Featured Artist Friday: Marianne Sciucco
Happy Friday, dear Reader! I have so many fun things lined up for the blog right now that I'm about ready to burst! Today, for example, I am pleased to introduce you all to fellow Clean Indie Reads author, Marianne Sciucco.A bit about the author:
I'm not a nurse who writes but a writer who happens to be a nurse. A lover of words and books, I studied the craft of writing as an English major at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and briefly worked as a newspaper reporter in New England. To avoid poverty, I later became a nurse. In 2002, I began writing about the intricate lives of people struggling with health and family issues. I'm a native Bostonian who loves Cape Cod but I make my home in upstate New York. When I'm not writing, I work as a campus nurse at a community college. To follow my adventures in publishing please visit MarianneSciucco.blogspot.com or find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. You may also drop me a line at mariannesciucco@gmail.com.
In my new novel, "Swim Season" the new girl on the swim team challenges a longstanding school record. This story, however, is about more than swimming as our young heroine, Aerin Keane, deals with the aftermath of her parents divorce, a stepmother and two stepsisters she doesn't want, her mother's PTSD and drug addiction after two tours of duty in the Middle East as an Army nurse, and her best friend's cute twin brother. Oh, and she's just started senior year in her third high school. Aerin is a girl you will definitely cheer for. For release in Spring 2015.- When and why did you start writing?
Like a lot of writers, I got hooked on books when I was young. As a child, I grew up in a house filled with books and weekly visits to the library were met with anticipation and joy. I’d check out as many books as possible and carried home many a heavy stack. I’d staple pieces of paper together to make “books” and write stories inside. I read and wrote all the time, and when anyone asked what I wanted to be when I grew up the answer was always “writer.”
Which authors do you admire? Why?
My favorite authors are Anne Tyler and Elizabeth Berg. Both have inspired me, especially Berg, whose novel True to Form motivated me to start seriously writing fiction. I was an English major at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and did my Honors Thesis on Tyler. It was odd because everyone else was writing about dead poets and classical writers and I studied a contemporary author. Got an “A.”
What are your fondest writing memories?
My happiest moment, and there have been many, was the first time I saw my byline on the front page of a big newspaper. Back in the ‘80’s it was my dream to be a reporter, and I worked as a stringer for the Patriot Ledger, a daily, in Quincy, Massachusetts. One night I covered a school board meeting where 400 people showed up to debate a proposal to merge grades five and six with the junior high school. When I returned to the newsroom with my copy, my editor grilled me about the facts and asked how I knew 400 people showed up. I said, “I counted them.” The next day when I showed up for my assignment I picked up the paper and looked for my story. Disappointment set in when I didn’t see it and figured it got cut. I put the paper down. A veteran reporter was watching and said, “Marianne, look at the front page.” I turned the paper over and there was my story, on page one! Everyone around us clapped, congratulating the stringer for getting front page news. That was the best! See, I’m still talking about it 30 years later.
What advice would you give to beginners who are nervous?
Don’t give up. This is a long-term commitment; you will most likely not be an overnight success. If you’re going to do this you must be in it for the long haul. Utilize all resources for promoting your book, including social media and the internet, but also local resources such as your public library and independent bookstore. Spend your marketing dollars wisely. Figure out how you define success: sales? reviews? awards? and use that as a barometer to see how you’re doing. Don’t let others determine whether you’re successful or not. I offer additional advice in my blog post “Happy Birthday Indie Author! 7 Things I Learned My First Year.”
What inspires you to write?
Everything inspires me to write. The world is amazing. People are fascinating. I see stories everywhere and some of them are compelling enough for me to want to tell them. Once an idea or image penetrates my brain I start filling in the details, developing a story line, building characters. If it excites me and takes off far enough, I write an outline so I don’t forget it and put it on my “To Be Written List.” Hopefully, I will live long enough to complete all of these stories.
What is the hardest thing about writing?
