Mary Simses

Mary Simses grew up in Connecticut and spent much of her life in the Northeast, where she attended college and law school. As a child she loved to write stories, design covers for them, and staple them into books. Later, careers in journalism and law took priority and creative writing slipped away, until she enrolled in an evening fiction writing class at a local university and was hooked again. Her short stories have appeared in a number of literary journals. Simses now lives in South Florida with her husband/law partner and their daughter.

Her new novel is The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe.

From the author's Q & A with Becca Rowan at All Things Girl:

Where did you get your inspiration for The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Café?

The idea came from something I heard on the radio. A woman told a story about her dying grandmother and how, just before she died, she said, “Erase my hard drive.” I began to wonder what was on that grandmother’s computer that she didn’t want anyone to know about. That led to me to the idea of an eighty-year-old woman reviewing her life and feeling the need to set certain things right before she died. Although I used a letter as the vehicle to get the story going, rather than a computer, the hard drive story is what ultimately led me to write the book.

In the novel, Ellen Branford has to make a choice between a sophisticated lifestyle in the city or the simpler pleasures of small town life. Have you ever been faced with a similar choice?

In a way I have. On one level, Ellen’s choice involves the notion of security vs. risk. This is something I’m always interested in because I’ve had to muddle through that choice myself. My practical side directed me toward careers in journalism and law, and away from fiction writing, which was what loved most. I have no regrets about any of that, but I’m delighted that I can now spend more time writing.

Do you and Ellen share any similar personality traits?

Absolutely...[read on]

Learn more about the book and author at Mary Simses's website and follow her on Facebook.

My Book, The Movie: The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe.

--Marshal Zeringue