Welcome to our New Faces column, where we're delighted to spotlight some of the newest romance authors on your local bookshelves. This time we're visiting with Mary Reed McCall, whose debut historical is Secret Vows, now available from Avon Books.

Hello, Mary! Tell us a bit about yourself.

I'm a life-long resident of New York State - upstate, though, not the city, as many people assume as soon as they hear you're from "New York"! And while I've never lived permanently anywhere else, I've done some interesting traveling, including trips to Finland and Russia (for educational purposes), England and Wales (my honeymoon), and Canada (just for the pleasure of it!), as well as around the US, either in conjunction with RWA conferences, or to visit family (I have six sisters, three of whom live out west or down south). My wonderful parents still live in the house where I was raised, and I get back to visit as often as possible. In 1988 I earned dual bachelor's degrees from the University of Rochester, in English and Russian. My time spent in Russia (still the USSR, then) was actually through a summer semester program at the University of Leningrad, just before my senior year at U of R. In 1993 I completed my Master's Degree in English from the State University of New York at Albany. I'm married to a terrific guy, who also happened to be my college sweetheart. We recently celebrated our 11th anniversary, and we're the proud parents to two wonderful daughters.

Are you coming to romance writing from another job?

Yes, I'm one of those writers who works another job in addition to my writing - well, two others if you count motherhood (and believe me, having enjoyed two six-month-long maternity leaves, I have all the respect in the world for stay-at-home mothers!). For the past 13 years I've taught high school English. The start of the 2001-2002 school year will be my 14th as a teacher (gosh, that makes me sound old!). It's a wonderful profession, if more demanding, time-wise, than the average person realizes. All of those weeks off sound great - and they are - but of course all of the teachers I know carry their work with them wherever they go. Except for the summer, when you get a breather from the demands of the academic year (but no paycheck -so you have to budget well!) you are never quite caught up. I measure my workload by the size of the stack of papers I have to correct in any given week; average is 10 inches high, and that adds up to a lot of hours spent outside of school. But it's still well worth it when you have the opportunity to see that light of recognition click on in a student's face during a discussion of Swift, Tennyson, Shakespeare, Wilde or any of the numerous authors and their works that we explore in my classroom. And if you haven't guessed it by now, my specialty is British Literature!

What led you to write romance?

I've been reading romance-type stories for as long as I can remember - even children's books with romantic themes. By that I don't necessarily mean the "boy meets girl" part of romances, but rather the focus on a female protagonist overcoming great odds to achieve success and/or justice in her world. A couple of girlhood favorites were A LITTLE PRINCESS, by Frances Hodgson Burnett and the Laura Ingalls Wilders series. Fairytales of all kinds also drew me early in life. When I was a teenager I discovered historical romance; at that time (in the early 80's) France was a popular setting and the French Revolution seemed the backdrop of choice for authors. My social studies teachers would probably cringe to know this, but I supplemented my studies of history textbooks with historical romances. For me, they made the history come alive through the story of two characters about whom I cared deeply. I devoured every historical romance I could get my hands on, in just about every setting. As I got older and needed to immerse myself in literature for my studies, I found that I was drawn to dramatic, emotional works, such as Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN (it's not like the 1930's version of the movie, really!) and Charlotte Bronte's JANE EYRE. Also, I found that Shakespeare's plays included much of the passion and intrigue that I enjoyed in books. By the time I decided to try my hand at writing fiction, it seemed a natural step to write what I most enjoyed reading: historical romance.

Tell us about getting your first book published.

I finished my Master's degree in May of 1993 and began writing my first romance novel shortly after that. I'd stumbled across a welcoming, supportive RWA chapter - Central New York Romance Writers - that I'd joined a few months earlier. With the help and encouragement of that group, I worked away on my first manuscript, which came to be known, affectionately, as "the Russian behemoth" due to its setting and its ultimate size. I had no concept of marketability back then - I was just writing what I knew and enjoyed. The manuscript came in at nearly 500 typed, double-spaced pages, and though it was set in England as well as in Russia, the answers I kept getting back on my rejections overwhelmingly said something like, "While we see much merit in your writing, we have found that exotic settings don't sell well…" My second manuscript was set in 16th century Scotland, and did a bit better, as far as detailed rejections go, but it wasn't until I was part way through my third manuscript - SECRET VOWS - that I secured the representation of a wonderful agent, finished the book, and then sold to Avon a few months later. "The Call" came on January 11, 2000 - seven years to the month that I'd joined my writing chapter.

