Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Some Kind of Magic
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.maryannmarlowe.com/
CITY:
STATE: VA
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2017010140
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2017010140
HEADING: Marlowe, Mary Ann
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035 __ |a (OCoLC)oca10689081
040 __ |a IAhCCS |b eng |e rda |c IAhCCS
100 1_ |a Marlowe, Mary Ann
370 __ |e Virginia
372 __ |a Romance fiction |a Computer programming |2 lcsh
374 __ |a Authors |a Computer programmers |2 lcsh
375 __ |a female
670 __ |a Marlowe, Mary Ann. Some kind of magic, 2017: |b title page (Mary Ann Marlowe) about the author (Some Kind of Magic is Mary Ann Marlowe’s first novel. When not writing, she takes karate with her kids and works by day as a computer programmer/DBA. She spent ten years as a university-level French professor. She has lived in twelve states and three countries and loves to travel. She now lives in central Virginia where she is hard at work on her second novel.)
PERSONAL
Children: two.
EDUCATION:Studied French literature.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and computer programmer. Worked previously as a mortgage-trading software writer for Lehman Brothers; a university-level French professor; an au pair in Calais; a hotel intern in Paris; a German tutor; a college radio disc jockey, and a webmaster for several online musician fandoms.
AVOCATIONS:Practicing karate with her kids. Love of languages. Traveling.
MEMBER:17Scribes member.
AWARDS:Has a second degree black belt.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Mary Ann Marlowe is a writer and computer programmer. She has worked previously as a mortgage-trading software writer for Lehman Brothers, a university-level French professor, and a webmaster for several online musician fandoms. Marlowe loves music and languages and has studied French, German, and Java. She was in a doctorate program for French literature, but decided to go into computer programming instead. Marlowe studied karate and has a second degree black belt.
She lives in central Virginia with her two children. She loves to travel when she can find the time.
Marlowe’s debut novel tells the story of Eden Sinclair, a twenty-eight-year-old biochemist. Eden works for a company that develops drugs to treat erectile dysfunction. Eden daydreams about grad school while her mother throws a string of unsavory dates her way. With her particular tastes, these dates, such as one with a dentist who takes her out to Apple Bees, do not interest her.
Eden’s brother, Micah, headlines a band that is quickly gaining local fame. Eden attends most of the shows, singing background for the band or helping with the merchandize table. One evening, before leaving work to go to one of her brother’s shows, a coworker asks if he can spritz her with an experimental perfume he’s working on. She obliges, not thinking much of it, and goes off to see her brother perform at the local club.
While at the show, Eden finds herself strongly attracted to a thin man sitting at the bar, Adam, and the two end the night having passionate sex at his house. This is very unlike Eden, but the two feel a strong attraction. While their connection grows, Eden discovers that the man she slept with is mega rock star Adam Copeland. The story is further complicated when, upon returning to work, her coworker reveals that the perfume he shared with her is a powerful chemical aphrodisiac.
Eden is unsure as to whether their attraction is authentic or chemically-induced. As she works toward figuring out this mystery, she is introduced to the chaotic life of dating a rock star: paparazzi, groupies, gossip, and fake fiancés. Eden becomes more and more worried about the possibility of her love potion conundrum coming to light, which comes to a head when the paparazzi gets word of this secret.
Erin Holt in American Library Association described the book as “filled with frisky sex scenes set to the backdrop of rock music, and Marlowe makes the chemistry scientific and literal in this fun read.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, January 1, 2017, Erin Holt, review of Some Kind of Magic, p. 37.
Publishers Weekly, November 14, 2016, review of Some Kind of Magic, p. 38; July 3, 2017, review of A Crazy Kind of Love, p. 60.
ONLINE
Romance Junkies, http://romancejunkies.com (January 31, 2017), Diana S., review of Some Kind of Magic.
RT Book Reviews, https://www.rtbookreviews.com (January 31, 2017), Carrie Townsend, review of Some Kind of Magic.*
About
I’m a central Virginia-based contemporary romance writer. When I’m not writing, I love to do karate with my kids (I have a second degree black belt) and work by day as a computer programmer/DBA. Theoretically, I love to travel, but until I find a patron to fund my trip around the world, I placate my wanderlust by letting my characters hop on a plane and hang out in Paris.
My debut novel, SOME KIND OF MAGIC, is scheduled for release with Kensington in February 2017. Its sequel is also contracted for later release.
