Meet Mara Heath
My hearts, today I get to introduce you to someone new on the indie scene—but who’s already making waves with her debut novel, Caged in Silver: A Dark Academia Fantasy Romance (The Secrets of Brownhill Book 1), which dropped this summer. This one has it all: a college campus dripping in Dark Academia vibes, a heroine torn between two worlds, Tarot cards, found family, and a slow-burn romance that will make you ache in the best way. Betts Peterson’s life looks perfect from the outside, but inside she’s navigating emotions that don’t feel like her own. Enter Leo Hawthorn—mysterious, magnetic, and the first to suggest she might be psychic. From there? Let’s just say Betts’s world is about to get a whole lot bigger, darker, and infinitely more magical. I’m thrilled to get to know Mara after being in group chats with her on Instagram for such a long time. Let’s get started.
JEN: Mara, so nice to finally meet you. Thanks for doing this. I think you know I interview romance authors primarily, so I have to ask: Does Caged in Silver have a Happily Ever After?
MARA: It’s a cliffhanger because it’s the first book in a series, but there is victory for the FMC and the trilogy absolutely ends with an HEA!
JEN: Love that reassurance—we live for a good HEA payoff. What’s your author bio? Tell me your story.
MARA: As soon as I figured out I wasn’t going to be a professional ballerina (around age 12), I decided I was going to be an author instead. So after nearly 40 years of going to school, teaching, and being a mom, I finally found the time and the guts to do it! I live in Maryland with my husband, grown son, and elderly cat and I write every chance I can get. Oh and I also crochet, make fancy-ish coffee, and practice modern witchcraft.
JEN: Ballet to books—what a pivot! I adore that you’ve circled back to writing after all that life experience. What’s your favorite genre—to read and to create?
MARA: I love to both read and write romance of any kind, but especially fantasy or paranormal romance. I also love new adult characters.
JEN: Who are some of your favorite authors and influences?
MARA: Some favorite authors are Holly Black, Elle Kennedy, Tahereh Mafi, and Maggie Stiefvater. They’re all big influences on me but especially Stiefvater because of her complex characters and her mystical way of writing urban fantasy.
JEN: Hold on, I have to add Mafi and Stiefvater to my list! What other creators are you friends with, and how do they help you create better?
MARA: I have several indie author friends whom I’ve met along this journey and they’re the reason I’ve survived this first year in the business! They’re sounding-boards, critique partners, and cheerleaders and I just love them all.
JEN: That support is everything. Indie friendships are the glue that holds us together.
Do you work with music while you write?
MARA: I definitely need music if only to drown out the noise around me. It also helps me get in the right mood for a scene. I’ve been known to play a song on repeat for hours because it’s just the right vibe for what I’m writing.
I don’t have a favorite artist or anything, I just choose songs that strike my fancy. Most of them end up being dance-y in some way. I seem to be drawn to hip-hop and disco beats.
JEN: Love it! What’s your favorite snack or beverage while working? What do you need within reach in order to create?
MARA: Coffee and/or tea are vital! As is my cat, Sugar, who sits behind me on the back of my couch. I like to have a candle burning or some incense, and I must must must have a pencil and notebook within reach for random ideas. Oh, and chapstick!
JEN: Cat, coffee, and candle = the holy trinity of creativity. (Reminds me of bell, book, and candle! In the best way!) How does where you live affect your writing?
MARA: I grew up here in Maryland, went to college in southwest Virginia, and then worked in upstate South Carolina before coming back here to Maryland. My series takes place in western North Caroline, deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains that I grew to love when I was down there. The Appalachian setting is significant in the books, the flora and fauna and the folklore.
I also spent over a year in England when I was a student. As a lover of Brit Lit I was heaven. I’m pretty sure my taste for dark academia comes from this, and my obsession with history and historic sites. The older the better!
JEN: That explains so much about your aesthetic—Appalachian folklore and dark academia? Chef’s kiss.
Are you a morning bird or a night owl? When do you create best?
MARA: Night owl! I create best in those few hours after dinner but before I start to fade. This is also when I love most to read.
JEN: Same! I swear my brain only turns on once the sun goes down. What do you do for fun when you’re not creating?
MARA: I’ve spent so long delaying pursuing writing, that it’s really my primary pursuit. Everything else just gets tucked in around the edges. My priority is spending time with my husband and son, but I also try to squeeze in time crocheting, cooking, witching, and reading. Definitely reading.
JEN: I feel this in my soul—reading is joy, fuel, and procrastination all rolled into one.
Why self-publishing?
MARA: I opted for self-publishing because, well, let’s face it, I’m not getting any younger (I’m nearly 54). I can’t afford years of querying, I just want to write books!!
