Thursday, July 12, 2012

Friday Fun + Give*Away: Meet MIA DOWNING!


Please help me welcome the talented MIA DOWNING to the blog today! I'm so glad to have MIA here today (first time) and happy to report she'll be back next month with a new release! Yay!
Thanks for being here, Mia :)


Thank you so much for having me, Jennifer! I’m excited to be here and I’m such a fan of your writing. Rafe was a delicious find out in the mountains! I doubt I’d ever get that lucky. LOL

I’d love to give away a copy of EXCEEDING BOUNDARIES  to a lucky commenter. Make sure you leave your email addy. I’ll get back to you with the format of your choice! It’s a juicy, conflicted read, so it’s worth the comment!

    *  Was your road to publication a delightful stroll in the park or a tiring jog over hot coals?
I think it was more of a run through the park being chased by zombies. I’m lucky, I happened to be in the right place and right time when I submitted to my editor, so she saved me from the zombies. I started writing again in 2000, was a contest slut, won prizes, got rejected by a big six NYC editor over the phone with a request to write for a different line (I wasn’t ready to do what she wanted.) Then I listened to a friend who basically killed the dream with one sentence. That, along with health issues, put the dream in the trash can until this year when the stories decided they needed to be heard.

* Where is your favorite place to write?
Right now it’s on the laptop at the barn. We just got a horse, and we have two cows. They don’t all fit into the barn, and the horse is protective of his space. The horse comes out to eat, but needs to be watched (he doesn’t have a stall yet and I envision him playing Jacob’s ladder with his lead rope.) So I have two hours a day of writing time on the laptop. It’s peaceful, I take coffee, and if I spend a little longer on the laptop, the horse doesn’t complain.


* Do you have critique partners?
No. A critique partner (CP) can be a catalyst for good or evil. Unfortunately, I ended up in hell paddling the boat that goes back and forth across the River Styx, collecting coins from dead people. LOL I gave up fiction and instead turned to other venues within the business (technical and ghost writing.) But I couldn’t stay away, so finally I got brave. I do have two very close friends I use to bounce ideas and give more of an overview once I’ve written what I need to write. I also use a beta reader now and then. Of course my editor is a valuable tool though I try to make everything as perfect as possible before she gets the book. I do sound ideas off her, and she’s my biggest cheering section!

* What music are you listening to lately?
Each book has its own sound track and I have to go and find music that fits that scene/character. I know I have the right song when I put it on repeat and don’t hear it anymore. Weird, but that’s me.
The Spy Games series have songs that can mix and match because the characters are in every book. Kelly Clarkson’s Stronger was Kate’s music. Chase makes love to Kate to Snow Patrol’s Set Fire to the Third Bar. Charlotte loves Niki Minaj’s Starships. Jake thinks Rick Springfield’s song, Jesse’s Girl is too ironic and changes the lyrics to Chase’s Girl. LOL. Right now I’m on a 30 Seconds to Mars Kick. Jared Leto is mine. I’d like to see him on a Mancandy Monday!
Exceeding Boundaries, my first book, was written to Maroon 5’s Never Gonna Leave This Bed and a few others. Funny but I can’t listen to that song now, for this series. I only hope my characters don’t wish for country music. I hate it.

* If you could switch places with one of your characters would you?
Yes, I’ve always wanted to be Kate. She went from nerdy and frumpy to having a kick ass body, great boobs and nicer hair thanks to the government. She is optimistic and full of determination, willing to change to become what she needs to be for her job and for her relationship with Chase. Chase is not an easy man to love because he has so many facets behind the gorgeous face and bossy attitude. But more importantly, I love how she grows and becomes empowered by her new role as a spy, and how she has two men that love her so deeply. Granted, she would die first for Chase, but she loves her partner, Jake, too.

* Tell us a little about your WIP.
I just finished the last Spy Games Endgame. Charlotte Smith is a secret agent marking time until her final mission is put into play. Right now she’s Aaron James’ bodyguard. He’s an actor who got himself into a bit of trouble and needs protecting. He’s also Jake’s younger brother, who is the hero for book two, and plays an important role in book one.
And I’m also in the middle of a male/male targeted for the Boys Of Summer series TWRP has running this summer. It’s a best friends story and very heartbreaking to write at times.

Exceeding BoundarieBLURB:

Lawyer Megan Connors wants a man, one that will wine her, dine her, and help her to forget the pain of a date rape she experienced as a teen. Her boss, Adam Wentworth, is just the man--tall, dark-haired, blue-eyed, and a confirmed player. He's perfect for a weekend of non-committal sex that will entice her inner woman out to play for good. So Megan devises a plan for seduction, one that will lure Adam into her arms. 

