Dear readers, I have a huge surprise for you and if I have to be honest, it was a surprise for me as well when Mia Sheridan wrote to tell me she was OK with my questions and attending the interview. 🙂
She is my favorite Romance author, because I admire her style, the passion she puts in each of her characters and the diversity in plot, making each book unique and unforgettable. In the exchange of messages that we had, it was enough for me to realize how amazing she is, how eager she is to talk with her readers, and if that was even possible, I admire her even more.
It is impossible to not know “Archer’s Voice”, “Becoming Calder”, “Finding Eden” or “Stinger”, and this is only a short list of books that will make you love Mia irrevocably.
Hope you will love this interview as much as I did 🙂
Ramona: Can you share with us a little secret regarding Mia Sheridan?
Mia: Hmm . . . I don’t know how much of a secret it is, but I’m really very crowd shy and intimidated easily. I’m a natural introvert and so I’ve had to pull myself out of my shell in lots of ways to be more in the public spotlight.
Ramona: When did you discover your love for writing and what book made you decide to give it a try?
Mia: I only started writing about 4 years ago after I suffered a very devastating loss. I started writing as a sort of therapy and it helped me a lot. But all the indie romances I was reading at the time (Abbi Glines, Colleen Hoover, SC Stephens to name a few) convinced me to try my hand at romance.
Ramona: Where do you get the inspiration to write such different books in characters and plot, but manage to keep your trademark elements?
Mia: My inspiration comes from anywhere and everywhere! Songs . . . stories I hear . . . advertisements. 😀 I’ll take it from anywhere I can. I usually let a story idea swim around in my head for a couple of weeks and if it catches hold, that’s the one I sit down and write. And that’s the one that’s gripped my heart in some way.
Ramona: What was your first published novel?
Mia: All my books so far have been self-published. Leo was my first self-published novel, but I have a published novel coming in October of this year from Grand Central Publishing titled “Most of All You”.
Ramona: Do you admire Contemporary Romance authors? Which ones?
Mia: Absolutely! I love Colleen Hoover (of course!) and Renee Carlino, Katy Regnery, AL Jackson, Amy Harmon. The list is endless. It’s my favorite genre.
Ramona: How do you chose the names of your characters?
Mia: I look online at baby name lists. It’s one of the parts of writing a book I love the most! 😀
Ramona: Which was the most challenging book and which one was the easiest to write?
Mia: I’d say Becoming Calder was the most challenging because there was world building involved and it took me completely out of my element. The easiest? I’d say Grayson’s Vow flowed out the easiest, probably because it was lighter and I just had fun with it! 😀
Ramona: What was the idea behind the zodiac signs and what made you write books around it?
Mia: That aspect is really just for fun and a way to tie the books together. 😀 I do find inspiration in some of the astrological legends though so that’s a bonus! 🙂
Ramona: When you write very sad chapters, do you cry?
Mia: Never..
Ramona: What do Eden and Calder mean to you?
Mia: They’re probably my favorites. I’d say they’re the characters I became the most attached to while writing.
Ramona: Why do you think Archer’s Voice was such a hit and managed to be loved by so many readers world-wide?
Mia: I had no idea it would resonate with so many. It was a complete surprise to me! I was actually REALLY scared of publishing that book because I was very protective of Archer and I feared he would get made fun of in a world of alpha males! Ha.
Ramona: Weren’t you nervous when introducing Stinger to readers, mainly because of his profession?
Mia: You know, it’s funny, I wasn’t really nervous about that but I think it was because at that point, not a lot of people were reading me and I was still just having fun with it. I do feel more pressure now and worry more about reactions. Maybe I shouldn’t, but I do. It’s difficult to ever reclaim those first few experiences. 🙂
Ramona: What made you change the writing style and introduce new elements in Midnight Lily?
Mia: As I was writing that story, I just couldn’t figure out the ending. I kept having this feeling that I wasn’t getting something and there was some twist the characters were keeping hidden. One day my husband and I were driving in the car and it just came to me out of the blue and it felt right. It was like this epiphany. I knew it was a risk and that some might not appreciate it, but I felt compelled to “go there.” I also really wanted to make the reader feel what it might feel like to experience a mental illness . . this sense of confusion and fogginess and like you have the puzzle pieces but you can’t fit them all together. And there are lots of emotions involved in that.
Ramona: Tell us something about “Preston’s Honor”.
Mia: Preston’s Honor is a sign of love Gemini and it’s about the daughter of an impoverished migrant farmworker who loves twin brothers.
Ramona: Finally, a message for the readers who love your work.
Mia: I am so appreciative of each and every one of you. I am reminded constantly that I have the best readers in the entire world.
For more on Mia Sheridan just click on her official website or Goodreads profile:
Ramonisme 