FROM MARIANNE STILLINGS

translation of comment #9 (Chiaromattino)

Dear Cris:

Congratulations on learning English! I wish I could learn Italian, but unfortunately, the American education system does not require fluency in another language. I think it's a huge failing on the part of education in the U.S., but with English being so prevalent in the world, it's made so many of us here lazy. It's rather shameful, I think. I speak a bit of French, but only enough to confuse whomever I'm talking to .

Thank you for thinking I'm courageous. I'm really not. I'm just trying to build on my publishing career because I love writing so much. In this business, there is little money except for the famous writers, so you have to love writing to keep doing it.

I had to wait until my two daughters were a little older before I could find the time to write. I also work a 40-hour week for Boeing, so that left me with late nights and weekends to write. Now that my daughters are grown, though I still work full-time, I can squeeze a couple of hours in each week to write. It takes much longer to write a book this way, but at the moment, I haven't any choice.

Thanks again, Cris, for your very nice post.

Marianne

translation of comment #10 (Andreina)

Dear Andreina (what a pretty name!):

Thank you so much for having me as your guest; I've thoroughly enjoyed it!

As for "bloodthirsty, uber-sexy-irresistible vampires," I don't really read those kinds of books and probably won't write one. My style and inclinations are more real world and while fantasy and paranormals are extremely popular, it takes a writer who just loves those stories to be able to write one. For the time being, at least, I'll be sticking with straight romances.

There are so many authors I love to read. As far as romance, it's Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I don't have a lot of time to read, so I have to be pretty choosy. Mostly I read non-fiction for research, and by the time I'm done with that, there's no time for fiction. When you're an author on deadline, there's very little time to read for pleasure anymore. I do very much miss that.

Thank you again so much for your very kind words.

Marianne

translation of comment #13 (Vitty)

Dear Vitty:

Thank you so much for your kind post. I very much appreciate your enthusiasm. As for being published in Italian, I'll sure keep my fingers crossed!

Take care, and happy reading!

Marianne

translation of comment #15 (Maet)

Dear Maet:

Thank you for your questions. I guess I'd say that I try to avoid stereotypes as much as possible, both in romance and mystery. Sometimes they're difficult to avoid, since each sub-genre has certain audience expectations, but I hope I am able to keep my stories fresh and as unique as possible. While I don't ignore stereotypes, I try to be aware of them, then find a different slant to expand on.

As for my publisher putting pressure on me to go in a certain direction, yes, that's partly true. Because I have humor in my stories, I was perceived as being a comedy writer (such as Rachel Gibson or Jen Cruisie), but I'm not. I don't write sit-com type stuff, I simply like a story that can make a reader laugh on occasion. But because Avon wanted me to continue to be funny, I accommodated. Then they decided they didn't want to publish "funny" books anymore, so they dropped me. I think it's rather ironic that I did what they wanted, and that's what ended my career with them. It's just the way the business works, though, so I'm hoping my next editor will let me write what I want to write.

Again, thank you so much for your very kind post.

Marianne