Tuesday Embers - Believing In Honest Endings
Author Tuesday Embers is one busy writer. In addition to her romance novels, she also writes fantasy fiction under the pen name Mary E. Twomey. Her diverse writing skills even extend to Filipino folklore and between the two pen names, she has published 19 books to date. Today we talk to her about the challenges of writing good characters, dealing with reviews and what she enjoys reading herself.
Please give us a short introduction to Unraveling Molly.
Molly Luco’s life isn’t what she had hoped for. Taking care of her abusive brother is just one of the many things threatening to hold her back. When a man from her past comes back into her world, Molly realizes that her carefully constructed mess might quickly become unraveled.
What is it that makes Molly and Liam such a good match for each other?
People are always talking over Molly and speaking for her, but Liam listens, even when she’s not talking.
Molly deals with abuse growing up, how hard was it to incorporate such a difficult topic in the book in a sensitive manner, but without sugar coating it?
Sugar belongs in the kitchen, not in literature. Molly is who she is, and if we skate over the abuse, we skate over our heroine, which is a recipe for missing her overcoming her demons.
Molly has a very interesting job, what made you pick that as her career?
I have a friend who is an interpreter for the deaf, and her career always fascinated me. She signs all the time, and has the most compassionate spirit. I wanted to put a little of her magic in this novel.
Do you believe in happy endings?
I believe in honest endings. If they’re happy, so much the better. I write happy endings and tragic ones.
What is the most challenging part of writing about characters that readers can either fall in love with or hate?
My favorite characters are the ones designed for you to hate, and then somehow love by the end of the story. Those are the ones that stick with me long after I close the book. Not many people are strictly evil. Usually they’re doing something they believe is heroic, or at the very least, acceptable. I like to study what makes a character sympathetic to a reader, and go from there.
Are any of your characters based on real people or situations that you have encountered?
My middle name is Molly, but other than that, nope.
Do you ever read user reviews and, if so, how do you deal with the negative ones?
My husband reads my reviews for me. He only reads the positive ones, unless a negative one has something useful in it I can learn from. I’m my own worst critic, so there’s nothing in a negative review I haven’t told myself, and frankly, don’t need more of in my life. You can’t please everybody, and in the end, I write because I love it.
What types of books do you enjoy reading and do you have any favorite authors?
I’m a huge Harry Potter nut. As in, I used to throw Harry Potter’s Birthday parties every July 31st (as an adult).
What are you working on right now?
I write under two pen names. For Tuesday Embers, I’m finishing up a mafia trilogy romance that should be out in July. My fantasy fiction pen name is Mary E. Twomey, and after the success of Undraland, I’m branching into Filipino folklore. The new 8-part urban fantasy series will be called Terraway, and that should launch in October.
Where can our readers interact with you or discover more of your work?
For more romance books, you can peruse my portfolio at www.tuesdayembers.com. For my urban fantasy books, I’m at www.maryetwomey.com.
