Mary E Hanks                                                 Playwright, Director, Novelist

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Novels:      Winter's Past      Harmony's Call Plays:      Aunt Polly's Demise      In the Land of Ickanicker      A Christmas Calamity      The Baron's Daughter      Tales of a Time Machine SITE MAP Connect with Mary on...

I am a storyteller!  I love imagining and toying with all of the amazing what-ifs in the world and expanding those ideas into how they could work on stage--or in the storyline of a book. As a child I lived to pretend. Everywhere I went I would imagine that I was a mom with four or five children in tow, and the ordinary became extraordinary in my mind because of the million ways I could embellish life. My mom gave me a typewriter for Christmas when I was 13, and immediately I began writing a novel--a Waltons-type drama--but like many first attempts, I never finished that project. A couple of years later, I started writing skits that were performed for youth services, and a few years down the road, I moved into writing and directing Christmas plays. As a young adult, I took a writer's course from the Institute of Children's Literature and was enthused over the handful of stories that were published, sure that writing was my calling. Having a love for inspirational romance, I was certain I could write novels too, and so I submerged myself in stories of the heart. I enjoyed getting to know the characters better in a longer work, and I found a special connection with making lives richer through my imagination and words. The stories and pretending came pretty easy, but when I mailed out those first proposals, I sadly discovered that I didn't handle rejection very well. Soon my manuscripts were stored away in cardboard boxes, buried in the closet with my dream of publication.

Over the years I continued writing my plays. I fell in love with the pageantry and beauty of the stage. There is nothing like hearing the words I have imagined in my mind and written on paper come to life. It's like a miracle, and I close my eyes and just listen! At the time of this writing, I have directed 20 productions,15 of which I have written. Over a year ago, I began rewriting my novel Winter's Past, a story of reconciliation despite the odds. Winter and Ty's story blossomed and changed, deepening into a heartfelt, inspirational journey of two lives torn apart, but brought back within the etchings of time and forgiveness by the grace of God. At heart, I am and always will be a storyteller, fascinated with the what-ifs around every corner, drawn to lively, quirky characters who have stories to tell that absolutely must be written down. Mary's Blog: www.maryehanks.blogspot.com Return to the HOME page here.

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