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The Books The Betsy Series Wyndham Werewolves Series The Cyborg Series Alaskan Royal Family Series Anthologies E-books Young Adult Books Mermaid Series Coming Soon Fun Links MJD Fan Club Message Boards MJD Fan Club Chat Room MJD Fan Club Store Contact Us	MaryJanice Davidson's Letter to Fan's from her Web Site Well, I suppose I've put this off long enough. My PR person has been bugging me and bugging me, and I can't ignore her any more...she's got me cornered like a rat. A rat who needs highlights. But finally, I have no choice. No current deadlines. The house is clean. The tree is up. The dog's been fed. I got nothin'. Actually, I've been resisting this for a very important reason...you're here at my web site because you're interested in one or more of my books, right? Right. That's probably about it. And that's fine. Hey, it's better than fine...I've got house payments, so read away. But honestly...do you really care that I was an Air Force brat raised all over the country (the highlights include Guam, Mississippi, and North Dakota), with a father who fought fires and a mom who broke the world record for target shooting? Oh, wait, I guess that is kind of cool. I mean, it's nothing I actually did, but still. I still remember all the men bitching within my mom's earshot (and mine; I was six) when she broke the record. "Goddamned women should stay home!" Sore losers. But that's enough about my parents, though I could certainly go on if I wanted to. But back to me. Because, if you didn't get the memo, it's all about me. So, you know, born in a small town in the Midwest, grew up with a dream, Miss Congeniality in high school (hard to believe, isn't it?), blah-blah. Got married, had kids. You'd think moving all over as a kid (seven schools in twelve years) would have gotten it out of my system, but I managed to fall in love with a guy who lived half a country away, so we went out to Boston for a bit, and finally settled in Minnesota, land of ten thousand mosquitoes. (That's a joke. There's actually way, way, way more than ten thousand.) Started writing when I was thirteen, sold my first book when I was twenty-nine. Made the best-seller list when I was thirty-four. Learned how to make gravy without lumps. It was a wonderful decade. I guess the root of it is, I don't like talking about myself. I don't know about you guys, but I'd rather be reading a book than listening to some self-important idiot blathering on about, as Elaine on Seinfeld put it, "the excrutiating minutae of everyday life". Although, I'm kind of proud of this, I remembered to close the flue in the fireplace this week, so I didn't have to brush the ashes out of my eyebrows by the time I got a blaze going. That's interesting and cool, right? So, maybe not. People who read my books tell me, "You talk just like your characters." That's because my deep dark secret is this: I have no imagination. I've been a secretary, a model, a waitress, an editor, an office manager, and a medical test subject. So have my characters. I guess my point is...I forget. I'm pretty sure I had one. But, if nothing else, now my PR person will get off my back. Happy reading, MaryJanice Note: Having known MaryJanice since we were 14 years old, I can vouch for the fact that she does write exactly likes she talks. When I read her books I can hear her talking in my head. Yes, you're right, creepy! But I'm used to it. She's been talking in my head like this since we were 14 years old, she moved to my school, we became best friends, and I read her work religiously, every day. Our whole group did. Before school, at lunch, after school, ad infinitum...It just never stopped rolling out of her and I, for one, have cherished every word. Although she battles the same demons daily that we all do (being a spouse, parent, friend, having a career), she is as uncomplicated as she makes it sound. She is loyal to a fault, completely unselfish (although she would disagree vehemently), and holds dear to her heart all the things that are important to her - spouse, children, friends, and career. But don't let her fool you - she is one of the most imaginative people I've ever met. Take a look at her work if you have any doubt. And she works tremendously hard, with readers foremost in her mind. Never fear, I have complete faith that the stories will continue to roll out of her. And I hope you cherish every word, as I will. Sincerely, Jessica (nagging PR person) Grabbing a Bite with MaryJanice Davidson By Erin L. Nappe (Billiard) June, 2006 What do you get when you cross Buffy's attitude, Angel's "vampire with a soul" schtick, and Carrie Bradshaw's designer shoe fetish? Well, you might get something like Betsy Taylor, the heroine of MaryJanice Davidson's popular "Undead" series. For those not familiar with the series, here's a quick overview: 30-year-old Betsy is hit by a car and wakes up in the morgue. She