For me, the hardest part about writing is the struggle I have with repetitive strain injures caused by an inappropriate computer work station at my job back in 2006. This left me with thoracic outlet syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, bursitis, tendinitis, and chronic musculoskeletal and nerve pain that requires some level of management every day. Needless to say, this makes it difficult for me to achieve my goals as a writer but I am unwilling to allow it to stop me, so I proceed at my own pace, heeding the words of my doctor: “Respect your limitations.” To learn more about this please visit my blog My TOS Life. Never take for granted the ability to work at a computer for hours and walk away without pain.
Are you working on anything new, and would you be willing to tell us about it?
In my Young Adult novel Swim Season, Aerin is determined to leave her troubles behind as she starts her senior year in her third high school. Senior year is supposed to be fun, right? Friends. Parties. Boys. She wants to be like every other girl at Two Rivers. Except Aerin has two secrets: her mom is not a nurse serving in Afghanistan (a twist on the truth) and she is not an average varsity swimmer (an untruth of epic proportions.) Ready to give up her dreams of a college swimming scholarship and a shot at the Olympics, Aerin decides she doesn't want to win anymore, she wants to swim for fun, it's her therapy. When her desire to be just "one of the girls on the team" collides with her desire to be the best this school has ever seen, will Aerin sacrifice her new friendships to challenge a longstanding school record attached to a $50,000 scholarship?
Why did you choose to write in this genre?
This genre chose me. Raising a swimmer and living the Swim Mom life inspired me to write this book. I felt comfortable with the kids, and truly enjoyed them and all of their activities. It just felt right. I wrote another YA novel, Perfect Match, which also chose me. I plan to publish that novel later this year. I also enjoy reading YA because it connects me to a time when my life was disrupted and troubled and I can relate to the characters and their stories.
Where did you get the idea for your book?
My daughter is a swimmer and swimming is a huge part of my family’s life. She’s been in the water since infancy, starting with a Mommy & Me class at the YMCA. I’ve shuttled her to swim meets and swim practice for years, and now follow her across state lines during her college swimming career. All those hours sitting on cold, metal bleachers waiting to watch her swim for a minute or two gave me more than a sore you-know-what: It inspired me to write about it. My goal was to write a story about the whole high school swimming experience, to show others who may not be as familiar with the sport how much fun it is and how hard these kids work. I started it four years ago and will soon have a completed manuscript. The plan is to publish in spring 2015.
Are you willing to share an excerpt?
Of course! In this scene in Chapter One Aerin is getting her first look at her new team.
I stood on the pool deck with an odd blend of girls vying to earn a place on the team. I spotted the usual huddle of newbies benched together at the far end of the bleachers, looking at each other nervously and at the more seasoned swimmers with something like awe. On the opposite end were the members of last year's championship team, all wearing team T-shirts and calmly chatting amongst themselves, ignoring everyone else. In the middle was a bunch who looked like they'd rather go back to bed, the ones whose parents pushed them to play a sport and who chose swimming because it was indoors and looked so easy. Most of them wouldn't make it.
I found a place to stand against the wall and blocked out the curious glances shot my way. I used the time before practice began to check out my surroundings. Aunt Mags had said the natatorium was built just a few years ago, replacing a 40-year old pool that had outlived its usefulness. This new swimming complex was state-of-the art. It was full of light, with a wall of windows on the farthest side letting in the sunlight, and a 20-foot ceiling loaded with skylights. The walls were painted a stark white. The floor tiles were light blue. It had an eight-lane pool, with blue and white lane lanes and flags. The blocks were a few inches off the ground and Two diving boards hung over the deep end. The Trailblazers logo was laid out in blue tiles on the bottom. A much smaller pool was attached to it where swimmers could cool down after their events. A large computerized scoreboard hung on the wall near the deep end with the ability to name each swimmer in each lane with their finish time and place. Championship banners hung from the ceiling and on the walls touting the team’s successes over the years. A huge white leaderboard named all of their championship swimmers and their accomplishments. The deck, wide all sides, had plenty of bleacher space. The air was thick with the smell of chlorine. This was the finest pool of any team I’d been a part of. The thought of swimming in it, of calling it “home” for the next few months caused a thrill of excitement in my belly. Around me the other girls greeted each other and talked amongst themselves, none of them seeming to appreciate the beauty of this pool and the privilege to be able to use it.
