Winner of the 2007 Golden Heart Award for "Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements"
About Marilyn
Marilyn
Brant has been told she writes with honesty, liveliness and wit (descriptors she's grown terribly fond of) about complex, intelligent women--like her friends--and their significant personal relationships. Although her favorite passion is undoubtedly books, she proves she's not just a literary snob by confessing her lifelong fascination (read: obsession) with popular music, especially from the '70s & '80s, most flavors of ice cream and a variety of sensuous body lotions/oils...because, next to Borders, Barnes & Noble and, well, Ben & Jerry's...Victoria's Secret is her favorite store.
In her books, she amuses herself by slipping in references to all of the above, a sneaky tactic intended to keep her mind alert at 1:00am when she’s supposed to be writing a big fight or love scene. Sometimes it takes including the ice cream, the lotions AND the music in her writing to effectively trick the muses into showing up. Sometimes it just makes her hungry, aroused and curiously obsessed with her iPod.
Marilyn lives in the Midwest
where, before she became a full-time novelist, she worked as an elementary school teacher, a library staff member, a freelance magazine writer and a national book reviewer. She’s blessed to have a genuinely supportive husband and son, a loving family and a truly amazing group of friends, all of whom keep her grounded, sane and away from dangerous things like chocolate martinis (usually). She’d love to say she also has killer abs but--so far--this is still a fantasy.
"Nature forms us for ourselves, not for others; to be, not to seem."
~Chinese fortune cookie
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A Selection of Interviews & Articles with Marilyn:
Movies adaptations of Pride & Prejudice, The Scarlet Pimpernel (with Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour), While You Were Sleeping, The Philadelphia Story, Roman Holiday, When Harry Met Sally, Stranger Than Fiction, A Room with a View
Cities
London, England; Venice, Italy; Brisbane, Australia
Novelists I read & loved as a kid/teen
Jane Austen, Douglas Adams, Elizabeth George Speare, Alexander Key, Ellen Raskin, Richard Bach, Carol Ryrie Brink, Erich Segal, Phyllis A. Whitney, Victoria Holt
Lotions
Victoria's Secret Dream Angels "Desire", Olay Regenerist
Music
almost every style, especially 1970s and 1980s pop/rock, musical soundtracks and songs with either great lyrics or an easy-to-dance-to beat
Songwriters
Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20), John Rzeznik (Goo Goo Dolls), Don Henley (Eagles), Bono, Keith Urban, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi, Elton John
Drinks
Raspberry Lemon Drop Martini, hot cocoa, lite chocolate Silk soymilk, sparkling grape juice