Illinois Authors

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform 2013

My son looked at me and my accoutrements with skepticism through narrowed eyes. This would be the son with the tattoo between his shoulder blades, the hand-rolled cigarette, the assortment of earrings, and the riot of curls that—at the right length—give him a jaunty, Viva la Revolución Che Guevara vibe. He's a hard one to impress when it comes to unorthodoxy. “Mom, you look like you're ready to break into a chemical plant.” From out of the mouths of babes... As though adjusting to courtrooms, spike heels and a chainsaw after forty weren’t enough… Following in the high-heeled footsteps of Mary T. Wagner's two earlier inspiring and award-winning essay collections, "Fabulous in Flats" starts with the author's hair-raising introduction to running a chop saw, an endeavor lending itself more to flat shoes and safety goggles than stilettos. Whether decked out in a rhinestone tiara and a recycled mink at a Viennese Ball, embracing her inner "mother tiger" at her son's hospital bed, or reflecting on how nice it could be to channel Nancy Drew's fictional life for just a day, Wagner once again shares her wry and insightful style in essays sure to resonate.

Waterhorse Press LLC 2017

FINNIGAN, his best “circus mice” pals Maximillian and Leroy, and Boomer—the strangely silent family dog—return in this sequel to the award-winning FINNIGAN THE CIRCUS CAT. Rescued as a tiny kitten by eight-year-old Lucy Farnsworth and smuggled in secret to the family circus museum, Finnigan is now all grown up with a natural flair for the flying trapeze. However he’s still flying “under the radar” in the barn which doubles as the museum because Lucy’s father is deathly allergic to cats. The arrangement works just fine for everyone…until two shady characters show up with plans to find and steal a treasure that’s hidden in a broken down old wagon recently dropped off at the museum. While Finnigan and his friends set themselves to the task of finding the treasure first and scaring off the crooks, they find it’s becoming harder and harder to keep Finnigan’s presence a secret, particularly where Lucy’s sharp-eyed little brother is concerned. And to top things off, Leroy must swallow his pride and misgivings to go undercover as A RAT to discover more about the unsavory strangers. Inspired by a real life “rescue kitten” and filled with narrow escapes, sleight of hand (or tails, as the case may be), charming illustrations by the author (several drawn from vintage circus wagons), and circus history from the Golden Age of circus parades, FINNIGAN AND THE LOST CIRCUS WAGON will charm young readers and the grownups who love to read with them.

Waterhorse Press LLC 2016

First Place 2016 ROYAL PALM LITERARY AWARDS Maximilian and Leroy are two circus mice cousins who think they’ve got it made in the shade at the old, shuttered Farnsworth Circus Museum. There are no dogs around, there’s a safe path to the full pantry in the old house, and the barn is full of dry hay and old circus wagons to hang out in. But when a new generation of Farnsworths move in, things start to shake up. And when eight-year-old Lucy Farnsworth brings home a tiny rescue kitten and hides him in the barn because her dad is allergic to cats, Max and Leroy need to think fast if they’re going to be able to stay. With the help of Boomer—the strangely silent family dog—Max and Leroy take the new kitten under their wing and show him the ins and outs of living at the museum, and flying “under the radar.” Along the way, they all come to realize that the family that you make can be just as important as the one you came from. And when Leroy finds himself in deadly peril as the villainous neighborhood cats Hector and Godfrey some a’hunting, it is Finnigan the Circus Cat who saves the day! Inspired by a “real life” rescue kitten and illustrated by the author, this book is the first in a series featuring Finnigan, the Farnsworth family, and Maximilian and Leroy as the circus museum reopens. This heartwarming book will delight both children and adults, or in the long-running tradition of the circus ringmaster's announcement, “Ladies, Gentlemen and Children of All Ages!”

Waterhorse Press LLC [Place of publication not identified]: 2020

READERS FAVORITE 5-STAR REVIEW--"Mary T. Wagner is one of those authors that weave adventure, charming creatures, and life skills into a story."Fun for both young and the young-at-heart! Enjoy the latest adventures of Finnigan and his friends in this award-winning children's book series that readers have deemed "enchanting," "adorable," "heartwarming," and "good old fashioned fun"!! When the tent circus unexpectedly pulls into little Beechville, Wisconsin, absolutely nobody could be more excited than Finnigan the Circus Cat and his two circus mouse pals Leroy and Maximillian! All three are still living under the radar in the small but charming Farnsworth Circus Museum--Leroy and Max because they're mice, of course, and Finnigan because he's still being kept as a big secret from most of the Farnsworth family members. While Leroy and Max--and now the high-flying Finnigan--have grown up surrounded by vintage wagons and posters and steeped in circus history and tales of adventure, they never imagined that their wildest dreams would actually come to life! And so they set off to explore the sparkling Big Top for themselves, hoping to wrangle an audience with Finnigan's heroes, the big circus cats. As they navigate the Midway and the Big Top, the trio encounters danger and adventure, and befriend an elephant named Tiny. And their encounters in the lions' den yield valuable lessons about courage and kindness and loyalty, lessons which will be put to the test before the Grand Finale sounds!

