BLOGWORDS – Thursday 29 August 2019 – CHAT THURSDAY – AUTHOR INTERVIEW and GIVEAWAY – MIKAL DAWN
CHAT THURSDAY and GIVEAWAY – AUTHOR INTERVIEW – MIKAL DAWN
“Faith. Fun. Forever.”
“When I was younger, I used to think that joy was all about feeling happy, having fun, and laughing a lot. It is that, but it’s more than that when we invite God into things.”
Please join me in giving a feathered welcome to Mikal Dawn.
FAST FAVES
Cake or Cookies
Oh…neither!! I don’t mind cake, so I guess I should answer that, but unless it has whipped cream icing, I’m not the biggest fan. And cookies? Well…the only ones I truly like are shortbread. DON’T HATE!
Call or Text
Definitely text! It drives my husband nuts, which makes it that much more fun to be a text-only girl. Haha!
Dogs or Cats
This one might get me in trouble, but CATS! I adore cats. You know the cartoon girl who is always, “I’m gonna love you and hug you and squish you”? Yep. That’s me with cats. Especially when they’re fluffy cats.
Eggs or Pancakes
Now this one’s tough! Both! But if you’re going to make me choose (not fair, Robin!), then pancakes.
Facebook or Twitter
Oh, Facebook for sure. I talk too much to use Twitter.
Paperback or Kindle
Eep! Kindle. But if a book I’ve read is a favorite on Kindle, I buy the paperback!
Thornton or Darcy
How about Fulke Wynland from Tamara Leigh’s Dreamspell? Hello.
Yoga Pants or Jeans
Yoga pants!!!!!! And leggings. But no leggings in public. Yoga pants, however? ALL. DAY. LONG.
rem: First of all, I love shortbread cookies…
Hullo, Mikal, and welcome to my little nest. Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
MIKAL : I was actually born in a small city a half-hour from downtown Vancouver called Maple Ridge, in British Columbia. I lived there until I married my husband when I was 30. From there I immigrated to the US (Georgia) and have since lived in Virginia, Nebraska, and now live in Central Oklahoma. I got my degree in Business Administration from Liberty University, and work for Fellowship of Christian Athletes as a part-time Admin. I actually worked for the local field office while living in Omaha, and we couldn’t bear to part ways, so I now work for them remotely. I love it! I also volunteer as an admin for our church, serve on the Board for my daughter’s figure skating club, and am hoping to start volunteering for a crisis pregnancy center soon.
My husband and I have been married for 13.5 years and have three kids: Ethan, who married his wife, Ashlyn, in 2018, Van, and Elliette, both of whom are in grade 5. And of course, His Royal Fluffiness, our cat, Leo Tolstoy.
rem: Love the kitty name! (I, too, have a fondness for felines.) Tell us three random things about yourself no one knows.
MIKAL : Hoh boy! Ha!
1. I write rom-com, but when I’m stuck, I find writing a murder scene shakes things up and I can write humour again. (It sounds way worse than it is, I promise!)
- I can impersonate Goofy’s laugh pretty well. I don’t know why, but I can.
- You may or may not find me binging on Judge Judy. Hey! She’s funny!
rem: Judge Judy is a HOOT!!! And I would not want to appear before her in court! Do you have a favorite Bible verse? And why is it a favorite?
MIKAL : I have several, but two of my favourites are Romans 8:38-39 – For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – and Psalm 107:13-14 – Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. I’d write them out, but it’s more fun for you to go search them out. ❤
rem: Romans is probably my favorite book of the Bible—I keep going back to it over and over, and it is heavily highlighted! What is your favourite quotation and why?
MIKAL : Oh, come on! (rem: muwahahahah) That’s a hard choice!!! So I’ll give you a few: “Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.” (Charles Dickens), “For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson), “I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.” (Abraham Lincoln), and finally, “You can’t make footprints in the sands of time by just sitting on your butt. And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?” (Bob Moawad).
rem: Those are all gems! But (see what I did there???) I especially like the one with the buttprints! What’s the most random thing in your bag or on your desk?
MIKAL : I have kids. There have been SO many random things! LOL! Just yesterday, I had a towel in my purse (to dry skate blades so they don’t rust) and an aerosol can of silver glitter hair spray. What can I say? It was competition day. 😉 Other times, I’ve found gross items kids will stick somewhere so they don’t litter. I won’t go into detail. *shudder*
rem: Um, yeah, EWWWW…. (I have kids, all grown now, but I know. I know.) If you could spend an evening with a fictional character, who would it be and why?
MIKAL : Oh good gravy! This is another tough one. There are so many. Definitely Fulke Wynland. Because, well, Fulke. And then definitely Cole “Tox” Russell from Ronie Kendig’s The Tox Files series. It would be an action-packed evening!
rem: Seriously, I’mma have to check this Fulke guy out! What do you think is significant about Christian fiction? How has being a novelist impacted your relationship with Christ?
