CENTERVILLE —
An author with local roots visited the Drake Public Library on July 2 for a book signing.
Marjorie Gibson McCarthy published her first novel, “No Matter What,” in January of this year, and the book has received many positive reviews on Amazon.
“I’m no Stephen King as far as sales go, but the people that are reading it seem to be loving it and that’s what matters,” McCarthy said. “It’s been really satisfying.”
McCarthy did independent publishing through CreateSpace, which is affiliated with Amazon. The book is print-on-demand, as her next novel will be as well.
The second novel, “20/20 Hindsight,” is a companion to the first novel. It is not quite available for purchase yet, McCarthy said, but she was able to bring two copies to the book signing.
She said she already has written five chapters of the third book, which will complete a trilogy of the Semper Fi Sisters books.
McCarthy said that even though this is her first published novel, she has been writing for a long time.
“I have a trunk full of journals of the various thoughts of Marjorie since I was 14,” she said. “One day I decided, ‘OK, it’s time’” to publish a novel.
McCarthy lived in Centerville from fourth grade through her freshman year in high school. Her mother was from Mystic, and she still has family here. Her father was the pastor at the First United Methodist Church, and eventually he moved to another church.
“This was the part of the state that felt like home, always,” she said. “I knew it before I lived here and I’ve known it since I lived here. Some of the other places were, we were there because that’s where Dad’s job is.”
After McCarthy’s family moved, she graduated from high school in Sheldon in the northwest corner of Iowa. Her parents, George and Sally Gibson, now live in Indianola.
McCarthy attended Simpson College in Indianola and met her husband, who was in the Marine Corps. They ended up in Yuma, Ariz.
“We just sort of got stuck there; we’re working on getting back. … If more people bought my books I’d get home sooner,” she joked.
McCarthy teaches middle school language arts. She said her students were excited about her novels.
“They really love that their teacher actually has books,” she said. “It makes them think they can do it, which they can.”
McCarthy said that in the novel, Trudy, the main character, is helping her friend, Camille, go on a road trip to Los Angeles to pursue a “what if” from her past that involves a rock star.
“Every woman has a ‘what if’ from her past; probably every person does: ‘What if I had done this instead of that?’” McCarthy said. “And that’s what these two friends are doing is looking for that ‘what if’ for one of them.”
The road trip begins and ends in a small town with a population a shave under 5,000 called Shelton, Iowa. The Shelton of the novel is not Sheldon, though readers familiar with Sheldon may see some similarities, she said.
“They tell you write what you know, and what do I know better than small-town Iowa?” McCarthy said. “So that’s where I put them, because that was easy.”
Lisa Eddy, one of McCarthy’s classmates from the Centerville High School class of 1980, helped McCarthy format her novel, which had been prepared on outdated software.
The two didn’t know each other that well in school, Eddy said. They connected on the Facebook page for the class of 1980 and started talking, and now they talk on the phone often.
Eddy, a former computer technician, already had some experience aiding an author because she worked on typing up and formatting historian Enfys McMurry’s forthcoming book, “Centerville: A Mid-American Saga,” due out in September from History Press.
“Lisa’s been amazingly helpful and generous,” McCarthy said.
“No Matter What” is available as a paperback from Amazon for $14.95. The Kindle version can be downloaded for $5.99.
People
Related Photos
-
Marjorie Gibson McCarthy talks with Marj Pyner, center, and Susan Henderson, right, during a book signing July 2 at the Drake Public Library for her new book, “No Matter What.” In the center is a copy of her forthcoming novel, “20/20 Hindsight.” Photo by Brooke Sherrard/Correspondent
Share your thoughts!
The Daily Iowegian welcomes your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean. We reserve the right to remove comments that are obscene, racist or abusive and statements that are false or unverifiable. Repeat offenders will be blocked. You may flag objectionable comments for review by a moderator.
