For today’s Sunday Dinner, I invited Marisa Masterson to talk about Dial X for Xhilaration.
The smiling teacher– That’s what her students called her. Marisa spent twenty-two years teaching writing and literature, loving almost every minute of it. After a disability kept her from teaching on top of the desks, she wondered how she could still impact others. Fast forward to 2023. After forty-five books, she loves the connection she has found with readers. In fact, she would love to connect with you as well.
Sunday Dinner is a traditional (noon) meal served after church on Sundays. Whole families, including extended family, would gather over a large meal to celebrate a day of rest. Multiple cultures enjoy this Sunday Dinner tradition. In my experience, I know it from both my Midwestern farm family as well as my Italian-American family. Now, I’d like to bring Sunday Dinner virtually to you. So, pull up a chair as we invite various guests to join us each week!
Without further ado, please tell us something interesting readers would enjoy learning about you.
Growing up in Wisconsin, she loved hearing stories about her family pioneering in that state. Those stories, in part, are what inspired her to begin writing.
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Can you tell us about your latest novel?
Empty-nester gone wild? That’s what friends and her fellow church members are saying about Faye Collins.
Will attempting the adventures on Faye’s risk list end in love or a broken body and heart? Can those risks compare with the fun of disastrous dates and the attention of the gorgeous youth pastor?
Join her while she attempts to live her life to the fullest along with the man who has captured her heart.
This is a sweet, clean romance comedy. While part of a series, this book is a standalone Christian inspirational romance.
If you want to laugh and if you enjoy a tender romance with a guaranteed happily-ever-after, grab a copy and sink into a handy chair. You’re in for fun!
Your story is one about second chances. Can you tell us why you wrote this theme?
This is very personal for me. I have watched my daughter struggle over the last two years as she has worked to find a new life for herself after a painful divorce. I believe this has made second-chance romances more interesting to me, though my heroine is a widow and not divorced.
Your story has a character with a disability. Can you tell us more about that?
A few months ago, a reader asked if I had ever considered writing about a disabled heroine. Why? I am disabled after a spinal cord injury. Some of my own experiences appear in this book where my heroine has had a spinal cord injury due to a car accident.
What research was required to write this character?
I spent some research focused on medical devices she might need. However, most of my research was about the risks this heroine wants to take. I had to find information about skydiving and escape rooms. Faye, my heroine, has both on her list of things to do.
What does a day in the life of one of your characters look like?
Home! That’s the center of Faye Collins’ day. She moves from her first-floor bedroom to the nearby bathroom. Using her forearm crutches, she stumps her way into the kitchen for a very necessary cup of coffee. Two years before, she would be tying on her running shoes. That was then, before the accident.
Were resources easy or difficult to find on these topics? Do you have a favorite resource?
A great resource for spinal cord injuries is https://unitedspinal.org/what-is-spinal-cord-injury-disorder-scid/. They have a very comprehensive overview.
Do you have another book in the works? What can you tell us about that book?
Currently, I am writing a book about a nineteenth century suffragette in Colorado—Clarice’s Chance. She is an older heroine, one who gave up her only chance at romance years before. In her late thirties, it is past time for her to push out into the world and claim freedom. Find it here.
Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
I have a twice-monthly newsletter that I invite you to join. Each new subscriber receives a free eBook as a gift from me. Subscribe here.
The afternoon is slipping away, so we have to draw the stories to an end. Marisa, thank you for joining us today!
If readers would like to purchase a copy of your book, where might they be able to do so?
If readers would like to learn about you or your other books, how might they find you online?
Over Sunday Dinner next week, author Aubrey Taylor will be joining us. See you then!