Special Guest - Marilyn Brant
Posted on Wednesday, December 16th, 2009by Kris Kennedy
MamaWriters are so pleased to have author Marilyn Brant with us today! Her debut book, ACCORDING TO JANE, winner of the prestigious 2007 Golden Heart Award for Best Novel With Strong Romantic Elements, came out in October, and it’s been mentioned in places like Library Journal, Barnes & Nobles Review, and in Family Circle’s online magazine, Inner Circle.
Please help us welcome Marilyn Brant!
My son asked me once, a few years ago, why I became a writer.
I told him, “Because of you.”
He laughed at the time, but I was serious. I’ve always loved fiction and poetry, and I dreamed of becoming a published novelist. But it wasn’t until he was born that I pursued this dream with anything resembling the passion it required. However, in the months following his birth, there were three powerful forces suddenly driving me to write:
- I felt so many emotions at finally being a mom and had all of these new parental experiences…I needed to somehow express them. Tap dancing didn’t get it done (and my feet had gone up a size after pregnancy, so my old tap shoes didn’t fit). Piano was too noisy, especially during naptime. My painting skills were sadly limited. So, it was a toss-up between my only two remaining creative outlets—baking and writing. And, since I ate far too many cookies as it was, I chose the latter.
- I’d seen firsthand those parents who had way too much energy invested in their children, to the point of living vicariously through them. I was utterly terrified of becoming like that, having my kid end up in therapy and, later, seeing him join the speaker circuit and talk to huge crowds about what a fruitcake his mother was. I felt it was my responsibility not to suffocate my son with over-interest and, thus, I needed to make sure I had passions outside of my love for him and could model what it was like to pursue them.
- I was alone while my husband was at work, with an infant in our house—in a Midwestern winter—and I didn’t have a car.
At first, I jotted down poems about my son—the way he’d leave these tiny fingerprints on the windowpane when I’d hold him up to look at the snow outside or the determination he had to roll over or reach for a favorite toy.
Then it became essays about the typical day of a mother at home with her child and the little things that made those seemingly ordinary days anything but… I’d been a former elementary-school teacher, with a background in educational psychology, so I also started writing articles on enrichment ideas for parents and submitting them to magazines.
I soon wrote for a number of publications, including Pregnancy, Welcome Home and the regional Family Time. It was all quite nice, but my baby was challenging me. He’d begun to walk, then run, and as a result of his restlessness, I realized that I, too, needed to stretch myself and tackle some new skills. And, maybe, reach for a long-held dream.
So, when my son was about 20 months old, I started the first novel. It was a disaster (no exaggeration) in every way. I wrote when he slept 
and late into the night, not realizing I was breaking all kinds of genre rules and violating some fairly important tenets of storytelling. There are people out there who, after writing a manuscript on gut instinct and without having studied the craft of fiction, still manage to get published because their natural literary genius just shines through.
I don’t (completely) despise those people or (usually) want to fling cupfuls of plastic cocktail swords at them, but I wasn’t one of those lucky few.
For me, it took reading lots of books on writing craft, signing up for fiction classes/workshops/conferences, joining RWA (best decision ever!), getting contest feedback and taking part in manuscript critiques. It also took 7½ years of doing these things to sell my first book—According to Jane (Kensington, October 2009)—and another 1½ years to see it hit the shelves.
My son just turned eleven a couple of weeks ago. He’s never known a time when I wasn’t writing. He loves to create his own stories and was delighted when I ran through basic novel structure with him last summer. For the past couple of years he’s been working on an adventure series with these animals that talk, travel to foreign lands and defeat bad guys. (It’s kind of hilarious, especially when he reads it aloud “with voices.”) He’s drafting Book 5 right now, and last month he told me, “I’m for sure gonna be a writer, like you, Mom.”
I told him he already was.
He replied that he wouldn’t have been able to write these manuscripts if it weren’t for my help.
And I replied that I felt exactly the same way about him. That it took a lot of work and a lot of support from others to do this job, but sometimes important people in our life inspired us enough to want to begin. And he was my reason for becoming a writer.
This time he smiled, but he didn’t laugh. This time he believed me.