"Good morning girls.” A man's voice cut through the chatter and each girl sat up at attention. "Let's get started."
The voice belonged to a middle-aged man dressed in the school's colors: navy blue shorts and a white polo shirt. Coach Ferguson. He thanked the returning girls for coming back and welcomed the hopefuls for coming in.
"Over the next two weeks you'll all be working hard, running drills both in the pool and in the gym, four hours a day, six days a week. During the actual season, you'll be practicing from after school until five or six every weekday, and four hours on Saturday. Sunday is a resting day. And, of course, you will be competing in swim meets at least twice a week. So, if you don’t think you can make it through the first two weeks, you might as well go home now.” He paused, waiting to see if anyone would opt out before we even got started. No one moved.
"Okay," he said, moving along. "Most of you know that Two Rivers won the division championship last year, and the year before. We're on a roll, and I expect to keep rolling. I need performers, swimmers who aren't afraid to push themselves, to try new things and discover where they best support the team. So, in practice you're all going to swim every stroke, you're all going to swim distance, and you're all going to swim sprints. Each person will do all she can to defend our title. I expect each performer to excel in one event and work hard to excel in at least one other."
Silence filled the pool deck as the girls looked one another over, wondering where each would fit in.
"That's the good news," Coach Ferguson said. "Now, the bad news. Over the years, the school board has been supportive of our team, and we've reciprocated by working like serious athletes and turning in winning records. Most years, the team can support as many as 38 swimmers. This year, due to a budget crisis in the school district, our funds have been cut and I can only put 28 girls on the team."
At this, raised eyebrows and shocked inhalations. I counted bodies: 36 girls.
"Yeah, eight of you are going home," Coach said, "either at the end of this week, or the end of next. Anyone want to go home now?"
Again, no one moved.
Coach Ferguson smiled. "I like this level of commitment," he said. "Let's see if you can keep it under pressure."
He spent the next half hour reviewing team policies and going over the schedule for the season. I'd heard this talk before from other coaches and tuned him out while I studied the other girls, trying to figure out what their position might be on the team. Most of them listened intently to Coach, but last year's champs whispered amongst themselves. One of them, a lanky girl with sun-bleached hair and a killer tan, was looking over the group of wannabes, and holding up her fingers, one to five, scoring them, I guess, on whether or not they had a chance. Her friends snickered amongst themselves, trying to act cool, as if they were really paying attention to the lecture instead of fooling around. Finally, the lanky girl's frosty blue eyes rested on me and I met her gaze straight on. We stared at each other for a few seconds before she looked away first, and then held up three fingers. Seems she was ambivalent: I could go either way.
Thanks for sharing! Now, for some lighter questions:
What is your favorite season? Why?
Summer! I love the warm weather, swimming outdoors, going to the beach, and wearing as few clothes as possible.
Favorite hot beverage?
Fresh brewed coffee with half and half (not too light!) and one sugar
Favorite song? (or, if that’s too hard, favorite band/musician… or genre?)
U2, and any song by them. I started following them when they hit the Boston scene in 1980, call them the Fab Four, and also refer to them as “the boys.” I love their passion and poetry, and have seen them perform in nightclubs and football stadiums. They really are phenomenal.
The best pizza you’ve ever had was from….?
I’m fortunate to live in a city where the pizza is fantastic and there’s lots of it. My favorites are Colandrea Pizza King and Caputo’s Pizzeria.
Tell us something strange, odd, weird, or random about yourself.
In 2001, I came close to drowning in a rip tide at Race Point Beach in Provincetown, Massachusetts. It was terrifying and life changing. It still scares me, but I continue to swim in the ocean and in those particular waters.
How many siblings do you have?