Adam has been attracted to Megan since day one, but his preference for dominance and her fragile air kept him at bay. Megan's kiss under forgotten mistletoe is just the fuel his lust needs to exceed the boundaries she once put in place. He's game, but he wants more than a weekend with the vulnerable yet sexy Megan. 

When the weekend is over, will Megan allow the past to keep her bound or can Adam convince her she’s strong enough to submit? 


BUY Links:
AMAZON
THE WILD ROSE PRESS

Twitter:  miadowning007

30 comments:

  1. Nice interview. The book sounds good.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. Hi BN100! Thanks so much for your comment. I hope you win!

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  2. Great to see you again Mia! All the best with the book. :)

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  3. Hi Mia, Glad to see you here on Jennifer's blog.Great interview, ladies. I think I'd want to be Kate, too, if I could get a little energy "intervention." LOL. No need to enter me for the drawing. I have read--and enjoyed--the story. I'm looking forward to the next one.

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    1. Hi Barbara!!! So great to see you here. I would love to be Kate. And the great thing is the heroes of that series are so different. Jake is lighter and more fun and I feel between the two--Jake and Chase--Jake would be much more demanding on his women in bed. He still has his own angst. My last book, Aaron is funny and a ball-buster and is learning the ropes in the whole Dom thing.

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  4. Great to meet you, Mia. Exceeding Boundaries sounds great and you have an awesome cover. It's going on my TBR list today.
    sandy4lee@yahoo.com

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    1. I Sandra! I'm so glad you love my cover. I picked Jimmy before he became really popular. If you look at Jennifer's cover, her's is a Jimmy Thomas, too. Such a versatile man. ::swoon:: I hope you enjoy the book as well.

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  6. Hi Mia, Great interview! The book sounds wonderful and I can't wait to check it out! Best wishes to you!

    Erica
    ejp737 @ gmail.com

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    1. Thanks, Erica! I'm glad you enjoyed the interview. Jennifer asks intriguing questions!!

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  7. Great interview and it sounds like an exciting book. Can't wait to read it. Nice cover too. Good luck with your next book. rings@wwt.net

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    1. Thanks, Jackie! It was fun to write. My cover artist is Diana Carlile (also my editor.) She is incredibly talented and will do Indie covers.

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  8. Hey folks, if you're having trouble commenting but still want to be entered in the hat, go ahead and shoot me an email at miadowning007@hotmail.com and I'll toss your name into the hat.

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  9. You never cease to amaze me, Mia. What a great interview and how fun to learn even more about you after all the years we've been friends. I wish you the best in all that you do - writing in the atmosphere of the barn with your horse and cows just adds the right amount of spice to your life.

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    1. LOL thanks, Paisley! I want enough covers for a quilt. I hope you don't pass out from the excitement of staring at my covers!!!

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  10. Hi Mia, the book sounds great! I'm so glad you didn't let the negativity of others permanently stop you from writing. Glad that your stories "demanded" to be told. I love picturing you writing with your horse and cows. Best of luck with your books!

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    1. Thanks, Nona! I have a picture of them on my blog. www.miadowning.blogspot.com I'm glad I didn't listen to the negativity, too!

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  11. Hi Mia, great interview! Great book, too!

    Darah

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  12. You don't have to worry about me passing out, Mia, it's the big guy who's going to be spending a lot of time hovering.

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    1. The secrets out...doggone. :) No, actually I was talking about Ken. I did a book cover quilt once with interesting covers and he did spend more time watching me and offering to help. ;0)

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  13. Loved the interview, Mia. You know how much it thrills me to see your books making a splash! Give the horse a carrot for me :-)

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Mia!! The horse will enjoy is carrot.

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  14. Welcome Mia! Your book sounds luscious! I've seen a hundred covers like yours- hot that is- with a hero slamming the heroine up a wall- and they are ok. But- for some reason yours stood out for me. Yowza-Wow-wow! Damn! I did a triple take and I have a sneaky idea it has to do with the fact he resembles an Indian with that thick black hair and deep penetrating... tan... I've been thinking about my Cherokee shapeshifter heroes today... Nope- your cover is NOT ordinary- and now I'm off to look at some of those others I have a very bad feeling I've cheated. ;) If you have a spare copy of your cover...er, book... just send a PDF to cmselfridge@gmail.com please.

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    1. Hi Calista! That's what a talented cover artist can do!!! My other cover is just as wonderful. The model is Jimmy Thomas and he has a stock cover website to drool over. I'll see if I'm allowed to send book covers to people. Thanks for stopping by!

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  15. Sounds like a great read! I'll definitely add it to my wishlist! :)
    -Amber
    goodblinknpark @ yahoo.com (or aol if yahoo is being mean! :P

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  16. Sandy Dailey, you win! My editor picked your name from the hat. So you can thank her. LOL

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