I’d like to welcome Marguerite “Markie” Madden to my blog today. She is the author of ‘My Butterfly Cancer,’ a shockingly harsh memoir of her battle with leukemia.

 

• What is your name and where do you call home?

My name is Marguerite Madden, though I’m known as Markie to family and friends. I currently live in a small farm town (population 326) of Fisk, Missouri, in the southeastern most tip of the state.

• Do you have a pen name?

I don’t use a pen name other than adding “Markie” to my name.

• What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 20 or fewer words, what would you say?

All three came out at pretty much the same time, but My Butterfly Cancer is the most recent. It’s the shockingly harsh and soul-baring memoir of my battle with leukemia and the “butterfly effect” in my life.

• Is the above book part of a series?

It’s not a series, though I’m also making it available as an audiobook.

• What or who inspired you to start writing? And how long have you been writing?

I remember in grade school, maybe 4th grade. The teacher would come around and draw a squiggle on one page of a notebook. The assignment was to finish the squiggle into a drawing and write a story about it.

• How did you come up with the cover? Who designed the cover of your book(s)?

I designed the covers of all my books myself. For My Butterfly Cancer, I knew I wanted a butterfly, symbol of transformation as well as holding special meaning to a dear friend of mine. I wanted a purple one in honor of my friend, but couldn’t find one. So I decided on the monarch sitting on the purple flowers instead.

• Did you listen to any particular songs while writing your book(s)?

I usually have the TV on when I write, instead of music. It just fades into the background for me.

• How did you come up with the title for your book(s)?

My title is a combination of the butterfly, universal symbol of transformation, and the “butterfly effect” theory, in that one small action on one side of the world can cause a catastrophic event elsewhere on the globe (i.e. the butterfly flaps its wings in Japan and causes a hurricane in Florida)

• Do you have a book trailer? If so where can we watch it?

All three have trailers, PowerPoint slides, that my oldest daughter helped me to make. My Butterfly Cancer: http://youtu.be/xLHqEAuxYXs Keeping a Backyard Horse: http://youtu.be/NbNqM8SoIq0 and Once Upon a Western Way: http://youtu.be/0VJIEFC1MdE

• Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks, hard-covers or audio-books?

I have a range of all of them! I listened to audiobooks when I spent time in the car as part of my job.

• Are you a self-published/Indie author?

I am definitely an Indie!

• If you’re a self-published/Indie author what made you go that route instead of the traditional publishing route?

I attempted for years to get Once Upon a Western Way published. I submitted to publishers myself, often not even getting a rejection letter in the mail. And I used part of one income tax return to hire and agent for a year, again with no success. When I got my first “smart” phone and downloaded the Nook, I started getting some of the free books. I noted a lot of them were from this place called Smashwords, so one day when I was looking for something to do, I looked them up.

• Have you ever read a book more than once? And if so what was it?

I’m pretty sure all of my books have been read multiple times!

• What is your opinion of novellas?

I’m not sure I’ve ever read one. But a story doesn’t have to be long to be good.

• Have you ever read a book just based on its cover?

Nope! I always read the blurb on the back/flap before buying.

• What is your favorite film based on a book?

The Man From Snowy River. Not really based on a book, but it was a poem. Otherwise, I can’t decide 🙂

• What is your favorite book genre at the moment?

Crime with paranormal, like Kay Hooper’s Special Crimes Unit series.

• What books have made it onto your wish list recently? And why?

Anything by Kay Hooper, or J. D. Robb. I like the crime/paranormal/futuristic themes.

• What book are you reading at the moment? And in what format?

At the moment, I don’t have much time to read, but I’m involved in reading Yesteryear: A Novel of Reincarnation by Samyann on kindle. She bought and reviewed one of mine, and in exchange I did the same.

• If you could invite any four (4) celebrities (alive or dead) to your dinner party, who would you invite and why?

King Tut (or any Egyptian pharaoh because I love Egyptian history/mythology), Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek, because I love the story and we share a birthday, and I’m not sure I can think of any more!

• What’s the best advice that you have been given when it comes to writing?

By far, don’t give up! As I found, even if there isn’t a way to publish or reach your dreams now, you never know what the future will hold.

• Do you have any hobbies that aren’t related to reading & writing?

I love horses and horseback riding.

• Where can your readers follow you?

1. Blog: http://www.writermarkiemadden.blogspot.com
2. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/booksbymarkie
3. Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/httpsgoodreadscommarkie_madden
4. Twitter: @naddya81975
5. LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/metamorphpublishing
6. Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/margueritemadden
7. Other: http://www.margueritemarkiemadden.simplesite.com

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Marguerite was born August 19, 1975 in Midland, TX. She has written most of her life. She is the author of Once Upon a Western Way, a young adult science fiction/fantasy novel, Keeping a Backyard Horse, a self-help guide to caring for horses even on a budget, and My Butterfly Cancer, an autobiography that details her fight against leukemia and how cancer made her a published author. She currently lives with her family in a small southeastern Missouri town, has three dogs and a horse. She is working on a crime romance called Triple Heist, due out summer of 2015, and Fang and Claw, book One in the Undead Unit Series, due out December 2015.

MY BUTTERFLY CANCER:

Cancer. It’s one of the things we most dread to hear about ourselves or a family member. Many people will think it’s the end of the line for them. Mrs. Madden tells the story of her recent battle with leukemia (AML specifically), and the struggles that she and her family experienced during this tragic time. Mrs. Madden will donate 20% of her proceeds from the sale of this book to cancer charities, her way of giving back to patients in desperate need. Find out how her battle with cancer led her to become an independently-published author, bringing her a sense of fulfillment she thought had been lost forever.

KEEPING A BACKYARD HORSE:

Hay is for horses! Everyone knows that, but do you know how much hay they need? Or how much water? Did you know your horse can talk to you with his ears? Or that he can sleep standing up?
Follow along with Athena the horse as she explains the basics of keeping a horse in your backyard. She’ll teach you the basic necessities of caring for your equine friend, from what kind of fencing you can use, to tips and tricks for keeping water thawed in winter weather, and even fun stuff you can do with your horse. Keeping a backyard horse can be fairly simple, and even if you have a tight budget, it can be done!

ONCE UPON A WESTERN WAY:

In a world where computers rule over everyday life, two lonely children find an old diary. It is an ancient relic left behind in the ruins of the Western Empire, a civilization long extinct. Young Susan finds herself moved far away from her childhood home, and betrothed to the prince of a neighboring kingdom. She vows to hate her new husband, but when a destructive force destroys her home and family when they are young adults, he is the only one she can turn to. Joseph fell madly in love with her the moment their eyes first met. But her prickly attitude told him that he would have to work hard to win her over. And when circumstances threw them together, he would give up the blood of his loins to keep her safe. Together, are they strong enough to defeat the most unlikely of foes, and free their people from slavery forever? Or will they simply vanish in the hourglass of time, two small grains of sand lost forever in history?