Marla Dean is a brand new member of the Writers’ League having just joined last month. She lives near Lake Travis.
Scribe: In what genre(s) do you write?
Marla Dean: Call me a Renaissance writer. I completed my first novel last year and my second, (the first book of a three book series) this year. I also write short stories and won the fiction category for inspiration in the Texas Authors Competition. I am a playwright who has written nine full length plays and several one acts. I’m also a screenwriter. My novels are military thrillers, my plays range from drama to comedy, and my screenplays are largely comedies. Just completed a pitch, so cross your fingers.
Scribe: What authors would you like to have coffee or a beer with and which beverage?
MD: Sadly, she has passed, but if I could I would love to have a coffee and a long talk with Doris Lessing.
Scribe: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what book would you want to have with you to keep you sane?
MD: Such a hard question, there are so many, but if I could have only one, Shikasta by Doris Lessing.
Scribe: What have you learned from your association with the Writers’ League?
MD: I am so new to the group, but I know from my exploration that this is a wonderful group and a great support for the writer.
Scribe: Where do you see your writing taking you (or you taking it) in the future?
MD: I see myself as a successful screenwriter, with a hit series, a respected novelist with four or five novels under my belt and my plays being produced all over the world to great applause.
Scribe: Here at the Writers’ League, we love sharing book recommendations. What’s one Texas-related book that has come out within the past year that you couldn’t put down?
MD: The Bottoms by Joe R. Lansdale.
Scribe: Is there anything else about you that you would like to share with the world? An opportunity for blatant self-promotion!
MD: My first novel, Simple Machines, outsold Tom Clancy in my genre for one day on Amazon Books. It was a great thrill. I have spent most of my adult life, writing and creating. It is my greatest love and where I find my peace. I am happy to be with the Writers’ League and look forward to a long and happy association.