I am represented by Mike Hoogland at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC.
headshot1
More random info about me:
1. List of random things I like:
TV: Game of Thrones, Community, IT Crowd, Doctor Who, Colbert, Sherlock, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Gilmore Girls, House of Cards, Survivor, Sword Art Online, This Is Us.
Movies: Fight Club, Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth one), Bridget Jones (Did I mention Colin Firth?), Say Anything, The Fall (with Lee Pace, yum), Monty Python’s Holy Grail, Tanlged (most kid movies really), Deadpool, and all things Star Wars.
Books: The Hating Game, Game of Thrones, The Name of the Wind, Lolita, Les liaisons dangereuses, The Poisonwood Bible, Lolita, Tangled, Gone Girl, Outlander, Harry Potter, The Thorn Birds, Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Can You Keep a Secret, How to Kill a Rock Star, The Color Purple, The Beach, The Prince of Tides, Shuffle Up and Deal, Sutphin Boulevard, Attachments, The Siren, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, The Dark Tower series, A Confederacy of Dunces, The Handmaid’s Tale, 1984, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Next.
Music: Indie (Beck, Elliott Smith, The Shins, Arctic Monkeys), indie folk (The Head and the Heart), rock (David Bowie, Queen), musicals (Les Miz, Hamilton, JCS), disco (Donna Summer, ABBA), oldies (Etta James), new stuff (Hozier), some rap (Eminem), some metal (Metallica), Reggaeton, some of this, some of that. Music is central to my existence, and I’m neither picky nor snobby about it.
like
2. I am the most socially awkward person alive. This is my defining characteristic.
swan
3. I have a deep-seated love of languages, whether it be French, German, or Java. Starting in sixth grade when my class had a unit on London and Paris, I wanted to visit those places. Wanderlust set in early, and I eventually lived and worked in France and Germany. I’ve now traveled to England, France, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, The Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Canada, Bermuda, Mexico, Jamaica, The Bahamas, but still have a long list of countries I’m in dire need of visiting.
I was working towards a doctorate in French literature, when I suddenly had the revelation that learning a computer language wouldn’t be that different, and might pay more. I dropped out of Academia and after some learnin’, got a job working in lower Manhattan programming at a Wall Street bank… for about five years.
I’m still one of the very few women nerdy IT geeks programming at my company, but I’m doing it in central Virginia now.
argy
And there’s more. There’s always more. But you’ll just have to get to know me if you want to find out. Hit me up on Twitter: @maryannmarlowe
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Posted: January 3, 2017 by katebrandes
Interview with Mary Ann Marlowe, Author of Some Kind of Magic
maryannmarlowe
Mary Ann Marlowe discusses her debut Some Kind of Magic (Women’s Fiction), releasing January 31, 2017.
Describe what your book is about.
“Some Kind of Magic is the story of a music-loving biochemist who’s swept off her feet by a rock star. Due to a pheromone-enhancing perfume she’s sporting at the time, she doesn’t know for sure if it’s love or just a chemical reaction.”
Share a teaser sentence or two from your novel.
“I was lost in a fog of confusion, thinking back to Friday night when Adam had breathed in the perfume on my wrist. Was it possible this drug could magnify an attraction so much that the moon could attract the sun?”
What do you want people to know about your book?
“Although this falls into the category of “rock star romance,” I think of this more as a “rock fan romance” because Eden isn’t attracted to Adam’s fame, but she has to navigate the culture surrounding her new boyfriend as a result of his fame.”
What did you learn about yourself while writing this novel?
“Much like my main character, Eden, I learned that you sometimes have to chase after a dream, no matter how far-fetched and risky it might at first seem.
Didn’t mean for that to rhyme…”
What was your timeline from drafting to publication?
“I started this book in August 2014. I signed with an agent the following March and then had the offer from Kensington in September 2015 with a release date of January 2017.”
What is your favorite part of writing (drafting characters, making up scenes, plotting, developing emotional turning points, etc). Why?
“I love all aspects of writing, though I also get frustrated at all stages. My favorite part is having words on the page to play with and then layering in more emotion, more details, more character.”
Briefly, where did the idea for your book come from?
“This book is the result of years of following musicians around and being a truly dorky fan, but I didn’t set out to write a rock star romance. My inciting question was wondering what it would be like to accidentally hook up with someone famous, especially if you had reason to doubt the sincerity of the connection, and dealing with the aftermath.”
When do you do your best thinking about your work in progress?
