Interview: Mara Reitsma #GhostlyWriters #PlaistedPublishingHouse

Welcome to the next Ghostly Writer, Mara Reitsma, who is here to chat to me today…

1. Why did you decide to write?
I have a rather, overactive imagination. Yes, that is what we shall call it LOL.
My mind is constantly on the go and writing is my way of clearing my head.
Sometimes, the stories or ideas get so intense I can’t concentrate on anything else, so I write them all down and hash out the in betweens. It was all fun and games until I met Mark McQuillen and between his Valkyrie and my Devil’s Daughters, the games expanded. It’s still fun, and we’ve managed to create eighteen full-length novels, most of which are in various stages of writing, editing, and cover revisions; and all of them taking place inside the same Tri-Verse (As in, there were too many stories for just one Universe, so we made three.) Some people write to become rich and famous, some because they need a hobby, and then there are those like me, who absolutely need to write, or we’ll go mad!
2. What do your family and friends think of your writing life?
Just where exactly do you think this crazy comes from? Did you know that the cows you see in the fields as you drive by, are actually T-Rexs wearing cow hats so they can lure people in for a light snack? Neither did I, until I asked my Dad to stop the car one morning so I could go see them. Or perhaps you heard about the Run-Away-Train that sped through my home city in the wee hours of the morning. A train that people could only ever feel and hear, but never see… Boom Boom lived in the mountains behind our old summer cabin and when he got angry, he would pound the side of the mountain with his mighty fists and make rocks roll down into the valley below. And all that, was just from my father.

My mother was just as bad. You learned not to ask what was for supper, or you’d
wind up with Giraffe kneecaps and Alligator toes. She used to swear up and down that there was a receipt in the house somewhere and she’d find it and return us all if we misbehaved. Papa always had a story to tell and Nana was, well, Nana was Nana.
‘Why does Nana whistle?’ We would ask, and Papa would reply, ‘She’s lookin for her broom!’ How were we to know that Nana wasn’t really a Witch? Do you see where I’m going with this? I can’t even escape it during the morning coffee chats with the ladies…
‘This man came through my till last night…’ turned into my story Winged Secrets.
‘We let him stay with us for a while and while we were away he held a party, with a Ouija board….’ turned into my story, Forever Touched.
‘The dryer keeps eating the socks, I swear someone is stealing all my socks’ turned into, The Secrets of Dry’r….
In all honesty, they probably think I’m nuts, but hey, I blame them for it all!
3. Tell us a bit about your current writing projects
Currently, there are seven series on the go. I know, it’s a lot, but it’s what I do when I’m not doodling. I just like to create.
*The Valkyrie Series, including Valkyrie: Darkness Awaits, Valkyrie: Darkness Rising, Valkyrie: Song of Darkness and Valkyrie: Rise from the Ashes. These stories were written by Mark McQuillen and revised to add more story line. They are currently in the process of having covers revised.
*A We Are The Devil’s Daughters Trilogy, including Zahara, Madrina and Euphamia. Written and covered by me in the early days, this series is up for revision too, to remove any oops’ in spelling.
*The Devil’s Daughters Crossover, including Legends, Chronicles, Judgments, Distorted Pasts and Illusions of the Present. Coming soon, What Futures Hold… Written by Mark McQuillen and myself, we see Mark’s Valkyries and my Devil’s Daughters set out on a new journey to bring balance to the Verse. These books are scheduled for revision for new covers!!
*The Sins and Secrets Series includes Ezrianna and coming soon will be the second book in the series, Ambrosia. Written by me, it takes a look at the more, sinful side of the Verse and The Black Rose Guild.
*Tales of the Petals Series includes Way of the Warrior, which has been published
and is up on Amazon already. Into the Shadows and Mask of Darkness are both in for editing and formatting. These stories were written in our Black Rose group and are comprised of parts from a few different authors in said group who enjoy writing
together.
* Various Anthologies: I love anthologies and have taken part in many.
Ghostly Rrites 2017, 2018 and 2019, Ghostly Romance 2017, 2018, 2019, A
Treasure Chest of Children’s Stories, Haven: A Special Edition Anthology and more. Right now, I am editing the book trailer for Ghostly Rites 2019. Should be awesome!
*A Quest Called Motherhood (Pen Name- T.C Creare):
I am a mother and mother’s have stories too; mine are just filled with sarcasm and utter chaos, which I am compiling into a hilarious collection for all to read. Why?
Because mother’s everywhere need to know that they are not alone. Crazy happens,
everywhere!
4. Do you have a muse?
Life is my muse. It’s full of love and laughter, sorrow and pain; and there is a story to be told for every moment. We, as authors, have to grasp that moment and make that story our own. We find the rainbows after the storm, the relief after a narrow escape and the wonder in every adventure. We bring life to the characters and love to their stories.
5. What do you think of collaborations? Are you a member of any groups for authors that you would recommend?
From the moment you sit down with an editor or cover designer, you are
collaborating. You are working together to bring your story to life. It is an essential part of publishing and when you have the right people on you side, wondrous things can happen. I tend to do my own thing and don’t really have many groups that I follow religiously, but I can name a few.
Plaisted Publishing House has been one of my go-to places for EVERYTHING.
Knowledgeable and passionate about what they do, it is always a pleasure working
with them. They have a few groups in which I spend my time, including… Indie Publishing News Group and Ghostly Writes Anthology Group on Facebook. If you have a short Ghostly story to share, then you should pop on over. The people are fantastic and the things you learn along the way could help you in ways you never thought possible. It’s all about connecting!
6. Have you any unusual hobbies? Please tell us about them…
Life, is unusual, and I dabble in it all. Doodling, Painting, Crafting, Clay and Pop Bottle Gnome Houses, Cover Design, Interior Book Illustrations, Crocheting…. The list goes on!
7. Do you have a favourite word, phrase or quote?
If you do not want sarcasm, stop doing stupid!
8. Finish this sentence: For me writing is…
Almost everything!
9. Where do you live and with whom if you don’t mind saying…
I live on the west coast of Canada in a city called Abbotsford, with my husband,
three kids and three cats, which I like to call my Ninjas.
10. Do you believe in ghosts? Do you have a favourite supernatural being?
Did I mention above that I grew up in a house that was over eighty years old and the original dwelling for an old orchard? No, okay, so then I probably didn’t mention the laughter from children coming from the unfinished basement, and the fact that only my sister and my Nana could hear them. Maybe that was why she whistled? Or the old faded man and his dog that roamed the property and drove our West Highland Terrier wonky. They are very real and that house was full of them. My favourite supernatural being would have to be the Will-o-the-Wisps.

Links:
Covered By The Rose- https://www.facebook.com/groups/CoveredbytheRose/

Pages of Insanity- https://www.facebook.com/PagesofInsanity/
Website-
http://itybityqt.wixsite.com/marareitsma
Author Page- https://www.facebook.com/MaraReitsmaAuthor/

Mara’s teaser:

Well, what a fascinating interview. It’s been great having Mara around.

To read about the previous ghostly writers:

https://mjmallon.com/2019/10/24/marywoldering-ghostlywriters-ghostlyrites2019/

https://mjmallon.com/2019/10/26/author-interview-wendy-steele-ghostlywriters-ghostlyrites2019/

Bye for now, ghostly peeps.

Social Media Links

Authors Website: https://mjmallon.com
Collaborative Blog: https://sistersofthefey.wordpress.com
Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon and @curseof_time
#ABRSC: Authors Bloggers Rainbow Support Club on Facebook
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17064826.M_J_Mallon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mjmallonauthor/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjmallonauthor/