Writer set for Saturday book signing

COLUMBUS �” Mary Connealy, of Decatur , is a GED instructor by day and an author by night.

She writes plays and short stories and is the author of two published novels.

Connealy will be signing her new release, Calico Canyon, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday at Crackers to Caviar, 2710 13th St.

Calico Canyon is a romantic comedy that tells a suspense filled story of a wanted woman and a reluctant rancher who find unlikely love in “Old West Texas.”

Connealy says she likes to wear a little crown and a Wonder Women cape while she types in order to keep it straight in her head whether she’s teaching or writing.

The author said her love for writing began when she was just 12 years old with her first romance novel.

“I can’t imagine what a 12 year old thinks she knows about romance and the book is long lost now, which is probably for the best,” she said. “I started writing seriously when my youngest daughter went to kindergarten.”

Connealy’s ideas for characters and stories may be sparked by a billboard or daily experiences with friends and relatives.

“I think of Petticoat Ranch as my husband’s story,” she said. “He came from a family of seven sons and now we have four daughters. Watching Ivan react to the girls is comical.

He has never gotten used to the crying and fighting and girlie ways and that’s my hero Clay in Petticoat Ranch.

“Clay is a mountain man who has never been around women, who finds himself married to a widow with four daughters.

“Calico Canyon is the flip side of that story. A prissy woman suddenly married to a man with five unruly sons.”

Connealy wrote for 10 years before her first work was published. She said she could wallpaper a room with her rejection letters.

“When I finally sold my first book, I was given a contract at a convention, and the editor annually gives a contract to an unpublished author,” she said. “She stood up there in front of 350 authors and called out my name. I got to go up in front of all those clapping writers and receive the contract. It was one of the sweetest moments of my life.”

Connealy is writing 11 historical romantic comedies for Barbour Publishing, which include a three book “Lassoed in Texas” series, a three book “Montana Marriage” series, another three book series that is still undecided and two other stand alone works.

She also is writing a series of mysteries that will be offered first through a book club and next year she plans to release another single book entitled Nosy in Nebraska.

“All together, I’ll write 18 books for Barbour in the next four years,” Connealy said. “Many of them were already written, done during those years I wrote before I was published.

“I’d have never dared make a commitment like that otherwise,” she said.