Interviews, Guest Spots & More!

Between writing, life, and other time-consuming things, promo-time is usually not something I have the chance to enjoy. Promo-time, i.e those few months leading up to the new book release, usually involves, but is not limited to, interviews, blog tours, book clubs, count down posts, and guest spots.

Because I'm usually already under emotional stress at that time, I don't remembering much from those months as they whoosh by in a flurry of emails, tweets, and Q & As. Lucky for me, and my stress-induced goldfish memory, I can take a day like today, months after the promo is over to look at what I did while in the "black out" period.

Here or some of the interviews and guests spots from last year. A few of the topics I discuss are: Sentencing Sapphire, growing up in Sweden, and book 4 and 5 of the Sapphire Dubois Series.     

Interviewed by Garrett Calcaterra

Interviewed by Peter Hogenkamp

Book Blitz Excerpt & Interview 

Interviewed by Lily Gardner

Guest Spot at Readful Things

Interviewed by Ash Krafton

Xoxo,
Mia

The Holidays

Must say I thoroughly enjoyed the holidays this year. Diversion Books out Stalking Sapphire for free through December, and it was a great Christmas present to watch it climb Amazon's bestseller lists in the US, UK, and Canada.

Between ham cooking, Turkish delight eating, and A Christmas Story watching, I spent the rest of the holidays finishing the final chapters of Sapphire's #4's rough draft, and yelling "Mush! Mush!" at my #1 Beta Reader until he finished reading the latest draft of Project X.

Now, unfortunately, I have rough, and I do mean rough, draft in one hand, and a long list of major notes, that I have no idea how to implement into a fifth draft, in the other. This of course means months and months of rewriting a head of me, which in turn means a lot of fun, laughter, and joy in front of the old lap top...said no writer ever.

Despite the work load and the slight panicky feel it brings, I'm looking forward to 2016's payoffs. Sapphire #4 will be out and about later this year. And, hopefully, I'll get to introduce a new, and dear character to my readers.


I hope everyone will have a prosperous 2016; you all deserve it!

Xoxo,
Mia
   

STALKING SAPPHIRE Free!

In the spirit of the holidays, Diversion Books have decide to make book #1 in the Sapphire Dubois Mystery Series, STALKING SAPPHIRE, free!

As of today, Stalking Sapphire, will be free on both Amazon, and iBooks. The deal will only last through December so make sure to download your very own copy now.

 

 Kindle/Amazon Readers

Get Your Copy Here 

 

 

 

 

 

iBooks/iPad/iPhone Readers

Get Your Copy Here

Happy Holidays!

Xoxo,
MIa

Interview with Author Garrett Calcaterra

Introduction

Garrett Calcaterra is author of the YA fantasy series The Dreamwielder Chronicles. His other full-length books include The Roads to Baldairn Motte and Umbral Visions. When not writing or

teaching, he enjoys playing guitar in his band Wheel House, hiking with his two dogs, quaffing good beer, and enjoying life with his wife and best friend, Mandy.

 

The Interview

Souldrifter, the sequel to your YA fantasy, Dreamwielder, just came out. On a scale of puking-your-guts-out nervous to Tom-Cruise-on-Oprah’s-couch ecstatic, how do you feel?

Definitely more excited than nervous, but not nearly as excited as when the first book came out a few years ago. What I learned from that first one is that it’s a lot of damn work to market and promote a new book as an unknown author. So I’m excited, but also determined to put all the work in to make sure readers actually hear about the book.

You’ve been doing a book club on Wattpad for Dreamwielder. Since the comments on Wattpad come in unedited, has anything the Wattpad-ers said ever shocked you?

Ha! You know, for years I’ve taught creative writing to high school students who tend to be very blunt, so I don’t think any comment could shock me anymore. And the readers on Wattpad have been great. For the most part the comments on my work have been overwhelmingly positive. Wattpad readers compare my writing to George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones quite often, and a few weeks ago, someone even compared my writing to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s. Can’t complain about that. 

