Mary A. Shafer

Mary A. Shafer has written since she could hold a pencil, and also found that instrument handy for drawing. These two loves have always shared space with each other in her life. She began freelancing as a journalist and feature writer while finishing college, and with her degree in commercial art and communications, became the art director for NorthWord Press, a small nature book publisher, in 1990. When the company moved away from books toward producing music cassettes, CDs and videos, she went back to freelancing but never got books out of her system. In fact, she wrote her first book, "Wisconsin: The Way Were Were, 1845-1945" for Heartland Press, a NorthWord imprint. The book came out in 1993, and she was hooked forever. She knew she'd always be an author in one form or another. Her second book, "Rural America: A Pictorial Folk Memory" came out in 1995, and won an award from the Mid America Publishers Association. Mary did a small tour of New England and the MidAtlantic region in support of it. A native Pennsylvanian, she realized she missed the east coast. In February of 1997, the day after the Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl, she got in her loaded van and moved back to her home state. She settled in Bucks County, mainly freelancing as a graphic designer, then running an ad agency in Lamberville, NJ. By June 2001, she had become thoroughly disenchanted with agency life, and resigned her position as president. She again hung out her freelance shingle, but this time as a writer. It was the best career move she ever made, and she's never looked back. Mary now splits her time between freelance writing for magazines and books, consulting with small and micro-businesses on their marketing needs, consulting with authors on self-publishing, and publishing books. She still dabbles in drawing, painting and teaching, and has become an avid metal detectorist. She's frequently tired but never bored. Mary's books have won numerous publishing industry awards, including: - Finalist, Best History Title and Best Regional Nonfiction categories, 2011 National Indie Excellence Awards (Devastation) - Muse Medallion, 2010 Cat Writers Association Annual Competition (Almost Perfect) - Notable Book, Reference category, 2006 Writers' Notes Magazine Annual Book Awards (Devastation) - Finalist, Nature Writing & U.S. History categories, 2006 Best Book Awards, USABookNews (Devastation) - Best Photographic Book, 1995 Mid-America Publishers Assn. (Rural America)