W-Women Globally

W-WomenGlobally: What do you do professionally?

Mary Akers: Mainly, I write. I have a short story collection – ‘Women Up On Blocks’ – soon to be released from Press 53, and a co-authored non-fiction book (The Greatest Gift: Lessons Learned in Exile in Siberia) that is forthcoming from Simon & Schuster in the UK and Canada. (It is already available in Australia and New Zealand under the title Radical Gratitude and other life lessons learned in Siberia.)

I also co-founded a marine ecology program in Dominica—The Institute for Tropical Marine Ecology. For ten years we have run a study abroad program there while mapping the surrounding ocean habitats. We are in the process of moving operations…to an island to be determined. It’s an exciting time.

W-WG: Could you give our readers some background information on your education?

M.A.: Sure. I have an undergraduate degree in Fine Arts from The College of William and Mary and a Master’s in Creative Writing from Queens University of Charlotte. I also have a lot of life experience: working ten years as a self-employed artist/potter, traveling to many countries, raising three kids, and working a wide range of jobs.

W-WG: Where do you sell your books and what countries would you like to expand to?

M.A.: So far I’ve published in the US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the UK. We have a German translation coming out this fall and a deal for Polish rights that is pending. For the non-fiction book, I’d love to expand into the US market. It is my home country after all! But we can’t seem to get a publisher interested in the non-fiction book in this country. I do think it will happen eventually, but the wait is maddening.

W-WG: What do you envision for the future of your writing?

M.A.: Well, I’ve just finished writing both a novel and short story collection that are ocean-themed. I’d love to sell them as a two-book deal…and I’d love to eventually be known as a nature writer who writes about the ocean and the earth. I’d like to be asked to teach at writing conferences and/or low-residency MFA programs, but first and foremost, I’d like to find an agent to take on my fiction and stick with me throughout my career.

W-WG: Any new projects in the pipeline?

M.A.: Yes, always! Thanks for asking. I’m working on an historical novel about Elbert Hubbard and the Roycrofters of East Aurora. He was the American version of William Morris during the US Arts & Crafts Movement. He died in 1915 in the sinking of the Lusitania. I love research and can already tell this is going to be a fascinating project.

W-WG: Are there any connections between your interests?

M.A.: Well, I think they are all creative interests. I like making things, bringing new things into the world. My current writing project is a group of fictional stories all set in and around the ocean, some involving marine ecology…and they are all done by me–say, there’s the connection.

W-WG: What is your primary passion?

M.A.: Hard to say. It changes day-to-day. That’s what I like about having lots of interests. I can make one primary on one day, and another on another day. I can get easily bored, and having lots of “irons in the fire” ensures I can always find something interesting to work on.

W-WG: Where will you be five years from now?

M.A.: My youngest child will be just about ready to start college and as soon as he is out of the nest, I plan to pick up and go…move south, hopefully, travel more, hike and spend even more time out in nature than I do now. Fortunately writing is a career that can fit in nicely around other activities…and the Internet makes it all much easier. Oh, and one more thing: I would love to be able to make enough money to allow my husband to retire. He’s given me unwavering support over the years, and it would make me really happy to be able to repay that gift.

Visit also Mary Akers’ blog.