“I daydream all the time. If I’m trying to sleep or driving or washing dishes, my characters will talk. The hardest part is holding onto those thoughts and getting them on the page before they dissipate. I sometimes email myself late at night if a scene starts to unspool so I can fall asleep without juggling unwritten words.”
Share something people may be surprised to know about you?
“I worked in Manhattan for five years, writing mortgage-trading software for Lehman Brothers. But I left long before the crash, so please don’t blame me.”
What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever gotten?
“Anne Lamott: ‘Write sh!tty drafts.’”
What’s next?
“The sequel to Some Kind of Magic, A Crazy Kind of Love, is slated for December 2017, and I’ve been working on a third book in the series.”
Interview: Mary Ann Marlowe
Who loves a rock star romance? Renee spoke to debut author Mary Ann Marlowe about her book, Some Kind of Magic (Flirting with Fame). As well as attaining a black belt in karate, Mary Ann has enjoyed a varied career outside of writing including ten years as a university-level French professor, and her resume includes stints as an au pair in Calais, a hotel intern in Paris, a German tutor, a college radio disc jockey, and a webmaster for several online musician fandoms. Mary Ann is a fellow member of the 17Scribes, a group of authors whose debut novels come out in 2017.
Your new book, SOME KIND OF MAGIC, is out now. What was the inspiration for the story?
I like to ask “What if?” questions and then imagine variations on possible outcomes. In the case of SOME KIND OF MAGIC, I was wondering what would happen if you met someone famous without realizing who they were. Whenever I pass by the magazines at the grocery store check-out, I very often can’t recognize half the so-called “celebrities.” I could picture myself sidling up next to one of these people at a bar, having a whole conversation, and then finding out after the fact that the “stranger to me” was actually the hot new thing. As I pondered this scenario, I inevitably pursued the romance angle. What would plausibly make someone who was incredibly famous take an interest in your average girl next door? How could that power imbalance be equalized? The idea of a kind of love potion, but one with a modern twist, began to take shape, and after that, I started chasing down the story. I know a lot about musicians and fandoms from years of following bands and running fan forums, so it felt natural to watch this unfold in the music scene.
Do you ever dream about the stories you’re writing?
I have incredibly vivid dreams that go on forever with detail and purpose. When I wake up, I often know exactly where they should go next, like I’ve been writing them the whole time. It would make my life so much easier if I could make myself dream about the books I’m writing so I could get some agony-free assistance. But alas, no. I do daydream a lot about what I’m writing, and often just as I’m drifting off to sleep, I hear the perfect exchange of dialogue and have to wake back up to write it down. But my dreams tend to involve aliens invading Manhattan, streets exploding as I’m driving, or people flying over Europe on magic bicycles–possibly with an unexplained rubber chicken.
Give us an insight into your main character. What does she do that is so special?
Eden is a scientist because she needed a career that would provide stability and financial security. She’s watched, with a mix of fear and envy, as her brother, Micah, followed the riskier path, chasing his dream of becoming a musician. At the start of the book, Micah’s years of hard work are beginning to pay off, and Eden can’t fight some unrest and jealousy as she sees him doing what he wants rather than what he should. She tries to have it both ways by letting her brother show her talent off onstage when he performs, but what she wants on paper conflicts with what she truly desires. This struggle is also playing out when she meets the love interest, Adam, who doesn’t fulfill even her basic criteria for the sort of man she’s always imagined herself with. I love that she’s forced to deal with all of her self-inflicted prejudices and find the courage to go after what she truly wants.
What is your favorite quote?
I’d never know for sure how much that damn perfume had factored into his feelings for me. And he’d never know for sure how little his fame factored into my feelings for him.
What misconceptions do you think most people have about writers?
People often tell me that they wished they could write a book, but they don’t have the time. It makes me wonder if people assume that every author has the good fortune to write full time. I have a full-time job in an office and two kids who I don’t neglect entirely. I definitely make time to write. Sometimes I take days off at work when I need to get a lot of writing done. But usually, once my kids are in bed, I try to carve out a couple of hours each night. Most writers I know fit their writing into gaps that they create. That’s not to say it’s easy to find that time, but it’s a matter of prioritizing writing over other time consumption. It’s definitely a challenge.
