Give it a try

As November draws to a close, and the busy holiday shopping season picks up, try to at least once a day stop and find one thing in your life to be thankful for. I know it might seem trivial, but you'd be surprised how it can turn the course of your day for the better. It's easy to get caught up in the grumpiness that's out there, and sometimes hard to remember at least be thankful for one thing, but I encourage you to give it a try. Pretty soon, you'll find more than one item a day to be thankful for.

Interview with Mikki Sadil

Day 5: I'm thankful for my readers. It's so much fun to meet them at book signings, or get messages from them, saying how much they've enjoyed the stories I've written. Thank you so much, guys! And Happy Thanksgiving!

Remember how I said I was thankful for people who were inspirations to me, and they didn't even know it? Well, I had the honor of interviewing one of those inspirations: Mikki Sadil.

Mikki is a recently published author. Her book an historical fiction entitled The Freedom Thief, is available on Amazon.com as an e-book. She has been working on this book for two years, and experienced so many setbacks during that time, I'm sure she felt like throwing her hands up in defeat. However, she didn't, and each time something tried to push her down, she pushed back with a stronger determination to keep going. Without knowing it, she became an inspiration to me to keep going, even when it felt like everything was against me. I was so happy when she agreed to let me interview her. And so, without further adieu, here is my interview with Mikki Sadil, author of the newly released, young adult historical novel, The Freedom Thief.

  

1. What made you pick the Civil War era?

I’ve been interested in the Civil War ever since I studied it as a kid in school. Back then, I couldn’t understand why a difference in philosophy could cause family members, as well as friends and neighbors, to go to a war where they would or could actually kill each other, brother against brother, and so on. As I grew older, of course, I realized that a difference in philosophy, be it religious, political, societal, or whatever, is usually what causes wars. But none have ever been as deadly as the Civil War.

2. Did the story come to you all at once? A little bit at a time? Was it fun to write?

I began the story as the final assignment for my first course at the Institute of Children’s Literature. I did finish it, but wasn’t quite satisfied, so I took the Advanced Novel writing course in order to finish it properly. My instructor didn’t care for it, and wanted me to write a more contemporary story, which I did, and which has become my second novel to be published next year. I then took a second novel course, and again finished this manuscript. However, this time, my instructor and I were at odds over it from day one, and when I finished the course, I deleted the entire first 5 chapters, and rewrote the whole story. The Freedom Thief, which came out on Nov. 8^th, is nothing like either of the two previous versions. So it wasn’t a “little bit at a time!” And “fun to write?” Well, at times, yes, at other times, no it was frustrating!

3. Why did you make the main character, Ben, so young? Would the story have been seriously altered had he been older?

I wanted to make this a middle grade or young adult story. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed Ben should be young enough to have his making the decision to help his slave friend escape a very daring event, and the things that happened to them along the way even more adventuresome. If he had been older, I don’t think the impact of arranging an escape, especially since it was on such a “spur-of-the-moment” timing, would have been as great.

4. Did you enjoy the research? Was it long and tedious?

Yes, I did enjoy it, but that’s because I love to do research. Actually, I research every story I write, to make sure I have all the tiniest details correct. It was long, more than 2 years, but not tedious, as it also included a barge trip down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers that my husband and I took We visited a lot of historical towns and Civil War sites, and I learned some wonderful details that I included in the story.

5. What was your inspiration for the cover? I like how the title on the front is colored in red, white, and blue. Was that your idea?

I had only a small input into the cover. My publishing company has Cover Artists that do all the covers. Her first cover was lovely, but it was so esoteric that I knew kids would never in a thousand years understand it, or “get” the idea and imagery behind it. So I sent it back and told her 10-13 year olds would never understand it. She finally came up with the one I went with, but although it is nice, I’m still not in love with it. The CA didn’t even know the story was for kids…CAs are not required to read the books…so she and I didn’t agree too much on anything. I do like the way she did the title.

6.  Are you enjoying your new job of being a writer?

LOL! I’m laughing because it seems like I’ve been writing all my life! I have, off and on, but these last few years of writing for publication have been so intense that it almost seems like I’ve never done anything else!

