Interview : Mia Sheridan english version

Hello Mia, my name is Fidi and I’m the administrator of the Blog, Romance and Fantasy for Cosmopolitan Girls. I just want tell you how much I appreciate that you agreed to participate in our QandA about your novels we all love so much.

I’m not working alone here, Federica, one of my partners, helped me to choose the questions we want to ask. We both love your writing and we read most of your novels in English.

Also, on behalf of my entire blog and our followers, I want to express a vivid and faithful appreciation for your writing!

Personally, I’m honored to help introduce your novels to more Italian women now that much of your work has been translated to Italian, finally! Better late than never, right? Because of this, so many more people will experience how great your stories are.

What a lovely introduction!! Thank you so very much, Fidi and Federica!

So, let’s begin with the questions!

About Leo/Se non torni sto male, ( the Italian title ), we have question. We would like to know, (without serious spoilers, if possible), How is it that Evie doesn’t recognize right away Leo? I mean, they shared such a connection, how is that possible that the sound of his voice or the look of his eyes didn’t ring a bell?

It will be hard to answer this question without spoilers – maybe just make sure to label! :D When I thought about whether it would be possible not to recognize someone I'd known very well when he was 14 or 15, I went on Facebook and looked up some guys I'd dated in high school. I can honestly say that most of them could walk right by me, and I wouldn't know who they were—especially the ones who had grown a lot taller, bigger, etc. Also, Jake had had some minor surgery to further alter his appearance. I think also, that Evie had a knack for spinning stories in her head and convincing herself of things she wanted to believe. She felt such a connection to Jake, that she didn't want that to end – she didn't want to face the truth because perhaps deep inside, she knew it would ruin what they had started to build.

Leo and Leo’s chance/Torno sempre da te were the first translated novels. The next one is Archer’s Voice/ Dimmi che sarai qui. Personally, it is my favourite. It's such an intense story, very emotionally overwhelming. For those who will have the pleasure to read it in Italian very soon, would you like to explain a little about the meaning of Archer’s silence?

Thank you! The thing that was most interesting to me when writing about Archer's experience, was to think about what it would be like to go years without speaking to another living soul. What would that do to you? How would you react to someone who finally did try to speak to you? Wouldn't that be intensely scary to develop an attachment when that person leaving would mean that you'd return to the loneliness you'd known before? These were all questions I posed to myself as I spun his story.

As I said, only a small portion of Italian readers have had the pleasure to getting to know your books. You are a very productive writer and published almost ten books in a very short time. This is my chance to ask you something about them!

About Kyland, a heart breaking love story. The characters lived a very poor life. It is a sadly common reality these days. They often found strength in books from the local library. I think this is beautiful and comforting. Was that partly a message you wanted to send to your readers?

Absolutely! Books have brought me comfort during some of the darkest parts of my own life. They've saved me in ways I'm so very grateful for. They can provide hope, connection, motivation, and you can't help but to dream when you read uplifting stories of others overcoming obstacles. For people like Kyland and Tenleigh who had no other inspiration, books were at least a temporary escape from their own miserable circumstances.

Becoming Calder and Finding Eden are two novels you published at the same time. First of all, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for this awesome decision. If I had to wait months for the continuation, I would probably have combusted from anticipation!!

These novels are incredibly intense- like your others, but the subject you wrote about in this case is unusual; religious fanaticism. During our troubled times, do you feel it is significant to talk about these kind of things?

I am curious to know, what kind of research did you do and what was the inspiration that moved you to write a story with this theme?

Yes! I do think it's a really important subject to discuss—religious fanaticism, throughout history (and certainly today) has inspired such horror and hate between humans. As far as my own research for the books, I mostly researched famous cults, specifically Jonestown. I tried not to base my own cult on any one in particular, but that is the interesting thing when creating a cult (even a fictional one)—you can basically come up with anything you want because that's what it seems they do! Some have been based on aliens returning to earth, some based on minerals believed to be buried in the ground, some based on ancient religions, and some just based on random made-up philosophies. It's insane to read about how many seemingly sane people have been caught up in cults and done horrendous things in the name of their leader. It was so interesting to imagine what it would be like to fall in love with someone under these circumstances, and that was really my main inspiration.

Grayson’s Vow is your very last publication and I simply adore it. The connection between the characters is sweet and angrily passionate at the same time. It’s a story of pride and forgiveness. How did the dragon and the little witch come to you?

Thank you! J It was really fun to write Grayson and Kira. When I started writing their story, I really just wanted to do a new take on the "marriage for money" trope. I also really wanted to write something a little lighter, a little more fun after just coming off of three VERY intense and sad stories. So the witch and the dragon kind of provided the lightness that I was needing, and I had fun watching them poke at each other. J

I’d like to remind readers that you are an indie author. Can you tell us about how your career as a writer going so far, and how you chose this road of life?

When I chose to write a book, I had recently read and loved several Indie romances. So I knew it was an avenue many new authors were choosing to take. I honestly never even thought about submitting my book to a publisher. I didn't even really think anyone would read it. I kind of just threw it up there and everything after that was a complete surprise!

I wish for all your novels to be translated to Italian. So far, do you like the covers or would you have chose differently? Don’t know if you can talk freely about this matter!

I don't always love every cover choice, but I do know that readers respond to specific images in different countries, and I trust my foreign publishers to know what that is.

I believe everyone is interested to know more about the process of translation to a foreign language. How did things happen?

Well I have an agent and so all foreign publishers go through her. J I would have no idea what to do if left to my own knowledge!! J

I guess you have gathered that I enjoyed your novels. I find them so fulfilling and I simply know, when you are involved, I’m going to read a very good story. You are one of the reasons I opened a literary blog. The world deserves to read writers like you and it's my job to spread the word!

I’d like to know, how do you create such amazing novels? I mean, the plots and the characters are so different yet linked in some mystic way. How do you do it?

Thank you so much!! What a wonderful compliment! When I am ready to come up with a new story, I really just wait for inspiration to strike. That can come from so many different places: a song, a story someone tells me, just a random thought that pops into my head. But usually it's some small thread that I then begin to weave into an entire tale in my head. I wait until that moment that I'm really in love with it before I even start writing one word. I find that if I'm not already very inspired, the story just won't flow.

What I love most about you is the character’s analysis. It’s like readers can really know them at the end of the book and it’s so grievous to let them go. Do they come to you so clearly or is there a study behind them?

Some do and some don't. I always say that Archer, for example, really didn't start "talking" to me until 70% into the book! It was so frustrating because I knew his story, I just didn't know the words he'd use to tell it. So I wrote anyway and then when he finally opened up, I went back and edited a lot of his internal dialogue.

Will we ever have the pleasure to have you in our country someday?

Oh gosh, I hope so! It's an absolute dream of mine!

Is your next publications already scheduled?

Yes! I'm about halfway through writing Midnight Lily and am looking at a March release.

Hoping you enjoyed the questions and having forgive me for my poor english, I want to thank you again for accepting this interview! It’s really an honor.

Thank YOU so very, very much. I absolutely loved every thoughtful question. Hugs!!