Interview with Mikki Sadil

I was able to catch an interview with author Mikki Sadil to talk about her newest book, Cheers, Chocolate and other Disasters. 

   

          This is the second novel you’ve written and published and it’s definitely different from The Freedom Thief. What was it like writing a different genre?

Very different! When I took my first advanced novel writing course from ICL, I wanted to continue on with Thief. I had started it for my last two-part assignment in the original ICL course. My novel writing instructor thought there were too many stories out already about the Underground Railroad…Thief was very different at that time than it became as a published novel…so he wanted me to write something contemporary. Cheers took a lot of research, too, as my daughter had never been a cheerleader, so I had no first hand knowledge of cheerleading. Of course, as the novel developed, cheerleading was there but not a primary part.

           Your last book, The Freedom Thief, came out this past November. Was Cheers, Chocolate and other Disasters already polished and ready to find a home? Or were you still in the process of writing it?

It was finished, edited, and revised, but not really “polished.” Actually, it had been gathering dust in my computer ever since that novel course ended. After Thief was published, I just decided to bring out AJ’s story, polish it up and submit it, just to see what happened.

         I know you work with horses, and so does AJ. Was it lots of fun being able to incorporate horses into the story?

Yes! Horses are my first love. I was born on a Quarter Horse ranch, was riding at the age of two, and horses have always been a big part of my life. AJ just had to have horses in her life, too!

     Was it hard remembering who had which personality and not mixing them up?

Sometimes, yes, it was. I think when all of your characters are the same sex and age, it is difficult to find ‘voices’ for them that are unique. Yet, if those voices are too much the same, your reader can’t keep the characters straight. Celine’s voice was easy, because she was so nasty and sarcastic, and so was Lisa’s because she didn’t use contractions. It was the other three girls I needed the most work on.

Instead of AJ’s ‘bad luck’ happening during the course of her teenage years, it all seemed tocome crashing down on her at age thirteen. Why'd it all happen at once?

Thirteen is a trying age for kids, especially girls who are going through so many hormonal changes. A new teen is no longer a “child,” and too new to the teen years to really know what is happening to them, how to act, and how to handle themselves. AJ had never given much thought, if any, to her life, other than to believe it was nearly perfect. She was totally oblivious to her parents’ problems, so the coming divorce hit her very hard. She believed her “best friends forever” were just that…best friends and would be forever. It was more of a “child-like” belief because she had not yet experienced any of the friendship dramas that most all teens go through at some point during those years. I think making her that tender age when she was still finding herself added to the drama.

      I laughed when Lisa said she had a difficult time re-acquainting herself with the American ‘jargon.’ Was it hard to remember that Lisa didn’t use contractions?

Actually, no. I was brought up speaking very formal French, which also doesn’t use contractions, and Italian is very similar. It was kind of fun putting a character into that situation. 

     AJ might’ve been thirteen, but she was put in some real life, adult situations that she had to handle. Why did you pick such a young age? How do you think some of the lessons AJ learned could be applied to problems teenagers might face in the real world?

As I said above, I chose thirteen because it is such a very vulnerable age. I think the ‘fancy’ dinner with AJ’s father and soon-to-be stepmother is a good example of how a thirteen year old would act…eat everything put in front of you, because you are still mindful of past years when Mom or Dad said Eat all your dinner! Then when the main portion of the dinner comes, and you’re expected to eat that, too, it’s only natural for your tummy to rebel!

I didn’t write AJ’s story with the idea that there would be lessons learned. But as time when on, I realized there were. Divorce is a big problem in our society today. Teens have to learn to deal with it in their family as best they can. Just realizing that even though the family unit is broken, the family left together WILL survive is a big part of it. I truly hope that for most teens, the parent who leaves the home doesn’t also leave the family, as AJ’s father did, but if so, the teen has to learn to depend upon the part of the family left together. And try to make that into a solid family unit once more.

More and more, death of a friend is also happening to teens, with all the bullying going on that leads to teen suicide. Every teen, as every person of any age, has to deal with that death in his/her own way. No one can tell you how to grieve, how to act, how to come to accept what has happened. AJ wrote in a diary and that helped her. Her bond with Amberley was so deep she felt that Amberley was still with her, in spirit if nothing else. She could look at the paintings Amberley left and feel her presence. Not every teen has that kind of bond with someone, but believing that your friend is still with you in spirit can help ease the pain of loss. 

        Okay, the big question. Is there going to be a sequel? There’s so much more to tell! If that’s top secret information, then I understand. 

Well, there probably will be a sequel, I just don’t know when. Everyone who reads Cheers wants me to write Celine’s story…why she is like she is, why she resents AJ so much, and most of all, what really happens to her. But I have a big BIG problem! I am ¾ of the way through my next novel, a paranormal/historical/mystery, and really really want to finish it. I’m not one of these writers who can write on 2 or 3 different stories at one time. So I’m not sure at this point if I am going to put away the paranormal story and begin Celine’s, or if Celine is going to have to wait! I think probably…Celine is going to have to wait. But I’m still not sure…it is a dilemma…anyone have an answer for me? LOL

Anyone have an answer for our author?  

Cheers, Chocolate and other Disasters is available at www.Amazon.com Here's the cover for it. 

Thank you so much, Mikki and best of luck with your writing career.

 

Back once more.

Things once again got very busy. There will be more things to look forward to in the next few days. An interview with an up and coming author, as well an announcement or two. Hopefully things will clear up a little with my schedule, allowing me to blog a little bit more.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers, grandmothers, stepmothers, and adopted mothers. Thank you for all you do and may today be your day to relax and enjoy time with family.

Preserve or Grow?

When writing a series, I've come across a bit of a problem. My characters are both juveniles and some of my readers suggested that in order to keep the 'timelessness' of my books, my characters needed to remain as juveniles and technically never grow up. (Personally, that made me think of Peter Pan and how he never wanted to grow up). On the other hand, my editor said she looks forward to watching my two characters grow up and that leaves me in a bit of a dilemma. Do I keep my characters at sixteen and nine for the entire series? Or do they grow up as people do in reality? I mean, I don't want my books to lose whatever timeless feeling they may have. But on the flip side, I'd like to be a little more realistic when I write, even if it means them growing up. Have you ever been in a pickle like this before? How'd you handle it?