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MARIE

SMYSOR

WATSON

The Prairie Madwoman

I am a lifelong native of rural central Illinois where I live with my husband, our three sons (one adult-ish, two high-school age), a chunky yellow lab, and the ghosts of my younger days.  Between the cornfields and prairie, it is a place of its own secrets, which I thoroughly enjoy pursuing in my writing.  I'm a proud graduate of Western Illinois University (Go Leathernecks!) where I studied English and Creative Writing.  There, I developed technique, structure, and, most importantly, a thick skin - creative writing seminars are no joke!

My writing has appeared on NPR and in Writer and Peoria magazines.  My first  novel, The Things I Used to Do, is set in rural Illinois and was published on Amazon in September 2020.  My second book, a quartet of spooky short stories entitled everything anything something nothing, was released in August 2021.  My second novel, Our Own Precious Places, is also set in rural Illinois and will be coming out (fingers crossed!) in Winter 2021-22.  Right now, I am diligently at work on my third novel.  You get one guess as to its setting... 

Drop me a line if you feel so inclined by using the email address below. Writing is a lonesome pursuit and we all need human contact to keep from going off the rails (at least completely).

Thanks for joining the madness!

Image by Jan Huber
Who, Me?: About
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