When I was asked to write a short piece on what I want my readers to know about me, I was stumped. Seven things I didn’t want them to know, well, I could probably have pulled that off in a New York minute. There’s not much I wouldn’t do to conceal my grade ten photo in my high school yearbook alone. As I thought, I started to wonder how well I knew myself. I love fresh peaches and traveling and all kinds of things but listing them all would be boring. So, I started at the beginning.
Marina McCarron
1.I grew up in a large Catholic family and I don’t think I completed a sentence uninterrupted until I went to university. Where I went to university is of some regret as I wish I had gone to a small college in the Deep South and studied writing but live and learn as they say. Eventually I attended another university in Vancouver, British Columbia, one of my favourite places in the world. I keep a list.
2. I love to keep lists and to memorise things. I can still recite all the poems I learned when I was in grade school. In grade four I asked the teacher if I could recite Annabel Lee by Edgar Alan Poe and she sent a note home about it. I memorised the words but missed the subtext. I am better at subtext now, at least with the written word.
3. I love to travel. I love sitting at airport bars people watching, and I love getting on planes, and I love landing in new places. I have a list of favourite airports, and bars, as well.
4. I am allergic to many scents and cannot wear most jewellery, especially around my neck.
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5. I am often asked if I have a favourite writer and I do not. I have favourite publishers and genres and imprints, but picking a favourite writer is simply too hard. I do have a few books I re-read most years. I have a list of them, too.
6. I often watch the same tv show until I have the dialogue memorised instead of trying something new. I’m not sure what this means about me but if I’m ever in a life and death situation and can only survive by some trivia contest around Frasier, the Golden Girls or Peaky Blinders, I’m covered.
7. My favourite treat in the UK is Bittermints. In Australia, its pavlova. In Canada it is Swiss Chalet. In the US, macaroni and cheese with lobster at Sloppy Joe’s, also a great place to people watch.
My writing can be considered dark, but I work at living with as much humour and light as possible. I learned that from my father, a gifted storyteller and the funniest person I’ve ever known. I guess you could say I am a writer of dark dual timeline narratives who likes to make lists and travel and relishes peace and quiet and peaches.
The Time Between Us, by Marina McCarron is published on 3rd February by Aria, an imprint of Head of Zeus. Available to buy as a paperback for £8.99.
About the book
'Haunting and enchanting by turns. This book will stay with me for a long time. Utterly magnificent' Jenni Keer
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Can the truth about her family's past unlock her future?
Normandy, 1937. Sixteen-year-old Elise embarks on a whirlwind romance with a young American man, which transports herfrom the drudgery of her everyday life caring for her mother. But neither she nor William is prepared forthe warthat will threaten to tearthem apart...
Boston, 2009. Lucy has been leftreeling by the death of her beloved grandfather. They had always planned to visit France together after her college graduation; now, still aching from his loss, Lucy decides to take the trip alone. As Lucy traces the steps of her grandfatherthrough the French countryside where he once served as a GI, a powerful story of love, loss and destiny emerges – but can the truth about her family's past unlock herfuture? Or are some scars too deep to heal?
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'Poignant, haunting story took my breath away. A simply stunning debut' Clare Marchant
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'Emotional story of love and loss, beautifully woven' Liz Fenwick
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'Left me breathless. My emotions were crushed and revived and tangled... I cried and felt heartbreak for the characters. Time stood still and supper cooled while I finished living it... Unmissable... I cannot stop thinking about it' Goodreads reviewer,⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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'Emotional rollercoaster of love and loss... An excellentread which kept my interest right through to the last page' Jo Lambert
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'Fabulous, emotional... This is a beautifully written story of war, love and loss... Pulled me in from the first page and I loved the story of Elise' NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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'Emotional and heart-breaking... If you like WWII books then you will love this one' NetGalley reviewer,⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
About the author
Marina McCarron was born in eastern Canada and studied in Ottawa and Vancouver before moving to England. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Publishing degree. She has worked as a reporter, a freelance writer, a columnist and a manuscript evaluator. She loves reading and traveling and has been to six of the seven continents. She gets her ideas for stories from strolling through new places and daydreaming. The Time Between Us came to her as she stood at Pointe du Hoc on a windy June day and asked the magical question, what if...?