Mary Alford Interview

Q: How long have you been writing and what other careers or jobs have you had?
A. I started writing as a preteen, (too many years ago to mention), but I didn’t start trying to get published seriously until a little more than ten years ago. Before that, I worked in a lab, and then later for a large computer company, all the while continuing to write. Then in 2012 I entered a contest hosted by Emily Rodmell called “Speed Dating” for Love Inspired Suspense and later on, I sold my first book, Forgotten Past. I still remember the thrill of receiving that call.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release Deadly Memories?
A: Sure, Deadly Memories is about a woman who has been held captive in Afghanistan for seven years along with a small boy. Due to an injury, Ella Weiss can’t remember anything about her past. When she escapes, she searches for the child who is missing and runs into Scorpion Agent, Kyle Jennings in the desert. Kyle agrees to help Ella find the child and uncover her hidden past. But the outcome of what they find is something neither of them expected.

Here’s the blurb: WOMAN WITHOUT A PAST

Amnesia may be keeping Ella Weiss from remembering her past—but not from saving the little boy who’s been her fellow prisoner the last seven years. After managing to escape her cell, all she wants is to find where little Joseph is being kept. Instead she runs straight into CIA agent Kyle Jennings. Kyle isn’t sure if Ella is actually a kidnap victim or if she’s working for the gunrunner he’s been after. One thing he is certain of is her uncanny resemblance to the wife he thought he’d buried. To save a child’s life and stop a terrorist from slipping through his fingers, he’ll need to uncover the secrets of Ella’s past—and whether or not she’s really the woman he’s never stopped loving.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for this story?
A: I’ve always loved stories about spies since I was quite young. I think it’s the whole intrigue behind enemy lines, and facing life and death on a daily basis like these agents do that. For me, such characters are tailor made for a romantic suspense. I wrote Rocky Mountain Pursuit, book one of the Scorpion Team series out of my love for spies. In creating that story, there were so many interesting characters to come from it that I knew I had to tell their stories as well. So, Deadly Memories was born. It is the second book in the series and it tells Scorpion commander, Kyle Jennings’ story.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?
A: The love story between Kyle and the heroine is beautiful to me. In spite of all the layers of Ella’s past that must be uncovered, Kyle is right there beside her through it all, to the surprising end.

Q: How do you choose your settings for your books?
A. I love the mountains and they are one of my favorite places to visit on vacation. I find I can go and unplug from the world, and find a much simpler life there. Everywhere you look you see God’s handiwork, which is why most of my books are set in in the mountains.

Q: Do you base your characters on people you know or are they totally made up?
A: Mostly I find that it is my habits that show up in my characters, but for the most part, my characters are purely fictional and a creation of my troubled brain.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?
A. I just received a two book contract from Love Inspired Suspense to write the final two books of the Scorpion series. I’m currently working on book four, which is Alex Booth’s story.

Q: If money were no object what vacation would you like to take and why?
A. I’d probably go find a mountain home that was completely isolated from the world and just take in the beauty surrounding me.

Q: What is the silliest thing you have ever done?
A. My husband and I used to raise Ostriches and Emus years ago. They were fun to raise, but at that time, there really wasn’t much of a market for them. It was a difficult lesson to learn in investing wisely.

Q: What is the hardest thing you have ever done?
A. Probably climbing a mountain. I’m not an athletic person, so when my husband and I thought it would be “fun” to climb a mountain, neither of us had any idea how difficult it would be. We did it, but it wasn’t easy.