Hello everyone. I have a very special author here with me today on my blog and I think you will really enjoy this. Mary Pauline Lowry, author of the newly released book "THE EARTHQUAKE MACHINE" will be sharing with my readers today a fun guest-post about her life and what inspires her to write. I hope my readers will enjoy this post and please help me in welcoming Mary to BE!
So before we get started I am going to leave everyone with some info on her book and where it may be purchased.
The Earthquake Machine tells the story of 14 year-old Rhonda. On the outside, everything looks perfect in Rhonda's world but at home Rhonda has to deal with a manipulative father who keeps her mentally ill mother hooked on pharmaceuticals. The only reliable person in Rhonda's life is her family's Mexican yardman, Jesús. But when the INS deports Jesús back to his home state of Oaxaca, Rhonda is left alone with her increasingly painful family situation.
Determined to find her friend Jesús, Rhonda seizes an opportunity to run away during a camping trip with friends. She swims to the Mexican side of the Rio Grande and makes her way to the border town of Boquillas, Mexico. There a peyote-addled bartender convinces her she won't be safe traveling alone into the country's interior. So with the bartender's help, Rhonda cuts her hair and assumes the identity of a Mexican boy named Angel. She then sets off on a burro across the desert to look for Jesús.
Growing up I read constantly, but I was also obsessed with having adventures of
my own. I didn’t want all of my wild experiences to come from reading books.
I ran away from home when I was 15 and went all the way to Matamoros,
Mexico. (I wouldn’t recommend that anyone else try this—many runaways
become victims of violent crimes; I was lucky to make it home safely). That
early trip made me wonder what it would have been like to keep going deep into
Mexico, and inspired me to write THE EARTHQUAKE MACHINE, a novel about
a girl named Rhonda who crosses the Rio Grande River to Mexico and “passes”
as a Mexican boy named Angel while she searches for her friend who has been
deported.
I’ve always focused on trying new things: when I was 21 I started work as a
forest firefighter on an elite 20-person Hotshot crew. I wrote a novel about it
called THE GODS OF FIRE and when the book didn’t sell to a major publishing
company, I flew to L.A. and convinced a major producer to option the book for
film. I wrote the script and the film is in pre-production. (Hopefully THE GODS OF
FIRE will be released in the next year or two).
I want to inspire other women and girls to read great books, live full and
adventurous lives, and provide each other with lots of encouragement along the
way. I love the book blogging community because it supports authors and books
and creates friendships between readers.
About the Author:
Mary Pauline Lowry has worked as a forest firefighter, screenwriter, open water lifeguard, construction worker, and advocate in the movement to end violence against women. Due to no fault of her sweet parents, at 15 she ran away from home and made it all the way to Matamoros, Mexico. She believes girls should make art, have adventures, and read books that show them the way.
Website: www.marypaulinelowry.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/MaryPLowry
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Mary-Pauline-Lowry/1306200359
Goodreads:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5430991.Mary_Pauline_Lowry
Thank you Mary for stopping by and good luck with your book. ^__^
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Wow, great post! I really enjoyed learning more about her, especially since I will be reading/reviewing her book near in the future. I really enjoyed this :)
ReplyDeleteHi Cindy - Thank you. I am glad that your enjoyed the guest post. :)
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