Mary was born in Albany, New York. She started writing at an early age and won her first writing competition at 12. She dreamed of being both an actress and a writer and appeared on stage in school plays and summer theater workshops. After attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, Mary went on to graduate from the State University of New York at Albany.
Her first book, THE ARK, was publishedin in 1978. Since it was science fiction, her publisher decreed she needed a "spacey sounding" pen name. They decided on Jarl Szydlow. Her second SF novel, THE COLONY, followed in June 1979. This time she used the pseudonym, Mary Vigliante, her maiden name. Its sequel, THE LAND, came out in August 1979. In April 1980, SOURCE OF EVIL was published. In July of that year her first hardback book appeared. A departure from her previous SF novels, SILENT SONG is the story of a young woman wrongly committed to a state institution. Mary based the story on the residents she met and the conditions she saw while working as part of a team inspecting New York State institutions for the mentally ill and developmentally disabled. It was reprinted in 2000. WORSHIP THE NIGHT, an occult/ dark fantasy, followed in March 1982. It was reprinted in 1985 and 2000.
Though she continued to write for adults, Mary started composing stories to entertain and amuse her little daughter, Carrie, who often became a model for her pint-sized characters. Even the antics of the family pets became fodder for her stories. Her first children's story, NOT SO VERY DIFFERENT, was published in Young Crusader Magazine in 1988. By that time she was working as a reporter for The Record, the Troy, NY daily newspaper. She also became the paper's consumer advocate "HOTLINE" columnist.
Her children's book I CAN'T TALK, I'VE GOT FARBLES IN MY MOUTH came out in December 1995. Illustrated by Ray Dirgo, the cartoonist who developed The Flintstones, The Jetsons, and Yogi Bear, the book is about a boy who reluctantly assumes responsibility for a family of homeless green Farbles who've taken up residence in his mouth. Her second children's book THE DUCK IN THE HOLE was published in 2007. It is illustrated by Lori Kiplinger Pandy. KIA'S MANATEE, also illustrated by Pandy, was published in 2011. Her early/1st chapter children's book A PUDDLE FOR POO, illustrated by KC Snider, was released July 2015. MILLIE MULDOON & THE CASE OF THE THANKSGIVING TURKEY-NAPPER, the 1st book in the MILLIE MULDOON series was published in Nov. 2016. MILLIE MULDOON & THE CHRISTMAS MYSTERY followed in December 2016. In Oct. 2017, she published Ghoul School, a humorous tale about a school filled with unruly students and the scary substitute teachers brought in to bring order to the classrooms. Her own experiences as a substitute teacher were the inspiration for the story. The 3rd book in the Millie Muldoon Mystery series: MILLIE MULDOON & THE CASE OF THE HALLOWEEN HAUNTING was published in Oct. 2018. Little Sowbug & the Big Flood a first/early chapter book was released in Dec. 2018. Are We There Yet? A Story of Migration was published in January 2019.
Dark Realm, a fantasy about good and evil, darkness and light, salvation and damnation was published in August 2016. A new, updated version of WORSHIP THE NIGHT her occult/dark fantasy was published in October 2016.
Her post-apocalyptic SF novella, THE HAND OF MY ENEMY, was published for Kindle in March 2014.
Using the pen name Mia Frances, she is the author of the IN HIS KEEPING erotic romance murder mystery thriller series. The 1st book, IN HIS KEEPING: TAKEN was published in July 2015, the 2nd, IN HIS KEEPING:BANISHED, came out Nov. 2015. And the final book in the series, IN HIS KEEPING: CLAIMED, was published February 2016. Her steamy romantic suspense novel Little Girl Lost was published in June 2018 and her post-apocalyptic/dystopian romance TRIBES was published in August 2019 .
Her stories appear in the Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies: The Dog Did What?, August 2014; Volunteering and Giving Back, August 2015; Merry Christmas!, October 2015, Mom Knows Best, March 2019, and Life Lessons from the Dog, April 2019.
Mary's short stories, articles, children's stories, essays, and poems have appeared in newspapers, literary magazines, children's magazines, and other publications.
For more information about her work, visit her website at: http://www.maryviglianteszydlowski.com.