You have two dogs—I don’t know their names, so I’m going to call them Biscuit and Bob Hope. Do Biscuit and Bob Hope ever demand your attention while you’re writing and, if so, what do they do to get it?

Garrett, Jack & Jager (aka: Biscuit & Bob Hope)

I do indeed have two dogs. Their real names are Jager and Jack, but I like Biscuit and Bob Hope, so let’s stick with that. And yes, they absolutely demand my attention. Jager…er Biscuit rather, will nuzzle me under the arms to knock my hands off the computer keyboard, and then he’ll put his front paws on my lap. He’s a big dog, a little over 100lbs, so you can’t ignore him. Jack, aka Bob Hope, will just bark at me when he wants to go for a walk, and he’s bigger than Biscuit, so yeah, his bark rattles the walls. 

Being an author of horror as well as fantasy, have you ever scared yourself so badly that you: A) Had to stop writing. B) Peed a little. Or, C) Turned on all the lights and grabbed Biscuit and Bob Hope for protection.

I’ve definitely been known to cuddle with Biscuit and Bob Hope when I’ve had a few too many drinks, but I don’t get scared all that easily, probably because what plays out in my imagination is way worse than anything that happens in real life. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been a daydreamer, playing out imagined scenarios in my mind. That’s why I became an author, I guess—so I can bring those daydreams to life.

Do you remember where you were, what you did, and whether or not you were wearing an actual Thinking Cap when you came up with the idea for Dreamwielder?

Actually, it was my mother who came up with the concept for Dreamwielder. She literally dreamt of a young woman sleeping in an opulent castle whose parents were trying to beat down the door, and when they finally did break through and wake her, the castle disappeared in a wisp of fog to reveal a hovel. My mother told me about this dream when I was visiting for the holidays several years ago and it really resonated with me. My imagination took off where hers started and that dream became the opening scene in the book.

Last questions: What is next for you, Garrett? And more importantly, what is next for Biscuit and Bob Hope?

Well, Biscuit and Bob Hope are getting pretty old, so they mostly sleep all day and give me moral support while I write. For my part, I have several projects in the works. There will definitely be a third Dreamwielder book, and then I’m working on something that’s a little darker and geared more towards adults. It’s still in the early stages, so I can’t divulge too much since I don’t know myself, but it’ll be more high-concept than the Dreamwielder books, yet have the same break-neck pacing and action. At least that’s what I’m aiming for.

 

A BIG thanks to Garrett for allowing me to interview him! To check out Garrett's novel Dreamwielder and its sequel Souldrifter click HERE

 

Xoxo,

Mia

Post-Release

Post-release.
Some writers use this time to unwind, sit back and enjoy the aftermath of their hard work, before they dig into their next project.

Which is exactly what I did...for two days. During which time I realized the following:

1: Daytime TV sucks.
2: My living room patio has 25 blinds, a strangely uneven and highly unsettling number.
3: The suggestion: take a nice, long walk, no longer sounds like an oxymoronic joke to me.
4: Carrie should've ended up with Aidan, not Big.

When I felt I'd punished myself long enough with a writing break, I jumped back into Project X and finished up the first readable draft. Now, while Project X is in the hands of Reader #1, my husband, I'm dedicating all my time to Sapphire #4, tentatively titled: Sacrificing Sapphire.


Xoxo,
Mia

Contest Winners & Sentencing Sapphire Preview!

The Silencing Sapphire Book Club has come to an end and, as always, I had a blast doing it.
A big thanks to all the Wattpad readers for their lovely comments and compliments. I genuinely have no words to describe how wonderful it has been to read your messages.

With the conclusion of the book club, I have put up the first three chapters of SENTENCING SAPPHIRE (Sapphire Dubois Book #3) on Wattpad as a preview. Read them HERE!

