This week’s Inheritance Books are from Maryann Miller, writer  of crime novels and friend of libraries.

Hi Maryann, welcome to my blog. Tell me a bit about yourself. 

Hi, I’m Maryann Miller, an author and part-time farmer here on my little ranch in East Texas. My latest release is a police procedural mystery, Open Season, which just came out as an e-book, and it got terrific reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Library Journal. It was first released in hardcover and went through three printings. It is available for most electronic devices that have reading apps.

Which book did you inherit from the generation above? Why is it special?

I am so pleased that you invited me to come over to the blog today and share with you about one of my most precious possessions. It is this 1916 edition of The Fairy Tales of the Brother’s Grimm, Illustrated by Arthur Rackham. This wonderful old book was passed to my mother from my grandmother, and then to me.

We did not have many books to read when I was a child, so I read this one over and over, while being ever so careful not to tear a page or touch it with dirty hands.

The illustrations are quite lovely, some done as detailed ink drawings in black and white, others in color, and the title page is also a work of art with the beautiful fonts and the border. I remember enjoying the artwork as much as the stories, and so have my children and grandchildren.

Which book would you pass on to future generations?

I would actually pass on the same book. The early introduction to how important a book can be certainly played a part in my becoming a writer, and while my books may not be passed from generation to generation like some others, they have been favorably received by readers. It is always such a thrill to hear from someone who enjoyed one of my stories, and I’m sure the Brothers Grimm felt the same way.

My mother told me how special the book was because it came from her mother, who received it from an uncle who had first had it when he was a child. It has passed through many hands and is one of the family treasures that several of my children are hoping they will inherit when I am gone. I may surprise one of them and gift them with it before I go. I would like to be here and see the delight when they receive it.

That’s a beautiful book. The illustrations are amazing. Thank you for sharing your lovely book with us.

  You can buy Maryann’s book Open Season on Amazon.

To find out more about Maryann Miller’s books, check out her website http://www.maryannwrites.com

Find her on FaceBook or Twitter