About Me — Rocky Farm Studio Books

WoodSprite Cabin started life as a small sheep barn where the previous owners housed new mamas and their lambs. Since we have no sheep, it said it would like to be a writing cabin. I agreed.

Award for oil painting, a half-century ago - 1971.

My name is Mary D’Amore. When I was born in 1949 (gasp) my name was Mary Catherine Englert. Everyone called me Mary Kay. At 19 my name became Mary Tyrrell. At 35 my name became Mary Plunkett. At 48 my name became Mary D’Amore.

Each name came with its own very long and detailed story, mostly involving love - and sometimes loss.

Right now I am 75 years old. I have no idea how that happened, but I feel the same as when I was 57, and sometimes when I am among my trees, I feel like I’m just 7 again.

I’m a happy person who lives in a magical place on the Sourland Mountain of New Jersey with dark woods, bright fields, a noisy frog pond, and little streams that run fast when it rains or storms.

The people who live with me are my husband, Michael, who is old like me but says he feels like he’s still a young dude; a son and a daughter who are all grown up and each share a section of our farmhouse.

My daughter is in charge of the chickens, so she is a chicken farmer. I wrote a book about her, Molly’s Chickens.

My oldest son is in charge of our forests because he is a forester, tree expert, and master arborist. He appears in my book, Christian and Li Ban.

My youngest son, David, is married and lives with his lovely wife, Cathy, and a very special cat named Bernard. He’s talented at programming (my son, not the cat) and his wife is a molecular biologist. I wrote a book about their family, Bernard of Kuwait.

I began writing and painting when we were all locked down during the COVID pandemic.

All at once - my (post-retirement) job at an art museum ended due to COVID along with the care of my grandsons, which had occupied me several times a week.

Being a history buff I decided to connect with my young grandsons by sharing the stories I had learned. I came up with an idea to write the stories down, combine them with my artwork, and make little hand-made books for them.

My buffiness also includes genealogy, so my first “books” were about their real ancestors – Sir James Tyrrell and the Horndon Worm; Baron Hugo Gifford, Wizard of Goblin Hall; The Colstoun Pear; The Legend of Henry Sinclair; Harald Bluetooth, the Builder King; Isle of Devils; The Strongs, Master Masons; and Elizabeth Key of Jamestown.

Current-day tales were added to indulge my own family and friends – Molly’s Chickens, Bernard of Kuwait, Jenny’s Horse, and Real Friends and Their Children.

I cut out the pages from my Word documents and rubber-cemented the pages into little blank journals, complete with my illustrations. The little books were tucked into Easter baskets and distributed at every outdoor rendezvous.

Through an indie publisher, six of the books were published - Molly’s Chickens; Sir James Tyrrell and the Horndon Worm; Christian and Li Ban; Bernard of Kuwait; Real Friends and their Children; and Jenny’s Horse.

Three are due to be out soon - The Tenth Day: Hekate and Demeter Search for Persephone; Baron Hugo Gifford, Wizard of Goblin Hall; and The Colstoun Pear.

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My debut adult novel, Sourland, Wuthering Heights New Jersey is currently being beta-read and queried.