Goodreads asked Mary Andersen:

How do you get inspired to write?

Mary Andersen What inspires me the most to write is thinking about my characters. I become so invested and engaged in their lives. To me, they are so real that it is as if they actually lived and breathed. Telling their stories and bringing them to life so that my readers can come to know them as I do, is a pure joy. It is very fulfilling to get feedback indicating that my readers feel like they are there, right in the middle of what is going on, and that they can feel what the characters feel. When I get comments like these... "Ugh! I almost threw my phone while I was reading your book, because I thought Joe was going to die! I hated you so much in that moment!" or "I broke down in tears while reading your book at the coffee shop. People looked at my strangely, but I couldn't help it." ... it makes me so happy, because that's what I want. I want my readers to feel things when they read my novels, and to become emotionally engaged in the lives of my characters. If that has been accomplished, then I have done my job as an author.

flag