Author, freelancer, and journalist, Mary C. Ryan currently resides in Auburn Township and has published seven novels for middle grade readers, along with articles, stories, and poetry in a variety of national and regional newspapers and publications for both the adult and juvenile markets. Her book, Me Two, was the basis for the Disney Channel Original Movie, The Other Me. She is an instructor with the Institute of Children’s Literature and presents programs on writing for schools, libraries and other organizations.

The writing life is full of ups and downs. How did you get started? Can you tell us about some of the best of times/worst of times moments?
I’ve always loved to write, from the time I could first hold a pencil. I never realized until much later that writing could be a career. By that time, I was married and had several kids. (I’m stopping here to see if I can remember how many—okay, got it—six.) One day I saw an item in the paper about a writer’s group that was having a special presentation nearby. I gathered up my courage and went. It opened up a whole new world. I met other (mostly) women who wrote and published and supported one another. I guess the “worst of times” were the tons of rejections I got, but even then I never considered not writing. I began to get a few nice notes on those rejections, which made me think that success was right around the corner. And it was. I just had to have faith. The “best of times?” Lots of them—my first ever acceptance for a poem in the Wall Street Journal, the acceptance of my first novel, Frankie’s Run, and of course, the Disney thing, which was icing on the cake—big, thick, creamy icing!

What is the hardest part of maintaining a career over a span of years? How do you keep your energies focused on writing?
Keeping up with the changing times is, while not exactly difficult, really critical. Some of my old stuff could almost now be considered historical fiction! Trying to be ahead of the pack, rather than following it is another important issue. Instead of being “the next Harry Potter,” I always try to be “the first ‘something else.’” I wrote Me Two way before Dolly the Sheep made headlines. And to be honest, there are always times when energies flag, when other issues like family get between me and what I love to do. But family comes first with me. the writing will always be there.

What differences do you see in the publishing business now vs. ten years ago?
One of the biggest changes I see is in response time from publishers. It takes forever to get an answer, even for a very short book manuscript. There just aren’t the number of readers that publishers used to have. I also feel there’s too much focus on having huge megahits, rather than a more comprehensive and steadily selling middle list. There are reasons for this, and some of them relate to changes in the tax laws where they impact publishers. It’s a complicated issue.

Tell us a little about keeping books in print; how have you approached this issue?
I have one book that is self-published, but it was a new title and one I felt I wanted to get out without the hassle and years of submissions, rejections, etc. It was a local book and I thought it would do well in this area. And it has. As for keeping something in print, I used a Print On Demand (POD) to republish Me Two after the movie came out. For some reason, publishers weren’t interested in reprinting it. That has done well, too. Both of these options should be taken carefully. Self-publishing can be expensive, POD a little less so, but the marketing aspects of it are where your energies must be directed if you want the books to sell.

Do you still get rejections?
Is the Pope a Catholic? (No, scratch that.) Simply? Yes. And I still don’t like them.

As an ICL instructor and author, what do you see as trends in the business?
Historical fiction continues to be strong (hmm, maybe I better take out some of that old stuff!), as well as good fantasy and science fiction, especially for early readers, I think. Instead of watching trends, though, just write the book you want to write and if it’s good enough, it’ll sell. I really believe that.

What are some of the fun moments you’ve had doing school visits or book signings?
Schools are generally wonderful to authors and I’ve had great times with kids. They do make you feel special. Book signings always make me feel like an animal in the pet store. You have to perfect that “Please take me home!” look. I had one signing where, when I got there, they proudly showed me all the books they’d ordered—all by Mary E. Ryan, another children’s author. I went home.

Anything else we should know?
Writers need to remember that not everything they write is wonderful. You have to be willing to look at your work honestly and accept the fact that a lot of it is gong to end up languishing in your filing cabinet. Like anything else, you need to learn, to make mistakes, to profit from them, to persevere, to take rejection and bounce back from it, and to rejoice in a piece that is particularly well done, even if it never gets published. Remember to that the job of writing is to connect people, one to another. Whatever you write, if it’s a blockbuster best-seller, if it’s a letter to an editor, a bedtime story for your child, a thank you note to your parents for all they did for you, pour into it your heart, your soul, your passion.

www.geocities.com/dragonseedpress

Mary Ryan's Books: FRANKIE'S RUN, Little, Brown & CO., 1987
Avon Flare Edition, 1988
UK editions, Macmillan, London, 1988, 1989
German edition, 1990

WHO SAYS I CAN'T?, Little, Brown & CO., 1988
Avon Flare edition, 1990
German edition, 1990

THE VOICE FROM THE MENDELSOHNS' MAPLE, Little, Brown & CO., 1990
Avon Camelot edition, 1992

ME TWO, Little, Brown & CO., 1991
Avon Camelot Edition, 1993
IUniverse Back-in-Print Edition, 2000

MY FRIEND, O'CONNELL, Avon Young Camelot, 1991

GHOSTS, GADGETS AND GREAT IDEAS, Avon Young Camelot, 1993

THE SECRET IN THE WEST WOODS, Dragonseed Press, 2000

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