It’s Meet the Author Monday! Each week we meet a new author and get to know a little about them, their writing process, publishing experience, and tips for other writers. Today we’re talking to Marie A Wishert, author of Ignite: The Terrible Love Memoirs, Book 1.
About Marie A Wishert:
Marie’s witty sarcasm wrapped in poetic stylings create a palatable exploration of deeply personal and controversial subject matter. Ignite, her debut novel, kicks off The Terrible Love Memoirs, a trilogy chronicling her protagonist Ruby’s path to, and ultimately through, a premature existential crisis. Raw, real, and packed with emotions, Ruby’s journey will resonate for readers of all walks of life.
A Fargo, ND native, Marie now calls San Diego, CA home. She is a practicing dentist, wife, mother to two boys, avid triathlete, Instagram personality, and amateur photographer. Chasing her passions and experiencing life while inspiring others to seek the same is her ultimate goal.
As a side passion project stemming from the struggle to find promotional outlets for her own work, Marie also hosts live author interviews on Instagram to assist in optimizing the reach for their creative endeavors.
About Carry on Castle:
What good is a finish line if you never experience the route along the way?
That’s the question plaguing Ruby Carlson, an impulsive young woman chronicling her premature existential crisis.
A runner through and through, Ruby spent her formative years sprinting toward the proverbial finish line of financial independence and the promise of the free-spirited woman she longed to become. But when an unexpected pregnancy results in her transition to the role of mother and provider, Ruby has to stifle her non-traditional self to play the role of a stable, Midwestern family wife.
The years melt away, and on the outside, it appears Ruby is settled and happy. Yet behind the façade is a woman still clinging to that promise of true freedom. When confronted by a dire longing for the passion and dreams she shed to fortify her family’s way of life, what will she do to survive?
Author Interview with Marie A Wishert:
This post contains affiliate links which means, at no cost to you,
I’ll receive a small commission if you purchase using those links.
- When did you first consider yourself a writer?
After I put Ignite out with an independent press that chose my manuscript. After that. I networked with their other authors, and after hearing everyone’s unique story and seeing the parallels between us all, I finally felt like I belonged among them.
- Tell us about the process for coming up with the cover.
The cover for Ignite was a struggle. My publisher wanted something professional looking and proper, but I fought them and went my own way. I’m kinda a control freak. Thus, as it exists right now, the cover is a polaroid of a composite art piece I made in dental school. The photo is one my husband took, and I layered it with a photo of water damage in our house. The title of the piece was “I think I am a mother.” With the content of Ignite, something about that photo resonated, so I wanted to use it. Also, the first release of Ignite was deeply personal and I wanted it to represent me unbridled. Future iterations that will look more proper and processional are coming from my writing coach and creative lead, Michelle Meyer. She started with a cover for Wildfire, book 2 in this series, and blew me away on her first go. She’s going to go back and redo Ignite’s cover to match, and I know it will be brilliant. But the first copies of this book will have that super special space of my really amateur take on cover design.
- Do you write listening to music? If so, what music inspired or accompanied this current book?
Music is always on in the background. Obviously, with this series being titled “The Terrible Love Memoirs,” the National was a huge influence. It was almost exclusively them for a while, but eventually I threw in Frightened Rabbit and Birdie, and a couple other random songs like Michigan by the Milk Carton Kids and anything else with that sedative quality. Music has this amalgamation effect on me. What I’m listening to seems to possess my nervous system, and when I’m lost in the sound, I transport to another level. This work is the product of me + the music. I actually met both Matt Berninger and Scott Hutchinson during my writing process, and thanked them both for the profound art they gave to this world.
- What famous author do you wish would be your mentor?
Cheryl Strayed – In another interview I actually answered her name to two questions in a row and didn’t realize it before submitting. When I caught the mistake I messaged back all “I swear I don’t have Cheryl Strayed tourettes!” but the effort was futile. At this point, I’m going with: it is what it is. You love what you love. And I love Cheryl Strayed. The abandon with which she approaches her craft is breathtaking. Also, it helps that she’s a fellow Minnesotan and shares the same name as my mother. In short though, her work inspired me to become who I am. Had I not encountered Wild at a crucial juncture in my life, I would not be any semblance of the woman answering these questions today.
- What did you want to be when you grew up?
A writer 🙂
- What is the best part of your day?
The wee morning hours, just before the sun comes up. When the rest of the world feels like it’s still asleep and I’m outside running, feeling like the only person in the world.
- What’s your favorite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
Washington, D.C. I love this place for so many reasons. In Ignite, readers will get a sense of my love for it. Part of me was thinking I was writing a travelogue. When I’m in D.C. I feel like I’ve been transported to another world. The history, the monuments, the layout . . . the cherry blossoms trees, the trails, bridges . . . all of it. It’s alive in a way I’ve never felt in any other space. Old and wise and pulsing beneath it all. But you have to step outside of the hustle and bustle and be alone amidst it all. It’s transcendental.
I could never live there either, it’s not anywhere I have a desire to permanently be, so it will forever remain my favorite escape.
To learn more about Marie A Wishert, here’s where you can find her:
Website: mariesworldofwriting.com
Instagram: @marie_world_of_writing
Facebook: Marie’s World of Writing
Twitter: @marie_wishert
Want to be featured on Meet the Author Monday?
