MacNish, Tracy 1971-

views updated

MacNish, Tracy 1971-

PERSONAL:

Born January 6, 1971, in Eatontown, NJ; married; children: one son. Hobbies and other interests: Books, swimming, painting, hiking, cooking.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Montgomery County, PA.Agent—c/o Author Mail, Kensington Publishing Corporation, 850 3rd Ave., New York, NY 10022.E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Co-owner of a marble and tile contracting business in Montgomery County, PA.

WRITINGS:

ROMANCE NOVELS

Veiled Promises, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2005.

Veiled Desires, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2006.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

Two novels: a contemporary romantic suspense and a historical.

SIDELIGHTS:

Tracy MacNishs first novel, Veiled Promises, relates the adventures and romance of Patrick Mullen, an Irish sea captain, and Camille Bradburn, the well-bred daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Eton. Camilles life appears to be privileged and idyllic, but her father is amoral and unfaithful, while her mother is demanding and cruel. Camille is physically scarred from her mothers abusive punishments, but she has remained inwardly unbroken. Camille meets Patrick when he comes to inquire about buying land from her brother. Immediately attracted to each other, they begin a secret relationship, even as Camille is betrothed to Lord Kimball, a man within her social circle whom she abhors. Patrick and Camille agree to elope, but when Patrick suddenly vanishes, Camille is led to believe that he was bribed to leave her alone. Suffering follows for each of them as they struggle to reunite. "MacNish shows tremendous promise in this debut," commented Jill Brager in the Romantic Times. A writer for Pink Heart Reviews noted that with the hero and heroine separated for most of the book, this is "not an easy, breezy book to read. … Its a novel that takes you through a range of emotions." A contributor to Romance Reader also praised the book, stating: "The writing and dialogue are excellent and the book remains interesting and fast-paced throughout."

MacNish told CA: "For me, writing is extremely intuitive. I start with an idea and a few visions of distinct scenes, often accompanied by snippets of dialogue. I start on page one and go forward, allowing the characters to move and shape each scene. When Im finished the first draft is when I go back and reread it, finding the deeper meaning of the storys own truth, and with that in mind, I layer and enhance that meaning to the best of my ability. Id be the worlds worst writing teacher, really, because I rely completely on instinct, and oftentimes with a total lack of regard for the ‘rules’ of my genre.

"What first got me into writing was ninth-grade English class, Mr. Titus,and Steinbecks Of Mice and Men. Instead of a standard book report, Mr. Titus told us to rewrite the ending, and gave us permission to make it however we wanted. It was perhaps the coolest thing that ever happened to me in high school. It was as if Id been given the ultimate hall pass: go out, be free, no restrictions, no boundaries. I mean, who rewrites Steinbeck? Certainly not the girl who came from nothing and nowhere. Or so I thought. As it turned out, Steinbeck was using the same tools as I was. Differently, of course, and far more brilliantly, but they were the same tools: imagination, a pen, and paper. The thought moved me. Inspired me. Made me see things differently. It still does to this day. Writing is, for me, a metaphor for life in general: we cant give what we dont have but we can fake an awful lot, its all been done before and yet the possibility for uniqueness is endless, its deceptively difficult and yet is often only as complicated and painful as one contrives it to be, and it possesses the potential for great fun and joy if we let go and embrace the process."