Spring Happenings

The weather has been teasing us that spring is around the corner, and then the snow came! With spring comes book promotions, and I love the opportunity to meet my readers in person and talk about our friends--on paper, that is, Kyle and Chelsea, and Stacie and Tyson. A lot has been happening in their lives, as Forever Man is in the works as the fourth installment in the series. Here is the latest list of upcoming events:

Friday, March 2 from 6:30-8:00 Art Crawl in Boone--The Jones House artists reception

Saturday, March 17 from 2-4 pm Book Signing at Caribou Coffee, Friendly Center in Greensboro

Saturday, April 28 ASU Alpha Phi Moms' Day Celebration

Saturday, May 12 Summerfield Founders' Day Celebration

Saturday, June 2 from 2-4 Todd General Store, Todd, NC

I'll look forward to keeping up with my readers! Until we meet again, happy reading!

Mary

Something to Talk About

As I enter 2012, planning to kick my promotional strategies in gear for the New Year, I have to reflect on the joys of self-publishing, and also to request a favor of any of you who have read one of my books and liked it.

First of all, I could be wasting away, sending out queries and receiving rejection after rejection from one agent after another. I have spent some amount of time doing just that, so I know the drill. Some agents accept queries via email, affording them the luxury of rejecting an author in a nano-second, making me wonder if they even read the material at all. Others have very nice stationery cards they send, supposedly to soften the blow with a touch of elegance, as opposed to the traditional form letter. All of these approaches are accompanied by a generic statement that reads something like, "Your work is not what I'm looking for right now."

Instead of subjecting myself to this slow and tedious torture, I decided in 2010 to go it on my own and self-publish the manuscript of The One. Instead of dealing with more rejection, I was gratified to learn that many of you liked it, and liked it so much you wanted to know what happened next. Thus, Second Time's a Charm was born, and then Three Gifts had to follow for the same reasons. The act of self-publishing has allowed me to work at my own pace, free of pressure from a publisher who'd like me to write it their way, or would choose the cover without my input, or worse yet, deciding I wasn't worth the risk after all, and giving me the boot! The way I've chosen to proceed has kept my love of writing alive, and has allowed me to connect on a personal level with my readers, who I usually meet one on one, or in a conversation over the internet through this website. It makes me wonder if Johnny Appleseed felt this grateful every time he watched someone bite into a crisp, ripe red delicious! In all, it hasn't been a bad road. And I'm still waiting to meet that one person who can help me crack this thing wide open and take my book sales to the next level. Killing the time thinking of who to cast in the movies is not a bad way to wait out a red light!

So, as to the favor I'd like to ask, I'd like you to consider writing a review on Amazon, or Barnes and Noble, or on your favorite blog. Send a shout out to all your Facebook friends, or tweet away about these books. It doesn't matter how many bookstore shelves these copies occupy; if nobody knows about them, nobody buys them. I need to get people talking about these books. If you are in a book club, consider discussing one of these books. If you are a member of a women's group, or a boys' club that needs a good story about a young male role model, pick The One. My husband called it a handbook for the way a guy should treat a girl. So there you go! Maybe our boys should be reading this, even more so than our girls.

Thank you again for reading my books. Thank you for your support!

Mary

Holiday Events

Our book launch for Three Gifts was a success! To date there have been 1200 copies sold since June 2011. Upcoming events are the St. Francis Day School Holiday Market at 3506 Lawndale Dr. in Greensboro, on Saturday, December 3 from 10:00-4:00 pm. On Saturday December 10, find us at Banner Elk Winery from 1:30-4:30 pm at 135 Deer Run Lane in Banner Elk, NC. Taste some excellent wine and buy a book ofr yourself or to give as a Christmas gift. What's better than reading a Christmas story by the tree?

Three Gifts Launch Tuesday November 22

Three Gifts book launch party is STILL ON! You may have read that the Aztec Dragon in Greensboro has closed their doors, BUT they are remaining open for big events and holiday parties, including our event on Tuesday, November 22nd from 6-9 pm. Please come out and help us celebrate! All three books will be for sale. The set of three will be available for $50. If you need a Christmas gift for the reader on your list, this party should be your first stop!

