Hello,
Happy to announce that Stalking Sapphire is back on NetGalley for ONE week. All book bloggers, reviewers, and everyone else who read books like other people pop Pringles (me), can request a free copy!
For anyone who doesn't know what NetGalley is, it is an amazing online community where you can join and get your paws on free books, generally before they're published.
The publication date for Stalking Sapphire's sequel, which I'm up to my elbows in as we speak, is there as well.
I'm also very excited to say that the first two chapters of Silencing Sapphire will be up for free on Wattpad at the end of the week, or possibly, the beginning of next week! More details will follow.
Link for NetGalley:
https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/show/id/28074
Xoxo,
Mia
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
The Notes, The Panic, The Blard
Hi,
The Notes:
So, just like that, my little vacation is over. I got back notes on the first few chapters of Silencing Sapphire and let's just say the road ahead looks so dense and scary at the moment, that I feel as if I just walked into a dark haunted forest filled with tattered signs that say stuff like: Warning and Beware of the Flesh Eating Spiders.
And like I said, those are just the notes for a few chapters, I'll have about a mile more coming my way. First thing I do when faced with this metaphorical haunted forest, is...well panic.
The Panic: can only stay for so long.
Our brains are built to adjust and most major emotions can only sustain their peak for short moments of time, especially if you let them come and wreak havoc for a bit. Eventually, whatever negative emotion has gotten a hold of you, will wear itself out. It doesn't make the panic less intimidating or fierce, but it's comforting to know that the evilness of fingernail biting and the task of mentally beating oneself up, doesn't last forever.
I never, ever write in this mode. Should I, Sapphire would probably retire from the business of capturing serial killers to do something much less menacing, like start her own line of tan-in-a-can products.
When the panic finally does settle, it is replaced by something much more powerful.
The Blard:
Although not an actual word (as far as I know?) the Blard has many faces.
It is the battle cry you make when raising your sword like a Viking, ready to fight the writing demon (a vicious beast, natural to the haunted forest, known to feed on flesh eating spiders and writers).
It is the only word you're able to express to others, no matter what question they ask you, after 10 hours of rewriting without improvement. This blard is often accompanied by the uncommitted single-shoulder shrug.
It is the rebellious sound your stomach makes to tell you: you've had way too much coffee, way too little substantial food, and you've been dying to pee for three hours but, like an idiot, failed to notice.
Xoxo,
Mia
The Notes:
So, just like that, my little vacation is over. I got back notes on the first few chapters of Silencing Sapphire and let's just say the road ahead looks so dense and scary at the moment, that I feel as if I just walked into a dark haunted forest filled with tattered signs that say stuff like: Warning and Beware of the Flesh Eating Spiders.
And like I said, those are just the notes for a few chapters, I'll have about a mile more coming my way. First thing I do when faced with this metaphorical haunted forest, is...well panic.
The Panic: can only stay for so long.
Our brains are built to adjust and most major emotions can only sustain their peak for short moments of time, especially if you let them come and wreak havoc for a bit. Eventually, whatever negative emotion has gotten a hold of you, will wear itself out. It doesn't make the panic less intimidating or fierce, but it's comforting to know that the evilness of fingernail biting and the task of mentally beating oneself up, doesn't last forever.
I never, ever write in this mode. Should I, Sapphire would probably retire from the business of capturing serial killers to do something much less menacing, like start her own line of tan-in-a-can products.
When the panic finally does settle, it is replaced by something much more powerful.
The Blard:
Although not an actual word (as far as I know?) the Blard has many faces.
It is the battle cry you make when raising your sword like a Viking, ready to fight the writing demon (a vicious beast, natural to the haunted forest, known to feed on flesh eating spiders and writers).
It is the only word you're able to express to others, no matter what question they ask you, after 10 hours of rewriting without improvement. This blard is often accompanied by the uncommitted single-shoulder shrug.
It is the rebellious sound your stomach makes to tell you: you've had way too much coffee, way too little substantial food, and you've been dying to pee for three hours but, like an idiot, failed to notice.
Xoxo,
Mia
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
The Tortoise and Bieber's Hair
Hello,
I the past few days I have completely dived into writing on Project X and catching up on my reading...and by reading I don't mean my research books on the mind of a serial killer and/or sociopath, but real reading; the kind meant to enjoy and lose yourself in.
As for Project X, it is something I will keep working on while on Sapphire breaks. Since the Sapphire series is the numero uno priority, I have a feeling Project X is going to take me years to complete. The concept deserves a carefully thought out approach and the world--which I have to create from scratch--is extremely complex and will take a lot of plotting and precision in description on my part. Not to even mention the fact that I'm trying to pull off my secondary character as both a protagonist and antagonist at the same time. Yikes! It is quite the challenge and I believe the one thing I've said to myself every time I open up the document is: "Holy s**t, what did you get yourself into?" After which I do the Macaulay Culkin and slap my hands to my cheeks and scream.
