Mary Ting’s Blog Tour

The Wonderful Mary Ting, Young Adult Author Extraordinaire!~

I have a special place in my heart for the wonderful Mary Ting. She has created such wonderful works that any young adult would love to read. In fact, I will definitely introduce my girls to her Crossroads Saga when they are young adults. Crossroads(Book 1), Between(Book 2) and Beyond(Book 3) are fast reads that will keep you emotionally involved from the beginning. Romantically sweet with adventure and challenge, these books have it all! Today wraps up her tour, so I am reposting an interview that I did recently with Mary. Please check out her author links at the bottom of the page.

1. If you could meet up & chat with one author who would it be and why?

It would have to be Stephenie Meyer because she wrote Twilight based on her dream.  Crossroads is also based on a couple of dreams I had in high school.  She was one of my inspirations to write this book.

2. How long of a process is writing a book? (you can talk about the challenges of getting a book published here if you would like 😉 lol

Ahhh!!!  I say this in a good and bad way.  First, it was so much fun writing about these characters, and many characters are based on people I know.  In some ways, Claudia is a lot like me, so her character was easy to write.  There was one time when I wiped out the last five chapters because my friend thought I could do better.  I’m glad she told me I could, but deleting those chapters brought me to tears. Then there is re-reading, re-writing and re-editing.  Let me just say that I found a new profound respect for authors.
3. Did you always want to become a writer?

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever thought about becoming a writer.  To tell you the truth, I didn’t really enjoy reading.  I read because I had to.  Not until I became a teacher did I find reading truly enjoyable.  I started writing because it was a way for me to heal from the death of my grandmother.  She is also a character in my story-Gamma J.

4. What were some of your “inspirations” for writing this novel

One of my inspirations for writing this novel was my grandmother.  Writing was a way for me to heal.  Another inspiration was my dreams I had in high school.   I can vividly recall all the details of them, which comprises chapter one and two.

5. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Besides spending time with my hubby and my two children, I enjoy shopping, watching movies, oil painting and making jewelries.  I also enjoy reading young adult novels.  They help me escape the stress of everyday life.
6. Which character in Crossroads was the most fun for you to write?

It’s difficult to say because many of the characters are based on people I know.  But I can narrow it down to two characters, Claudia and Michael.  Claudia’s character is based on me and my experiences.  The first car, the first job, camping, and yes…I was very sheltered…lol!!!  Michael is also somewhat based on my husband, the protector and romantic. I especially had fun writing about them being together and the chemistry of getting to know each other, knowing that they didn’t have that much time.

7. The end of Crossroads book there is a tiny snippet into the next book, can you give us a fun little spoiler about that next book?   

Austin plays a bigger role and there are more angels on earth.  I just finished up to chapter ten.  It’s still a rough draft but here are some teasers that I have not shared with anyone yet.

“I give you my soul . . . willingly upon thee,” Claudia said reluctantly, as tears streamed down her face.  Aliah gave a deceiving smile and placed his left hand behind her back as if to give her a hug and with the other hand, drove his sword straight into her heart.

“Love doesn’t just go away that easily.  It clings to your heart.  It goes with you wherever you go, even if you don’t want it to.  Love is like the ocean.  Sometimes it’s smooth and sometimes it’s rough, but it’s constant, it never dries out,” I stated, hoping this kind of love is not what he felt for her.  I love you, not her,” he said, inching his way toward me.

Mary Ting resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry.  Writing Crossroads was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother.  It was inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl.

Visit her website  www.marytingcrossroads.com
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/crossroadsbook
Twitter   @maryting

Blog   www.marytingbooks.blogspot.com/