Local author publishes a young adult fiction mystery series set in Huntsville.

Not gonna lie.  You had me at either ‘mystery’ or ‘set in Huntsville.’  With this one-two punch combination, I eagerly obtained and read the book, then contacted the author to learn more about her path and the ‘story behind the story.’ Here is a glimpse from the description of Mary Gautreaux’s latest book, Friday Night on the Frio River:

It is another scorching hot summer in Huntsville, Texas, and Caroline Mason is one year away from high school graduation. While living in an old building that houses her family’s bookstore business and working as a lifeguard, Caroline reads mysteries, explores old treasures inside the building’s attic, and contemplates where life is going to lead her next. But she has no idea that something is about to unfold deep in the heart of Texas that will lead her down a path she never expected. What no one knows is that the characters in Caroline’s favorite books have been coming to life and holding secret conversations with her in the attic since she was young. They have been assigned to train and assist Caroline in solving mysteries and righting wrongs. She finally gets her chance when she becomes entangled in a whodunit investigation surrounding a series of local robberies.

Share about your background.

I have a very large Texan family with deep roots, but my father was in the navy, and I ended up being the only person in the family actually born outside of Texas. We were stationed at a submarine base in New London, Connecticut at the time.  My upbringing occurred in a lot of different places along the east and west coast, but that part of the country deeply imprinted me, and I love the perspective that has added to my experience. I love the history and the small towns, and just everything about it.

My last stop in high school was in California. I was a swimmer, and that’s what I stayed in California to do in college.  While there, I met this wonderful young Texas man who was on the water polo team.  We got married, and he brought me back to Texas, to the delight of my family.  My parents retired to Huntsville, and now we all live here.

What did you study?

Eli and I finished up our degrees here at Sam Houston State, and my field of study was elementary education, with an English specialization. I taught a few years in both the Huntsville schools and private schools. I homeschooled our own children, Katie (Pitt) and Kory (Murphy) from about middle school on, so that was an important part of my story, and that of our family as well.  Raising kids and writing is what I have always loved to do.

This latest work of young adult fiction appears to be something new, a departure from your previous work. 

Friday Night on the Frio River, which released in November, is the first writing of this type that I’ve produced publicly, but writing has always been a dream of mine.  As a child, I loved books so much.  My earliest dream was to be a librarian! <laughs> To the point where my parents bought me a little date stamp.  I made little library cards in the back of each of my books and checked them out to myself.

My mother, Judy Ellis, is also an avid reader…and my greatest cheerleader.  When I was in high school, she gave me a book and inscribed it, saying, “Imagine what you can write some day!”  That opened my mind to the thought, “Wow.  I love books so much that I could create some.”  My dream shifted at that point.  I have a big, literal stack of stories, short stories, and ideas I’ve played with over the years, but this series…I hope it’s going to be a series of six books.

Talk about the timing and how that works.

I just couldn’t get away from this idea.  I worked on the first one, in and out over the years…I probably started it about 15 years ago! I was content through the first part of my life focusing on the kids and them growing up.  Now that I’m an empty nester, I believe it’s time to focus on the stories that I have. I have picked up the pace. I have finished the second book, and I am about halfway through the third. When they publish will depend on how well the first book does.

Your previous publications were faith based. Share about that.

My husband and I were active in campus ministry for many years.  Working with college kids, the piece I loved the most was helping people discover their faith. If I combine my elementary education background, homeschooling my own children, and helping young people learn to “self-discover” their faith—I like to help people get started.  That’s what I like to do. These areas of my life are all aimed at helping someone “new to the territory.” My prior books were just helping people “learn how to learn” basically.

Mary’s other works include “Kingdom Minded: Learning to Walk in Discipline as a Follower of Christ” and “Living Stones: Learning to Walk in Community as a Follower of Christ.”

Personally, I believe writing for young adults would be a very challenging genre.

We homeschooled predominantly the teenage years, and we had a “bring your friends over” sort of house.  We spent a lot of time around that age group, and I LOVE that age group.  They are my favorite.  Lights are turning on, they’re learning how to think, and exploring what they think and believe. That moment in time is so important. Frankly, the idea for this book series started the first time I took my kids as young teenagers to the bookstore.  Between my childhood and theirs, the young adult section changed very radically. I just wanted to offer something positive and hopeful.

Do you have any ties to the Frio River area?

Both my family and Eli’s family vacationed there regularly growing up.  We all have a lot of love in our heart for Garner State Park, in particular.

Expand on the “special characters” in the story. Are they ghosts, angelic beings, or simply ‘imaginary friends’?

I believe they are the embodiment of what you ingest…from your experience and what you read.  They are not necessarily a spiritual thing.  But truly, I believe that what you read totally informs the way you think.  I want kids to think, “What I ingest is really impacting me—my thoughts and my decisions.” What kids spend the most time with is what is going to speak to them and inform them.

What’s ahead?

My first foray into adult fiction will probably be to write the book I reference in the stories, the source where those special characters come from. It will be an adult mystery series based in 1880s Texas, and I will weave actual stories from our own family’s genealogy into it. I’m excited to try that.  I have a bunch of “pre-work” done for that.

What would you tell young readers and young writers?

For young readers, finish the book and dream about how your own life can make a difference in the world around you. I want each person to realize their own life is a gift, and they have a way of looking at things that no one else does.

For young writers, my advice would be to read everything you can get your hands on. Fill your life with a lot of perspective. Then, just begin.  Start writing.  It can be a journal, or a story.  Just begin the written conversation, and let it grow as you grow.

Visit www.marycgautreaux.com for more information.