I was born in Chicago, Illinois, the second of five children. I knew I wanted to write from a very early age. Most of my earliest childhood memories are centered around writing (or 'pretending' to write). I attended the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana and received a teaching degree in Special Education. I moved to East Tennessee following my college graduation and have taught middle-school students for the past 25 years. (What fertile ground for story ideas)!
I continued to write and enter contests (and my sweet daughter offered to kiss the envelope of each submission for good luck J). Just a few weeks before I got 'the email', my daughter said—out of the blue as we were driving home from school one afternoon—"Mama, I know you're gonna get published soon." Wow, that just warmed my heart and made my whole week!
I am married to Tim, the most supportive and patient man on the face of the earth. I have one daughter, Danni, and two sons named Tyler and Brad, who are both serving in the air force.
I began writing at birthJ. No, really, my earliest memories are of writing (or 'scribbling' as it was in the beginning). It has always been a passion of mine—like breathing. I was one of those kids who squealed with excitement over pads of paper and pencils in the Christmas stocking! I used to 'write' stories in my head as a teenager, while I delivered newspapers in the pre-dawn hours along the streets of Chicago. Even now, I love to get up super-early when the rest of the world is sleeping. My best writing is done then, and by eight o'clock when everyone is just beginning to wake, I feel like I still have a full day ahead of me—and I do. My favorite day is when I can wake up in the dark and write through the entire day until dark that evening without any distractions. It rarely happens, but when it does, it's so sweet.
Tender Mercies is the second-chance love story of Lexi Taylor and Cooper Jackson. Cooper was a star quarterback for the University of Tennessee before he went on to a lucrative NFL career with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He and Lexi were childhood friends and dated through college. They planned to marry…until the lure of the NFL swept Cooper away. Lexi runs a youth center called Thursday's child, and she hosts an online dating auction to raise funds for the program. When she's matched with Cooper, who's returned home following a career-threatening injury, the door is open to their reconciliation. But what Cooper doesn't know is that Lexi's been carrying a terrible secret since the day he left.
I won't tell you the secret…you'll have to read the book to find out J
I wrote the book mainly because my husband absolutely loves football, and Tennessee tradition runs deep here in the Knoxville area. I wanted to combine football and a love story and see what happened. I really like the result and I hope you do, too!
I can be found at www.MaryMannersRomance.com or on the author page at www.WhiteRosePublishing.com I love to hear from my readers, and will be glad to mail information on upcoming releases to anyone who signs up on my contact page. Also, autographed print copies of my books can be ordered through my website.
GIVEAWAY!
Mary currently has an interview on TENDER MERCIES [click here to check it out] and she's giving away a copy of this book (winner's choice of digital or print)!
Here's a sneak peek into the interview:
Q: Using an online auction to bring the two characters together is ingenious! Where did the idea for that come from?
We have several charitable organizations in the Knoxville area, and one evening while my husband and I were discussing this, he mentioned that while living in Jacksonville, Florida before we were married, he participated in a Most Eligible Bachelor auction to raise money for a children's charity. The light bulb flared and I thought, wow, that's a great premise for a book!...Read more.
To enter the drawing, just make a comment or ask Mary a question. Click here to read the rest of the interview and comment.
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