Marionette by
T.B. Markinson
My rating:
4 of 5 stars
Paige Alexander had it all planned out, step by step, except for one important detail: how long it would take to actually die. Now she has to face the scars left behind both on the inside and the out. She made a promise to her girlfriend, Jess, however, and is determined to keep it. Can she find a way to deal with her dark past while simultaneously having to face her future in a college with new friends she never thought she could have? You will just have to read this book to find out.
Have you ever read a book where you hated one page and loved the next, yet you just couldn't stop reading? Well, this was that kind of book for me. I was unsure whether I liked it or disliked it from the very first page. Whenever I start a book I must read the whole book no matter how good or bad it is. I am very glad I finished this book. It was well written and heartfelt. The characters are believable and it flows well. I am not even sure what about it rubbed me the wrong way. I think it is because it started with an attempted suicide, and this set the tone for the whole piece. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes romance, self-expression, or books about someone taking charge of their life and giving it a run for its money.
About the Author:
T. B. Markinson is a 39-year old American writer, living in England, who pledged she would publish before she was 35. Better late than never. When she isn’t writing, she’s traveling around the world, watching sports on the telly, visiting pubs in England, or taking the dog for a walk. Not necessarily in that order. Marionette is her second novel. A Woman Lost was her debut novel.
Thank you T. B. Markinson for joining us today.
1) What genre do you
like to write?
Both of the novels I have published are
lesbian fiction. However, one is a lesbian romance and the other is
young adult. I’m not sure I’m tied to a certain genre, since I
like to tell stories, no matter where they fall on the genre
spectrum.
2) How long have you been writing? What
prompted you to start writing?
Ever
since grade school I wanted to pursue writing. Over the years I would
jot down stories and I started at least one novel but never finished
it. Life always interfered. I was working full-time and whenever I
tried to take my writing to the next level, something would happen
and I found myself consumed with everyday life. Then over two years
ago my partner’s company asked us to move from Boston to London.
Suddenly I was unemployed. The transfer was supposed to last two
years and my partner and I decided that I would use the time to give
writing a go. So I pulled an unfinished manuscript out of the drawer
and got to work. Now the book is published and I’ve completed the
second one, Marionette.
3) What inspires you to write?
Stories. All these stories bubble inside me
and I can’t rest until I get them down on paper.
4) When a story idea pops into your
head, how long does it typically take to write it (from start to
finish)?
With my first novel it took years since I
was working full-time and didn’t have the dedication to writing
that I have now. With my second novel, it took a year to write the
story and have it published. The third novel only took four months
for the first draft. In January, I’m sending it to my editor. I’m
hoping from now on to publish at least one novel per year. Only time
will tell if I’m successful.
5) What did you find to be the most
difficult part of the writing process? Easiest?
Editing is not my favorite part of writing.
I love working with my editor to polish the story. However, tracking
down all the typos and other errors can become tedious. It’s a
necessary part of the process, but it’s my least favorite part.
As for easiest, that depends on the day.
Sometimes the story just flies out of my head and other days it’s
like pulling teeth. However, I have found that it’s best that I
write each and every day to keep the story fresh in my mind. And when
I’m stuck, this helps me since my brain loves to percolate and fix
problems.
6) Of all your characters whom do you
most relate to?
I relate more to my secondary characters who
are on the outside looking in. I’ve never been one who likes to be
in the spotlight. Instead I prefer observing others.
7) Is there one of your characters that
you did not like when you started writing about them, but found
yourself liking by the end of the story?
Kat Finn is a character in a novel I’m
currently working on. At first, I didn’t like her. As I got to know
her, she won me over completely. In fact, she insisted that she play
a much bigger role in my latest novel and thank goodness since it
makes it a stronger story. It’s important to listen to your
characters. They know what they are doing.
8) What is your least favorite part
about writing? The Most?
It’s never easy killing your darlings.
Sometimes it can be downright painful to cut a scene that you love,
but you know deep down that it’s not necessary. My favorite part of
writing is getting inside the heads of my characters. I love to know
everything about them, especially what makes them tick.
9) When you are not writing or editing
what do you do for relaxation?
I love to travel, when I can afford it. I
now live in London, I’m from the US, so even when I can’t travel,
I enjoy exploring London since it’s still pretty new to me. I’m a
sports nut—tennis and football (soccer) are my favorite, but I’ll
watch just about any sport. I still haven’t figured out cricket,
but I hope to at some point. I love discovering new pubs in London,
sampling new ales and reading a good book. I have an adorable dog who
takes me on his own adventures in London.
10) What genre of books do you like to
read?
Lately I’ve been reading a lot of English
authors since I now live in England. For years I had wanted to live
in the UK and now that I do, I really enjoy reading Austen or
Dickens, to name a couple, in the country they wrote about. However,
I love to read any genre as long as the story is good.
11) What author(s) do you enjoy
reading? Why?
My favorite author is John Steinbeck. I
recently reread The Grapes of Wrath
for the fourth or fifth time. He has the incredible ability of
pulling me into the pages of his novel. His characters are real to
me. And the way he writes about the land and the cities where his
characters live and visit astounds me each and every time. He’s a
wonderful storyteller and his writing comes across effortlessly.
12) Tell us about your books where can
people find them?
Marionet
is a different type of story. Paige is only seventeen and has her
whole life in front of her. Days before her high school graduation
she slits her wrists. She doesn’t succeed and the novel follows her
journey as she battles her desire to kill herself. However, Paige
insists she isn’t depressed. She wants control over her life and to
escape a terrible childhood and her manipulative parents. It’s also
available on Amazon.
My first novel, A
Woman Lost, is about a young woman.
Lizzie, who is struggling with finding who she is and what she wants
out of life. She’s a lesbian and her family isn’t accepting at
all and even though she doesn’t want to admit that affects her it
does. The novel is about Lizzie discovering herself and finding a way
to love herself and those close to her. The ebook is available on
Amazon.
Marionet
Synopsis:
Paige Alexander is seventeen and has her whole life in front of
her. One day her girlfriend comes home to discover that Paige has
slit her wrists. Paige isn’t insane, but she acts like she is. Why?
After the incident, Paige agrees to go to therapy to appease her
girlfriend, Jess. However, Paige doesn’t believe that therapy will
help her. She believes she’s beyond help. Paige doesn’t want to
find herself and she doesn’t want to relive her painful past in
order to come to terms with it. What Paige wants is control over her
life, which she hasn’t had since her birth.
During her childhood, Paige is blamed for a family tragedy, when
in fact, her twin sister, Abbie was responsible. Abbie doesn’t come
forward and Paige becomes the pariah of the family.
To add to Paige’s woes while attending a college in a small town
in Colorado, the residents are in the midst of debating whether or
not gays and lesbians should have equal rights. Tension is high and
there’s a threat of violence. She isn’t out of the closet and
pretends to be straight at school since she fears what will happen if
her parents find out she’s a lesbian. Will she end up dead like her
best friend, Alex?
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Links:
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the links don’t copy and paste, here they are. If it’s too much
trouble to manually insert them, I completely understand. I want to
make this as easy as possible for everyone and I appreciate all of
the help. Thanks!
Purchase Links:
Amazon(US)
Amazon(UK)
