Rebecca L Marsh is an award-winning author of women’s fiction that deal with difficult subject choices, including family estrangement, adoption, and grief, but manage to stay the right side of hopeful.
A member of the Paulding County Writer’s Guild, Rebecca has published 5 books as of 2023, winning the Chill With a Book Premier Reader’s Award for When the Storm Ends.
When not writing, Rebecca enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and pets, watching movies, and – of course – reading a good book.
Meet Rebecca L Marsh
Questions On Writing
What is the hardest part of your writing experience?
I’ve really struggled with the marketing side of being an author. I’m cautious by nature and have a hard time taking chances. But I’m slowly getting better at it.
How have you developed as an author through your books?
I think I’ve gotten better at grammar and writing in general.
Do you have a favourite of your books?
That’s always a tough question. It’s a bit like asking a parent to choose a favourite child. But I have to say that my first book, When the Storm Ends, will always be my first baby. And Remember the Butterfly has a special place in my heart because there is more of me in it. The story in it is not my story, but there are parts of it that were in my personal experience.
What does literary success look like to you?
As long as there are people my books and enjoying them, I consider that a success.
How much planning/world building do you do before writing, and how much comes along as you write?
I don’t outline (except in my head). When I get a sketchy idea of how the story is going to go in general and I have a feel for who the main characters are, I just start writing and figure it out as I go. Some of the best ideas have come after I was well into writing a book.
What inspired you to write these books?
That is different for each book. The first one is a story that has been in my head since I was eighteen and I really have no idea where it came from. The second developed from conversations with my mother and the fears she expressed about her children drifting apart. The third, I honestly have no clue where that one came from. The fourth does have some of my own experience in it. It’s a topic I never thought I would write because I didn’t want to write my own story and I didn’t think I could write on that topic without just writing my own experience. But then this idea came to me and I don’t know from where, but I knew I had to write it. My latest book is my first ever sequel. You always hear that you should write in series and I hadn’t done that. But I thought that if I was going to do a sequel, the fictional island town I created for Where Hope is Found would be the best choice. So, I thought about what I could do to create a new story there and I brought in a brand-new character who is related to one of the minor characters in the first book (though you still get to spend time with the main characters from the first book).
Do you make yourself write everyday/regularly, or do you do it as it comes?
I try to write at least two or three days a week. I’m not the workhorse that some authors are, and therefore I don’t get books out as quickly. But I don’t think I would enjoy writing if I pushed myself to do it every day and I fear I’d end up writing books that aren’t as good.
Questions on Books and about You
Firstly, the most important question, what books are currently ‘on your bedside table’?
One of them is The Friendship List by Susan Mallery.
What does your writing space look like?
A corner computer desk in my living room that needs to be cleaned out.
How many books do you think you own?
I’m not sure. I read a lot of e-books, so they are not physical copies.
Who is your literary icon?
I don’t know if I have an icon, but I do really like Kristin Hannah’s books.
Is there an author who you always read?
There are a few that I really like and am likely to read, but I don’t think I have ever read all of any author’s books. There are so many great books out there! I am trying to read more authors in my genre these days, but I also enjoy a good crime novel once in a while.
And finally, what teasers can you give us about your new book Summer’s Runaway, and any further books?
Here’s a little excerpt from Summer’s Runaway:
“Hallie? What are you hiding from? Do your grandparents know you’re on the island? Does your mom know where you are?” Owen asked.
Choosing to ignore the first question, Hallie said, “No, my grandparents don’t know I’m here. My mom thinks I’m at a friend’s house. At least, I think she still thinks that.”
Glancing at Owen’s face, Hallie saw his brow crinkle. “How long have you been here?”
She shrugged. “A few days.”
A few days?” Owen’s voice registered shock. He turned his eyes on Charlie. “You’ve been hiding someone in our garage for a few days?”
Charlie nodded, keeping his eyes down.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Owen pinched his forehead between his thumb and ring finger and paced a few steps back and forth. “This is a big mess you two have made. We’ll have to let your mother know you’re here, Hallie.”
“No, please!” the plea burst from her lips. “I just want to stay for the summer, then I’ll go home.”
As far as next books, I’m, working on another book in the same series (The Princess Island series). I’m not sure that it will be the next one I publish, btu there’s a good chance that it will be. Here’s a little sample of that one:
It couldn’t be happening—not again. Marissa refused to believe it even as she paced the floor of the hospital waiting room. It couldn’t be happening because she couldn’t lose another one of her babies. That would simply be more than she could bear, more than any mother should be expected to take. Still, here she was, waiting for a doctor to appear and tell her if her little girl would be okay.
Marissa sat in one of the blue plastic chairs, trying to force herself to be still. But doing so made the pain in her heart grow until the pressure squeezed the breath from her lungs. She jolted up again and resumed pacing, her hands pushing back the red curls around her face.
Glancing at her husband, Howard, who sat with their two-year-old daughter on his lap, she wondered how he could be so calm. Was he really so composed or was he simply putting on a brave front for their toddler, and maybe for her as well? Part of her was glad he was calm because someone had to care for Sylvie, and right now there was no way she was capable. At the same time, part of her was irritated that he wasn’t just as panicked as she was. The thought sneaked into her mind that his demeanor could be because he wasn’t Maisy’s father, he was her step-father. She pushed the thought away. Howard loved Maisy just the same as he would if she were his own.
When Marissa’s phone buzzed in her pocket, she jumped. She stopped pacing, placed a hand over her heart, and answered the call from her brother, Owen.
Thank you so much Rebecca, especially for those exciting teasers😊
Rebecca L Marsh Books
Books By Your Bedside 