About Mary Feliciani:
Mary is a Canadian author, independent publisher and a former elementary school teacher. She attended UTM where she studied psychology and still lives in Mississauga, Ontario. Mary’s background in psychology, work with children and passionate interest in the human condition, which stems back as far as she can remember, are all evident in her writing.
What inspires you to write?
I feel compelled to write about certain issues. The issues themselves inspire me. I write about topics that I am passionate about.
All my books are about a moral, a lesson learned, or a deeper meaning. Friendship, fairness, compassion, peace and non-violence are themes I focus on in my writing. I start with the meaning of the story and then work backwards to see how I can achieve my goal. It is the themes themselves that inspire me to write.
Tell us about your writing process.
Stories live inside my head for a long time before I sit down to write. I am rarely looking at a blank page, although, I do leave parts of the story blank – those that I haven't figured out yet – and return to them at a later date.
I write in blocks of time when I am ready to write and prefer mornings. Story ideas will come to me at any time and any place; you can't schedule for them. It is not unusual for me to jot down an idea or even just one sentence that I want to use in the future. I use scrap paper or anything that I can find to make notes. In recent years my iPad has come in handy. I do give myself a timeline, but things get more complicated when I am ready to work with an illustrator or book designer; they have their own schedules.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Even though I write for children, I do deal with character development. I have to get into the character's head in order to ensure that what the character does and says are consistent with their personality traits. It is not just about the plot.
What advice would you give other writers?
My advice would be to write, keep on writing, and then write some more. Soon you will see which genre you are interested in, and which one you have an aptitude for. Also, keep everything you write, even if it isn't quite what you wanted. You can always go back and revamp it when you are ready.
Write about something that you are passionate about. If you are passionate about a subject, there is always more to say.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I started my own publishing company in 2006, at a time when there were not many self-publishing services offered to new authors (in Canada) who wanted to publish their own work.
What I found attractive about being a publisher was that I had complete control over the publishing process. I could handpick and hire free-lance editors, illustrators, book designers and printers.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
My first two books were in print. The Magic Leaf was published in 2006. Humanitarians, Visionaries, Heroes, and You was published in 2012. I switched over to eBooks for my third book, Big and Small in the Mirror, and my forth book, The Invisible Boy.
I think that eBooks are the way of the future. If you make it big as an author, the number of books you have available for sell is infinite. When a book is in print you have to keep going back to printing others runs and spending more money.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer
What genres do you write?: Children's Books
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Link To Mary Feliciani Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
LinkedIn
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
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