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Marie Bartlett: Turning the Page from Nonfiction to Fiction

After focusing for more than 25 years on writing creative nonfiction as a freelance writer, I’ve now turned my attention to historical fiction with my first novel, Pearl, MD (July 2013).

Available through Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and publisher Taylor & Seale, Pearl, MD is set in Asheville, NC, during the 1880s. It tells the story of a strong-willed woman doctor who tries to set up a practice in this small mountain town despite a less than friendly reception.

Marie Bartlett at 1880s cabin PEARL book

Writing fiction opened up a new world of challenges for me and I now have a new respect for writers who create their own characters and the worlds they inhabit. Even if it doesn’t always stick to the facts, fiction writing still requires a steady hand, an acute attention to detail, and the ability to mold a world that feels real and believable to the reader. In other words, it takes a whole lot of work.

Though I’m moving into fiction writing, I’m still offering my same menu of writing services:

  • Individualized coaching services for beginning and advanced writers
  • Workshops
  • Freelance and corporate communication services
  • Editing
  • Copywriting
  • Ghostwriting
  • Public-relations assignments
  • Contract business-communication projects