Mary Connealy is the author of Petticoat Ranch, Calico Canyon, Alaska Brides, a three book series including Of Mice and Murder from Heartsong Presents Mysteries, and the South Dakota Brides series from Heartsong Presents. She has recently signed an exclusive contract with Barbour Publishing for eighteen books through 2012.
Tell us a little about your family and your call to write.

I just seem to have always tended toward expressing myself with the written word. I always wrote too long on the essay tests. I have writing ALL OVER my children’s baby books. More words than pictures, which is just wrong!

I wrote my first romance novel at age 12, long lost. Probably for the best!

I think God just gave me this love for writing. I don’t really think about being a writer as something I do. It’s something I am. That’s kind of odd but it seems to be true.

I’ve got four daughters. I was a stay at home mom for twenty-seven years and I did almost all my writing with the girls underfoot. I didn’t really start writing seriously until the youngest was in school.

My husband is a farmer. He milked cows for those twenty-seven years and, about the time he was going to crack-up for exhaustion, we decided the girls were old enough and I went to work and he sold the cows. Now he has beef cows instead and row crops, corn and beans mainly. I teach GED. The baby graduated from high school last spring, three months after Petticoat Ranch released. I didn’t see it those ten years I was writing without being published but now I can be very content that God gave me a new season in life.

How did you get your first “writing break?”

I won a contest. I won the Noble Theme Contest sponsored by ACFW. Because I was a finalist, I worked up the nerve to take the first trip of my life without my husband and get on a plane for the first time every. It was the Denver conference in 2005. I won the Noble Theme historical category with Petticoat Ranch and also came in third with a novel that has also since sold.

Because of the attention of placing first and third, I got a lot of requests for submissions and caught the interest of my agent. Of all those requests only Barbour Heartsong wanted to see more. They didn’t buy the book I subbed to them but they did say they liked my writing. Cathy Marie Hake was my real break. She asked me to come in on a three book series set in historical Alaska.

At the 2006 ACFW Conference in Nashville, Tracie Peterson, then acquiring editor for HP offered me a contract for Golden Days, my first book. They called my name and I got to go up front, with 300 authors clapping for me. It was one of the sweetest moments of my life.

What do you write and why this genre?

I write in three different genres but primarily historical western, romantic comedy suspense…yes Gina, it is TOO a genre. I probably invented it but it definitely exists now.

LOL! Hey, it’s selling, isn’t it!

Besides Calico Canyon, a sequel to Petticoat Ranch, I’m also writing for Heartsong Presents Mysteries and have a three book series of cozy mysteries coming, starting in September. And I’ve got a three book contemporary series set around a buffalo ranch in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Those books release from Heartsong Presents in October, November and December.

I love writing in the different genres but I always come back to historical. There’s just something that soothes my heart about a tough cowboy looking in confusion and a pretty little lady, as they try to figure out why they can’t stop coming back to have another fight.

Do you have any recent contracts and up coming releases?

Oh, man do it. Use whatever of this you want.

Calico Canyon July

Alaska Brides August (contains re-released Golden Days)

Of Mice and Murder (cozy mystery)

Buffalo Gal (Heartsong) October

Clueless Cowboy (Heartsong) November

Bossy Bridegroom (Heartsong) December

Then in 2009 Gingham Mountain the third book in the series that started with Petticoat Ranch, as well as two more longer books and two more cozy mysteries. It’s a really exciting time for me.

You are one busy and blessed lady. I guess all those years writing without publication is finally catching up to you!

What do you attribute your 18 book deal to?

Well, for one thing, I’d never EVER had been able to say yes to all these contracts if I hadn’t had twenty finished books on my computer before I signed the first contract. I’d have never made such a commitment.
So, write adn keep writing. Do NOT write one book adn commit years of your life to trying to get it published. I mean sure, commit your life to trying that, but also keep writing.

Of the eighteen.
One HP that was part of a three book series written by three separate authors. That’s my first book.
Then a contract came through for Petticoat Ranch. Petticoat Ranch, when the contracted it, they asked if I could have the manuscript to them in TWO WEEKS. That is unheard of. I suspect some opening popped up, someone reneged on a contract somehow…death maybe???
If I hadn’t been able to say yes, sure, no need to wait two weeks. HERE, I attached it to this email…hey might have passed me over
Petticoat Ranch, Bk #2
Then they bought a cozy mystery, the line was just starting, and they wanted a three book series Bk #3, 4, 5
Then Petticoat Ranch sold well enough they wanted a second book…I say, “It’s a three book series adn all three are already done. They bought one and said maybe on the next one. Bk 6.
Then they bought a three book HP series, two of which were done Bk 7, 8, 9
Then Barbour decides to expand their fiction line and I’m here with my arm waving saying, “I’ve got a third book in this series done adn I’ve got two more already done in the next three book series and a solid proposal for the third.
My agent met with BArbour’s president, I think at ICRS last summer and here comes this offer for a nine book exclusive contract…18.
So there was luck, being in a good place to react when Barbour starts expanding. And there was preparation, having all these books ready and proving … by having them ready … that I am capable of writing more.