What kind of research was involved for your first book?

My first manuscript - the Russian one - required only a bit of brush up on my Russian history and the life of the Tsar for the period I chose - Peter the Great. I often find myself using actual historical figures, palaces, and events as part of my stories, so I do have to research those people, places, and times extensively to be sure I'm representing them with accuracy. In SECRET VOWS, King Henry III of England is an actual character, so I dug up as much information as I could about his personality and appearance, as well as the implications of his reign (i.e. how he was perceived by the nobles, important dates and wars associated with him, etc.). Once I made the initial leap to writing early medievals with SECRET VOWS - my second book, due out in June 2002, is set in 1189, and my third book, still in proposal form, will be an early medieval as well - I needed to do some heavy research in all areas of culture, like clothing, food, living arrangements, social mores, etc. I use actual books for research, more often than not, but there are occasions when I use internet sources, provided they are reliable (i.e. the Britannica website).

Who are your influences as a writer?

Wow, this is a tough one. So many writers have influenced me at different points in my life. It's true that I'm very grounded in what many people call the "classic" authors, like Shakespeare and Chaucer, as well as historically significant writers like Bronte, Woolf, Chopin, and Rhys. But I'm drawn to these authors for the vibrancy and message in their works, not just because much of academia reveres them as literary giants. As far as within the romance genre itself, I enjoy so many different writers - but my favorites are those that make their characters and scenes come alive for me, those whose works have a deep emotional resonance. I'm always adding to my list of favorite writers. As with any other reader, I'm drawn to authors who are able to make me laugh and cry as I'm consumed in the tale of the two people they've led me to care about - authors who, when I'm finished with their book, have made my heart sing. Teresa Medeiros, Mary Jo Putney, Arnette Lamb, Iris Johansen, Jo Beverly, Christina Dodd, and Anne Stuart rank among my long-time favorites for historicals. Recently, I've begun some deeper forays into reading contemporary romance, and the works of Rachel Gibson and Susan Andersen are in my to-be-read pile right now.

What does your family think of having a romance author in their midst?

Everyone is very positive about it - it's been an exciting journey, to say the least, with its share of thrilling highs and bumpy lows. My parents, husband, sisters, children, and in-laws are all very proud of me, as they've seen first-hand the work and sacrifice that goes into pursuing a writing career. My parents, actually, have read every word of every manuscript, giving me feedback (I know, I know - how objective can a person's own parents be, right? But mine really are, especially because both of them are well-read in their own right - reading was always part of the background in my home, growing up. My father had never picked up a romance before mine in his life, and so he approaches my books from a "good fiction" standpoint. My mother is a romance reader, and she always gives me her take on my stories from a woman's perspective). My husband, whose career is in the business sector, has had to live with the day to day stresses that my having a writing career, a teaching career and two small children can bring to bear , but he still gets excited with each new milestone reached and every success that I'm fortunate enough to have come my way. He has a strong background in marketing, and so he is always pushing me to "get out there" and do mailings and attend RWA each year. Overall, it's been a wonderful experience from the moment of getting The Call until now.

Tell us about plans for future books.

My second book, another early medieval with loose ties to the King Arthur Legend, will be released by Avon in June 2002. The title isn't firm as of this date. I'm currently waiting to hear on a proposal for my third book, which, if it is accepted, will also be a medieval, set in 1293 - with, as is often the case with me, a little edgier feel and characters who might be deemed a bit unusual, as far as romances go.

How can readers get in touch with you?

The best way to reach me is through my website: www.maryreedmccall.com Just go to the "Contact" button on the site. My snail-mail address through Morrow/Avon publicity department is listed there as well, if any readers out there prefer the old-fashioned way.

Mary, thank you for joining us, and best of luck! Readers, we have a review of Secret Vows on our Historical page. October 2, 2001