Interview with Mia Dymond
Published romance author since 2012. “I write contemporary romance novels with sexy, alpha males and females with attitude to boot. I live in a zoo,hold down a full time job, and am trying to coax my creative muse from her cage. So BEWARE, the madness may rub off on you!”
Mia came and visited us On the Wings for Writers Discord server this month to chat with us and tell us about the Honey Badger book club pick of the month of November Leather, Lace and Rock n’ Roll.
On to the Interview
S.A.Crow
So, we'll go ahead and get started. So thank you so much for being here and for writing the book. That's our November book club pick.
Mia
Yes, and I don't know which one you picked.
S. A. Crow
We picked leather and lace and rock and roll.
Mia
Okay, good. Good deal that I'm most familiar with.
S. A. Crow
So thank you so much for being here. And for learning discord a little bit today.
Mia
Thank you, I appreciate you asking me. I've never done anything like this before. So it's a treat?
S. A. Crow
So my first question is. What is your publishing model? I know you're an independent author. And I know that there seems to be two publishing models out there right now. One is very quick and high paced publishing, and the other one's more of a community base and slower production. So which model did you choose? And how is that working for you?
Mia
I do both. It just depends. It sounds strange. I really I'm just one of those people. That if something comes into my brain, I write it down and go from there. So if it comes out fast, it comes fast, if it comes out slow then it comes out slow. So, if you ask me which one I prefer, I like the faster publishing model.
S. A. Crow
How did you get started writing? Were you like most of us an early writer, and you just finally went, maybe I should do something about this and be a published author? Or were you late to it?
Mia
Yeah, no,I've been writing since elementary school. My mother said, I came out with stories in my head, I could spin a story when I was a kid, like you wouldn’t believe. And I was always, I call them fairy tales when I was little. So I would sit down and I would write fairy tales. And my mom would read them and tell me how to make them better and all of that. Then once I got older, I started reading romance novels, like, you know, a lot of women do. And I thought, you know, I think I could do this. And so I guess probably, my children were older. When I really seriously got started. They were probably in high school. And I just took an experience from my life. For my first novel, and that's what I sat down and I wrote about it.
S. A. Crow
What is that first novel?
Mia
That was “Leather Lace and Rock'n'roll”?
S. A. Crow
Oh, wow.
Mia
Yeah, that was the very first one I ever published. That one was based on experiences at a rock concert. I went to see the band Aerosmith. And wrote about it.
S. A. Crow
Did that first book meet your expectations or exceed them?
Mia
It exceeded them. When I first got into the publishing world, or got serious about writing, and I posted about this on my blog a couple of weeks ago, it really was not an accepted practice to be self published. There were people doing it, yes. But in the quote, un quote, real publishing world, you needed a big publisher to back you and market you, give you all the things that you needed to be successful.
So I honestly got so frustrated at being turned down, when I would query publishers, I thought, you know, I realized this is kind of an odd subject for a romance novel, but I really think that if you direct your writing towards a younger audience, I think they're going to be able to relate to this a little bit. And I really think it is a good story to tell.
So I tried and tried and tried and tried, and I didn't have any success. And finally, my best friend in the whole world, God love her soul, and she subscribed to The Romantic Times magazine. And she saw an ad for Smashwords. And which was very new at the time, and it was a self publishing platform. And I just took a leap, and man did it take off. It just and I was like, freaking out, I, I looked at those numbers, with things finally started coming in for me, this has got to be a typo.
This is happening, you know, in fact, I got so concerned that I called Mark Coker, the publisher, and I said, I think something's wrong. I think my numbers are skewed. And he said, No, they're not.
So it really did exceed my expectations.
S. A. Crow
Wow. So is there anything you would like to tell your younger self? Now that you've been publishing for a while in the industry?
Mia
I would say. Well, it's okay to listen to other people's advice, listen to it. But really evaluate it, because I let a lot of people tell me that self publishing was not the way to publish. And I really wish I had tried sooner than I did.
S. A. Crow
Go for it.
Mia
Yeah, I say go for it. If you can stand behind your product or your novel, and you have faith in it. I say just do it. Just hold your breath like I did and jump in.
Yeah, I mean, really, right. And that's part of the reason that I write under a pseudonym is because I didn't want anybody to know who I was or what I was doing.
S. A.Crow
I guess it’s freeing to take chances literally when you don’t have to answer to someone else about it.
Mia
Yes. Yes. And I guess you still do have to answer for them. Because I mean, if you're true to your readers, you're gonna give them a product that is real, you know, you're not gonna just make a whole bunch of stuff up, you know? Well, I guess you kind of do. But, yes, it is. To me, it was easier for me to let my creativity flow and take chances behind my seat in it.
