Mary Carroll Moore: Finding Connection Through Fiction
Staying fresh and starting over
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TW Creative Director John Vogel interviewed author
this past November. Mary pursued a decades-long career as a food and cookbook writer before pivoting into writing instruction and self-releasing Your Book Starts Here in 2011. The two discuss her latest book, Last Bets, and her lifelong career as a creative in multiple mediums.
Mary’s newest novel, Last Bets, is a fast-paced suspense novel where “female ambition and morality collide in the darkness of a gambling underworld on the idyllic, exotic island of Bonaire.” The main character, Elly, travels to a Caribbean island to complete a contract, hopefully bringing her out of a precarious financial situation. Elly has the gift of premonition, which she channels into her painting and her nighttime backgammon games for money.
Before publishing her first novel, Mary was diagnosed with cancer at 49, causing her to reevaluate her life and career as a food and cookbook writer. While the work was lucrative, and she was grateful to have a creative job that could sustain her, she also knew it was time to pursue her lifelong interest in fiction. The next year she returned to graduate school for an MFA in Fiction at Goddard College to explore writing novels.
During that same time period, Mary also brought back her practice of painting, which she’d set aside when her food writing career began to pick up. Now she uses her painting to help her out when she’s stuck writing, allowing her two crafts to feed off of each other.
John and Mary also touch on the logistical aspects of publishing and sharing the story behind your work. Mary shares her experience being coached by
in how to make deeper connections with her readers.Listen to Mary Carroll Moore’s episode to hear more about Mary’s connection with fiction, her readers, and her creative life.
Keep up with Mary:
Her website
Instagram: @marycarrollmoore
Keep up with Talking Writing:
Instagram: @talkingwritingmag