MARYANN MCFADDEN

While raising two children, Maryann McFadden spent ten years working as a freelance writer with articles in a variety of newspapers and magazines. She then left writing for nearly a decade and became one of Northwest New Jersey’s top realtors. Her love of writing, however, never really left her. Maryann went back to school and received a Master’s Degree with a concentration in writing. The Richest Season began as her thesis project.

She has a B.A. in English from Rutgers University and a Master’s Degree in Writing from William Paterson University. Her articles have appeared in WORKING WOMAN, WOMEN’S SPORTS & FITNESS, FEELING GREAT, RUNNER’S GAZETTE, and many other magazines. She received an award for an excerpt of a screenplay at The Philadelphia Writers Conference and was a finalist in The Master’s Poetry Series.  In addition to writing the corporate publications of Binney & Smith, makers of Crayola products, she has taught writing at Centenary College in New Jersey. 

She lives in Hackettstown, NJ, with her husband, Patrick. 

Readers and writers, visit  www.maryannmcfadden.com  and share your thoughts.

Dear Readers...

Ever since I was a little girl, nothing gave me more pleasure than losing myself in a good book. And now, as a writer, I get that same joy as I lose myself in the creation of a rich and intricate story with memorable characters. Characters who are not so very different from you and me, really, as they struggle to find their way in life.

I began writing poetry and stories in high school. After college, I worked as a freelance writer while raising my babies, squeezing writing time in while they napped in the afternoons. I wrote for a variety of newspapers and specialized in health and fitness articles for magazines such as WORKING WOMAN and WOMEN'S SPORTS & FITNESS. But after nearly a decade of working mostly from home, a bit lonely, I must admit, I left writing and pursued a career in real estate, of all things. I found myself becoming intimately involved in people's lives. I loved it. And I was good at it.

For the next 15 years, I helped my customers sell their homes, whether for a job transfer, a divorce, a death, or simply the need for a change in life. I also helped them to pursue their dreams as they sought a first home, a cottage by the river to soothe a grieving heart, or a little ranch after spending more than 50 years in a rambling Victorian. These stories of people's lives, I began to realize, were rich and precious, the kinds of stories people like to read about..

And then my own children began leaving the nest, and the need to write again began to consume me.

I returned to school, got a Master's Degree in Literature with a Concentration in Writing, and turned to the kind of writing I always loved best: fiction. My first novel, THE RICHEST SEASON, is the story of a corporate wife who runs away. As a realtor, I witnessed first-hand the trials and tribulations of families relocating every few years all around the world. My second novel, SO HAPPY TOGETHER, has the flavor of a mystery with a touch of humor, and is a little bit closer to home. It's the story of a small town realtor and his family, and the secrets they've each been hiding from each other.

I enjoy setting my stories in the kinds of places I like to escape to. THE RICHEST SEASON takes place at one of my favorite beaches in the world, Pawley's Island, South Carolina. And SO HAPPY TOGETHER unfolds in a charming little town in northwest New Jersey, not unlike the place where I live.

My writing is filled with things I am passionate about: nature, wildlife, gardening, writing, family, love, and the spiritual side of life. And also the complicated dance of the human heart.

I am currently in the process of writing novel number 3, which, not unlike my previous stories, began to unfold in my mind while walking on a beach. It's a funny and touching story about Susan, who is about to divorce the husband she still loves. She's also trying to get her novel published after 150 rejections. She stumbles into a Happy Hour at Bethany Beach, Delaware, and meets a cast of characters who are about to change her life. Right now, these characters are having complete conversations in my head and I need to write them down.

All the best,

Maryann

Coming soon: So Happy Together.

Joanna, however, is moving farther and farther away from him as she’s drawn into island life.  She becomes involved in the effort to rescue endangered loggerhead turtles and eventually begins a passionate affair with Hank Bishop, a retired shrimper, who shows her that even grownups need to have fun. A part-time job with a small newspaper plants the seed from which a future dream grows: to become a writer.  Soon, an article she’s working on pulls her into a class war spurred by local development. As her new life is taking root, unavoidable demands from her old life, as well as Grace’s decline, force Joanna to confront her past and make new decisions about her future. 

For Joanna, Paul and Grace, walking away from the lives they’d always dreamed of gives them each a chance to rediscover a part of themselves they’d all but forgotten and enter the “the richest season” of their lives.