I became a writer quite by accident.

It all started when I entered “The Most Beautiful Garden” contest in my local newspaper. I added some text to go with the required photos and before I knew it I had written the groundwork, no pun intended, for my first published piece, "The Reluctant Gardener." It still took time to polish and edit, but eventually I pitched my essay to the editor of Ocala's Good Life magazine and he bought it. Not only was I published, but I made the cover of the April 2011 issue as well. From that point on I was offered more writing assignments, and in 2013 I was given my own column, "Just My Type" that has appeared in the magazine ever since.

My past essays and columns can be found at: ocalasgoodlife.com.

My most recent column,

“Close Encounters of the Animal Kind”

appears in the May/June 2024 issue of “Ocala’s Good Life” magazine.

I also made the cover again!

My debut novel, The Love Letter Ghost, was published by Red Penguin Books in 2022. At the request of my readers asking for book club questions, I released the Book Club Edition In 2023. The story remains the same, but with a prologue and book club discussion questions with my personal commentary at the end. The next installment in The Love Letter Ghost series is currently in process as the story continues.

Author Mary Ellen Saladino

@AuthorMSaladino

mes.authorwriter@gmail.com

mesaladinoauthor.com

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Scan QR code to the right to view The Love Letter Ghost Video Book Trailer