A giant congrats to the three winners of Contest #1: The Sapphire Dubois Quiz! The winners' wattpad names have been announced on the Contest section of the Silencing Sapphire Book Club.

Last but not least, we have the winner of Contest #2: The Art Contest.

CONGRATULATIONS to a very talented girl named Ariel, who took home the prize with her beautiful drawing of Sapphire Dubois.

Xoxo,
Mia
 

Interview with author Arthur Kerns

Introduction

Arthur Kerns spent most of his FBI career in the New York City and Washington, DC. Following

graduation from college, he did a stint with the US Navy amphibious forces, and then joined the FBI with a career in counterintelligence and counterterrorism. Retiring from the FBI, he became a consultant for the Director of Central Intelligence and the Department of State. His lengthy assignments took him to over sixty-five countries. He attended Archmere Academy in Claymont, Delaware, earned a degree in International Relations from St. Joseph’s College in Philadelphia, and received an MBA from New York University. He spent a year studying Arabic at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. A past president of the Arizona chapter of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers, he tries to spend as much time as possible in the Monterey California Bay area. His award-winning short stories have been published in a number of anthologies, most recently, SoWest: Desert Justice.

Diversion Books published his debut novel, an espionage thriller, The Riviera Contract, in March 2013 and the sequel, The African Contract, May 2014. He now is writing the next novel in the series, The Yemen Contract.

The Interview

Art, you’ve had quite an exciting life so far: FBI, counter intelligence, consultant for the Director of Central Intelligence, the list goes on. How did you adjust when settling into the calmer life of an author?

I found it easy to slip into the writing world. However, if you want to succeed you learn it’s a lot more demanding than you expected. Many of us had the vision of working on a manuscript alone in that mountain cabin, or maybe a seaside cottage. We writers know it’s not quite that way. The hassle of marketing, attending book signings, workshops, and conferences takes up a lot of your time. Then there’s the research necessary for your story. Eventually, you try to find time to write. A calmer life is, I suppose, a relative concept. Overall, to steer me through the writing process, I’m fortunate to have a great agent in Liz Kracht and a supportive publisher, Diversion Books.

How much of your character, Hayden Stone, do you see in yourself?

Hayden Stone is very much a creation. Yes, we have similar backgrounds and some character traits, and likes and dislikes, but Stone’s ventures into the spy world of counterterrorism is his own making. Now, I am interested in the foods of the world and enjoyed my travels to far-away places, but the action (and romance) sequences are from whole cloth.

Having travelled to over 65 countries in your line of work, does writing exotic locations come easy to you?

I love traveling to places off the main route. Many of the countries I traveled to in Africa, most people don’t know exist and if they did probably couldn’t find a tour company to take them there. When I was young, I was an avid reader of Richard Halliburton’s travel books. If fact, I have two first editions in my library. I chose Yemen as a location for my next novel, because I traveled there many times and found the people and landscape fascinating.

I see you as the Ian Fleming of the States. How would you feel if Hayden Stone ended up on the big screen, and which actor would you like to see in the role?

Don’t we all want to have our novels end up on the big screen? Jon Hamm, now that Mad Men series is over, he has time on his hands.

You’re working on the third book in your series right now, The Yemen Contract. How many Stone books do you think you’ll write?

After the Yemen Contract, I can see one, maybe two more books. As a matter of fact, I’m just about to hand to my critique group the draft of the first chapter of the Tuscan Contract. However, I have another manuscript in the works, which focuses on the unsolved murder of an FBI agent in 1929. Another idea percolating is a series about an FBI agent sent to Latin America during WW II to counter the Nazi threat.

With all the places you’ve been in the world, where is your favorite place to write?

My favorite spot to work is right here in my home office. My wife, Donna, did a great job of helping me put together the perfect place to write.

Want to check out Arthur’s Hayden Stone series? CLICK HERE

A big thanks to Arthur (aka: America's Ian Fleming) for this interview!