Meet and Greet Monday: Megan DiMaria

Megan DiMaria is the author of two women’s fiction novels, Searching for Spice and Out of Her Hands, both of which are set in the Denver, Colorado area. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and assistant director of Words For The Journey Christian Writers Guild (Rocky Mountain Region). Megan is also an alumnus of Dynamic Communicators Workshop.

In addition to reaching out through her novels, Megan also speaks to women’s groups and teaches on the craft of fiction to writers at conferences and regional seminars.

Megan has been a radio and television reporter, a Web content editor, a copywriter, and a contributing writer for newspapers and magazines. Being a published author was a life-long dream, and once she began to pursue that goal, she persevered for a decade before seeing her books in print.

She and her husband, Carl, live in suburban Denver near their adult children. They often travel back to their roots in Long Island, NY to visit family and get their fill of delicious Italian food.


Interview:

Greetings! My name is Megan DiMaria. I love to be an encouragement to women as they live out their faith in today’s busy world. I’ve been blessed with an upbeat personality and have deep appreciation for the humor in ordinary moments that has helped me to create characters and situations that illustrate that life is an adventure, one not for the weak of heart.

Searching for Spice, my debut novel, is about a long-married woman who wants to have an affair—with her husband.

My second novel, Out of Her Hands, is about taking life as it comes at you with all the surprises and challenges you face with your young-adult children.







Readers have written to me saying they enjoy my books because, Linda, my main character in both my published novels, is an everyday-lady-next-door person. She faces the same challenges and holds the same hopes for her family that you or I do.

From the time I was a young girl, maybe in 6th grade or so, I was told that I was gifted with words. I don’t know about that, but I know I always loved reading well-crafted words and enjoyed the challenge of writing well. When I write I feel like I’m doing what I was created to do. It makes me happy, not in a prideful way, but makes me feel complete and content.

If I had any advice to give to wanna-be writers, it is to write for an audience of One. Ask God where your calling may be. At one point, about two years before my contract came, I reconciled myself to the fact that maybe my writing would only be for my church, local newspapers, magazines, and letters and emails to loved ones. I had just become the assistant director of Words For The Journey Christian Writers Guild (Rocky Mountain Region), and thought perhaps my ministry was in being an encourager to others. It would be dishonest to say that I wasn’t saddened by this thought, but at the same time I wanted to be exactly where God wanted me to be, and I knew that obedience in my Christian walk would ultimately be my joy. I always believed I was not called to be a best-selling author, but instead was called to be obedient to God. Honestly, becoming a published author does not change your world. You still have challenges and disappointments, joys and peace, just as you did before you were published. Also, keep writing, reading, learning, and submitting. Be available to experience what God’s created you for, no matter what direction that leads you in.

I’m currently putting the finishing touches on a novel I’m calling Absolution, and I will be sending it to my agent soon. The theme of Absolution is that the hardest person to learn to forgive is yourself. When a 40-something copywriter digs up the past to uncover an ugly family secret, she goes against her husband’s wishes and jeopardizes a relationship with the only mother figure she’s ever known. Will her discovery absolve the guilt she carries, or will it hold her captive forever? Absolution is set in the Denver area like my first two novels, but it also moves to Troy, NY, an eclectic, historic city on the eastern bank of the Hudson River.

Thank you, Janalyn, for the opportunity to hang out on your blog. I love being a part of this great community of writers and readers, and it’s always a delight to be welcomed by kindred spirits.

I also want to share another closing thought with your readers. The greatest impact on my life through my writing journey has nothing to do with publishing. My writing journey is most precious to me because of the depths I’ve traveled with God and what He’s continued to teach me. I don’t know where this adventure will lead, but as long as my hand is in His, I’ll gladly put one foot in front of the other and press on.

Feel free to visit my website, and you can keep up with my day-to-day life on my blog or by being my friend on Facebook. My books are available on Amazon or ChristianBook.com, where they're on sale as a set.