Author Interview: Mary Kendall

 

 

JMR-Welcome to the Books Delight, Mary. Tell our readers where you live, what you do for fun and what does the perfect day look like?

MK- Hi Jeanie! Thanks so much for taking the time to interview me.

I live in Maryland in the outskirts of Baltimore. I still have a couple of teenagers at home in various stages of school and life so that manages to keep me well-occupied. My perfect day would include a long hike in the woods, some time on my yoga mat outdoors, and, of course, plenty of time to read and write.

JMR-What’s your favorite historical time period? Why?

MK- I am probably most drawn to the early twentieth century. And I think it is because there were so many rapid changes across the board right from the start of the century---the rise of the automobile, the social mores changing up and the intense politics involved with the war among other aspects. Additionally, I love the stylistics of that era, especially the architecture.

JMR-Who is your favorite historical figure? Why? If you could ask them one question, what would it be?

MK- Frank Lloyd Wright. His style of architecture transformed the American architectural landscape and ties in to my favorite historical period. One question: what was his favorite project?

JMR- How did you come to be a writer of historical fiction?

MK- My formative years were spent growing up in old and historic houses. This really sparked my imagination in a way that has never stopped. I earned degrees in history related fields and worked as an historian for many years but always dabbled with writing on the side. Once my youngest of three kids was in school, my time freed up enough for me to go deeper with the writing which organically took off in the direction of historical fiction.

JMR- Based on your bio, I have to ask; do you believe in ghosts?

MK- Short answer, yes (see above note about growing up in old and historic houses). Long answer, probably needs to be another interview (wink)?

JMR- Mary, tell us about your new book, The Spinster’s Fortune.

MK- THE SPINSTER’S FORTUNE is an historical mystery set in Washington, D.C. in 1929. It’s an intriguing tale of an elderly woman, Blanche, who, for unknown reasons, has hidden her family’s fortune in strange places throughout her decaying house in the neighborhood, Georgetown. It is up to her niece, Margaret, to figure out where these hiding spots are and, in the process, start to unravel mysteries about this aunt’s life. Along the way, Margaret begins to make discoveries about her own life and the changes that need to happen. The novel was inspired by real life events and one of the two main protagonists, Blanche, is based on a real person.

JMR- Did you visit anyone of the places in your book? Where did you feel closest to your characters?

MK- I was born in Washington, D.C. , the primary setting of the novel. The novel is also set in the Maryland countryside which is where I grew up. So I have been to all the places that I included in the book many times over. I felt most comfortable, though, when one of the two main protagonists, Margaret, spent time at her house and horse farm, Needham Forest, out in the country.

 JMR-What projects do you have in the pipeline?

MK-  I have three manuscripts that I am currently juggling that are all complete but in various stages of development. My most recent is a change for me as it is not historical fiction. It is a present day mystery but revolves around a very strange real-life archeological find in the Williamsburg, Virginia area dating from the 1800s: a “witch bottle”. The story kind of springs up and around this bizarre find. So…not historical mystery per se but strongly rooted in history.

 JMR- Tell our readers how to find you on social media and the web.

MK-  Find me on my website at http://www.marykendallauthor.com.

Or check me out on Instagram (mary.kendall.author), Facebook (@Mary.kendall.3152) and Twitter (@MaryLavin49).

I am also on goodreads! https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21221557.Mary_Kendall

And Bookbub! https://www.bookbub.com/profile/mary-kendall

The Spinster’s Fortune may be purchased at mybook.to/fortune (free on Kindle Unlimited).

 JMR- What question were you hoping I’d ask but didn’t?

MK- I was hoping you would ask what my favorite “channel” is out of what I call the “Big Three” social media channels. It’s Instagram! Love hanging out over there;)

JMR-Thank you, Mary, for hanging out with us today. Readers, I know you will be interested in checking out Mary's book so I've included a link.