You have come to the right place if…

If you like fiction that is based on true facts, and not only takes you to different parts of the world, to different time periods and also makes you meet interesting people—then you have come to the right place.

Research is, of course, very important for me every time I get an idea for a new novel.  I also immensely enjoy doing it. But it’s a little like adding spices to your cooking. The aim in doing research is to achieve a happy medium. Too much is not good. Too little isn’t good either.

Now how did that tagline about chocolate mint ice cream get in here?

It’s a hot summer day here in Malta today. The temperature hit 40C (104F) and it is humid. Writing for me is a refuge from anything and everything. It doesn’t make the temperature drop, but it makes me forget it. Suddenly! a double scoop of chocolate mint ice cream materialized in front of my eyes. Now , you know everything.

Mary’s Blog

Hello! I am Mary De Gruttola and I am terribly pleased you are reading my blog.

Recently someone asked me why I chose blogging publicly instead of a diary. Well, the answer is simple. I want to share my journey as a writer. A diary is fine, but it is simply me to me. That’s a little boring, don’t you think? The journey itself started when I was a teenager, although I only started writing seriously a few years ago. I began by writing articles more for fun than anything else, until one day, the need to write a novel became so overwhelming that I just had to do it!

Here are some of the things I would like to include in my blog:

  1. Articles on different aspects of writing a novel going from the general to the specific.
  2. Character sketches i.e., how I met my characters? Oh yes! We all think we invent our characters, but the truth of the matter is —that we do not!  We ‘meet’ them.
  3. I also would like to share my experience in doing long distance research. In fact, I have a free 8-chapter course on my website for you.
  4. From time to time, I would like to review a novel or even a poem.
  5. Eventually, maybe do an interview.
  6. And, of course, if any of you have ideas, please feel free to share them.