Mary Kendall is the next author featured in my 6Ws series. She used her life-long interest in history to write two novels, The Spinster’s Fortune and her latest, Campbell’s Boy, which was released this week. Like many authors, Mary has been inspired by her own experiences, including growing up in haunted houses. Really. Here, I will let her take over.

Who is author Mary Kendall? 

Mary Kendall lived in old (and haunted) houses growing up which sparked a life-long interest in history and story-telling. She earned degrees in history-related fields and worked as a historian for many years. Her fiction writing is heavily influenced by the past, which she believes is never really dead and buried. Fueled by black coffee and a possible sprinkling of Celtic fairy dust, she tends to find inspiration in odd places and sometimes while kneading bread dough. The author resides in Maryland with her family (husband, three kids, barn cat and the occasional backyard hen) who put up with her mad scribbling at inconvenient hours. 

Her debut novel, The Spinster’s Fortune, is a historical mystery. Her second novel, Campbell’s Boy, a coming of age historical fiction, was released Nov. 22. She is also a contributor to Darkstroke’s anthologies for charity with short stories included in Dark Paris, Dark New Orleans and Dark Venice.

What is your latest book? 

My second novel, Campbell’s Boy, was released this month through Moonshine Cove Publishing! It is coming-of-age historical fiction that crosses over into biographical historical fiction. The novel is the result of eleven years of research into a family genealogical puzzle in my ancestral line and centers around a real-life probate court case in the small town of Colusa, California, in the late 1800s. You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/author/mary-kendallh

Here’s a quick blurb:

After the death of his mother on the wagon train out west, young Emmet Campbell struggles to find his place in the world. Fighting off town bullies, an evil Irish stepmother and his own learning disabilities, he mostly fends for himself in the boomtown of Colusa.  While struggling to find his footing, he never loses his curiosity about the world around him and the people in it. Scuffling and skylarking along the way, Emmet eventually discovers family and identity in places he could have never imagined. With equal measures of the dark and the light, Campbell’s Boy is a tender tale about what it means to be human.

When did you begin writing? 

Define “writing”? If little stories as a child count, then from age sixish on. The teen angsty years that followed could also be termed the emo journaling years. In my 20s, I dabbled with short stories. Attempts at novel writing began in my 30s but came to a screeching halt when three kids arrived. Enter the 40s and some breathing room where I picked it all back up. Now, in the ripe and mature decade after that (ahem, we don’t need to name it), I am about to see the publication of my second novel.

How do you write? 

I need both writing in long hand and typing on the laptop. It’s a combo that works for me in different ways. For example, editing is almost exclusively laptop. If I am stuck on a plot line, it’s picking up a notebook to experience the physicality of pen to paper.

Where do you write? 

I just recently got a private little den (sad when kids leave for college but it can come with a perk or two). Prior to that, my computer was in public space in the middle of household action. I made it happen but now it is so much better to have “a room of one’s own” — with a door. I also have a lovely outdoor area that overlooks my rose garden. The writing magic happens between those two spaces.

Why do you write? 

To untie the knots. By that I mean it is how I process and digest the ways in which life happens to me.

More about Mary Kendall: Parting words and social media contacts

I reached out and connected with our hostess, Joan Livingston, a couple of years ago, prior to signing up with our mutual publisher, Darkstroke. Joan is a wise woman and gave me some sage advice that has stuck with me ever since: “there is writing and then there is the business of writing.” Truer words never spoken.

That advice led me to the successful publication of my debut historical mystery novel, The Spinster’s Fortune. It also steered me in the direction of moving forward with the writing, both aspects of it. Thanks for having me on your blog, Joan … and thanks also for your wise words.

To learn more, check out https://www.marykendallauthor.com.

Twitter @MaryLavin49

https://www.facebook.com/mary.kendall.3152

https://www.instagram.com/mary.kendall.author/

The Spinster’s Fortune is available for purchase at mybook.to/fortune and short stories at mybook.to/DarkWorlds.