discovers that she is a vampire, but a strange one… sunlight doesn't hurt her, she can touch crosses and other religious articles without pain, and she isn't consumed by the urge to feed. As it turns out, these are the very things that make her the prophesied Queen of the Vampires. She teams up with "tall, dark and sinister" Eric Sinclair, a sort of vampire king, and you can guess what happens next. Davidson is incredibly prolific, having published 26 books in four years, with 7 coming out in 2006 so far. ("I type fast," she says.) Undead and Unpopular, the fifth book in the series, was released this month, and we here at TC had the chance to pick Davidson's brain. Toasted Cheese: How long have you been writing professionally? MaryJanice Davidson: I quit my SDJ (Stupid Day Job) three years ago and have been writing full time since. It was frightening to contemplate, since I've had "real" jobs since I was 16, and Minnesota was in the midst of a terrible recession at the time, and my SDJ was a good one (Ops Manager). Everyone encouraged me to keep my job and keep writing at night, except my husband, who told me to go for it. And once I did it I never looked back. And once my editors knew I was writing full-time, they went out of their way to try to find me lots of work. They knew I had a family to feed. (What stage of her career was she at when she did this.) TC: What's the first thing you ever wrote? Published? MJD: The first book I ever wrote was The Adventures of the Teen Furies and, coincidentally, it was the first book I published (the e-publisher HardShell Word Factory bought it, and it's still in print, both as an e-book and as a paperback). TC: How long did it take you to get published? MJD: Years and years. I've been writing since I was 13, submitting since my early twenties, and I'm now 36. I have a stack of rejection letters from just about every romance publisher out there: Harlequin, Silhouette, Warner, Avon, Little Brown, Dorchester. TC: What writer (or writers) do you admire? Is there anyone in particular that inspired or influenced you? MJD: Stephen King (I love his rags to riches story), John Sandford, Laurell K. Hamilton (another rags to riches story, plus she was a single mom for quite a while), Carl Hiaasen (funniest writer ever), Ann Rule (amazing depth of research for her true crime stories), Charlaine Harris (just an outstanding writer in general, and such a nice lady in person, a total sweetheart!). I'm pretty eclectic; I read across genres. Frankly, I admire any writer who managed to get published; it's a tough business. TC: What about the "paranormal romance" genre interested you? MJD: I love vampires, werewolves, fairies, witches... the idea of having "super powers" is just fascinating to me. What must it be like to be immortal, to be super strong, to see in the dark like a cat, to do magic? Fascinating. TC: Was there any real life inspiration for Betsy? MJD: I guess, maybe me. I'm six feet tall, like Betsy, and a jerk, like Betsy, and self-absorbed. I didn't want a "Mary Sue" heroine, the type who can do no wrong. What I like about Betsy is that not everybody loves her; in fact, she irritates the hell out of a lot of people. Also like me! TC: What are you currently working on? MJD: I just finished SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES, my new paranormal series about a grumpy mermaid who doesn't like to swim and is allergic to shellfish. And I'm working on another Alaskan Royal book, THE ROYAL SURPRISE. (What if Alaska was never bought by the US, was its own country and had its own royal family?) TC: Can you tell us what's next for Besty and Sinclair? MJD: Well, the wedding (if all goes well). Betsy really wants an "official" ceremony as opposed to the Book of the Dead simply stating she and Sinclair are mated for a thousand years. Whereas Sinclair thinks the idea of a ceremony is just ridiculous; they're already husband and wife according to vampire lore. And Betsy badly wants a baby, which is a little tricky, since her ovaries stopped working the day she died. And she still has a lot of vampires to win over; many of them think Sinclair is the real power behind the throne, and she's just a fluke. When, frankly, it's the other way around. TC: Do you have any advice for our readers? MJD: Never ever ever give up. If I had quit submitting any time during those 15 years, I would never have made the New York Times list. I'd never be writing full time and, frankly, I wouldn't have gobs of money. It's a tough business, but persistence is definitely rewarded. We are still in the process of building this new site. Please feel free to e-mail us at admin@mjdfanclub.com with any suggestions you might have for the site or the fan club itself. Until we are finished please feel free to use the chat room and Message boards to discuss anything you like. Please check back often as we will be making updates and changes to the site often.

