Author Archives: Mary Fran Says

About Mary Fran Says

I am an artist, crafter, designer and writer. I enjoy working with mixed media-- applying visual and tactile manipulations to telling a story. Not a lot of market for that, though, :), so I'm focusing on short story submissions and novel completions. Yes, plural. Lots of beginnings, too many ideas, not enough focus.

The Risk of Recommendation

Posted on June 27, 2022 by Mary Fran Says

I am not the avid reader I used to be, but I still try my best to keep up. I have an audio book in my car at all times, I have a bath book (which will probably be ignored … Continue reading →

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1 Review, 2 Books, 3 Sentences

Posted on June 20, 2022 by Mary Fran Says

Book 1: The Locked Door by Freida McFaddenBook 2: The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose 3 Sentence Review:1. Both of these novels came as rave recommendations from readers I trust so I was really looking forward to reading them, but … Continue reading →

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Hermes said Hold My Beer

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Mary Fran Says

Hermes is the Greek god of Travel. After last Friday, I can’t help but believe that the cunning trickster and fleet-footed messenger read my previous post, Travel Days are THE WORST, snickered and said, “Hold my beer.” To recap, last … Continue reading →

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Travel Days are THE WORST!

Posted on June 6, 2022 by Mary Fran Says

Yes, I have blogged about this before, and even then I was sure I’d posted prior to that. I’ve also mentioned that I am a terrible packer. And this trek will be shoved into carry-on only! I’m writing early so … Continue reading →

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Happy Holiday?

Posted on May 30, 2022 by Mary Fran Says

We heard the parade this morning as it marched by a couple of blocks from our house. I used to LOVE a parade. I haven’t been in many, many years. We decided to leash up the dogs and head over…unfortunately, … Continue reading →

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3 Sentence Review: The Girl Beneath the Sea

Posted on May 23, 2022 by Mary Fran Says

The Girl Beneath the Sea is an action/thriller, not one of the supernatural/sci-fi stories that I usually read, and it took me a while to stop waiting for something mystical to happen. This Sloan McPherson chick can hold her breath … Continue reading →

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Next Level Basic

Posted on May 16, 2022 by Mary Fran Says

I was cool with being basic. Now I’m cooler being Next Level Basic. Next Level Basic, #NLB, is a best seller by Stassi Schroeder, an author, reality TV star, and podcaster. Being Next Level Basic is about having fun and … Continue reading →

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Pareidolia

Posted on May 9, 2022 by Mary Fran Says

Seeing familiar objects or patterns in otherwise random or unrelated objects is called Pareidolia. Etymologically speaking, the word derives from the Greek words pará, “beside, alongside, instead [of]” and eídōlon “image, form, shape”. Pareidolia is something most of us experience but few … Continue reading →

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Forensics Camp

Posted on May 2, 2022 by Mary Fran Says

Some friends and I recently attended a four week Forensics Camp through the Rock Valley College Continuing Education program. They sucked me in by appealing to my authorial sense of wonder. As in, I wondered how I could work these … Continue reading →

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3 Sentence Review: Hail Mary

Posted on April 25, 2022 by Mary Fran Says

This novel is hard on the science, heavy on the fiction, so don’t get too caught up in the specifics, okay, and if you choose to read it, do so on audio–you will be glad you did. It was not … Continue reading →

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