Indie Interview: Mia Darien, author of the Welcome to Adelheid Series
Conversations with authors and writers from the self-publishing world.
Meet Mia Darien
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Best Known for: Welcome to Adelheid series
Today
I have the pleasure of talking to Mia Darien, author of the Adelheid
series. She is a rising indie author who isn’t afraid to write what
she enjoys. She is also keen to talk to her readers and has some good
advice for authors.
Dear
Mia thank you very much for joining me.
Thanks for having me!
How long have you been writing and how did you get started?
I started writing when I was fourteen, which I'll admit was about fifteen years ago. I've been writing in some form or another ever since. How did I get started? Oh, dear... I don't know that I remember! I just loved reading, have since I was three, and I guess I wanted to try to write stories like I'd been reading. Though there is some evidence of little stories I tried writing when I was six or seven. So maybe it started even earlier!
Your Adelheid series seems to be well-liked… Tell us a little bit about the series…
I hope it's well liked! It seems to be pretty well received, yeah. The original idea actually started when I was around sixteen, which is when my reading shifted from epic fantasy to paranormal, like Anne Rice and P. N. Elrod and Laurell K. Hamilton. I really liked the styles of the latter two, and I loved all the vampires and werewolves.
The basic idea was always that there was a law passed that made preternatural creatures into legal citizens, stemming a little from inspiration from Hamilton's work though I go in a fairly different direction. It's changed a lot from where it started, but my goal was always to look at paranormal beings like they're human, just a little extra. That they have everyday issues, and then not so everyday issues.
Each book has a different narrator, even though they're all written in First Person Sarcastic. There are generally mystery angles, though the tenor of each angle changes with the narrator, but it's all tied in by the city it takes place in: Adelheid, CT.
How does this series differ from other fantasy/Fiction novels?
That's a very hard question to answer, since I haven't read them all! *lol* I think that the multiple narrators gives a different feeling to the series on the whole, and gives different in-depth perspectives to the characters and city, and the focus on the "rights" issue for them. Such as looking at the anti-preternatural groups that have risen, even going so far as attacking them, and the fight they have to keep the legal rights granted to them.
You have achieved what many indie fantasy authors dream of- how did your success come about?
Well, I'm still working on it, I think! But it's really just persistence. I've had a lot of bumps in trying to learn my way, and I'm still learning, but just being stubborn in not giving up can go a long way.
Do you have any special tips that you’d like to share with other authors, regarding writing, marketing or publishing?
Write what you enjoy, because then you'll never get tired of it. Don't be afraid to do what you think is best for your story and your characters, let them live their lives. Publishing... Do your homework, and know what you're doing. Follow instructions! Marketing is the area I'm still working on learning myself. But again, be smart and be stubborn.
Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers?
Continue to read and enjoy my books? *lol* Seriously, though, that's as much as I ever want. I want people to enjoy my stories, because I write to entertain. I'm not writing high drama or moral message tales. They have their place, but it's just not what I aim for. I want people to read my stuff and set the book aside and say, "That's was fun!"
Also, I love to hear from people who read my stuff, so never hesitate to get in touch with me. I like to hear if a reader has an idea or a request, even, and I'll try to accommodate. There is a collaboration that is possible between a writer and their readers when communication is open, and that's a lot of fun for me.
Why did you choose to write in the fantasy genre?
I don't think that I did, really. It chose me. I just gravitated towards it, but I write in all sorts of fantasy sub-genres, so I really think I enjoy the flexibility and diversity of it.
Do you also read? What sort of books?
I love to read! I always have. I don't know that you can write without being a reader, too. I go through spells where I don't, but it's only because too many other things are drawing my focus. I read all kinds of things, though generally all speculative, or "genre," fiction: fantasy (epic or paranormal), sci-fi, horror, thriller, mystery, romance (though usually when mixed with something else), apocalyptic... If it looks interesting to me, I'll read pretty much anything. A good smattering of 19th century British literature, too.
How did you learn to write?
No idea... I just started writing. I guess I learned just by reading a lot of great authors and great books, including a lot of classics. I was home-educated in middle school and high school by a mother with an English degree, so I'm sure that contributed a lot to it.
What are your thoughts on self-publishing vs. traditional publishing?
They both have their pros and their cons. I don't think one is really any better or any worse than the other. I think that every writer has to choose what works best for them and then pursue it. I tried pursuing traditional publishing for a while, but then I sat down and thought it through and decided that with the wealth of self-publishing options today, it would be the best choice for me and I think it has been. But every writer and every book is different, and needs to have its own choice made.
Do you have any more books being released soon?
The fourth book in my Adelheid series, "Written All Over Her," has just been released. I have other books being written, in various stages, though nothing else in the works for immediate release.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself or your books?
Nothing more than what I said earlier, which is that I hope people keep reading my stuff and enjoying it, and telling their friends! But more than that, I just like to hear that people are reading, because reading is important.
Thank you so much, Mia!
