About the Author

Marilyn has always worked in IT and until October 2019 was a full-time project manager. Now that she is retired, Marilyn can focus on the thing she loves most - writing. At the age of 40 she did a part-time BA degree in Literature at Warwick, which progressed to an MA and then a PhD, her thesis being "Glimpses of Utopia & Dystopia in Victorian Fairylands".

As a result of giving a paper on fairy tales she was approached by a publisher who suggested she gather together some lesser known fairy tales and as a result "Enchanted Ideologies: A Collection of Rediscovered Nineteenth-Century English Moral Fairy Tales" was published by The True Bill Press in 2010. Sadly the publisher went out of business.

During Marilyn's research she “discovered” Mary De Morgan, a Victorian writer of fairy tales, amongst many other things. She became somewhat obsessed with De Morgan and as she wanted to share the research she wrote "Out of the Shadows: The Life and Works of Mary De Morgan", which was published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing in 2012.

Despite Marilyn's intensive research there were still many gaps in her knowledge - (why didn't she marry, why did she go to Egypt, how did she become a directress of a girls' reformatory) - and because Marilyn couldn't let De Morgan, or the act of writing, go she decided to write a fictional novel based on De Morgan’s life - the result being "The Jewel Garden".

It is told from the perspective of a fictional character and tells of her fictional relationship with Mary De Morgan. This novel is a labour of love and Marilyn is thrilled that William & Whiting published it in February 2018.

Marilyn's second novel, "Song of the Nightingale" was published in December 2019. It WON the Fiction Category of the 2020 International Rubery Book Award. Set in 18th century Italy, it tells of two young boys who are bought from their families, castrated and then trained to be singers.

This was something that was actually done at the time, though this story is purely fictional. It is told from the point of view of Philippe, who is the count's secretary and is tasked with taking the boys to Florence and settling them into the conservatoire, which is run by Jesuits. It tells of the boys' journey, of course, but it also tells of love, murderous revenge, deceit and reconciliation. The book has been republished in 2023 with a new publisher under the title "Sold for a Song".

Marilyn is interested in the re-telling of stories, especially the fairy tale, through the centuries, and is in the process of writing a trilogy, which will tell of three generations of women and their attempts to tell their “her-stories” to a world deaf to the female voice. "A Teller of Tales", "A Keeper of Tales" and "A Seeker of Tales" have been published and include new fairy tales throughout the books as a link between the women.

Marilyn is currently writing book 4, "A Bearer of Tales," which she hopes to complete by end of 2024.

Also published in 2023 is a stand-alone adventure story set in 1930s Egypt called "Under the Eye".

Marilyn's website: https://marilynpemberton.wixsite.com/author 

Blog: writingtokeepsane.wordpress.com

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B00ANS96QI

Lesson Summary

Marilyn Pemberton tells Morgen about her journey as a writer, covering various aspects of her work:

• The importance of marketing, book covers, and meeting potential readers for historical novels.
• Her experiences with different cover designers and publishers.
• Working on a trilogy and potential future projects.
• The research process and interest in Victorian fairy tales.
• Marilyn's background in writing, starting with O-level English Language and degrees in writing and research.
• Her transition into fiction writing, from a biography to historical novels.
• The planning and editing processes.
• Marilyn's experiences with publishing and challenges of marketing and promoting books.
• Her involvement with her village hall's committee in rural Herefordshire, her love for reading and dogs, and the challenges of organising literary events.
• Marilyn has had several books published, including fairy tales and a novel about Mary De Morgan.
• Marilyn's passion for re-telling stories is clear, focusing on the female voice in her trilogy and a standalone adventure story in Egypt.

The conversation details Marilyn's activities as a retired IT project manager-turned-writer and includes links to her website, blog, and Amazon author page for further exploration of her works.