***
Marilyn Brant~www.marilynbrant.com
According to Jane~Golden Heart Winner, Out Now!
Fridays at Nine~Coming from Kensington Books, October 2010
Oh, that is such a wonderful story! When I heard he was doing his own series, I almost teared up. I know how proud you are of him Marilyn, and it sounds like he’s just as proud of you. Thank you so much for sharing him with us today!
And congrats to Kris on her fabulous new contract!!! Now what is Santa supposed to bring you to top that?
Hey Pamela~
Thanks so much for stopping by MamaWriters!
And mega thank-you greatly for the congrats on my sale to Pocket! Let’s see…I guess there’s really nothing better Santa could bring me . . . well, wait . . . maybe a desire to clean. Yes. That’s it. I would like an internally-generated desire to–and love of-cleaning.
Welcome to MamaWriters! What an amazing story! I love the end, had a tear jerker there
Your book sounds fantastic! Thank you for sharing your story with us!
Marilyn~
Thanks for being with us today! On Jane Austen’s b-day, no less (right? Am I right on that? Or have I just embarrassed myself terribly?)
So glad about your wonderful reviews–they are much deserved! And your post was so sweet–your son sounds like a gem.
Marilyn, I love this blog. Your son is lucky to have you as a mom. And it sounds like you’re lucky to have him as a son.
When my son was young, I started painting. I wasn’t that good at it, and I’m surprised and kind of honored when I go to friends’ houses and see my stuff on their walls.
Hi, Everyone! Thanks so much for stopping by! I was running around for the past 4 hours and just got back… All these pre-holiday things to do (OMG!!!).
First of all, YAYYYYY, Kris!!!!!!!!!!! I don’t know how I managed to totally miss this fabulous news (was it just announced? or am I living under a rock? maybe, holiday-created obliviousness??), but I’m thrilled for you–Congrats on the sale!! And I want to hear all details!!!!!! Which book(s) are coming out? When?? Also, thanks so much to you and the Mama Writers for hosting me here today–I was really excited to visit.
Pamela~thanks, hon! The little guy stole my heart 11 years ago and has been inspiring me ever since… Thank you for always being so supportive. *hug*
Eliza~thank you for having me here!! This blog is awesome, and I love the articles!! I especially enjoyed reading your “Adventures of a Romance Writing Mother”!!
Edie~I’m definitely lucky to have him as a son…thank you. How cool that you can paint! Hey, if friends are putting it up on their walls, your work must be really lovely.
And, Kris, YES!! Today is Jane’s 234th birthday–you are absolutely right! Gives us all another reason (besides your book sale!!! woot!) to celebrate with champagne, eh?!
Hi Marilyn!
So nice to meet you! Thanks for sharing your story! Your son wanting to be a writer is so sweet! I started writing just last year when my youngest turned one. I found a lot of encouragement from reading your post.
And Kris!! Congrats!! What great news!! Cyber-high five, lady!
Great to meet you, Marilyn! I absolutely loved your post!
Kris, congratulations!
Sarah~Hi! I’m so glad it was encouraging to you, esp. since you’re in the midst of the incredibly hard balancing act of keeping up with toddlers and trying to write, too… Congrats on making the choice to jump into this ever-changing but always fascinating profession! I wish you wonderful things!!
Helen~It’s great to meet you, too!! What a pleasure to be here with you awesome Mamas today.
Marilyn, I have tears in my eyes… What a beautiful, uplifting, inspiring story! Thank you.
How proud your son must be of you… just as you are of him.
Oh, Vesper, thank you!! I know your children inspire you, too, and that you bring that passion not only into your beautiful writing but into your love of photography as well…
Marilyn -
I had never heard that story. It is wonderful that you have found something that makes you so happy and that your son also enjoys it. It will be something you will always have in common and bound with. You ar every lucky. Have a great Holiday !!!
Erika, thank you!! I feel lucky that he and I share this now. It’s very possible that he’ll change his mind about writing professionally (esp. when he realizes what a crazy occupation it really is!), but it’s been so exciting to see him gain confidence in his creativity and have fun playing with story ideas.
Hope you have a great holiday, too!!