About: Some Kind of Magic
In this sparkling debut novel, Mary Ann Marlowe introduces a hapless scientist who’s swept off her feet by a rock star—but is it love or just a chemical reaction?…
Biochemist Eden Sinclair has no idea that the scent she spritzed on herself before leaving the lab is designed to enhance pheromones. Or that the cute, grungy-looking guy she meets at a gig that evening is Adam Copeland. As in the Adam Copeland international rock god and object of lust for a million women. Make that a million and one. By the time she learns the truth, she s already spent the (amazing, incredible) night in his bed
Suddenly Eden, who’s more accustomed to being set up on disastrous dates by her mom, is going out with a gorgeous celebrity who loves how down-to-earth and honest she is. But for once, Eden isn’t being honest. She can’t bear to reveal that this overpowering attraction could be nothing more than seduction by science. And the only way to know how Adam truly feels is to ditch the perfume—and risk being ditched in turn
Smart, witty, and sexy, Some Kind of Magic is an irresistibly engaging look at modern relationships why we fall, how we connect, and the courage it takes to trust in something as mysterious and unpredictable as love.
8/6/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
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Print Marked Items
A Crazy Kind of Love
Publishers Weekly.
264.27 (July 3, 2017): p60.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
A Crazy Kind of Love
Mary Ann Marlowe. Kensington, $15 trade paper (297p) ISBN 978-1-4967-0808-3
Marlowe's sophomore novel, a contemporary romance that lacks the paranormal element of Some Kind of Magic but
shares its focus on ordinary women hooking up with rock stars, is pure cotton candy. Photographer Josie Wilder is an
incompetent paparazza: she stalks celebrities around New York City in hopes of a juicy or salacious photo, but instead
takes artful pictures of everyday happenings. Jo has an artist's eye for capturing moments, but not for the sensational,
and all the missed opportunities infuriate her sleazy editor, Andy. When Jo meets Micah Sinclair, a famed musician and
notorious flirt, the attraction is instant, but she wonders whether he's really interested in a regular Southern girl like her;
maybe he just wants free publicity. As Jo gets sucked deeper into Micah's world and gets to know his family and
friends, she learns that Micah is a genuinely nice guy. The crux of this romance is not whether or not they can make a
relationship work, but Jo's job angst: Andy instructs her to mine her relationship with Micah for tabloid gold, or else.
Her best friend, Zion, adds humor to the daily shenanigans and spectacle with his own flamboyant love life as Jo
figures out what she wants. This fluffy summer read is enjoyable, but not memorable. Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel &
Goderich Literary. (Dec.)
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
"A Crazy Kind of Love." Publishers Weekly, 3 July 2017, p. 60. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA498381390&it=r&asid=9976b4ad00363f354004cf04a800e9b0.
Accessed 6 Aug. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A498381390
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Some Kind of Magic
Erin Holt
Booklist.
113.9-10 (Jan. 1, 2017): p37.
COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
* Some Kind of Magic. By Mary Ann Marlowe. Feb. 2017. 217p. Kensington, paper, $15 (9781496708069).
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Twenty-eight-year-old Eden Sinclair is a biochemist at a company that creates erectile dysfunction drugs. She spends
her days analyzing mice sperm while considering grad school. Eden is single--and tired of being set up by her mother--
but dating is the last thing on her mind, especially given her strict criteria. Meanwhile, her brother, Micah, is making a
name for himself with his band, headlining at a local club. Eden, with a (secret) panache for singing, sometimes backs
him up onstage; otherwise, she runs the merchandise table. One night, she finds herself insanely attracted to a grungy,
skinny guy named Adam. They end up having hot sex in his house--very un-Eden-like. What Eden forgot to mention is
that before she left work that day, she spritzed herself with a pheromone-enhancing perfume that her coworker was
developing. What Adam forgot to mention was that he is actually Adam Copeland, international rock god. What
evolves is a whirlwind romance, fueled by love, betrayal, lies, and enough gossip and paparazzi to make even the most
famous of celebrities think twice. Marlowe makes a name for herself in this hilarious and sexy debut, the first in a
planned series. It's filled with frisky sex scenes set to the backdrop of rock music, and Marlowe makes the chemistry
scientific and literal in this fun read.--Erin Holt
Holt, Erin
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
Holt, Erin. "Some Kind of Magic." Booklist, 1 Jan. 2017, p. 37. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA479077957&it=r&asid=cb0733f6e3f06d744b85418d0736193b.
Accessed 6 Aug. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A479077957
8/6/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1502071120902 3/3
Some Kind of Magic
Publishers Weekly.
