Mary Ellen Porter Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.
A. I am an artist and a writer living in Maryland with my husband of nearly twenty years, our two teenage children, and our large and loveable dog, Tank. Aside from writing, I work full time as a communications strategist and speechwriter. I am also an operational member of Chesapeake Search Dogs, a volunteer search and rescue team based out of northern Maryland. Tank is currently training to be an Air Scent dog on our team, and I am looking forward to eventually taking him on searches with me.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
A. I have always had a crazy imagination and a love for reading and story telling, but it was in fifth grade that I decided I would like to be a writer. That year I received an assignment to write and illustrate my own story. Out of all the fifth grade submissions, two were picked (mine was one of them) and the authors were asked to read their stories to the younger classes in the school. I remember how special I thought it was that the kindergarten and first grade students spent their recess listening to my story.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?
A. I have been working as a professional speech and technical writer for twenty-three years, but it was just last year that I stepped into creative writing. It was a long time coming because I toyed with the idea of writing a book for longer than I can remember. It was Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense Pitch contest that started me down the road toward publication. I entered the “Search for a Killer Voice” contest in February 2014 and completed my manuscript by May of last year. The contest was fast paced and challenging but all the hard work and late nights paid off and I not only completed my very first manuscript, but I received a call in early July from Love Inspired editor, Elizabeth Mazer, with the news that Harlequin wanted to purchase my story. I feel really blessed to have been given the opportunity to fulfill a long-time goal in such a short amount of time.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release INTO THIN AIR?
A: INTO THIN AIR is a story about a woman who witnesses a kidnapping in progress and tries to stop it but is instead shot and left for dead. It turns out she is the only witness to a complex child trafficking ring. Despite the fact that she is now a loose end the kidnappers need to tie up, she is determined to help law enforcement find the children. Of course, the FBI Agent assigned to the case is just as determined to keep his sole witness protected, whether she likes it or not.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for INTO THIN AIR?
A: Before I began even thinking about the story, I was ‘inspired’ to enter the “Killer Voices” contest by the incessant nagging of my sisters (authors Shirlee McCoy and Sara Parker). Sara had been published through a 2013 pitch contest and they were certain this would be the kick I needed to start writing creatively. When they finally convinced me to enter, I found I did not have a single idea floating around in my head that I thought would be good enough to get published. Luckily, one night I was driving home from my search and rescue (SAR) training with Tank (our dog) in the back of my jeep, and I wondered what I would do if I saw a kidnapping taking place. That is how the first page of my story was born. The main characters and theme were inspired by my appreciation of the work volunteer search and rescue groups do, side-by-side with law enforcement, to bring the lost and missing home. Lastly, Tank, and all the other dogs on our SAR team have such personalities that I knew dogs would need to play a prominent role in the story.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?
A: I hope the characters and their struggles and triumphs resonate with readers. To me an enjoyable book is filled with believable characters; characters the reader likes, empathizes with, and roots for—even secondary characters are important in a story. I also hope readers will gain a small understanding of the importance of trained volunteer SAR teams in the quest to bring home the lost and missing.

Q: What is your favorite scene/chapter from the book?
A: That’s a hard one because there are a few scenes that I really enjoyed writing—especially scenes with one of my secondary characters (Aunt Rose), but I think my favorite chapter might be where the heroine, Laney, decides to bring her search dog, Jax, out of retirement to find a child that has been snatched from a campground. I really enjoyed writing that chapter because it was a pivotal moment for Laney to really begin her healing process.

Q: What inspires you to write?
A. I am a people person. I am inspired every day by the people I meet and the things I see, read about, and hear. Plus I tend to have a vivid imagination, and putting words to the pictures in my head is fun.

Q: How has being a published novelist differed from your expectations of the profession?
A: I always thought of writing as a solitary task, but being published has allowed me to see that the finished product is really a group project. The final product is made so much better by the collaboration between the writer and the professional editorial staff during the editorial process. I was really fortunate to get a wonderful editor in Elizabeth Mazer—she made the process easy and enjoyable.

Q: What advice or tips do you have for writers who are just getting started?
A:Write every day, and write what you love. Don’t worry about market trends. When you like what you are writing, it will translate to the page and make your story all the more compelling.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?
A. I am working on a story about a quirky genius (the sister of my hero Grayson DeMarco from my book, INTO THIN AIR) that stumbles on some encrypted files that have put a target on her back. The first draft of the manuscript is almost complete. Then it will be time for the fun task of editing before submission.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?
A. As I said, I am a mother of two with a full time job so there is not much spare time. But in the time I have after working and writing, I love to read, spend time with my family, take walks with my dog, and of course train and work with my search and rescue team, Chesapeake Search Dogs. I also am an artist, though that never seems to get priority any more. Lately I have been thinking of painting a portrait of my kids and dog, but time eludes me…maybe after I finish this next manuscript ;0)

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet?
A. I have a blog with my sisters, Shirlee and Sara. You can find us at: http://3sisterswrite.blogspot.com. I’m also on https://twitter.com/megrady112

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?
A. If any of your readers are interested in winning a copy of my book, I am currently giving away five copies on goodreads.com. The link is https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/enter_choose_address/138451?utm_medium=api&utm_source=giveaway_widget