How important do you think entering contests are? I’ve had mixed feelings about contests especially since every time I enter the Genesis I get two really high scores and one really low score. It’s turned me off from contests, but I’m considering entering one more…deadline is tomorrow! I just wonder if it’s better to spend my $30 getting a good synopsis critique by a fiction editor instead.
I consider contests to be the thing that led me to publications. Winning the Noble Theme Contest in 2005 led in a pretty direct way, to HP offering me my first contract. I believe in contests. And if you hate the criticism, then just consider it part of growing a thick hide. You need one to survive.
I think you learn from the critiques, even the ones you don’t think are fair, because you can get an idea of where people lose their way in your book. So if they make some mindless comment and you say, “You didn’t understand my book, moron.” You can also ask yourself, why didn’t they understand. If someone doesn’t understand whatever your heroine’s career is and says in their judges comments, “You know NOTHING about synchronized swimming.” well, there’s something to be learned from that because of course you know all about synchronized swimming. But the reader missed your point, so make your point BETTER.

I’m sure this is somewhat my ego talking, because I’ve had those wildly divergent scores too, but I like to think that if you’ve got a really unique, strong, different voice, you will have a strong affect on people, and not always a good affect. So someone is just unhappy with your book because it’s so different. But different is good. But that’s also why it takes a while to get published because you need the right editor in the right mood with the right needs to get that contract.

What do you hope to accomplish through your novels?

I want to make people laugh while being faithful to the gift God gave me.

And now for the tough questions…
How do you balance being a mom, wife, and writer?

I’m afraid my answer isn’t going to please writing moms? Uh oh. I didn’t exactly balance it. I did the writing for all those years while the kids were in school and now they’re grown up.

I think it would be incredibly tough to be doing the things I’m doing now, lots of weekends at book signings, traveling, not a lot, but some, late nights writing and doing promotion online. I see people do it but I’m not sure how. I feel like, at least for me, God gave me a season of motherhood (a LONG season) and now He’s giving me a new direction, a new ministry.

Did you write when your children were at home? Why or why not?

At school. I did some after they’d come home at night, but my children were always my priority. Well, that sounds noble, honestly the noisy little monsters wouldn’t leave me alone, so yes, they were my priority whether I wanted them to be or not!

Honestly, Gina, I see my life now and we’re not as well off financially as a lot of people we know. People who had both parents working all the years the kids were growing up. Our house isn’t fancy. We drive old cars. We don’t take fancy vacations and our idea of a great date night is Taco Tuesday at Barney’s Bar in Decatur. Sometimes that’s a little hard to live with. Especially for my husband who feels like he should have supported us better.

But those are just passing feelings and we KNOW the choices we made were the right one. Our daughters are wonderful people. Not perfect, but I feel like they’ve grown up to be their truest best selves. I feel like a mom at home, making the children and family the center of her world gives kids a great view of what’s important, relationships over money. To me, when I see people who are really prosperous and care so much about their children and who have raised great kids WITH Mom working, I think they’re sending a bad message. They’re saying to those kids you are so, so, so important to me. And guess what? Money’s got you beat. So how important does that make money and things?

All you’ve got to do is look around at the rampant materialism and almost desperate chase after cool toys and great clothes and surface appearance and know these kids have been raised with a distorted view of money.

I understand what your saying. I struggled with sending my kids to school this year (we homeschooled for the privious three) because I didn’t want the school to have more time with them than I did. So I’m bringing my 1st and 3rd grader home next year. My 6th and 8th will be in school, where they need to be!

When did you find the time to write, and did you ever feel like you were neglecting your children when you write?

I wrote while they were in school mainly. I feel like attending that conference put me over the top, seriously, to getting published and I never once considered doing that when the girls were young. But I needed time to develop as a writer so that’s okay.

I don’t know about neglecting them. I think a mom always feels like she could have done more, don’t you?

Definitely!

I think guilt is the primary motivator of my mothers.

I do know that when my youngest daughter moved out of the house for college my main reaction was this weird, looming sense of failure.

She is a fine young lady. Salutatorian of her class, Dean’s List at college, beautiful and ambitious and faithful. All my girls are wonderful. But for a mom I don’t think it can ever be enough. I think that’s just part of being a mom. I just knew it was too late.

Everything I wanted to say to her.

Everything I wanted to share with her about my faith.

Every lesson I wanted her to learn.

