#CMCon23 Featured Author Spotlight: Mara Wells
I have another Featured Author Spotlight for the Coastal Magic Convention in Daytona Beach, FL (February 23-26, 2023). If you want to get away from cold weather and snow in February next year, I highly recommend heading to this book convention. It’s at one of my favorite beaches that I visited as a kid when I grew up in the Orlando, FL, area. (Now, I live forty minutes from Pensacola Beach, FL)
Today, I’m featuring the fabulous author, Mara Wells, who will attend the Coastal Magic Convention next year.
Check out the Interview below with Mara Wells, where you get to read about five fun facts about her, and learn what inspired her to write the Fur Haven Dog Park books, and other questions I got to ask her. =)
Q&A with Mara Wells
Check out Mara Well’s Website. Make sure you follow her Social Media Accounts: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
FranJessca: Tell us five fun facts that readers may not know about you.
Mara: I’ve lived in 5 areas of the world: California, New Zealand, England, New York, Florida. So far, I lived in California the longest, but Florida is a year or two away from catching up.
FranJessca: What does a typical writing day look like for you?
Mara: Mornings are my writing time. I wake up early, drink a cup of cold brew on my front patio with Houdini, my poodle, in my lap while I play Wordle, then head inside to get some words on the page. I tend to write in 1,000 word sprints. One sprint is always my goal; getting more than one in makes it a very good writing day.
FranJessca: What comes first when writing – the plot or characters?
Mara: Always characters! I hear characters talking to me in my head long before I know what story they belong in.
FranJessca: What inspired you to write the Fur Haven Dog Park books?
Mara: When I moved from California to Miami Beach with three dogs and a cat, the first friends I made in my new home were through the local dog park. Condo living means frequent dog walks, and I was lucky to have several dog parks within walking distance of where I lived. The same folks and their dogs showed up at similar times every day, and we’d chat while the dogs ran around and caused trouble. Over the course of years, people moved in and moved away. Couples got together and broke up. The dog park scene can be a real soap opera, and I wanted to capture some of that in my series.
FranJessca: Do you have any four-legged furbabies? (I have one dog and three cats that keep me company while my kids are in school. If I had it my way, I would have a house full of animals, but my husband can only handle so many animals.)
Mara: Right now, I have my poodle-mix, Houdini, who is a creaky old man, and our newest dog, Sancho, a nine-year old chihuahua. They are both very sweet boys who keep us busy!
FranJessca: Out of the Fur Haven Dog Park books, who was the most challenging couple to write to and why? (without giving too many details away, of course.)
Mara: The most challenging couple was Lance and Carrie. Generally speaking, I think if a couple breaks up, they probably shouldn’t get back together, so I had to come up with a reason for them to reunite that felt authentic to who they were and also promised that they would not fall into the same relationship habits that led to their first break up. It was also important that both carry equal fault for what happened between them. It was difficult to put them through so much pain, but ultimately, I had to go for it or else the happy ending isn’t as satisfying.
FranJessca: How do you celebrate after you finish writing a book?
Mara: I’m actually really bad about this because I never feel like a book is finished. After each draft, I usually do something small–a dinner out, an evening with friends, a lot of sleep–but I save the big celebrations for book launches. Once a book is published, I can’t make any more changes, and that’s how I know it’s finished!
FranJessca: What are you looking forward to most at the Coastal Magic Convention?
Mara: I’ve heard so many wonderful things about CMC from authors and readers that I’m excited about all of it. I’m really looking forward to meeting new people and talking about books. After the last few years of limited contact with others, it’s such a gift to be out in the world again.
FranJessca: What is up next for Mara Wells?
Mara: I have a Fur Haven Dog Park novella coming out in the anthology, Wedding Tails, scheduled for release on Valentine’s Day 2023. It’s been amazing working with the other authors in the anthology–Debbie Burns, Babette de Jongh, Lucy Gilmore, Jennie Marts, Teri Anne Stanley, and Sharon Wray. We’re so excited to share this book with you!
FranJessca: Fun question: What’s your favorite thing to do around the Holidays?
Mara: It’s a classic, but I love decorating my Christmas tree. Every ornament carries a memory, and I enjoy unpacking them and finding the perfect place for them on the boughs.
Check out her Fur Haven Dog Park Series.
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
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