Marie Anderson
General Background
I was born in Kansas, and I often say that “Kansas is a great place to be from.” It has a lot of solid people, dependable and hard working. But there’s not much to do in Kansas except work. Most farm as a hobby or supplement to their lifestyle but it doesn’t have much flavor. Searching for flavor, I married a musician and boy, did I find it. We moved from Kansas to Nashville with an infant in tow. For over 10 years my future ex-husband toured with Garth Brooks. I had my 15 seconds of fame giving birth to my youngest. Her birth was recorded at the end of “Friends in Low Places” when Garth yelled “PUSH MARIE” Yep that’s me!
As many can tell you, all that “Flavor” left a bad taste in my mouth. So I opted out of that kind of excitement, with plenty of stories for the future. I’m an avid reader and have always written. Stories for friends, my children, poems and songs (none recorded). I cannot remember a time when I wasn’t writing.
Business & Professional
I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing many kinds of gainful employment over the years. Waiting tables, washing dishes, farm hand, office manager, sheet rock grunt, administrative assistant, corporate trainer, database administrator, applications developer, sales, customer support, even a member of a dance troupe for a short stint when I was really hungry.
Did I mention that there’s not a lot to do in Kansas? I’ve worked for companies as large as Humana and Dell and as small as me and the boss. The one thing I loved about every job was the people and how damn entertaining they can be. I am a painter, a computer geek with an MCP and a half finished MCDBA. But as many paychecks as I have brought home, at the end of the day, I’m a writer.
Personal & Writing
In my early years I learned to use words to paint mental pictures. One of my most vivid verbal paintings was a harsh and moving prose about a classmate who died at school. It was one of many, but the first that was published. The publication was a yearly showcase sent to area colleges, aimed at promoting the writing and photography of aspiring artists.
I met Scott when we worked for the same company and was intrigued by his sharp wit and interest in technology. These common interests seemed to tether us as friends and as writers. We were different from everyone else in the same twisted sort of way and that unique formula spawned some very productive creativity.
The first manuscript began as a challenge for Scott and became an outlet for me. From our venture, some great things have been born; three manuscripts, a greater insight into myself, and a merger of families that has made the quality of my life much richer.
My family continually feeds my imagination. My husband and partner in life, Barney, supports and challenges me. My children Mathew and Jena move me with the wisdom and innocence found to coexist only in teenagers. Inspired by the tenacity of my Grandmother, Emily, and the fearlessness of my brother, Kirk, I remain quietly determined to do what I love… write. The day when I must do nothing else but spin stories for the masses, it will be the greatest gift I could conjure, not only for myself, but for my cohort, my co-author, my friend, Scott.
Today, I am content to sit in my office, swilling Chianti, smoking cigars and steeling time to write challenging entertainment for the men and women of the new millennium.