Let’s start with the answer that everyone wants from Marni Mann: no, she’s not a heroin addict, and she’s never been a heroin addict. But she’s flattered when readers of her debut novel, Memoirs Aren’t Fairytales, ask to see the scars on her arms (there aren’t any of those, either). They assume that only someone who has lived the dark and tumultuous life of addiction would be able to tell the stories that Marni tells.

In fact, it was someone else, someone she describes as “very close to me,” who struggled with addiction, and Marni felt their pain. “I wanted to understand the addict’s side because I couldn’t understand why someone I love would continuously hurt me…. I couldn’t talk about their addiction anymore, so I took a pad of paper and a pen, and… about two hours later, the first chapter was written.”

That first chapter grew into Memoirs Aren’t Fairytales, which released in December 2011 from Booktrope Publishing.

“Hearing my publisher say ‘We would like to sign you’ was a feeling I can’t quite describe. In some ways, I felt like I could finally breathe,” says Marni, who wrote the novel in four drafts over almost three years. “This was my dream…. I’d coddled this book for so long, and now I was going to open my arms and release it into the wild.”

Based on the early feedback, the novel was ready to meet its eager fans. Memoirs Aren’t Fairytales has received glowing reviews from both bestselling authors like Tess Hardwick and from readers struggling with their own addictions. They respond to the gritty tone and the stark, honest look at a lifestyle that’s hard to understand. Which is gratifying to Marni, who spent long and sometimes dangerous hours researching. “I spoke to heroin addicts in person and over the phone, asking them how the drug made them feel, the cost, sacrifices, financials, how they prepared the drug, the lingo they used… What was so surprising was how open and willing people were to share their story, regardless of what state they were in.”

Those interviews helped Marni develop and refine an authentic voice of Nicole, her protagonist. “My novel is about a 19 year-old college dropout who is a heroin addict. I’m neither of those things, [but at first] I used my own voice, and it wasn’t working. Once my editor pointed this out, I changed the voice, which then changed the story.” 

That editor was Jen Howard of The Editorial Department, who worked with Marni through all four drafts of the book. “Jen was more than just my editor; she became a mentor, a teacher, and a voice of confidence. Her encouragement was the reason I continued writing and editing each draft. Jen didn’t just tell me what wasn’t working; she told me how to fix the problems and how to improve the manuscript. By no means was this an easy process for her or me, but the end result was better than I could have ever imagined.”

After years of work, Marni got to hold her novel for the first time on Christmas Eve, in front of her extended family. She’s currently focused on promotion, including a blog tour, a short book tour through New England (where the novel is set), and online connections. And there’s a sequel to Memoirs Aren’t Fairytales in the works, as well.

Find out more and follow Marni Mann:

http://marnismann.com/

https://twitter.com/MarniMann

http://www.facebook.com/MarniMannAuthor

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5400988.Marni_Mann