JEN: Preach. Life’s too short to wait on gatekeepers. What themes do you most enjoy tackling in your work?
MARA: I love self-discovery stories, which is why I think I enjoy writing New Adult. My characters are college kids still trying to exert their independence and figure out who they are. The most important arc of the whole trilogy is Betts (the FMC) coming into her own. Of course, the love and respect of the perfect partner is a big part of this. I’m all about finding that special person who truly appreciates you and draws out everything that is amazing about you. To me that’s real love.
JEN: Yesss—romance as radical affirmation. That’s the good stuff.
Tell us about your published work!
MARA: Right now I only have one book to my name, Caged in Silver, book one of the Secrets of Brownhill series. I just released her in July and it’s been amazing!
JEN: Congrats! That debut glow is the best feeling. What’s coming next?
MARA: I’m in the developmental editing stage of book two and I’m aiming to have it out early in 2026. Hopefully I can also have book three out before the end of next year. Oh, and I have a spinoff (side-character) novel I’d love to do too, but it would have to come out after book three.
JEN: I love a spinoff—I’m writing one right now, too. (Or at least, I’m trying to! I can’t seem to get into the groove.) What does your writing routine look like?
MARA: Sigh. I feel like I spend most of my mornings on IG (or doing other marketing things) and in doing chores around the house. And going to the grocery store, haha. Not sure why we’re always running out of things!
But usually after lunch I can sit down with my coffee or tea and start the creative process. Sometimes I can just pick up with my writing wherever I left off the day before. Other times I may need to free write in a notebook for a little bit to get the ideas flowing and get into the right frame of the mind. Especially when editing or starting a new scene: what is each character thinking/feeling in this scene? What do they want? Sometimes I can write for hours on end, especially when I’m writing a first draft. Other times I can barely manage a paragraph. I’m starting to learn not to force it on days like that. And sometimes I’m in a better frame of mind in the evening and am able to write then.
But no matter what, I always finish my day with reading!
JEN: Oh me too—I often fall asleep reading. What part of the writing process energizes you—and what part exhausts you?
MARA: Drafting is so energizing. Such a thrill. I go into a scene with a starting and finishing point, but otherwise I let the characters do what they will. This is my favorite part of the writing process and I just let go and have fun. Editing however tends to drain me. Especially that first pass after writing the draft. How am I going to wrangle this hot mess? And then at the line-editing phase I can get a little obsessive. But just a little, lol.
JEN: How have your life experiences shaped your writing?
MARA: I loved being a college student so much I stayed on for an MA. I was your classic all-black-wearing English major with her nose buried in a book. Anglo-Saxon and Medieval lit, the Romantic poets, Victorian novels. In grad school it was more of the same but with the added responsibility of teaching Freshman Composition, which launched my teaching career. I’ve never worked anywhere other than academia. Never been anything other than a student or a teacher. Even once I became a mom and stopped “working,” I homeschooled my son using almost exclusively well-written books from the library. You can learn almost anything from literature. My son certainly did, especially his passion for history.
So my choice of a college setting for my series was a no brainer. Betts is an English major and literature lover, Leo (MMC) is an academic researcher/historian, and they pretty much fall in love in the college’s huge, gothic library. Caged in Silver also has lots of literary references (but nothing inaccessible), even children’s lit.
JEN: A gothic library love story? Be still my beating book-nerd heart.
In what ways does your family support your career as a creator?
MARA: My little family is amazing! My son is an aspiring writer himself, so we love to “talk shop.” We commiserate about writer’s block, share ideas about how to get the ideas flowing (take a shower, haha), and body-double a lot in the afternoons.
My husband is also a creative (he’s a visual artist) so it’s so easy for him to understand all the highs and lows. He’s my go-to, in particular, in times of self-doubt because he knows exactly how it feels. And of course because he believes in me. He’s also a critique partner/beta reader for me, brags to all his friends, and most importantly, he’s my cover designer!! And believe me, he puts up with a lot. I’m the world’s worst client because I never know what I want until I see it! Needless to say, I dedicated Caged in Silver to him.
JEN: Okay, that’s adorable. A husband who doubles as your cover designer and cheerleader? Keeper.
My hearts, that’s Mara Heath—writer of gothic libraries, psychic heroines, and the kind of romances that leave you both swooning and haunted in the best way. Go grab Caged in Silver if you haven’t yet, and keep an eye out for the rest of the Secrets of Brownhill series coming soon.
Follow Mara on Instagram: @maraheathauthor and check out maraheathauthor.com.
Are you a human author? A human who narrates audiobooks? A human who designs book covers? Or a human who does PR and promotion for other authors? I'd love to interview you, too. Let me know when you’re ready!