Waterhorse Press LLC [United States] : 2016

INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARD winner for "Inspiration" Just add coffee...and sigh! Adding a portfolio of her stunning nature photos to her second collection of award-winning and inspiring essays, author Mary T. Wagner again takes her readers on a tour of ordinary moments viewed with extraordinary grace. Whether reflecting on the view from the steep side of a dormant volcano or enjoying the cleansing effect of a good bonfire after a post-divorce garage cleaning, these essays conjure what one reviewer called “life writing at its best..” Following in the spike-heeled footsteps of Wagner’s critically acclaimed debut essay collection, “Running with Stilettos,” this amusing, touching and heartfelt collection of inspiring and empowering essays unfolds in a voice described as “bed time tales for grownups" and "the Midwest’s answer to Carrie Bradshaw." Wagner (once a journalist and now a prosecuting attorney) writes for the modern woman who deftly juggles career, family, love and chocolate all at once...and still sees the whole stack come crashing down from time to time. Weaving tales of humor and heartbreak, triumph and tragedy, Wagner brings her readers along as she savors the post-divorce view from the back seat of a Harley, reflects on the maternal importance of “theme” cupcakes, gets back on a horse after a terrible, life-changing riding accident, and keeps a vigil by her father’s deathbed. She also shares her inspiring journey from stay-at-home soccer mom to arguing cases before the state supreme court…after an accident that put her in a body cast for three months. For every busy woman who's asked herself "is there one more goal I can shoot for?"...and then answered "YES!!"

Waterhorse Press LLC [United States] : 2014

"Resting Places" is a collaborative artistic effort between photographer Mary T. Wagner and artist Erico Ortiz that balances Wagner's atmospheric and poignant photos from out-of-the way rural cemeteries with Ortiz's vibrant and colorful paintings often drawn from nature and his surroundings. The seeds for this artistic pairing was initially planted when they noticed parallels between some of their earlier works, and took the notion an exciting step farther with a joint exhibit at Ortiz's gallery, Inspiration Studios in West Allis, Wisconsin. Wagner, an award-winning photographer and writer, has long been drawn to nature as a subject. However, she found unexpected grace notes and unspoken stories among the marble tombstones of various cemeteries she happened to drive by. Ortiz rediscovered a passion for painting after retiring from a career as a public school administrator. Discovering abundant inspiration all around him, he is still delighted to find that an artistic project can take on a life and opinion of its own, leading him in directions he didn't expect when he first put the brush to his canvas.

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform [United States] : 2013

After a long fall from a tall horse put journalist and soccer mom Mary T. Wagner in a body cast for three months, she didn't take it as a sign to ease up on the throttle. Instead she changed careers, went to law school, became a prosecutor, and bought her first pair of spike heels. By turns funny, touching, courageous and enterprising, this award-winning and inspiring collection of slice-of-life essays is what one reviewer called "life writing at its best." Wagner takes her readers along as she discovers the freedom and joy of riding on the back of a Harley; learns to embrace power tools after her divorce; and finds new tokens of love the second time around in the form of bonfires and car repairs. Filled with humor, resilience and grace under pressure, "Running with Stilettos" is a wide-open window into one woman's mission to give every day her best shot...in fabulous shoes.

Waterhorse Press LLC 2014

Inspiring. Empowering. A resounding memoir of reinvention. When a hard fall from a tall horse landed Mary T. Wagner—then a freelance writer and a soccer mom with four young children—in a body cast for three months with a broken back, she didn’t take it as a sign to ease back on the throttle. Instead, she changed careers, went to law school, took a job as a criminal prosecutor, and bought her first pair of spike heels. And THEN she started writing again. More than a dozen national and regional writing awards later, Wagner has compiled this "best of" collection of her inspiring and empowering essays from her first three books, and added a few more for good measure. Wagner's earlier books, "Running with Stilettos," "Heck on Heels" and "Fabulous in Flats," earned recognition for humor, inspiration and memoir, and their kudos included both an Indie Excellence Award and a silver IPPY. Two were finalists in ForeWord Review’s Book of the Year Awards. Her legal experience has been similarly eclectic, ranging from handling speeding tickets to arguing cases before the Wisconsin Supreme Court…sometimes in the same week! In essays ranging widely from “Turbo Dating—the Year in Review” to “Riding Pillion,” “The Limoncello Diaries” and “Angels in the Snow,” Wagner’s signature writing style combines humor, insight, and grace under pressure. Whether reflecting on subjects as diverse as motherhood, the view from the back of a Harley, the impending loss of a parent or the therapeutic effects of a post-divorce bonfire, Wagner’s inspiring and empowering essays resonate with universal experiences of love, life and reinvention. A must-read for any woman who’s asked herself “is there at least one more dream I can reach for?”… and then answered “YES!!”