MaryAnn Sciavillo-Lopez

Tell us a little about yourself.

I grew up forty-five minutes north of Manhattan in a small town in Westchester County; Port Chester. When I was very young, while my mother worked, I would spend my summers with my maternal grandmother, Julia. She is the reason I love to read. We used to walk several blocks to the library and spend hours looking for books to take home, then carry our treasure trove of books and sit together to read.

I have always had a love for writing, creating plays, and performing them with my brothers and neighbors occasionally, for our parents. I didn’t start taking writing seriously until the age of fifty, writing historical fantasy fiction. After publishing two novels, it took another ten years, and the pandemic, to get me to start writing again and I’m so glad that I am. I have met some wonderful authors, at my writing group, Citrus Writers of Florida, and events.

I live in Florida’s Nature Coast in Citrus County with my husband, Felix, and my two dogs; Declan–a Westie, and Eddie–a Toy Fox Terrier. Playing with my dogs, going to festivals and farmers markets, bowling, and reading are my non-writing joys.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I have always loved to write. Pre-word processors, whenever I bought a Composition Book from Woolworths, I would get excited by the blank pages awaiting my childish words.

What genres(s) do you write?

Currently, I am writing time-travel novels, bookstore ghost novellas, inspirational short stories, and low-content journals.

What is your schedule like when writing?

I try to set aside a couple of hours every other day, aiming to write around 1000 to 1500 words. During NaNoWriMo and the Camp NaNo challenges, I write every day.

What are your favorite genres to read?

Mostly detective novels –such as Michael Connelly’s Bosch series, but also time-travel and

What might your next book be about?

It’s currently a WIP (work-in-progress). A Novella length bookstore ghost story. Of course, I am also working on book 3 of my An Unexpected Travel in Time Trilogy.

Where do you do your writing?

Mostly at my desk on my PC, but with OneDrive’s cloud storage, I sometimes write/edit on my Microsoft tablet and Android phone. Microsoft 365 makes it easy to go from one to the other.

What are your non-writing hobbies?

Playing with my dogs, going to festivals and markets, bowling, and reading.

Are you a Plantser, Plotter, or a Pantser?

I’m definitely a Pantser. Other than having an idea for a story, I usually let the story lead the way while I’m writing. That’s where several edits are used to polish the content.

How important are book reviews?

Reviews are very important, especially for self-published authors. Amazon bases a lot of its algorithm and promotions on reviews.

Do you have any suggestions to help a new writer?

If you love writing, don’t give up. Don’t let anyone talk you out of writing. It’s not always about the sales. It’s about having a passion and pursuing it. Learn from other writers (in person and on social media platform groups), read how-tos, join a writer's group, go to conferences when you can, etc.