At West Library Branch and on Zoom
1425 Chaffee Rd S, Jacksonville, FL 32221
Marilyn Baron Author Bio:
A Miami native, and graduate of the University of Florida, Marilyn Baron is a Floridian at heart. In addition to Miami and Gainesville, she’s lived in Palm Coast and Tallahassee. Marilyn writes in a variety of genres from women’s fiction to historical romantic thrillers and romantic suspense to paranormal/fantasy and cozy mysteries. She’s received writing awards in Single Title, Suspense Romance, Novel with Strong Romantic Elements and Paranormal/Fantasy Romance. She was also The Finalist in the 2017 Georgia Author of the Year Awards (GAYA) in the Romance Category for her novel, "Stumble Stones", and The Finalist for the 2018 GAYA Awards in the Romance category for her novel, "The Alibi."
Her latest novel, "The Case of the Missing Botticelli: A Massimo Domingo Mystery", released January 24, 2022, is her 28th work of fiction, which includes short stories, novels, anthologies and even a musical. Book 3 of the series, "The Case of the Forgotten Fragonard", will be released in 2023 by The Wild Rose Press, Inc. A public relations consultant in Atlanta, Marilyn is past chair and current member of Roswell Reads (a one-city, one read program that has featured such authors as Rick Bragg, Ann Patchett, Delia Owens, Laura Morelli and Geraldine Brooks) and serves on the Atlanta Authors Series Committee, which gives local authors the opportunity to share what they have written with library patrons. To find out more about what Marilyn writes, visit her website at: https://www.marilynbaron.com/
WORKSHOP - ON ZOOM ONLY
Novel Ideas: What Sparks a Writer’s Imagination?
In a letter to F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway said, “The good parts of a book may be only something a writer is lucky enough to overhear or it may be the wreck of his whole damn life—and one is as good as the other.”
Where do ideas for novels come from? This is the number one question an author is asked by readers. Ideas for books can come from anywhere and everywhere at any time. And when you least expect them. Do ideas drop from the sky? Come from the cosmos? When inspiration strikes, they just might. Ideas are floating out there in the universe. You just have to be receptive to them.
What are the Top 10 Sources of Inspiration for a Novel?
Genre Jumping: To Switch or Not to Switch - ON ZOOM ONLY
A recent New York Times article noted that most blockbuster authors break out because of a popular series, like “Twilight” or “Harry Potter.” Conventional wisdom dictates that writers build a brand by sticking to one recognizable genre. But what if you’re an outlier like literary phenom Colleen Hoover, the best-selling author in the United States, who had five of the top 10 best-selling print books of any genre.
“I’ve been told that authors need to brand themselves as one thing. And I was like, well, why can’t I brand myself as everything?” says Hoover. “Why can’t I just brand myself as Colleen Hoover?”
It may take awhile to find your voice, find your genre of choice and find your passion.
Best-selling author Celeste Ng says she’s still honing her voice after three novels and there are themes writers tend to come back to.
Should you limit yourself to one genre or subgenre? Marilyn Baron writes in a variety of genres from humorous women’s fiction to historical romantic thrillers/suspense and from paranormal to cozy mysteries. She writes in all formats from short stories and series to anthologies and full-length novels. She and her sister even wrote a musical about Alzheimer’s called Memory Lane. Is it advisable to genre jump? To Switch or Not to Switch Genres, that is the question we’ll try to answer.
