was always to live on a farm, so now we have five acres inEast Texaswhere I have my horse and a few other critters.

What advice would you give to new writers?  Never give up, even if someone says you should. If you were born a writer, you need to write. Once I had a college professor tell me to take up basket weaving as a creative outlet. I let that hold me back from attempting publication for many years, but I never stopped writing. My other advice is to read, everything, not just the genre you want to write in. We absorb good writing by reading good writing, and you find that in every genre. And finally, those who succeed are those who continue to write and continue to seek publication.

Thank you Maryann for the wonderful interview.

Visit Maryann on Facebook.

Follow Maryann on Twitter.

Visit her website:  Maryann Writes

Visit her blogs: It’s Not All Gravy and The Blood Red Pencil

Author Bio:

     A journalist and author, Maryann Miller amassed credits for feature articles and short fiction in numerous national and regional publications. Her non-fiction books include the award-winning, Coping With Weapons and Violence in School and On Your Streets.  Play It Again, Sam, a woman’s novel and One Small Victory, a suspense novel, are electronic books available for the Kindle and other e-book reading devices. One Small Victory is also available in trade paperback. A mystery, Open Season, is a new release in hardback from Five Star Cengage Gale. A novel for young teens, Friends Forever, is available as an e-book and in trade paperback, as is The Wisdom of Ages, a short-story collection. She has also written several screenplays and stage plays and lives on some acreage in the Piney Woods of East Texas with her husband.

Tags: Romance, Suspense