My guest is historical romance author, Mary Ellen Dennis. Mary Ellen has two books out this month. The featured book, The Greatest Love on Earth and a reissue by Sourcebooks, The Landlord's Black-Eyed Daughter. You can read a bit about that one at the end of the article. Mary Ellen seems a bit conflicted, even a dual personality--no worries, she's perfectly safe--but I'll let her explain that to you...
Can two authors share one office and computer?
Sure they can, if they are the same person :-)
Denise [Deni] Dietz and Mary Ellen Dennis share one room,
one desk, one computer, and one keyboard. Deni writes mysteries that have no
socially redeeming values whatsoever. They are meant only to entertain. Mary
Ellen writes historical fiction that is ageless. The romance in both genres is
supplied…or maybe a better word would be inspired…by
their mutual best friend, lover and husband, novelist Gordon Aalborg. Gordon's
office is upstairs, in the loft, and he sends Deni emails suggesting they meet
for coffee. Meanwhile, his photo graces the desk she shares with her alter-ego.
Deni met
Gordon, aka Harlequin romance author Victoria Gordon, on-line through an
authors’ loop. Gordon was living in Australia, Deni lived in Colorado. They
decided to collaborate on a romantic suspense and fell in love, sight unseen.
Gordon asked Deni to marry him. She replied, “I think I should meet you
face-to-face, first.” He described his house, which included a guest bedroom,
and invited her to visit him in Tasmania. She said she had a strict book
deadline. He said, “Silly wench, I have a computer.” So Deni hopped a plane to
the land of Kangaroos, Koalas, and Hugh Jackman. She knew that she and Gordon
were soul mates. She hoped there’d be “chemistry,” and there was. Sparks flew.
Almost immediately, Deni and Gordon sold up, packed up, and bought a cottage on
Vancouver Island. They were married at a writers conference and will celebrate
their 11th anniversary this October. Deni says, “You’ve never been
romanced until you’ve been romanced by a romance author.”
Deni and Mary Ellen both think writing should be fun as well
as creative, so the items on their computer desk tend to make them smile. First
and foremost, one's gaze is drawn to a Gumby-like statue of Edgar Allen Poe,
looming over a red Staples "That was easy" button.
Deni has a wonderful photo of her actress sister, Eileen
Dietz ( www.eileendietz.com ), who
played the possession scenes—and The Demon—in The Exorcist. Eileen inspired Deni to write FIFTY CENTS FOR YOUR
SOUL, a somewhat supernatural novel that revolves around events that occurred
during the filming of The Exorcist—a
novel that Publishers Weekly called
"Hollywood noir."
Deni likes to listen to show music. On her side of the
computer desk she has a stack of CDs that include Les Mis, Once Upon a
Mattress, Candide, Phantom of the Opera, and a dozen other Broadway shows (she
hopes someday to appear on Jeopardy
and hit the Broadway Musicals category). She also has the Dixie Chicks, Harry
Chapin and Barbra Streisand. Mary Ellen prefers Celtic music and drove Deni
daft by listening non-stop to Loreena McKenna's "The Highwayman"
while writing THE LANDLORD’S BLACK-EYED DAUGHTER.
Above the computer desk there’s a framed poster of Daniel
Day Lewis in The Last of the Mohicans,
looking just like Rand, Mary Ellen’s hero in “Landlord.” There is also a circus
poster of a bareback rider on a white horse, inspiration for Mary Ellen’s THE
GREATEST LOVE ON EARTH.
Deni’s stuffed "deadline vulture" perches on top
of the modem. She named it Michael Seidman after her first editor. Deni and
Mary Ellen share a heavy rock, ostensibly a paperweight, that has CREATE
chiseled on its surface. They also share a small ceramic tortoise. It reminds
them that if you only write one page a day, by the end of the year you'll have
written a book. Both write more than one page a day. Deni owns a small ceramic
frog in a witch’s hat, seated behind a crystal ball. The frog inspires her to
write TOE OF FROG (aka "The DaVinci Toad"), her sequel to her
romantic mystery, EYE OF NEWT, starring reluctant witch Sydney St. Charles. In
“Frog” readers will meet a “reincarnated Rottweiler” who is afraid of doorbells
and songs from the 1970s.
 |
| Excerpt |
One wall of the office is devoted to Deni and Mary Ellen’s
book covers. In the place of honor are the covers for THE LANDLORD’S BLACK-EYED
DAUGHTER and THE GREATEST LOVE ON EARTH. Don’t you agree that they are both
beautiful covers? In fact, the drop-dead gorgeous highwayman depicted on
“Landlord” won a Romantic Times KISS (Knight in Shining Silver) contest.
Finally, Mary Ellen collects angels. Her favorite angel
holds a piece of paper with a Luciano de Crescenzo quote: "We are each of
us angels with only one wing and we can only fly by embracing each other."
- What is your favorite piece of furniture, or picture, or keepsake—something that sets off a fun memory or begins a new memory?
~*~*~*~
The Greatest Love On Earth—Mary Ellen Dennis. Available now
He's fearless, except when it comes to Calliope Kelley...
Nothing could shake the courage of lion tamer Brian O'Connor, until the circus is threatened and the love of his life deserts him...
Danger, drama, dazzling excitement are her world...
Bold, beautiful Calliope Kelley would jump through flaming hoops to protect her father's circus. But when disaster strikes and Calliope loses everything, she knows she must build brand new dreams...
Torn apart and betrothed to others, a twist of fate brings Brian and Calliope back under the bigtop, where together they'll walk the high-wire to see if great loves turn to ashes or rekindle to burn brightly forever...Excerpt
BUY: Amazon, Amazon.ca, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million Available in ebook and print
Former singer/actress and perennial rule-breaker Mary
Ellen Dennis is the author of several award-winning historical romance novels
and culinary mysteries and is growing her audience for both. She is married to
novelist Gordon Aalborg (aka Victoria Gordon), whom she met online through a writer's
group; they live on Vancouver Island. She has two books in stores this month,
released by Sourcebooks Casablanca: The Greatest Love on Earth—set in
the exotic world of a 19th century circus and sweeps readers into death-defying
feats, dangerous rivalries, and a love that has all the thrills and romance of
the greatest show on earth., and a reissue of The Landlord’s Black-Eyed
Daughter: A fast-paced and passionate retelling of the story of two
timeless lovers who would die for each other. If only they didn’t have to. This
gorgeous romance gives the poem a whole new depth and a happy ending.
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