But, after all, the tortoise did win the race and if one should choose to believe that fables own some accuracy in real life, then the longer it simmers, the better it will taste. Or...it burns to the bottom of the pan, resulting in a ruined meal and the urgent rummage through your takeout menu drawer; time will tell.
In other news...I'm always fascinated by how news anchors can say that, leaping from a horrible story about Libya to a segment about Justin Bieber's new haircut without even blinking, making a smooth transition by using those three little words. I'm also fascinated by how quickly I can lose my train of thought; it's honestly amazing that I manage to write cohesive stories at all.
So, in other news, I just had the honor of reading my sister's children's book manuscript. It's not only entertaining and educational for the kids, but written in captivating, Dr. Seuss style, rhymes. I was literally hooked into a story made for people half my size and five times younger than me, within two paragraphs. My big sis does not only have the talent of words and story, but manages to apply the psychology of teaching a child important lessons in a very entertaining way. Mark my words, Kevin the Cat is going to be huge and loved by the Swedish publishing houses.
Xoxo,
Mia
I the past few days I have completely dived into writing on Project X and catching up on my reading...and by reading I don't mean my research books on the mind of a serial killer and/or sociopath, but real reading; the kind meant to enjoy and lose yourself in.
As for Project X, it is something I will keep working on while on Sapphire breaks. Since the Sapphire series is the numero uno priority, I have a feeling Project X is going to take me years to complete. The concept deserves a carefully thought out approach and the world--which I have to create from scratch--is extremely complex and will take a lot of plotting and precision in description on my part. Not to even mention the fact that I'm trying to pull off my secondary character as both a protagonist and antagonist at the same time. Yikes! It is quite the challenge and I believe the one thing I've said to myself every time I open up the document is: "Holy s**t, what did you get yourself into?" After which I do the Macaulay Culkin and slap my hands to my cheeks and scream.
But, after all, the tortoise did win the race and if one should choose to believe that fables own some accuracy in real life, then the longer it simmers, the better it will taste. Or...it burns to the bottom of the pan, resulting in a ruined meal and the urgent rummage through your takeout menu drawer; time will tell.
In other news...I'm always fascinated by how news anchors can say that, leaping from a horrible story about Libya to a segment about Justin Bieber's new haircut without even blinking, making a smooth transition by using those three little words. I'm also fascinated by how quickly I can lose my train of thought; it's honestly amazing that I manage to write cohesive stories at all.
So, in other news, I just had the honor of reading my sister's children's book manuscript. It's not only entertaining and educational for the kids, but written in captivating, Dr. Seuss style, rhymes. I was literally hooked into a story made for people half my size and five times younger than me, within two paragraphs. My big sis does not only have the talent of words and story, but manages to apply the psychology of teaching a child important lessons in a very entertaining way. Mark my words, Kevin the Cat is going to be huge and loved by the Swedish publishing houses.
Xoxo,
Mia
Thursday, June 6, 2013
SILENCING SAPPHIRE's Release Date
I'm very excited to announce that the release date of SILENCING SAPPHIRE, the Stalking Sapphire sequel, is OCTOBER 1, 2013, published by Diversion Books.
Though I know I still have a long road ahead of me with the manuscript--including implementing notes--knowing the release date is like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. In case you've ever heard the quote, "sometimes that light at the end of the tunnel is a train." it's not what I mean.
Two years ago, I was dying to have my material even glanced at by professionals, and now I'm about to have two books published in the same year. I feel extremely lucky and, I have to say, blessed.
All the luckiness has very little to do with me and much to do with the extraordinary people that surround me and the series. I've been allowed the privilege of getting to grow and hone my skill around a group of strong, intelligent, and very successful women in the publishing industry.
Without them and their knowledge, insight, and wisdom, Sapphire would have gotten nowhere.
For those who have already read Stalking Sapphire and don't want to wait until October 1 for the sequel, I've got two things up my sleeve for yah.
First, I recently joined Wattpad and will be putting up the first two chapters of SILENCING SAPPHIRE shortly. If you're a book-lover, Wattpad has a really nice, free, online community of people who do just that; love books. Please note that this might NOT be the final draft of the first two chapters, just A draft. It's pre pro-editing, proper eBook formatting, and all that good stuff, so don't be surprised if you find some of my previously mentioned Swedish-isms still in there.
Second, the complete eBook of SILENCING SAPPHIRE will be up on NetGalley before the release date. Anyone can join and send a request for the book, all they ask is that you do a review in exchange for the free copy. The minute it's up and request-ready, I will spread the news like there's no tomorrow.
