Post release Q&A PT 2
Crime Lord Series
Q: Will you write a short story about Gavin/Lyla?
A: Not a short story. They have another novel in the Crime Lord Series lineup.
Q: Will Angel get his own book?
A: Yes.
Q: Will Blade get a book?
A: Yes.
Q: Do you still plan to write about Lucifer?👀 he is my fav for many reason ♥️
A: Yes
Q: Will Angel's brothers, in particular Roque, get a book?
A: Yes. Raul and Roque both get books. Raul’s actually up next after Carmen’s books are finished.
Q: Will Crime Lord series have alternative covers?
A: The series will be rebranded once I do Carmen’s books so everything will be more cohesive. I’m really excited! I have no idea what they’re gonna be yet, but I’m brainstorming.
Q: Will we see more of Alice before her own story? If she gets her own story? Like more background on her lol . Will she get dragged into the world more? I guess is what I'm asking 🤷
A: She does get her own story and will be present in most of the books leading up to it, but I don’t think we’ll get into her background until her book. And yes, she’ll get dragged into the world more than she’d probably like.
Q: Do you foresee Lucifer ever demanding the spotlight in a future storyline?
A: He gets his own book in future.
Q: I don’t know if this is considered a future plot question so totally understandable if it doesn’t get answered but I read in a book group last year that your planing on writing a prequel book about how Lyla and Gavin met and everything leading up to her running from him, is this true??
A: Yes, this is true. I would like to write a prequel eventually.
Writing/Business
Q: How long it usually takes you to write a book?
A: When I first started, it would take me about 1-4 weeks to write a 40-50k word novel. But the plots were much more simple and they were standalones. Crime Lord’s Captive and Recaptured by the Crime Lord took me about 2-3 months for the rough draft? Bitter Heat was written in 2 months? The first books in a series are really easy to write because there’s no parameters. But the deeper you go into the series, the more thought has to go into aligning details and facts. You also have to ratchet up the tension in different ways to keep things interesting. Different books take more time. I think Awakened by Sin took me 6 months? IDK. It varies a lot for me.
Q: Do you ever get tired of writing in the same character worlds? Or wish you could create new ones, but feel you can’t because you’ve already committed to writing so many books in one world, like the Crime Lord?
A: Short answer: No. You created the world, so you can make whatever you want to happen in it. And if you want it to end, you can. I just genuinely like the characters and want to tell their stories, which are all intriguing in their own way. I also don’t restrict myself to writing just these series. I’ve published under another name since I began and I still indulge my muse and write other things when I need to let off steam.
Q: In your professional opinion what is better... save up and create a business or just publishing bare bones and getting started?
A: I’m not really sure what the “saving up” part is for. To publish a book, you just need a cover (I bought one from Fiverr for $10 a couple years ago for one of my pen names). And an editor… It took me years to actually get my stuff professionally edited, so do it once you make money. Or, do it before if you prefer. That can cost anywhere from $300-3000. A lot of professional authors just use proofreaders. I think putting out work and moving onto the next is the only way you actually improve so holding back until something is perfect is just delaying your growth and future. (Of course, this is just my opinion, from my own personal experience.) Most authors never know if they’ll make enough money to justify allocating money to create an LLC and getting a CPA. You can build your business around you as you grow, which is what I think most of us do.
Q: How do your characters come to you?
A: Characters can come from anywhere—talking to a cashier at the grocery store, a movie, or (this is very cliche) a dream. That’s how I met Roth. I was half awake and he was holding me/Jasmine down in bed, threatening me about how I divorced him blah blah. I stumbled downstairs to my notebook and tried to get down as much as I could remember and capture his menace. Gavin actually walked onto the page of another book I was writing—her ex finding her with another man after she took off years ago. He taunted her throughout this business dinner before blackmailing her into going back to Vegas with him. Lyla wasn’t supposed to stay with him—she was supposed to be rescued by her white knight (not Jonathan—a powerful man, but no realistic match for Gavin). A couple chapters in, I realized Gavin wasn’t going to let her leave so I scrapped the earlier story and allowed her to stay with him and that was the start of the Crime Lord Series.
What is your writing process? Do you plan then write or make it up as you go along? Or do you write a rough first draft then go back and edit? Love your work!
I start with a concept and usually sketch a loose outline of the story. That outline usually bears no resemblance to the final product, but it’s something to refer to and you keep adding to it, scratching out things, and finding better avenues. In a first book, you can let creativity take the wheel and be as wild as you want, but when you start the next book, everything has to line up and correlate and you suddenly curse details you added in the previous book. So, I’d say I’m half plotter, half pantser. I do a rough draft, rewrite/edit, and a polish. I also try to allow time between the first draft and the rewrite. Stephen King says to leave it 3 (or 6) months minimum before going back to it and I agree. You want to look at the work with fresh eyes, as if it’s someone else’s work and see all the flaws so you can fix it.
