Spotlight On: Maria Geraci

Okay, I'm going to start the party early because a friend of mine has a book coming out tomorrow and I want to be sure everyone has time to get a copy because there will be a test. You can pre-order it here or maybe you prefer here. Go on, we'll wait. :o)

Anyway, a little about Maria. I first met her in Reno at the RWAOL party. She was one of three people who made a point of introducing themselves to me and making me feel welcome. I really appreciated it. So, when I think of Reno, I think of Maria.

I also think of Maria every time I get on the elevators at work because they have a glass backing that faces outside. And, if that makes no sense, if you read this post (and comments), it will make a little more sense. :o)

But anyway, here's Maria.....

Tell us about your story.
Bunco Babes Tell All is about a group of women in north Florida who play Bunco. In case you’re not familiar with Bunco, think boy’s poker night, except substitute the cards with dice, the beer with frozen margaritas, and the cigar smoking with gossip. It’s the perfect backdrop, I think, for a light hearted women’s fiction novel. Kitty Burke, my main character, is the only Bunco Babe who’s still single. She’s a Realtor and wants to broker a huge land deal in order to buy her grandmother’s old house. But first, she has to butt heads with the town’s senior citizens watch group, The Gray Flamingos, her cougar-wanna-be mother, and the smarmy land developer who’s hired her. And of course, there’s a hunky, mysterious stranger who comes to town to add romance to the story.

What's a typical day like for you?
I work part-time as a labor and delivery nurse 2-3 nights a week, so if I’m working, then I’m sleeping! But when I’m not scheduled to work then I typically wake up, get the kids off to school, then mess around on the computer for a couple of hours, either writing or surfing the net trying to figure out how to promote my book. At some point in the day, I have to make dinner, do some laundry, etc… Plus I have a new puppy and she’s a lot of work! I try to take her for a walk every evening, then I catch up on some TV and visit with my husband. If I’m on deadline, though, everything that’s not essential comes to a stand still and I’m pretty much writing every second that’s available.

How long have you been writing? How many books did you write before you sold?
I started writing 7 years ago. I finished 2 manuscripts (both historicals) before I sold.

What was it like getting "the call"? Who was the first person you told?
Getting the call was strangely surreal. It was about 5pm on a Monday afternoon and I was sick as a dog and lying on the couch watching TV, waiting for my cold medicine to kick in. My agent called and the instant I saw her number on my caller ID I knew that I’d sold. I immediately began jumping up and down and screaming! It was an awesome moment. Then I called my husband, followed by my cps, and my family. By the time my husband got home from work I was asleep (that cough medicine had finally kicked in!) so oddly, we never got to do the champagne thing. We’ll have a big celebration though after my debut signing on May 9.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
To stay true to your voice and to write what you love to read. You have to be your number one fan. If you don’t love your own work, then no one else will either.

Where do you get your story ideas? What inspires you?
My ideas come from everywhere- real live events, newspaper stories, and of course, my imagination (like my rear end, it’s pretty big!) I’m inspired most by a really good book that makes me laugh or cry or makes me feel a whole lot of emotion. I love reading a story and thinking "I want to make other people feel the way I feel now."

I know you were an AT finalist but how much of a role did contests play in your quest for publication?
I think finaling in contests can you give you a real mental boost, which in turn, brings your writing up a notch. For me, it gave me the confidence to query agents and publishers. When you see other people who have finaled getting published, you begin to think "I can do that too!"

What do you wish you'd known before you reached where you are now - and would it have made a difference in the steps you've taken to get there?
I wish I’d remembered how quickly time flies. Once I sold, I knew it was going to be 17 months till my first book came out. I thought I had lots of time to get everything done. Wrong! I only got my website up 3 months ago. In retrospect, I should have had that done 6 months before the book came out. But I try never to cry over spilled milk. What’s done is done, right?

Are you a plotter or a pantser?
A little of both. I start out with a very loose plot, then write and see what happens. My stories are very character driven, so at some point the characters literally take over the story. Then when the story is done, I have to take control back and edit and plot some more to make it all work.

I know you have written in more than one genre. What's it like to write in different genres? How do you transition between the them?
I began writing historicals, but I’m not writing them anymore. Historicals are my first love, but I think my voice lends itself better to contemporary romance.

What's next for Maria Geraci?
The second book in the series, Bunco Babes Gone Wild, comes out November 3. There’s a different protagonist, but all the characters from the first book are also featured. Hopefully, if the books do well, there will be more Bunco Babe books to follow!


Thanks for stopping by Maria! You can visit Maria on her website and blog. And if you haven't already (and why haven't you?!?!?) there's still time to order her book here and here. Get to it now!