She either had it or it was too late, too late, too late. Oh, wow, I’m going to make myself cry now. I’ll stop.

Do you think it’s possible to give yourself fully to raising children, writing, and keeping in shape? If not, which one for you has to take a back seat?

Keeping in shape? What sick impulse made you add that to the list???

Sure it’s possible. Although ‘fully’? I’m not sure what that means. I definitely had to make choices. So maybe not. You can give all you’ve got but in the end you have to make choices just limited by the hours in the day. Keeping in shape went by the way side about baby number three (oh, who am I kidding…baby number two).

Is it any easier writing now that your children are grown?

Absolutely easier. My evenings are my own—well, my husband is there but he’s no trouble. I can travel. I don’t have to share the computer…the little hogs always wanted a turn.

Is parenting your grown children easier than raising them while they were young?

Way easier. I still am very involved and I worry of course, but it’s no where near the level of worry or work.

What would you say to moms who can’t wait until their children are older so they can write more?

Don’t blame you. And I look back on those days when I had all four girls running around biting my ankles and long for it. But you know what? All the stages of their lives are so interesting and wonderful. I wouldn’t want to wish them back to babyhood.

I had a friend who’s sons graduated with my two middle daughters. Or just about the same years as them. I worked with her. She was so young! She got married right out of high school and had her two kids immediately then stopped. She was 37-ish when the first one graduated and 39 or so when the second one graduated. She cried like a lunatic. I’m not kidding. She just cried and cried and cried.

But you know what? She was so young and she was DONE with children.

I was pretty young when I got married but not children for two years, that’s not THAT long of a wait, then I had four over ten years. By the time my youngest graduated I’d been a mom for a really, really REALLY long time. I was getting pretty ready for it.

What interruptions in your writing didn’t you expect once your children were older and out of the home?

Having a job interrupts me. But it’s really routine so the interruptions are a surprise. Having about eight Saturday book signings scheduled in August and September is pretty overwhelming. I’d like a Saturday free now and then but that’s not gonna happen!!!

How do you handle these interruptions in your writing life?

I scowl and complain and make my husband miserable. NO! I roll with the punches. I think after you’ve been a mom as long as I have, you get used to changing your plans when someone comes up with a fever. It’s pretty easy to handle interruptions for me.

How do you get back into the flow of writing after you’ve been interrupted?

I have no problem. I usually try to make a note at the point I’m being pulled away (I learned that from the kids) about where I’m going with this scene. That helps me get back into it.

Has there ever been a time God told you to set aside your writing to focus on other areas of your life? If so, how did you handle that?

No, not really. But I did learn, by looking back, that God had my career planned on his time schedule not mine. Wow, that is so easy for me to say as a published author. Those are words that I remember making me feel pretty bad when I was unpublished. So I’ll shut up about that.

Did you ever feel like you’ve “missed” God in regards to writing, that maybe you should be doing something else?

No, this is what I’m meant to be. I’m so amazed that I’m a published author. Just so beyond amazed. I always wrote with my eye on publication. I submitted so many manuscripts and got rejected so many times. But at some point I developed a sense of hopelessness. And I think that was good for me. I expected to get rejected. I expected to lose contests. I expected agents to turn me down. I found that far less painful than sending out my queries then sitting around hoping only to have my hopes dashed. I strongly encourage a sense of hopelessness in all your readers. Hey, if you DO get a contract, you can always get perked up then. In the mean time, keep WRITING. That was always my solution to everything. Start another book. I had twenty books finished on my computer when I got my first contract. Some of them stink. But a lot to them, with some revisions, have now sold. Which is thrilling. I think, if I never got another contract after the ones I’ve got now, I’d still just keep writing for the rest of my life. I just entertain the heck out of myself.

What advice would you give to writing moms who are have their hearts set on publication?

Grow a tough hide. Put your kids first…they’re gonna make you anyway, might as well adopt it as a lifestyle as if it is YOUR IDEA. And above all keep writing and remain hopeless (okay, I’m trying to be funny—sort of—it’s a bad thing when I need to label my jokes)

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Through this all I’ve been thinking of this wall hanging I needle pointed when I had little ones. Yes, I can do needlepoint, I knit and crochet like a genius, too, although I haven’t for a long, long time

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait ’til tomorrow

For babies grow up, we’ve learned to our sorrow

So, quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep

I’m rocking my baby, and babies don’t keep

(I did NOT write this-but I could have-I have the dust and cobwebs part down pat)

That is a so true and by the look of my house, I could have written it as well. Thanks so much, Mary for sharing your encouraging journey with us! Even if we don’t see publication while our children are little, there’s a season after waiting for us! If you’d like to win ONE of Mary’s books. Then leave a comment!

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