Maralys Wills, The Ringmaster, once again takes front and center in A Clown in the Trunk. She is followed into the sawdust ring by her usual assortment of odd characters-her family. This time, however, they are all clowns; some so peculiar and funny they make the one in the trunk look normal. If you liked her previous collection of short stories, A Circus without Elephants, you will probably gulp this one down in one sitting.
~ E. Ervin Tibbs, Author, Sunset Tomorrow
The only way to take a trip with Maralys Wills is by armchair. All other forms of travel amount to reckless endangerment. But even in your own home, be careful you don’t bruise your funny bone.
~ Pam Tallman, Humorist and Newspaper Columnist
Maralys Wills proves that humor can be found anywhere-from a hospital bed to a tree full of ripening plums. This second book proves that the comic wellsprings in her family never run dry.
~ Patricia Teal, Literary Agent
Maralys Wills . . . She is clearly a force to be reckoned with.
~ Sidney Sheldon, Author, The Other Side of Midnight
Maralys Wills reminds me of a hip 21st century Lucille Ball. An exceptional writer, she uses words deftly with the most unusual but apt similes I’ve ever bumped into. Each chapter opens with a bang and ends with a punch. I smiled, laughed, cried, and then turned the page to find out what on earth could possibly happen next.
~ Betty Auchard, Author, Dancing in My Nightgown
A Clown in the Trunk sparkles with wit and nostalgia. Wills’ memories of life with a rambunctious family range from the absurd to the poignant and her reader is constantly howling with laughter, sympathizing with an outnumbered mother, or wiping a responsive tear. Writers will particularly enjoy this book. If Wills could write under these circumstances, no writer has an excuse for not doing so.
~ Jan Murra, Author, Castoff
. . . a wonderful, funny, sad and uplifting book.
~ Writer’s Digest (Award Winner for Life Stories)
A Circus without Elephants proves once again that to Tolstoy, happy families are not all alike. Wills describes the highs and lows of her remarkable family with a sunny wit shadowed by the experience of tragic loss. One is left with a renewed sense of joy in the moment and of the solace of shared laughter.
~ Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey, Author, A Woman of Independent Means
Dear Maralys:
If I were asked which presenter made the Southern California Writers’ Conference worth the price of admission for me, there would be no contest. Your name would immediately leap from my lips without hesitation. Were I asked to select a single workshop, however, my response would be more difficult. How could I choose one workshop as the best from the three of yours I attended? The Killer Queries & Snappy Synopses was an information wonder, and I so appreciated your handouts and sample materials. Then your two Read and Critiques introduced me to the world of attention-grabbing starters, sentence variation, and curiosity-building endings.
I came home from the conference with a treasure of tips in my handbag, and I felt it only appropriate to take time to thank you. Thank you for the new skills I can now use to enhance my writing. Thank you also for the added bonus – the copy of A Circus without Elephants that I was privileged to win at your Killer Queries workshop. What a lovely way to see the skills you teach put into practice in your memoir.
While I am in the process of writing a memoir, myself, I am not ready for an independent editor to hone the final product. When I am, though, I hope you will be available to work with me. I can’t think of anyone whose talents I appreciate more.
Thank you again,
~ Joy Wassel