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Stories pick up where memories leave off. I have no memory of where and when I was struck by the desire to write, so the story I usually tell when asked such a question (Mrs. Qualey, have you always wanted to be a writer?) is that while I began writing when I was in junior high, I only began to work at writing—making it part of my day-to-day life—when I was in my early twenties. I read a lot when I was growing up in Austin, Minnesota. I loved the public and the Sumner School libraries. I can still picture the places on the shelves where favorite books belonged. This passion for reading stories eventually spilled over into a desire to write stories. After high school I left Austin for St. Paul, Minnesota and college. Decades later, I live in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, though I have lived other places—Texas, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Minnesota. My husband and I have four children and four pets. I write novels for and about teenagers—YA fiction. Most of my novels are set in the upper Midwest and have a contemporary setting. My first novel grew out of a short story that was rejected by Seventeen magazine. The (then) fiction editor, Bonni Price, took the time to write me an encouraging rejection letter. Her letter was a turning point for me—I began thinking about writing novels instead of short stories. I have no idea now why her letter made me think "Eureka! I'll write a novel!" but I know that it did. My first novel, Everybody's Daughter, was published in 1991; the eighth and most recent, Too Big a Storm, came out in June of 2004 and Just Like That in June of 2005. I am hard at work at yet another. |
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Come in from the Cold Maud and Jeff are two teenagers living in Minnesota in 1969. Jeff's brother is killed in the Vietnam War; Maud's sister commits suicide during a political protest against the war. Those events draw Jeff and Maud together as they try to make sense of the upheaval of the Vietnam era. |
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Just Like That Things change so suddenly. One day Hanna has a long-term boyfriend; the next she realizes she doesn’t have strong feelings for him and breaks up. One day Hanna trusts her two best friends completely; the next, all of that trust is toppled. One day she feels rooted in a family and a community; the next she begins to question everything, including herself. And when Hanna meets a guy named Will, things are suddenly more complicated than ever. Just like that. Marsha Qualey is known for her characters full of heart and substance—people whom you feel you know, people whom you almost wish you could be. Hanna is such a character, and this story of a pivotal season is insightful, addictive, and real. |
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Too Big a Storm Astronauts have taken the very first steps on the moon, yet Brady Callahan feels anything but hopeful. Her brother, an army private, is missing in
Two newcomers in her life will help her find her path, though. There's the outspoken, charismatic Sally, who becomes entangled in a dangerous underground rebellion. Sally challenges Brady's practical nature and pulls her out of her shell enough to act on her attraction toward Mark, a young An absorbing picture of the complicated Vietnam War era, Too Big a Storm is also a moving portrait of the healing power of family and friends, and of one exceptional young woman's self-discovery. |
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One Night Kelly Ray is nineteen and a recovering heroin addict. She works for her aunt, a well-known talk radio host. When Kelly meets the handsome young prince of a war-torn European country, she turns what should only be a brief, chance encounter into one night of adventure, deception, truth-telling, and romance. |
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Close To A Killer Awards |
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Thin Ice When Arden Munro's brother Scott disappears with his snowmobile in an icy Wisconsin river, her whole world comes crashing down. Her parents died years ago, and now with Scott gone, Arden is on her own. When searchers fail to recover Scott's body from the river, Arden is convinced he faked the accident so he could disappear from her life. She becomes determined to find him, and obsession puts her life on thin ice. Awards |
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Come in from the Cold Maud and Jeff are two teenagers living in Minnesota in 1969. Jeff's brother is killed in the Vietnam War; Maud's sister commits suicide during a political protest against the war. Those events draw Jeff and Maud together as they try to make sense of the upheaval of the Vietnam era. Awards |
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Revolutions of the Heart Awards |
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