INTERVIEW WITH MARYANN DE SALVA
August 6, 2010 6:10 pm
PG: MaryAnn, we at Publishing Gurus are very excited about your book, “Percy’s Special Gift.” It was the first book published through Publishing Gurus, now that we are a recognized independent publishing house! Will you please tell us something about yourself?
DS: To begin with, I am a proud graduate of the University of Wisconsin. After thirty-four years of teaching high-school English, I am retired. With my husband Dwight, I enjoy traveling between Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Pass Christian, Mississippi. We call both places home, and both places are fodder for my writing.
I have also traveled extensively in the British Isles and in Europe. And my enthusiasm for new adventures and challenges resulted in my most memorable and exciting experience: to celebrate my 75th birthday, I went skydiving!
PG: What do you do with your time, now that you’re retired from teaching?
DS: I am retired, but not retiring: I travel, volunteer, knit, read, and enjoy life.
PG: When did you decide to write books?
DS: I have always wanted to write, but with family, teaching, and general busy-ness, only my fertile imagination produced pieces. Everything I have ever done – as a child, as a teacher, as a parent – has been a preface to my writing.
PG: How many books have you written? Tell us about them.
DS: PERCY is my first book to reach fruition, and I want everyone to love him as much as I do. Although he is the first, he is not the last. Percy and Jabber are on their way to solving the mystery of The Singing River. They will be joined by Dewey, the sea turtle; Stormy, the alligator, and Lily, the mermaid. Jabber will remain the only one who knows the power of Percy’s magic tooth.
PG: What are some of your favorite books by other authors? How have they influenced your own work?
DS: I am an English teacher— books were and are my life.
PG: Do you have any hobbies, things about which you’re really passionate? Other than writing, that is?
DS: As a cancer survivor, I am passionate about helping others through the American Cancer Society and the YWCA Encore program. I have always been involved with children in some capacity. Although I taught high school, I was part of creating, producing, and hosting an annual Christmas pageant for special-needs children in Brown County, Wisconsin. I’ve decided that all the proceeds from PERCY will go to charities that help children, like Smile Train and a couple of others I support.
PG: Whose services have you used for designing and editing your books?
DS: With the help and guidance of Betsy Gordon, Esther Luc, Sunny Kapoor, Nancy Coate, Cathy Skeris, and Publishing Gurus, this book has found wings.
PG: What’s your target audience? Do you only write for an American audience, or are you also interested in writing for Asia and Europe?
DS: My audience is children, but their nationality or origin is irrelevant. The lesson of PERCY is limitless.
PG: How do you market your books?
DS: This is new to me. I’m looking to others to create the buzz. After that, word of mouth, friends, former students will take over.
PG: What advice do you have for new writers?
DS: Write! Use every experience and every emotion to inspire you. Be honest in your telling, and people will believe in your vision.