MaryJanice

Note: Having known MaryJanice since we were 14 years old, I can vouch for the fact that she does write exactly likes she talks. When I read her books I can hear her talking in my head. Yes, you're right, creepy! But I'm used to it. She's been talking in my head like this since we were 14 years old, she moved to my school, we became best friends, and I read her work religiously, every day. Our whole group did. Before school, at lunch, after school, ad infinitum...It just never stopped rolling out of her and I, for one, have cherished every word.

Although she battles the same demons daily that we all do (being a spouse, parent, friend, having a career), she is as uncomplicated as she makes it sound. She is loyal to a fault, completely unselfish (although she would disagree vehemently), and holds dear to her heart all the things that are important to her - spouse, children, friends, and career. But don't let her fool you - she is one of the most imaginative people I've ever met. Take a look at her work if you have any doubt. And she works tremendously hard, with readers foremost in her mind.

Never fear, I have complete faith that the stories will continue to roll out of her. And I hope you cherish every word, as I will.

Sincerely,

Jessica (nagging PR person)

Grabbing a Bite with MaryJanice Davidson
By Erin L. Nappe (Billiard)
June, 2006

What do you get when you cross Buffy's attitude, Angel's "vampire with a soul" schtick, and Carrie Bradshaw's designer shoe fetish?

Well, you might get something like Betsy Taylor, the heroine of MaryJanice Davidson's popular "Undead" series.

For those not familiar with the series, here's a quick overview: 30-year-old Betsy is hit by a car and wakes up in the morgue. She discovers that she is a vampire, but a strange one… sunlight doesn't hurt her, she can touch crosses and other religious articles without pain, and she isn't consumed by the urge to feed. As it turns out, these are the very things that make her the prophesied Queen of the Vampires. She teams up with "tall, dark and sinister" Eric Sinclair, a sort of vampire king, and you can guess what happens next.

Davidson is incredibly prolific, having published 26 books in four years, with 7 coming out in 2006 so far. ("I type fast," she says.)

Undead and Unpopular, the fifth book in the series, was released this month, and we here at TC had the chance to pick Davidson's brain.

Toasted Cheese: How long have you been writing professionally?

MaryJanice Davidson: I quit my SDJ (Stupid Day Job) three years ago and have been writing full time since. It was frightening to contemplate, since I've had "real" jobs since I was 16, and Minnesota was in the midst of a terrible recession at the time, and my SDJ was a good one (Ops Manager). Everyone encouraged me to keep my job and keep writing at night, except my husband, who told me to go for it. And once I did it I never looked back. And once my editors knew I was writing full-time, they went out of their way to try to find me lots of work. They knew I had a family to feed. (What stage of her career was she at when she did this.)

TC: What's the first thing you ever wrote? Published?

MJD: The first book I ever wrote was The Adventures of the Teen Furies and, coincidentally, it was the first book I published (the e-publisher HardShell Word Factory bought it, and it's still in print, both as an e-book and as a paperback).

TC: How long did it take you to get published?

MJD: Years and years. I've been writing since I was 13, submitting since my early twenties, and I'm now 36. I have a stack of rejection letters from just about every romance publisher out there: Harlequin, Silhouette, Warner, Avon, Little Brown, Dorchester.

TC: What writer (or writers) do you admire? Is there anyone in particular that inspired or influenced you?

MJD: Stephen King (I love his rags to riches story), John Sandford, Laurell K. Hamilton (another rags to riches story, plus she was a single mom for quite a while), Carl Hiaasen (funniest writer ever), Ann Rule (amazing depth of research for her true crime stories), Charlaine Harris (just an outstanding writer in general, and such a nice lady in person, a total sweetheart!). I'm pretty eclectic; I read across genres. Frankly, I admire any writer who managed to get published; it's a tough business.

TC: What about the "paranormal romance" genre interested you?

MJD: I love vampires, werewolves, fairies, witches... the idea of having "super powers" is just fascinating to me. What must it be like to be immortal, to be super strong, to see in the dark like a cat, to do magic? Fascinating.

TC: Was there any real life inspiration for Betsy?

MJD: I guess, maybe me. I'm six feet tall, like Betsy, and a jerk, like Betsy, and self-absorbed. I didn't want a "Mary Sue" heroine, the type who can do no wrong. What I like about Betsy is that not everybody loves her; in fact, she irritates the hell out of a lot of people. Also like me!

TC: What are you currently working on?

MJD: I just finished SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES, my new paranormal series about a grumpy mermaid who doesn't like to swim and is allergic to shellfish. And I'm working on another Alaskan Royal book, THE ROYAL SURPRISE. (What if Alaska was never bought by the US, was its own country and had its own royal family?)

TC: Can you tell us what's next for Besty and Sinclair?

MJD: Well, the wedding (if all goes well). Betsy really wants an "official" ceremony as opposed to the Book of the Dead simply stating she and Sinclair are mated for a thousand years. Whereas Sinclair thinks the idea of a ceremony is just ridiculous; they're already husband and wife according to vampire lore. And Betsy badly wants a baby, which is a little tricky, since her ovaries stopped working the day she died. And she still has a lot of vampires to win over; many of them think Sinclair is the real power behind the throne, and she's just a fluke. When, frankly, it's the other way around.

TC: Do you have any advice for our readers?

MJD: Never ever ever give up. If I had quit submitting any time during those 15 years, I would never have made the New York Times list. I'd never be writing full time and, frankly, I wouldn't have gobs of money. It's a tough business, but persistence is definitely rewarded.