Just in: an article from Appalachian State Her Campus www.hercampus.com/school/appstate

The Books and Background of Mary Flinn

Wednesday, October 12, 2011By Brittany Fielding

This past summer, after countless weekday evenings of lounging around, watching television and doing nothing particularly productive with my time, I had a revelation of sorts; it had been so long since I had actually engaged in any activity that gave me the simplest kind of happiness and joy. At the time, I was so busy spending every day in and out of class in the mornings and working one of my two jobs that I literally forgot how to relax happily. So, I started making a list. On a piece of recycled notebook paper I wrote everything I wanted to do in a single summer that would make me happy. Among some of the tasks were: paint my desk, pick up that sewing project that I stopped working on two years ago, and exercise three times a week. But, my favorite task, and by far the simplest, actually ended up first on my list: read a book for fun.

Well, it didn’t take a trip to the library or countless hours of browsing the fiction section to know what book I wanted to read first. In fact, this was a novel I had been meaning to read for months prior to the creation of “the list”. So, the first book I picked up was The One by Mary Flinn, who happens to be my best friend’s mother. After finishing it in about a week’s time, I realized that this was not just any other novel. This was one of those great reads that you find yourself so engulfed in that you can’t help but wish for more long after every page has been turned. Written with so much passion and substance, you could literally feel the reality in the story, which makes sense because all of Flinn’s stories stem from real life situations. Whether it be her own experiences, her two daughters’ experiences, or a close friend’s experience, she writes stories that we can all relate to in one way or another.

Take her first book, The One. It is the story of two high school seniors, Chelsea and Kyle, living in the fictional community of Doughton County and struggling with college decisions, loss, heartache, first love, and the typical high school drama that we all lived through at one point in our lives. The real life Kyle, however, was “a very bright and good-looking guy who was traveling around working as a dishwasher, and trying to put the tragedies of his life in perspective,” that Flinn met while working in the Outer Banks one summer many years ago.

And the settings of her novels? Well, they are all places that we recognize and know like the back of our hand. In fact, don’t be surprised to read about her characters going to dinner at Macado’s or The Red Onion Café and attending Appalachian State football games. While not a graduate of ASU, Flinn has always loved the mountains and the beach, often spending family vacations at The Outer Banks, where her second novel, Second Time’s a Charm, takes place.

Now Flinn is preparing to release her third novel titled Three Gifts, which is a direct sequel to her first. Three Gifts picks up right where The One left off, and answers all of the questions readers may have had about what happened to Chelsea and Kyle. While she could not tell me too much about the novel without giving it away, she did say that it is an awesome Christmas story with some predictable moments and some surprises along the way too. Not to mention that it is set to be released on November 22, just in time for the Holiday Season. When asked how writing has changed her life, Flinn said; “Writing has given me my voice, even at fifty-three years old, when I started. After my life and career and whatever else I have accomplished, I believe that writing this series has brought all of my passions, beliefs, and the humor within me to the surface. Handing over the raw manuscript to an editor was like handing my heart and soul on a silver platter to a stranger.” I truly believe that sometimes the best way to take a break from reality is to step into someone else’s for a while. The reality that Mary Flinn creates in her novels is sweet, heartfelt, real, and most importantly, relatable. Her voice is captivating and will truly leave you wanting more. So, I encourage you all to make a little time for yourself and pick up a copy of any of her three novels. The best part is, they are available literally right around the corner at Black Bear Books in the mall, Boone Drug, and even the ASU bookstore! Happy reading!Show pagedAdd new comment
More in:AppStateAppalachian State Author Profile
GS_googleAddAdSenseService("ca-pub-6729995444575525");
GS_googleEnableAllServices();
GA_googleAddSlot("ca-pub-6729995444575525", "Right_bar_top");
GA_googleAddSlot("ca-pub-6729995444575525", "Middle_Side_Bar");
GA_googleAddSlot("ca-pub-6729995444575525", "Right_Bar_Center_New");
GA_googleAddSlot("ca-pub-6729995444575525", "Bottom_Bar_Left");
GA_googleAddSlot("ca-pub-6729995444575525", "Bottom_Bar_Center");
GA_googleFetchAds();
GA_googleFillSlot("Right_bar_top");
OAS_url ='http://oasc17.247realmedia.com';
OAS_sitepage ='campustrendsetters';
OAS_pos ='x01';
OAS_pubclick ='';
var OAS_RN = new String (Math.random());
var OAS_RNS = OAS_RN.substring (2,11);
document.write('');http://adclick.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=L&ai=BVvIobaWcToOWCqe7sQfphPX_CIv1-4oCAAAAEAEg1ZbMDTgAWLuNn58gYMn2oYqkpJwQsgERd3d3LmhlcmNhbXB1cy5jb226AQlnZnBfaW1hZ2XIAQnaAVJodHRwOi8vd3d3LmhlcmNhbXB1cy5jb20vc2Nob29sL2FwcHN0YXRlL2Jvb2tzLWFuZC1iYWNrZ3JvdW5kLW1hcnktZmxpbm4_cGFnZT1zaG93mALiCcACAuACAOoCDVJpZ2h0X2Jhcl90b3D4AvDRHpAD4AOYA-ADqAMB4AQBoAYW&num=0&sig=AOD64_2mz4AIBNHGIKMYnhDK_KopMfxcsQ&client=ca-pub-6729995444575525&adurl=