Q: What is your favorite thing about writing?
A: Hmm. Interesting question. One of the main things I love about writing is creating the world and characters. Anything can happen in that world. You can make the characters victors, victims, villains, etc. When I write, I’m roleplaying the character so it feels like I am that character for that period whether it’s a few weeks or a year, so you should make sure it’s a world you want to live in, because you will be. Another thing I love is when the story starts writing itself. Your hands are moving on the keyboard, but your mind’s a blank slate and you see the story playing out in your head like you’re watching a movie. You’re the medium rather than the creator. That’s magic. You feel a euphoric rush. It doesn’t happen often, maybe a handful of times during a project, but when it happens, I feel like a giddy kid.
Q: Do you plan on ever writing a dark romance with a true villain/anti-hero?
A: This isn’t a goal of mine. I’m just writing stories that interest me.
Q: How do you decide on your various pen names? Do they have any meaning or are they randomly selected?
A: No, the names are random and don’t have any sentimental value to me. It’s more about finding a name that no author has and that has an open domain for a website. This is getting more and more difficult! 4 other authors have claimed the name Mia Knight since I published. In future, my pen names will probably be more absurd and odd so others aren’t tempted to write under it such as Ursula Cherry Winterthorp or some shit
Q: You mentioned being Polynesian in your blog a while back. Has that influenced the characters you write? Is jasmine white or is she mixed since we don’t know much about her mother?
A: I’m Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, Danish, and Portuguese. My nieces and nephews are Filipino, Irish, Native American, Puerto Rican, and probably a lot of other ethnicities I can’t remember. I don’t think it influences the characters that I write that much. Because everyone around me is so mixed, I don’t really see race so I rarely bring it up unless it’s tied into the plot somehow. I would say Jasmine is mixed white, but I haven’t defined what she is since it has no bearing on the story.
Q: Do you also wrote under the pen name Emmy Chandler? I am so worried about the author she just kinda disappeared she also used to write scific. I hope she is doing well even if she is not writing anymore.
A: Sorry, not me.
Q: I know you love to stay in your book world (which is amazing!), but do you see going to any book events in person/doing talks or anything really in the future? Whether it’s in a decade or in a year?
A: Umm… it’s not really on my radar. I’m mostly focused on just getting all my series up to date. I would like to attend one as a reader first before going as an author. Maybe I’ll be able to go to one this year or next!
Q: What are some of your favorite book tropes to read?
A: Marriage of convenience, second chance, friends to lovers...
Q: Who is your favorite character?
Pretty cliche, but usually my favorite character is whoever I’m working on at the moment, but if I had to choose an all time favorite character it would probably be Roth because he’s so unapologetically himself and I love that about him.
Will you be opening a Patreon again?
I wouldn’t go back on Patreon because they don’t have enough security to protect the material and I didn’t have much control over things. If I do something like Patreon in future, it would be on my website, which has the ability to have members. I haven’t decided whether I want to do this or not. I’ll announce it if I do!
Q: Will you stay active on social media now that you are back?
A: No. I’m actually just on here, answering what I can because I want to be off social media by next week. My main method of communication will be my website. Saint Emily will be managing everything for me.
Q: Hi Mia! Would you consider producing special editions of your books? I would love to buy hardcovers with beautiful edges for example, and I'm sure so many will, too!
A: Yes! When I have a home base, this is something I will be looking into!
Q: How often does your PA Emily let you know about discussions on your social media? (when you are off FB etc) or will you be totally disconnected until your next release?
A: Emily never tells me anything and that’s how I prefer it. LMAO. She’s a much-needed buffer for me. I’ll be updating my blog on my progress, but social media is too much for me. The anxiety of checking messages and notifications and stuff makes me insane and I can’t focus on writing when all of that is constantly pinging out of the corner of my eye like a neon sign. The more focused I am on the books, the quicker they’ll come, and the happier we’ll all be. And, on that note, please be nice to Emily. She deals with a lot of BS from readers on author’s behalf. I have no idea what I would do without her and if someone is rude to her, she has my permission to eject them without hesitation and I'll always back her up 100%.
Q: How are your dogs doing? Also, can you recommend some of your favorite romance pieces, both popular and rare gems while we wait for your books. Other people can drop same in the comments. Mine absolute favorites are Envy by Sandra Brown and Run Posy Run by Cate C Wells.
A: My dogs are doing well, thanks for asking. And some of my favorite authors are Linda Howard, Kristen Ashley, Christine Feehan, Johanna Lindsey, Suzanne Wright, Jennifer Cruise, Stephanie Laurens, Michelle Reid, Lynne Graham, Nalini Singh.