Flinn writes with true eloquence!

Flinn writes with true eloquence!,
March 28, 2012
By
jenniferedits - See
all my reviews
This
review is from: Three Gifts (Paperback) As a freelance editor,
I was lucky enough to meet Mary Flinn and was an instant fan! Her first book,The One: A
Novel was an instant hit with believable, lovable characters to begin the
story of a small town couple, Chelsea and Kyle, and their coming of age story.
Second
Time's a Charm is the second book, following the same family, but focusing
on an older, more experienced couple, but a lovable, genuine couple nonetheless.
The third book,Three
Gifts is just that-a true gift to literature! No wonder this novel won the
Pacific Book Review Best Romance Novel of 2011 award, as well as a first place
finish for the 2011 Reader Views Reviewers' Choice Award. It is an authentic,
heartfelt story of a now grown up Kyle and Chelsea that we came to know in the
first novel, The One. Three Gifts is a rapid read, once you start turning the
pages, you quickly find yourself at the end and wanting the story to continue.
Truly, as you read this story, you feel as if you know the characters and
situations. I can only imagine the next chapter in the story of these beloved,
familiar characters that everyone can relate to in their own lives.As a
writer, Mary has continually perfected her skill in dialogue, character
development and the true art of storytelling in a believable voice. It is a joy
to pick up any of the three books and I can only hope that I get to read the
next masterpiece that she will release! The simple skill of writing believable
stories with recognizable characters is a true talent. Mary Flinn is not only a
skilled writer of eloquence, but an artist! I am a fan and I hope that anyone
reading this will be so moved as to read all three of her novels. You will be
amazed and quickly a fan of the characters in these familiar NC towns! These
books are full of genuine NC settings that will resonate with natives and those
who know the beauty of the mountains and the coast of NC. The characters will
make you feel as if you are part of their circle of friends, or you wish that
you were! These novels are a must read! Whether you are on vacation or just
wishing you were, it is definitely worth the time to get to know the cast of
characters and spend some time with this trilogy of books!

Book Awards for Three Gifts and Second Time's a Charm

Three Gifts and Second Time's a Charm receive Reader Views Book Awards 2011

I am honored and humbled to announce that Three Gifts placed first in the Romance Novel category in the Reviewers’ Choice Awards, and won Pacific Book Review’s Best Romance Novel of 2011. Second Time’s a Charm won an honorable mention in the Readers’ Choice Awards. Reader Views, a national Book Review Company based in Austin Texas, reviews primarily books from self-published authors like me. Additionally, Pacific Book Review is a professional book review company based in Nipomo, CA.

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
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