July 24, 2012
‘No Matter What’ author visits library
- People
-
- Cemetary memorial project looking for help Hi everybody! I will just have to keep my mouth shut about the weather! It use to be a safe subject but my mouth is always eating its own words on that topic. This week's article is short and sweet this week. S'MORES PIE Ingredients 1 graham cracker
- No Headline Provided Southwestern Community College has announced that 145 students have earned selection to the Dean's List for the Spring semester of 2013. A student must earn a grade point average of 3.00 or higher for 12 or more hours of college work for the semester
-
Moravia Garden Club garden tour
The Moravia Garden Club was organized as a result of a discussion by three ladies, Mrs. Lois DuVall, Mrs. Clara Gordner and Mrs. Genevieve Morgan at the 1947 Fall Festival. A pre-organizational meeting interested in flowers was held in December 1947
- Give one pint, save three lives Help LifeServe Blood Center meet your community's needs this summer and give blood! Blood donations are especially important during the summer months as donations tend to decrease this time of year. Just one blood donation can help save the lives of
- Missouri Western offers 'Griffon Rate' in-state tuition to students in nearby counties Effective this fall, Missouri Western State University is now offering students from 51 counties in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska a new tuition rate equivalent to in-state tuition. The “Griffon Rate” applies to both undergraduate and graduate t
- THIS WEEK THURSDAY 13 ALCOHOLICS?ANONYMOUS AND?AL-ANON, meet Thursdays at 8 p.m. in the basement at St. Mary's Catholic Church. Call (641) 856-3398 with questions. GAMBLERS?ANONYMOUS, holds meetings every Thursday from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Camel?Club, 410 Wes
- ISU spring grads include local students At Iowa State University's spring commencement ceremonies, May 10, 3,769 students received degrees. Iowa State awarded 3,144 undergraduate degrees, 357 master's degrees, 141 veterinary medicine degrees and 127 doctor of philosophy degrees. Of the st
- June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day The Iowa Department on Aging Director Donna Harvey reminds Iowans that June 15th will mark the seventh World Elder Abuse Awareness Day -- a day which raises awareness about violence against older adults in all its forms. World Elder Abuse Day focuse
- Martin, Appler make Dean's List PELLA -- Kylee Martin and Kaitlyn Appler earned a spot on the spring 2013 Dean's List for Central College. Martin, a native of Centerville, is the son of Marvin and Shawna Martin. Appler, a native of Centerville, is the daughter of Brad and Jennifer
- Free nicotine patches and gum during June During the month of June, The Iowa Department of Public Health is offering four weeks of free nicotine replacement therapy in the form of patches and gum to Iowa smokers who choose to make a quit attempt using Quitline Iowa. Quitline Iowa offers toba
- Rain, rain go away ... so we can plant! Howdy everybody. Well I hope we all survived the rain. I don't have the totals for how much rain it ended up being in total, but wow! It's sad that we have to go from one to the other, drought or flooding are not the best things we need but we take w
- Fifty-five donors turn out for blood drive Thanks to all the wonderful blood donors and the committed volunteers of TTT A.S. that organized and sponsored this drive. They were Rose Cunningham, Mercy Auxiliary, Betty Owca, Larry Bettis, Daily Iowegian, KCOG, Community 1st Credit Union and the
- 18-80 Club makes second attempt at Omaha trip June will offer many new and exciting activities. If you have not been by the club recently you must take a trip our way. The windows are now totally completed with the funding of these totally by the BOB group. The siding, soffits and eves are being
- Insurance agent recognized for customer service Rebecca Evers an American Family Insurance agent in Centerville, has been recognized for providing outstanding customer experience under the American Star Excellence in Customer Experience Certification. Evers joins other American Family agents who h
-
Dagat awarded P.E.O. scholarship
Lei Alena Dagat, a 2013 Centerville High School graduate, recently received a $500 scholarship from Chapter KS and Chapter D P.E.O. Dagat will be attending Culver-Stockton College. She will major in nursing and minor in music. She is the daughter of
- More People Headlines
Raw: Baby White Rhino Debuts at Australian Zoo
Time Lapse: Rebuilding Bridge Post-collapse
Ohio Woman Accuses 3 of Holding Her Captive
Hunt for Ex-Teamster Boss Hoffa's Remains Ends
Aug. Trial Set for Ohio Man in Triple Kidnapping
Car Crash in NYC's East Village Injures 8
Obama Renews Call for Nuclear Reductions
Raw: Car Jumps Curb in NYC, Injures 8
Unusual Heat Wave Bakes Alaska
Raw: German President Welcomes President Obama
Raw: Arizona Wildfire Scorches 8 Square Miles
Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park
Kid Couture: Spending Big Bucks on Babies
