Look and Listen

Biography

Maralyn Dennis Hill says she was born to travel and tell the story. She has been fortunate in discovering jobs that have provided opportunities to explore much of the world. From flight attendant, copywriter, incentive program creator, conference planner, motivational speaker to writer, all have fed her love of travel and writing. Maralyn learned early that food and travel are intimately entwined and symbolize the culture and geography of each destination. An unexpected bonus was meeting Brenda Hill. In the 80’s, Brenda and Maralyn were both working on the Governor’s Vacation Travel Council in Connecticut. They clicked immediately and Maralyn asked Brenda to work with her. Even though they joked about someday writing a book, neither of them knew it would happen. Maralyn and Brenda co-authored their first book, "Our Love Affairs with Food & Travel" in 2001 and the second one, "Cooking Secrets the Why and How…"in 2005. In 2008 their third book, "$uccess, Your Path to a Successful Book" was released. $uccess is a dream come true as it is the book workshop attendees continued to request. Now, they have written a workbook/guide that others can use to help achieve success as a writer. For four years, Maralyn served as a broadcaster for Time Warner Cable with her own TV show. She and Brenda continue to write articles, books, seminars and workshops. Maralyn and Brenda enjoy assisting and motivating others on their writing path. Maralyn is on the Quiet Leaf Speaker’s Bureau, and conducts frequent workshops. She and her husband Norm also edit books and write articles together. Maralyn says, “Brenda and I writing in tandem is like Planes,Trains, & Automobiles, plus faxes, e-mails, and lengthy telephone calls. We are always moving on to the new adventure and keep looking forward to the future. We’ve an unusual partnership that works well. We do Whatever it Takes, WIT,” a series of seminars we offer. Maralyn is a Board Member, Conference & Press Trip Co-Chairman for the International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association. She stays busy writing, traveling, speaking, marketing, and the list goes on. When Maralyn was growing up in a typical two flat home on Chicago’s west side, she lived on the first floor with her mother, sister and brother. Her grandmother and aunt lived upstairs. Maralyn’s mother and family were creative and encouraged this trait. Maralyn and her sister Carol nurtured each other’s imagination. Her father started as a freight handler and became president of the largest transportation union in North America, BRAC. With his 8th grade education, he had an honoree degree from Harvard University. He always stressed, “You can if you think you can.” Maralyn lives by that saying along with her own favorite, “What’s good about it?” Maralyn started writing in high school journalism class. In the late 70’s she established a promotional advertising and consulting firm, Brink Associates, Ltd., in Connecticut. As part of her client work, she wrote advertising copy, incentive programs, marketing programs, and company newsletters. Thus, she finally started to get paid for her writing. During her 15 years with Brink, she won five international awards for successful marketing programs. Marriage and children did not stop Maralyn from following her dream. She brought her children on many assignments and travels for exposure. Daughter Lindsay loves reading and son Eric has started writing. Granddaughter Alecia has an inquisitive nature. In 1987, Maralyn enrolled in the Organizational Development program at the University of Massachusetts. In 1989, part of her graduate work was on-site independent study of how Japanese and American companies conduct business in the Pacific Rim. Her brother Les, an instructor at Loyola University headed up this class. Her primary focus was organizational/cultural management. Maralyn submitted a graduate paper on the experience. While traveling from New York to Hartford by bus one fine day, Maralyn met her future husband, Norm. Maralyn is quick to say he was not on her agenda. But, she certainly is delighted that he happened to sit next to her. After completing her degree in 1990, Maralyn sold the advertising and sales promotion portion of her business. She wanted to focus on consulting, training, writing, and exploring the world. Since then, she spent 15 years in the Carolinas and moved to Arizona in 2006.

Inspiration

It seems like I've always been inspired to do some type of writing. However, I give Brenda credit for saying, "Why don't we write a book together." That was the spark that has built into a roaring flame and we're loving it. I always see the glass half full and view difficult situations as opportunities. It is rewarding to work with other aspiring authors to help them achieve their dream.