Mary Ann Weakley

Mary Ann Weakley was born and raised in rural Central Illinois. The small-town country girl sought a life of adventure by entering a convent at seventeen. Though not the adventure she expected, she adjusted to the austerity and stayed twenty years. An unexpected conflict within the community resulted in a reassessment of her life's path; she left the convent at age thirty-seven.

Once outside the convent walls, with no severance pay, a minimum wardrobe, and no job, she faced the challenge of survival in a changed society where she had no adult history, resulting in awkward and amusing results.

Weakley's first book, a memoir of her twenty years in the convent, Monastery to Matrimony, won second place in the Royal Palm Literary Awards, Florida Writers Association.

Her second book, Faith Unshaken, is historical fiction, based on the life of orphan Rose Beecher in Nauvoo, Illinois. Raised in a convent school, Rose's dream of becoming a nun was denied. The rejection cast her on a path of romance, conflict, disappointment and survival culminating in a desperate decision for the sake of her soul.

Faith Unshaken could be considered a prequel to Monastery to Matrimony, Though the stories are separated by over one hundred years, they have the same setting of Nauvoo, Illinois. Faith Unshaken is the story of the beginning history of the convent in Monastery to Matrimony.

Weakley is currently researching the family history of Rose Beecher and points of historical interest in the Mormon town of Nauvoo, Illinois in the 1800's.

Faith Unshaken received the President's Award bronze medal from Florida Authors and Publishers Association. It is a semi-finalist in Florida Writer's Association Royal Palm Literary Awards.

Weakley's first nonfiction book, Adopt a Cat and Save a Life---YOURS, shares the health benefits of living with a cat. Watch for her next nonfiction book on public speaking.

Elevate Your Public Speaking, is a complete guide to mastering success in Public Speaking. Especially for speakers seeking professional advancement or skill in personal engagements. The big takeaway in reading this book is learning to overcome fears of facing any audience.

A widow now, Weakley lives with her cat, Nala, writing from her home in Central Florida.