Mary Jessica Woods was raised and homeschooled in the Chicago suburbs, where she read as many adventure stories as she could get her hands on. At the age of ten, she realized she was doomed to be a writer and has been following the muse ever since. Still seeking adventure, she headed out west to Wyoming Catholic College, where she climbed mountains, rappelled off cliffs, and studied the Great Books.

After graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in the Liberal Arts, she returned to the Midwest to work as an editor. Mary also volunteers as an editorial assistant for the literary magazine Dappled Things, and her nonfiction has appeared in America Magazine, Catholic World Report, and First Things. In her mind, she spends most of her time on distant planets or alien spaceships, but she actually lives in rural Michigan.

WEBSITE: https://maryjessicawoods.com/

GET MARKMAKER:
He swore to paint the truth. Now he is living a lie. For the Noxxiin people, tattoos define identity: they commemorate birth, ancestry, accomplishments—even crimes. As a tattoo artist living on an ancient generation ship, Mariikel Serix has sworn to record the truth. So when he becomes an unwilling accomplice in the banishment of an innocent man, he is horrified that he has broken his oath—and his eyes are opened to the misery of the Underbelly, the realm of the outcasts. https://chrismpress.com/books/markmaker/

ABOUT THIS SHOW: Legendmakers
Interviews, convos, and community news about LegendFiction, the creative community for Catholic & Orthodox fiction writers! We talk creed, craft, and co-creation, rooted in grit, grace, gods, and dragons. Let’s inspire your faith and your fiction.

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00:00 Why Mary is a Dinotopian Skybax rider
02:35 Mary’s origin story
05:46 Markmaker
11:22 Traditional publishing with Chrism Press
15:13 Faith-inspired fiction
27:00 Mary’s fandoms that influenced Markmaker
33:00 Mary’s writing process & revisions
40:00 How Mary’s growing her brand
44:33 Mary’s 1 minute message to authors

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