Today, we are very fortunate to have with us a writer who can transport us to a different time and a different place with the greatest of ease. We welcome Mary Cunningham, author of a very successful children's fantasy fiction series in which two best friends forever travel through time and space.


Interview with Mary Cunningham


GRACE: Good afternoon, Mary. I'm glad to have you here. Would you tell us a little about yourself?

MARY: I live in the beautiful mountains of West Georgia with my husband and sweet, adopted doggie, Molly. My hobbies are golf, water aerobics, and exploring the West Georgia mountains. I write a children's fantasy/fiction series, "Cynthia's Attic." The first two books, "The Missing Locket" and "The Magic Medallion" are published by Echelon Press. "Curse of the Bayou," book three, will be published by Quake (Echelon imprint) and should be available in December 2007.

GRACE: To write your fantasy/fiction, you must have a very creative mind. If you were an animal, what would you be and why?

MARY: I'd be my dog. Her food and water bowls are always filled. She gets regular (free) pedicures. No one scolds her about her weight. She gets to take regular naps on her Snoozy. She does not, however, get to eat chocolate! Forget that...If I can't eat chocolate, I'd rather be a bird. It would be so cool to fly.

GRACE: Yes, I think so too. But your books involve time travel, and that may be even better than flying. Can you tell us when you started writing, and what prompted you to write?

MARY: From age 0 to7 I didn't write. Can't remember NOT writing after that. I mostly wrote poems and memoirs before beginning my young reader fantasy series. My inspiration to write was my dad, a Louisville Courier Journal reporter for 40 years. He was directly responsible for my love of writing, creativity, and fantasy. When I was a child, a night didn't pass that Dad wasn't either reading to me from a favorite storybook, or making up a story of his own.

GRACE: Your dad gave you the early reading experience that teachers wish all students had, one that develops the love of reading and writing. Which writer or writers do you most admire, and why?

MARY: Harper Lee. Imagine writing one book—To Kill a Mockingbird. It's such a beautiful study of humanity told in such a meaningful way. I try to read it at least once a year. My granddaughter has to read from the Accelerated Reader list, and the only book, last year, that really stood out to her was To Kill a Mockingbird.

GRACE: To Kill a Mockingbird is also a favorite of mine. Can you imagine how thrilled I was when a university librarian said my character, Annie in True Friends, reminded him of Scout? I wish. You have a successful series going. What do you think is the hardest thing about being a writer?

MARY: Having to concentrate on marketing instead of writing. It's a known fact that the real work begins after you're published. I miss the freedom to be able to "just write" instead of being obligated to answer and send out e-mails, set up booksignings, do workshops, send postcards, contact libraries...etc.

GRACE: I can understand that. The days of being "just a writer" are gone, if they ever existed. Tell us about your writing–published and in progress.

MARY: I write a children's fantasy series, "Cynthia's Attic." The first two books, "The Missing Locket" and "The Magic Medallion" are published by Echelon Press. "Curse of the Bayou," book three, will be published by Quake (Echelon imprint) and should be available in December 2007. I'm really excited about book three. It's loosely based on the disappearance of my great-great-grandfather. He was taking a flatboat full of "produce" down the Mississippi. (The family thought for years he was transporting produce, when actually, he was taking his homemade bourbon to New Orleans to sell! That won't be in the book!) Anyway, Cynthia and Gus time-travel to Louisiana to find out what happened to him. I'm also working on an adult time-travel story that, at this moment, is titled, For the Life of Claire.

GRACE: Thank you, Mary. I've really enjoyed chatting with you. Readers, if you would like to learn more about Mary and her books, you may visit her website, www.marycunninghambooks.com, or her blog, www.cynthiasattic.blogspot.com. Mary's books are available at Amazon.com, Fictionwise, Follett, bookstores, and Quake (Echelon Press).