Marisa Mackle – How to Write a Bestseller Without Knowing How to Type
Marisa Mackle is an Irish writer with thirteen successful books under her belt. Traditionally a romance writer, she recently moved into children’s writing. In this interview, she spoke about her experiences as a writer and what she sees as the future for hard copy books.
Darrell - Can you describe a typical day of writing?
Marisa - When I started writing I was an air hostess who didn't type. I couldn't type and I didn't have a computer. I wrote my first novel, Mr Right for the Night, on hotel notepaper when I couldn't sleep in hotel rooms. After a year writing and using a lot of Tipp-ex I had a book written. I took it to a typist and paid her to type it up for me. A year later it was a number one bestseller in Ireland and I still couldn't type!
Darrell - Most of your books have been romances. How do you make your books stand out when there are so many romance novels in the marketplace?
Marisa - I write about what I know. I write about girls getting their hearts broken and being dumped and two-timed. This happens to most of us at some stage in our lives and it happened to me. But I do try and make the stories funny and I hope I can make people laugh. Romance novels have always been popular with women. We all like to think Mr Right is out there somewhere. All my books have happy endings!
Darrell - You've recently released two children's novels. What made you break into a different genre?
Marisa - I always wanted to write for children but I found it hard to get a publisher. The publishers all told me that there was no money in children's books and that it was such a small market. I write for young girls so my market is even smaller. But when I became a mother, I decided that I was going to write for children and I didn't mind if I made money or not. It was just something I really wanted to do.
Darrell - Illustrator Rosanna Davison was responsible for the artwork for your children's books. How closely do you work with her to co-ordinate her artwork with your written word?
Marisa - Myself and my illustrator are lucky in that we are very good friends. Often authors never even meet their illustrators and the publishers work with them both separately. Rosanna reads my books and then we chat about the characters. I always see the characters very clearly in my mind and she draws them just the way I see them. It is uncanny but we do think alike anyway.
Darrell - What do you think the future is for hard copy books as opposed to ebooks?
Marisa - I think there will always be a market for hard copy books, especially around Christmas time. They make great presents. I love the smell and feel of old books and I have books in my library that I will never throw away. I have books signed personally to me by Ethan Hawke, Naomi Wolfe, Candace Bushnell, Maeve Binchy, Marian Keyes and Cecilia Ahern and many other writers whom I have met over the years. But I do see ebooks becoming immensely popular as it is a real hassle taking five or six books in your luggage when you are travelling. Also, I think hard copy books are quite expensive and reading can be a costly habit if you read a couple of books a week like I do!
Darrell - What advice would you have for people wanting to succeed as a writer?
Marisa - I meet lots of people who tell me they would like to write a book one day. I tell them not to wait for one day to come along. Write today and keep writing every single day until you get to the end of your book which should be at least seventy thousand words long. This might seem like a lot but you can easily write a book in less than three months. Writing is hard work but it's a job that I enjoy. It is not easy and it's not like winning the lottery. You can't expect to become rich over night by writing a book so it's important to do something else too. I worked as an air hostess for six years and now I have a weekly column in a newspaper. I also write articles as well as books. I don't think anybody should be just a full-time writer because it's unhealthy to stay in a room all day writing about people that are made-up. Life is for living so get out there and embrace it. Remember the more people you meet, the more material you will get for your books so it's important to interact with others. I think it's all about striking a happy balance.
Important Links:
Return to the Table of Contents