Marcee Corn is a teacher and storyteller by profession. Marcee realized that through her storytelling, she could help encourage shy, struggling and withdrawn children in her class by making them the heroes and heroines in the tale. Thus began a tradition and passion she pursued for the next 23 years of her career.

Marcee and her sister, Susan McCulloch, wrote the memoir, Unclaimed Baggage, the story of their mother’s journey through Alzheimer’s Disease. Marcee later wrote Always Thaddeus, a suspense thriller that takes place on a make-believe island off the coast of Maine. Always Thaddeus: The Resurrection (Book 2) is also available.

When she is not writing, Marcee and her sister, Susan McCulloch, and their husbands are proprietors of The Twisted Twig Antiques & Accents, an eclectic shop in Banner Elk, North Carolina. You can visit it on Facebook.

You can visit Marcee on her Website or on other social media including Facebook, Goodreads and Linkedin.
—————
What motivates you to write and how did you get started?

I was an elementary teacher for twenty-five years. After our schoolwork was done each afternoon, I would spend the last 15 minutes of our day telling stories to my students. The students loved this special time in our day and I loved storytelling. A parent told me one day that their child would come home every day to tell them what happened in my continuing story. Those parents came to me and said that I ought/need to write down my stories so that other children could enjoy them. I decided to give it a try. I sent many of my children’s stories off to traditional publishers. The rejection letters started coming in, my confidence waned, and I gave up on writing for years. AND that was a huge mistake on my part!!

Years later, when my mom got diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, the only way I could cope with my role as her caregiver was to write down my emotions and feelings. It was very comforting and healing for me. I wrote hundreds of emails to my sisters about the changes in our mom and caring for her. My sister, Susan kept every single one of them.

After Mom died, Susan suggested we write a book, using my emails as a reference, about Mom and our caregiving experience. We wrote UNCLAIMED BAGGAGE for our children and grandchildren so they would know their grandmother. We had no intention of publishing it. But a longtime friend of mine, an editor for Simon & Schuster, read the manuscript and highly suggested that I contact Archway Publishing, a subsidiary to Simon & Schuster. I followed his advice. They accepted our manuscript and UNCLAIMED BAGGAGE was published.

My sister, Susan McCulloch (co-author) and I have had the opportunity to travel all over the southeast U.S. speaking to book clubs, church groups, and caregiver groups about our experience with Mom’s Alzheimer’s – sharing our inspirational story of hope. We are proud to say that we were asked to be members of AlzAuthors – a groundbreaking group of authors who have also written books about caregiving/dealing with Alzheimer’s disease.

After UNCLAIMED BAGGAGE was published six years ago, I still had many stories in my head and with my confidence rejuvenated; I began to write them down. I realized that I loved the process of writing an adult full-length novel.

I wrote my thriller, ALWAYS THADDEUS, a suspense thriller. around the main character, Beth Morgan. Archway Publishing published ALWAYS THADDEUS two years ago. Currently, its sequel, ALWAYS THADDEUS: THE RESURRECTION co-written by my husband R.L. Corn is in the process of publication!

What’s most rewarding about writing?

Meeting my readers at book signings and Author talks is the most rewarding part of being a writer for me! I love chatting with them about the writing process and about my stories. It is fun to answer questions about the characters as if they are real people! Amazing!

What’s your favorite genre and why?

So far, my favorite genre is psychological thriller/suspense. It is so much fun to write. UNCLAIMED BAGGAGE is a memoir/ inspirational book. I love being a multi-genre author.
I have also written a published horror short story called RAVEN.

Where do your characters come from?

Beth Morgan is the main character in ALWAYS THADDEUS and she spoke to me. I actually felt like she wanted me to tell her story. So, I began writing about her (her childhood and how and why she ended up with all the issues she had as an adult). As I wrote, Beth would interact with other characters and that became the story. In most of my stories, I start writing about the main character and the story follows.

What do you look for in other people’s books?

Mostly, I look for good character development in books I read. I love description, lots of it, so I also look for that in books. I am infatuated with interesting and surprising characters, just as I am in real life; a character who dances to the beat of their own drummer. Of course there must be a great plot to hold my attention as well.

What are you writing now?

I have just finished the sequel to ALWAYS THADDEUS. It is with my publisher. It should be out later in the summer or fall. The exciting thing about the sequel is that I co-wrote it with my husband, R. L. Corn. We had a great time collaborating!!

I have several unfinished manuscripts on my computer. I am working on two of them simultaneously. I enjoy writing short stories as well. I currently am working on a novella about my son and his amazing story of strength and determination to come back to me from the depths of ‘the hell’ of drug addiction.

What kind of book would you like to be known for?

I would hope my book about my son’s drug addiction and the process of recovery would help other parents going through something similar. I know that UNCLAIMED BAGGAGE, about my mom’s Alzheimer’s, helped other caregivers. So, I would say I would like to be known for my inspirational books mostly. These books were the hardest to write because they were a roller coaster of emotion for me.

What has writing taught you about yourself?

Writing has taught me discipline and organization. Maybe I should say publishing my writing has taught me that. It is really hard work to get your manuscript to the point where it is publishable.

How has your life experience influenced your writing?

My life experiences have tremendously influenced my writing. I have lived in many places and been around many types of people. My Dad was an officer in the Navy so we moved about every two years throughout my childhood and into my teen years. I learned as a young child that I couldn’t be shy, which was my nature, and that I had to be outgoing and make friends quickly. Because of that, I became very observant of people, which I believe has helped my writing tremendously.

I also enjoyed traveling with my family and then as an adult as well. I left Boston, Massachusetts at the age of seventeen to go to the small college town of Cookeville, TN to attend Tennessee Technological University. I knew no one. Being so far away from my family did not bother me in the least. I loved getting to know the south and the lovely people there. I met my husband, a true southerner, during my second year in college. Going to new places and meeting people was and still is exciting to me.

Once again the details of a place; the sounds, the smells, the architecture, the colors, captivate me and have helped me write detailed descriptions in my books.

ALWAYS THADDEUS is set on an island off the coast of Maine. As a child, my family took a three- week vacation to Maine every summer. I feel like Maine is my second home because it was a constant place in my life. All the details of the fictional island, Owl’s Nest, in my books are real memories of islands I went to as a young teen with my family.

What encouraging advice can you offer new writers?

My advice to new writers is to write, write, write and then write some more. Don’t give up. I wish I hadn’t given up all those years ago.

Reading is very important too.

I have met many authors over the course of the last six years that have greatly influenced me, motivated me and advised me. It is important for new writers to build a network of other writers.

What else would you like to share?

I spend most of my days, when not writing, selling and buying antiques. I co-own The Twisted Twig Antiques & Accents in Banner Elk, NC along with my sister, Susan, her husband and my husband. We have been in business for three years now. It is a blast! Besides writing, antiques are a huge passion of mine!