For you are interested in either site, here are the links:
http://www.wattpad.com/
https://www.netgalley.com/
Xoxo,
Mia
Though I know I still have a long road ahead of me with the manuscript--including implementing notes--knowing the release date is like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. In case you've ever heard the quote, "sometimes that light at the end of the tunnel is a train." it's not what I mean.
Two years ago, I was dying to have my material even glanced at by professionals, and now I'm about to have two books published in the same year. I feel extremely lucky and, I have to say, blessed.
All the luckiness has very little to do with me and much to do with the extraordinary people that surround me and the series. I've been allowed the privilege of getting to grow and hone my skill around a group of strong, intelligent, and very successful women in the publishing industry.
Without them and their knowledge, insight, and wisdom, Sapphire would have gotten nowhere.
For those who have already read Stalking Sapphire and don't want to wait until October 1 for the sequel, I've got two things up my sleeve for yah.
First, I recently joined Wattpad and will be putting up the first two chapters of SILENCING SAPPHIRE shortly. If you're a book-lover, Wattpad has a really nice, free, online community of people who do just that; love books. Please note that this might NOT be the final draft of the first two chapters, just A draft. It's pre pro-editing, proper eBook formatting, and all that good stuff, so don't be surprised if you find some of my previously mentioned Swedish-isms still in there.
Second, the complete eBook of SILENCING SAPPHIRE will be up on NetGalley before the release date. Anyone can join and send a request for the book, all they ask is that you do a review in exchange for the free copy. The minute it's up and request-ready, I will spread the news like there's no tomorrow.
For you are interested in either site, here are the links:
http://www.wattpad.com/
https://www.netgalley.com/
Xoxo,
Mia
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Life is for the Living
Since I'm still on "vacation" from writing, waiting for the notes for Silencing Sapphire, I have spent the last few days working on Project X. The piece could be something, or nothing at all, it's simply a story that's been in my mind for awhile and since I can't work on the Sapphire series, I felt it was better to momentarily dig into X, rather than doing my "nothing at all." Wasting time is a huge pet peeve of mine as I often feel like I need to be writing all the time. When I say all the time, I really do mean all the time. If I accidentally sleep more than my designated 7 hours, I panic because I've lost a whole hour of writing time.
Because I constantly feel this way, it seems I have forgotten how to properly live. It became evident the other day when I declined a trip to the cool pool in sizzling 100 degree weather.
"Why?" my husband asked.
"Because I have to write, that's why," I said, adding my favorite snort.
"A break is good for your brain. Do you know the word? Brrr-eak. You can write tomorrow."
"Tomorrow I might wake up to a post-apocalyptic zombie world and I won't be able to write. All my time will be spent running away from zombies."
"If zombies take over the world tomorrow, the few people that survive won't have time to read the book anyway...and zombies don't read."
I offered a cold stared. Got a cold stare back.
"Touche," I said, then grabbed my bikini.
After spending the first 30 minutes by the pool, feeling guilty about not writing while keeping up a half-hearted discussion about what we would do in case of a zombie apocalypse (oddly enough, not the first time we've had this conversation,) I actually started enjoying myself. When the zombies no longer felt relevant, I grabbed my book, Beautiful Creatures, which has been marked at page 256 for two months, and spent three hours reading, pool side, in the sun. One small–nearly non-existent–step for mankind, one giant leap for me.
So, note to self: A break is good for your brain. Zombies are not...they eat it.
Xoxo,
Mia
Because I constantly feel this way, it seems I have forgotten how to properly live. It became evident the other day when I declined a trip to the cool pool in sizzling 100 degree weather.
"Why?" my husband asked.
"Because I have to write, that's why," I said, adding my favorite snort.
"A break is good for your brain. Do you know the word? Brrr-eak. You can write tomorrow."
"Tomorrow I might wake up to a post-apocalyptic zombie world and I won't be able to write. All my time will be spent running away from zombies."
"If zombies take over the world tomorrow, the few people that survive won't have time to read the book anyway...and zombies don't read."
I offered a cold stared. Got a cold stare back.
"Touche," I said, then grabbed my bikini.
After spending the first 30 minutes by the pool, feeling guilty about not writing while keeping up a half-hearted discussion about what we would do in case of a zombie apocalypse (oddly enough, not the first time we've had this conversation,) I actually started enjoying myself. When the zombies no longer felt relevant, I grabbed my book, Beautiful Creatures, which has been marked at page 256 for two months, and spent three hours reading, pool side, in the sun. One small–nearly non-existent–step for mankind, one giant leap for me.
So, note to self: A break is good for your brain. Zombies are not...they eat it.
Xoxo,
Mia
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