Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Take Five and Meet Author Mary Hagen


Today I pleased to introduce you to Mary Hagen, whom I first met many years ago at a Colorado Romance Writers meeting.  

Welcome to An Indie Adventure, Mary.  Tell us, what inspired you to write your book  The Chase?

Years ago, I read about four women on a backpacking trip who were attacked by four men while at their campsite.  They managed to get away from the men but had to travel fifteen miles before reaching a road and getting help.  I don't remember if the men went after them, but a farmer who had given the women permission to camp on his land, found their site and knew something was wrong.  He called the police.  When the women reached the road, they got help and the men were captured. 

In my book, the women are attacked by convicts running from the police.  They managed to escape and must run for safety.  The actual incident took place in the east.  Mine occurs in a Colorado wilderness.  The women must not only escape the convicts, but they must survive a treacherous climb over a mountain pass in bad weather.

How do you use setting to further your story?

Setting is extremely important in the story.  Every obstacle is the result of mountainous territory and bad weather.  I'm an avid hiker and backpacker so my experiences play a role in the story, but with exaggerations.  I hope readers will feel the cold, the fog, the snow, and the rock slides in the story.  Some of my characters have more experience and some a stronger will to survive.  In the book, they must come to terms with their beliefs in right and wrong, and how far they will go to survive.


How do you construct your characters?

Sometimes I base my characters on people I have known.  The characteristics are woven into the fictional qualities of my characters.  I like to know what makes my character react the way she does in the story and how she deals with her reactions that are linked with her background.   I usually do a character sketch of how she looks, her size, her occupation, her personality, what makes her do what she does.  Sometimes the character may take on added traits I never considered in the sketch and surprise me in her actions. 


How is your main character completely different than you?

I have four characters in the book with one leading character.  We are as different as day and night.  The only thing we have in common is a love of hiking and backpacking.   She is from a different ethnic background, her occupation is unlike mine, and her goals are not the same as mine.  She is determined to have her way, has trouble bending to the will of others even if it may be to her advantage,  and will sacrifice love if she thinks she is right.  With this character, I learned a new set of rules for living.


Tell us something about yourself we might not expect!

This is a difficult question for me.  I considered myself a common, ordinary, middle class house wife with few exciting qualities.  My friends and family know me well, so how do I answer the question.  I guess I would say most of them don't know I don't like water and swimming, although I do swim but mostly for safety reasons should I fall in when crossing rivers and streams. I do like to canoe.


Give us a brief summary of  The Chase :  
The Chase is a women in jeopardy survival story with one woman putting the others in danger because of her inability to keep climbing.  How far will the women go when their survival becomes a moral dilemma for them and how will they be changed if they survive their actions?

Buy Links: 






Bio:
My interests and background play a part in the stories I write.  I like outdoor activities, and I like to go off trail when I'm hiking or cross-country skiing.  I do snowshoe, but am not fond of the activity. After I've climbed all day, I want a downhill run on skis.  I'm also a graduate of the Boulder Mountaineering School and I spent five years as a Nordic volunteer. 

Because I grew up on a ranch in Wyoming, I like western history and the history of Wyoming.  I'm always learning something new.  While writing my latest book, Day of Reckoning that comes out in March, I learned Fort Sanders was only about ten miles from my parents' ranch and that I was close to the Overland Trail. Growing up I never heard of Fort Sanders.
 
Today, I live on a farm not far south of the Wyoming border, so I can spend time exploring the state.

Social Media Links:  Facebook | Website


22 comments:

  1. Mary -- The story sounds fascinating! And I'm so glad to know I'm not the only one who's not fond of swimming.

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    1. My sister is a fantastic swimmer. I envy her as I struggle with my crawl. Thanks for reading the blog.

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  2. Mary, I love the story premise and how you came up with it! As for me I'd rather float than swim any day. I blame it on the contact lenses but really hate getting my face wet. ;-)

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  3. This story sounds very unusual. As someone who has out a book with four main characters, I know exactly how difficult it is to write that. Good luck!

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    1. Writers are told to keep number of characters to a minimum. Thanks for reading the blog.

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  4. Hi Mary,
    I loved hearing you read the excerpt from this book. It's very exciting and I'm so glad you finally had the chance to publish it. And as for interesting things about you, I'm always astounded by what you do. You're not just an average housewife hiker, you are an outdoors woman!

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  5. Definitely piqued my interest in what happens to the slacker.

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    1. I hope you find time to read about the slacker. Thanks for reading the blog.

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  6. I read "The Chase." I couldn't put it down as the characters are either on the run or on the chase and that was throughout the complete book. So exciting. You are an amazing woman and writer. I'm so happy to have you in my circle of CRW friends.

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  7. Great interview! I loved reading your biography too. I wish you the best on your book, Mary!

    Shirley Kiger Connolly

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  8. Hi Candee and Amanda, Glad you could join us. Got to tell you, I'm a fish. Love swimming. Miss having a pool here in Colorado :)

    Hugs
    LA

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  9. Andrea,
    What is your book's title? Always interested in finding new authors. Both to read and host.
    Hugs
    LA

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  10. Hi Jessica,
    Nice to see you here. Yep, Mary is amazing isn't she?

    Hugs
    LA

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  11. Hi Gloria,
    Glad you could visit.

    Hugs
    LA

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  12. Hi C.K.
    Glad you stopped by and glad you're going to be a guest.
    Hugs
    LA

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  13. Hi Shirley,
    Nice to see you here.
    Hugs
    LA

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  14. Enjoyed the interview and Mary's bio. Cheers

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  15. Thanks to all of you for reading my blog interview. Leslie does such a great job.

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