S. A. Crow
So getting personal, where are you? Right? Do you have an office? Do you write on your bed? Do you write all over your house? Do you go out to the cafe,
Mia
I do all of the above. I write wherever, whenever I feel like it, I write it. If it's in the middle of the night in a notebook, that's what I do. I do have a home office. At one point in my career. I actually had an office that I went to from eight to five every day. And I don't have that anymore. But I do have a home office and I spend a lot of time in my home office. I think I get a little distracted because I have a lot of things in my office. So sometimes I feel a little bit off track that way. But no, I write all over the place, you know. Even if I'm on vacation. I have a notebook all the time. Because if I don't write it down it doesn't stay in my brain.
Guest
So you don’t have a drunk muse?
Unknown Speaker 20:23
Yeah, I do have a drunk muse. It's funny because I think that sometimes drunk muse or not when you're more relaxed. I really think as a creative person that maybe those things can happen easily or once you're relaxed, you know.
S. A. Crow
So what do you like to read when you have downtime? What is your guilty pleasure read?
Mia
I read romance. That's all I've ever read. That's all I really want to read. I do like biographies. But I really prefer to watch those on TV. But I do, I read romance. I'm very ashamed to admit it's been a while since I've actually sat down to read anything. I've just been working so hard on my own stuff. And, and, you know, that's another thing that I would do differently. I think it's important to take time out to read, because I think you need to read what's out there. I am very guilty of not doing that.
S. A. Crow
So who were some of your romance writers that inspired you? I loved Bertrice Small when I was young. I think I had an Amanda Quick. And one Daniel Steel that I liked was Wanderlust. So who were your favorite writers to read?
Mia
Oh, when I was younger, of course, I just read the little Harlequin romance novels because I wasn't allowed to read anything else. That was about the level my mother wanted me to read. But as I got older, I jumped into Laura Lee. And I really liked Laura Lee. And I love Christine Feehan, her paranormal series are absolutely wonderful to read. And I read. Gosh, those are the two I read the most. Lori Foster, and Carly Phillips. I read her a lot.
S. A. Crow
I like Lori Foster.
Mia
I do too. Those are the ones if I'm just wanting to sit down and read something that I don't have to concentrate on. And I don't mean that, you know, negatively. I really jump into those authors.
S. A. Crow
Oh, very cool.So we all know that writing isn't a solo occupation. So are there any groups or you know, do you have like, writing buddies and or writing groups that you get with and kind of bounce ideas off of or sprint with anything like that?
Mia
I do not, no. And like I said, I have a very wonderful lady who I've known for many, many years. She's my very best friend. And a lot of times I'll talk things out with her. Other than that, it's just, it's just me, I prefer to be a one woman show.
S. A. Crow
Very cool.
Mia
Kind of a control freak that way.
S. A. Crow
Do you find it easier to have to do that, then to work with or to hang out with a group?
Mia
I do. I do. It sounds weird. I'm not really a social person that you know, I'm kind of on my own. I'm somewhat of a hermit as far as my writing goes, I do socialize with people. As far as writing is concerned, no, I keep that close to my chest. I do that on my own. Occasionally I will bounce ideas off my husband and say, hey, does this sound real to you? Could you believe this, If it really happened, you know? And he'll give me the Yeah, maybe or the totally responsive husband of, whatever you think is best. mostly me. And to answer the Guest’s question. I don't have a beta or an arc team. However, I am thinking about starting one with the novel when I finish up. I'm thinking about getting together an arc team that way.
S. A. Crow
And I do know you have a street team because I'm on it.
Mia
I do.
S. A. Crow
So, who is your favorite character you've ever written?
Mia
That would be Cameron. She's in Leather, Lace, and Rock n’ Roll, Outspoken Angel, Freaky by Nature, Tightly Wound, and Cat’s Meow.
S. A. Crow
I love her.
Mia
She's my alter ego. I know her very well. Well, if anybody is familiar with my writing, I always have a snarky female. There's always a snarky somebody somewhere. And, and so she was my first. Yeah, she's my favorite.
S. A. Crow
So if you could cast your first book, Leather, Lace, and Rock n’ Roll, who would you cast in the roles?
Mia
Max is based on Vin Diesel. Kelly Ripa as Cameron. She does remind me a lot of her. Anne Hathaway for Rachel. I think she would make it good, Rachel. But as far as Hawk, I don't know. To tell you the truth. Like I said, I was watching Steven Tyler, when that story popped into my brain. And I don't know that even Tyler is the right person for Hawk. But that's where I was. And that's who I was looking at at the time I came up with this story. So I don't know. But those are for sure.
Thank you Mia for allowing us to interview you. You are a delight. Her newest novel is Undercover Desire (Wright City Heartthrobs Book 1)
Transcribed with help by https://otter.ai
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