263.46 (Nov. 14, 2016): p38.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Some Kind of Magic
Mary Ann Marlowe. Kensington, $15 trade paper (295p) ISBN 978-1-4967-0806-9
Fictional love potions date back at least to the tale of Tristan and Isolde; in contrast to that heavy tragedy, this lovepotion
romance, which pairs up the lead singer for a rock band with a biochemist who's also an amateur singer/song
writer, is light and fluffy. When Eden Sinclair meets a lanky and tattooed musician named Adam Copeland, she has no
idea he's that Adam Copeland, a megafamous rock star. They spend a passionate night together and make plans for
more. But when Eden discovers that the scent she wore when they met--one taken from the lab where she works--may
have been a powerful aphrodisiac, she wonders whether their new romance was chemically induced. Adam's screaming
groupies and a fake fiancee cooked up as fodder for the tabloids play into her insecurities, and she can't bear to tell him
the truth. There's a funny running gag of Erin's mother's horrendous attempts to set her up with inferior men, including
a dentist who takes her to Applebee's for a date (and orders for her), but debut author Marlowe offers little in the way
of tension or conflict beyond some interference from a stereotypically snarky coworker of Erin's. (Feb.)
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
"Some Kind of Magic." Publishers Weekly, 14 Nov. 2016, p. 38. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA473458994&it=r&asid=760a7ad8fab93963ae60a1b9f2e3713f.
Accessed 6 Aug. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A473458994
SOME KIND OF MAGIC
AUTHOR Mary Ann Marlowe
RELEASE DATE January 31, 2017
PUBLISHER Kensington
ISBN/ASIN 9781496708069
OUR RATING
REVIEWED BY Diana S
BUY THE BOOK
OUR REVIEW
Eden Sinclair is a biochemist who lets another chemist spray her with some perfume he made. She is supposed to let people smell her to see how they like it. Eden doesn’t know it is designed to enhance human pheromones.
Eden also loves music and always goes to see her brother’s band play and sometimes sings with them. Eden meets a cute, grungy-looking guy who is an international rock star but she is unaware of who he is. Adam Copeland is a big name in the music scene. By the time Eden realizes who he is she has already spent the night with him.
Eden and Adam become a couple and she is drawn into the spotlight with him, so the paparazzi are interested in finding out who she is. As their attraction to each other grows and gets more heated, Eden is loath to admit she isn’t sure whether it is chemistry induced or natural. When the secret of the spray is released to the media, Eden’s world blows up. Not knowing what to do, the couple decides to split up for the sake of Eden’s world. Will her boss, who is not happy with the publicity, decide to let her go and what will it do to her life?
Mary Ann Marlowe’s debut women’s fiction novel, SOME KIND OF MAGIC, is an engaging look at modern relationships, proving why we fall, how to connect and the courage you need when delving into something as mysterious and unpredictable as love. A witty and sexy tale about two people falling in love in the media, as well as the distrust and undeniable seduction of fame in a novice’s life. A great book for all ages who love women’s fiction and the mysteries of a new relationship.
Mainstream
RT Rating:
Genre:
Mainstream
Published:
January 31 2017
Publisher:
Kensington
BUY NOW!
Amazon:
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5 GOLD: Phenomenal. In a class by itself.
4 1/2: TOP PICK. Fantastic. A keeper.
4: Compelling. A page-turner.
3: Enjoyable. A pleasant read.
2: Problematic. May struggle to finish.
1: Severely Flawed. Pass on this one.
SOME KIND OF MAGIC
Author(s): Mary Ann Marlowe
This fun, romantic and sexy novel explores the instant connection that manifests between two people and what happens next. The chemistry between Adam and Eden is instant and electric, and watching them bring out the best in each other gives the story warmth along with the heat. While some aspects of the plot seem a bit farfetched, and while there are moments when readers may be tempted to knock some sense into one or both of the protagonists, overall this love story will make readers smile!
When biochemist Eden Sinclair hooks up with Adam Copeland at her brother’s music gig, she doesn’t realize that a) her Adam Copeland is actually rock music superstar Adam Copeland or that b) the perfume she used before leaving work is really an experimental formula used to boost pheromones. Now, she and Adam can’t get enough of each other. But are these feelings between them real or a result of science? Once Eden finds out about the perfume, she must decide whether to tell Adam the truth or see how long she can keep it a secret. (KENSINGTON, Jan., 304 pp., $15.00)
Reviewed by:
Carrie Townsend