New Release!

Three Gifts, the true sequel to The One is set to be released on November 22,2011. Our celebration will be held at the Aztec Dragon, formerly the Asiano Bistro on Lawndale Drive in Greensboro, NC, from 6-9 pm. Mimi Skerrett Williams has allowed me to use her beautiful photograph of the Blue Ridge mountains for the cover of Three Gifts.

Other upcoming events are as follows:

September 25 from 1-3 pm Art Walk book signing, King St. Boone, NC

October 1 from 10:00-4:00 Davie County Festival of Books at Rich Park, Mocksville, NC

November 22 from 6-9 pm Book Release Party for Three Gifts at Aztec Dragon, Lawndale Dr.

in Greensboro, across from Target

December 3 from 10:00-4:00 St. Francis Episcopal Church Day School Holiday Market,

3506 Lawndale Dr., Greensboro, NC

Outer Banks Book Tour 2011

A visit to the Outer Banks would never be the same for me if I didn't stop and eat at Sam & Omie's. We kicked off our Second Time's a Charm book tour at Sam & Omie's in Nags Head on August 1st, thanks to owner, Carole Sykes and her wonderful hospitality, just one year after our first visit with The One. Judy Waits and Kathleen Breony returned to visit with Mike and me, along with some new folks we met that day. After leaving them we walked across the street to behold the newly reconstructed Jennette's Fishing Pier. If you are in the area you shouldn't pass it up. The aquarium tanks, personalized fishing benches and the wind power turbine are spectacular on this piece of Nags Head history that will not die. It's a nice place for a wedding too, so I've been told. Don't forget to eat at Sam & Omie's while you're there!

Scarborough Faire was our next stop on Wednesday, at the Island Bookstore in Duck, where we stayed. We met lots of nice ladies and their daughters, looking for a good, clean teen read, so needless to say, they bought The One!

Duck's Cottage Coffee and Books is definitely the place to be on any given morning from 9-11 AM! Coffee drinkers there are passionate about their reading and I had lots of nice chats with folks from Virginia to New York, and one man and his lovely daughter from Australia. We even met a man who went to high school with both of our brothers, assuring us that it is a small world, after all.

Next up was Page After Page in Elizabeth City on Thursday evening. They were ready for us with flyers in the window, my book on the shelf facing the window, right above John Hart's Iron House (!) and book marks advertising the visit. Thanks to owner, Susan Hinkle, we had one very enthusiastic young lady waiting for us, whose mother bought both books.

If you want to stay in Duck, check out Twiddy & Company Realtors for a clean rental with a friendly and efficient staff. Our house, just a short walk from the beach, was exactly what we wanted for a week's worth of R & R, complete with a porch swing and a kitchen we could actually cook in. My favorite part was the outdoor shower! Jessica and Shelby liked the jet skis at Sunset Water Sports, which has a good restuarant, called Sunset Bar and Grille, too. Don't leave there without trying the she-crab soup!

On to the editing phase of Three Gifts. We are getting close now! I hope to release this third installment in the trilogy of the Davis and Davenport families by mid-November.