7.  Can we get a hint as to the nature of your next book?

Of course! The book that is coming out in the spring is a contemporary novel about a 13 year old girl ( I seem to be “stuck” on 13 year olds Here is the blurb that will be on the back cover:

My name is Alyson Joanne, but everyone calls me AJ. I have two best friends, Julie and Jaime, a champion mare, and a great family. Well, that’s the way it was. Then Celine Carroll came to town, and everything changed. Celine took over my life. Celine took over Julie and Jaime, who aren’t my BFFs anymore. Celine started a fight at school with me, and because of Celine, I got hurt in cheerleading. Speaking of cheerleading, my new partners are Lisa and Amberley (thanks to Celine), the two most disliked girls in school. And that’s not all. My parents are divorcing. My mare got hurt. There’s a new woman in my dad’s life. My whole world is upside down. I mean, you’d think Celine was some kind of evil omen, wouldn’t you? Although, Amberley…she becomes the one bright light in…well, I guess you’re just going to have to read my story to learn about Amberley, and what happens to her and to me.

The title of this book is: Cheers, Chocolate, and Other Disasters.

8. What advice can you offer someone who’s been writing for a long time and might want to throw up their hands in despair because they’re not seeing the fruits of their labor as fast as they thought they would?

The first thing I would say is Never Give UP. This past year and a half in my private life and that of my family, has taught me that no matter what happens, you HAVE to keep on keeping on. If you don’t, you will end up in the middle of a bleak, dark tunnel and not find the light at the end. But if you don’t give up, that light will come, and you will find it. The second thing is something my first instructor at ICL told me: Don’t follow the advice of so many writing teachers, and ONLY “write what you know.” That can get old and boring real fast. LEARN what you don’t know but want to, STUDY what you don’t know but want to, and then WRITE about it. Follow your heart, follow your dreams, don’t pay attention to current fads in writing because they will be gone by the time you publish, and don’t give up.

Thank you so much, Mikki! Be sure to check out her book on Amazon.com, here’s the link to it. http://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Thief-Mikki-Sadil-ebook/dp/B00GJ1A7JI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385652099&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Freedom+Thief

 

Day 4

Day 4: This one may sound a little odd, but I'm thankful for time. Time I'm able to spend with family and friends, time spent doing something productive, and time spent writing.

Day 3

Day 3: I'm thankful for friends who inspire me without even knowing it.

Day 2

Day 2: I'm thankful for my sister's artist talents and her willingness to draw things to go on my book covers.

Gripe or give thanks?

It's Thanksgiving week, and there are plenty of things to be thankful about. And, unfortunately, there are just as many things to get stressed over. I've noticed it's often easier to get stressed out about something and gripe about it, than it is to find something to be thankful for. Starting today and in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, I'm going to find one thing to be thankful for every day. I know we should be thankful every day of the year, but this time of the year, during all of the hussle and bussle, I want to take a moment out of the busy hubbub to count my blessings.

Day 1: I'm thankful for my family and friends and their encouragement of the career I've chosen.

How about you? What are some of the things you're thankful for?

Great stories to add to your collection

I read a great story last night entitled Where Moonbeams Bounce by Katie Clark. It's a short story about a young girl named Melinda who must choose between following her heart or doing her 'duty' to save her family. I usually prefer novels, but this story was exciting, intriguing, and kept me reading to the very end. It's so worth adding to your story collection! and is available on amazon.com, here's the link. http://www.amazon.com/Where-Moonbeams-Bounce-Katie-Clark-ebook/dp/B00DENTS1C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384447931&sr=8-1&keywords=Where+Moonbeams+bounce



Oh, before I forget, Katie also has a YA dysotopian novel coming out titled: Vanquished. Be sure to be on the lookout for this great upcoming novel. I was able to read the draft and will say that this is a story definitely worth adding to your collection!

Digital Seal

I've made it to the second round of 'Fifty Greatest Authors You Should Be Reading' contest. And as a little 'token' of my accomplishment, they've sent me a digital seal to proudly display on my blog, or wherever I choose to put it. (I wonder if it can go on book covers) Here it is, and I couldn't have done it without the everyone's help. Thank you so much for voting for me. :)

NaNoWriMo

     Well, it's National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Stories are being written, characters are coming to life, and plots that've been dormant  for a long time are now taking shape, both in the writer's mind and on the keyboard. What's your writing style during NaNo? Do you outline first and then write the story? Or do you go ahead and write, and then come back and edit later? I personally find it easier to write, and then come back to it later and edit. However, it does create problems, and can make the editing last longer than I'd like to.

     Now, in March, there's National Novel Editing Month where you have to edit a certain amount of words during the month of March. Do you wait for that month to role around before you begin tidying up the story? Or do you plunge headline into editing as soon as NaNo's over?