MIKAL : Christian fiction has had a major impact on me in so many ways, both as a reader and a writer. Besides being clean and trustworthy fiction you can read, it allows you to examine yourself and others through the eyes of characters similar to you, or experiencing the same things you are. You gain a different, often eternal, perspective on what you may be going through. It has also taught me empathy and how to respond to different situations that the people around me might be facing.
As for my relationship with Christ, well…writing isn’t easy. It requires a lot of trust in Christ, to be honest. I often feel like an imposter in the writing world, (rem: me too!) so I need to trust that He gave me a calling and has equipped me to fulfill that calling. He’s drawing me closer to Him through His Word and prayer, both in my personal walk and every time I sit down to write. He’s so gracious and loving!
rem: It’s amazing, isn’t it, how our writing intertwines with our faith, each making the other stronger. When reading, what makes or breaks a story for you? Your fiction pet peeve?
MIKAL : I’m very much a dialogue-driven person, so flowery prose, description that is too detailed, all of that will take me out of a story. If the pacing is slow, I have a very hard time finishing a book, whether I’m reading it or listening to it (big fan of audiobooks here!). I don’t know if I actually have a fiction pet peeve, though, as much as I just have genres I don’t enjoy.
rem: Oh yes!!! I cannot stand hokey dialogue!!! (ps – I’m aces with dialogue!! #winkwink) What are you reading right now?
MIKAL : I’m reading the Summer of Suspense novella collection. So far, it’s great! I’ve been on a suspense kick for many months now, so I’m hoping once I’m finished with this collection, I’ll be ready to dive into something else…I actually have time travel up on my Kindle Unlimited, ready to go. When I’m doing housework or driving in the car by myself, I’m listening to Fearless by Tamara Leigh. She’s the QUEEN of medieval!!
rem: I can’t do audio books—my mind wanders too much… BUT I have recently discovered Tamara Leigh!!! #hangsheadinshame She instantly became a favorite author! Your blog is like mine—I see a lot of reviews! I won’t ask your favorite… so I’ll ask if you’ve ever read one ya just can’t! Without naming names, can you tell us how did you handle the review?
MIKAL : Eep! Um, yes. I definitely have. There are two that come to mind. One was sent to me in the mail with no warning. (rem: YIKES!) I’d never heard of the author before, but the book was labeled as Christian fiction according to the publisher note included with it. When I started reading it…um…no. No, it wasn’t Christian. Yikes! I reached out to a dear friend and asked her about it. She’d also received the book to review and confirmed it definitely wasn’t Christian. Because I hadn’t agreed to review it, I just set it aside and never finished it.
Another book I agreed to review but didn’t like, I contacted the publisher. I’ll go ahead and leave negative reviews on bookseller sites, but when it comes to my actual blog, I typically only post reviews of books I’ve enjoyed, or can at least find something in there I know others will enjoy.
rem: That’s wise. It’s so so hard to write a negative review, isn’t it? Let’s go for it—I dare ya to tell us your favorite book(s) / author(s) that you’ve reviewed.
MIKAL : Ha!!! This is actually no secret! I have author crushes on Ronie Kendig, Tamara Leigh, Sarah Monzon, Jennifer Rodewald, Ted Dekker, and Tosca Lee! There are so many others I love, but these authors have, in one way or another, really impacted me.
rem: Or, as Tosca said when I interviewed her, “Are you trying to get me killed?” LOL Those are some stellar names you chose! You juggle a lot of plates—admin assistant, Tae Kwon Do mom, football mom, figure skating mom, assistant to authors near and far AND author of adorable stories (and answering interview questions)—what’s the hardest role? And how do you balance them all?
MIKAL : Well thankfully the TKD and football mum in me has left the field and turned into a rock climbing mum. J The hardest role is definitely being a mum (and wife!) and fitting everything into a schedule. I’ll be honest and say that the first thing to suffer is writing—my family will always be my priority. (rem: as it should be.)It’s why it’s taking so long to get my next full-length novel out into the world! (That, and the characters just haven’t been cooperating until recently!) As for balancing it all…I burn a lot of dinners, but I give (and get!) a lot of hugs. And my boss is very understanding of the writing call on my life, so we just last week rearranged my work schedule so I only work four days a week and have one full day to write while the kids are in school. It’s amazing!
rem: Amazing indeed! Such a blessing to have people in your life who support the calling to write! What made you decide to go Indie?
MIKAL : Honestly, part of it was fear. Fear that a publisher would think I was terrible! But when it really came down to it, I just wanted to be able to write what I wanted, when I wanted to. I don’t love the marketing part of it, but having complete creative control of the story, covers, schedule, etc., really makes it all worth it.
rem: As an Indie from the beginning, I have to agree. I have days I struggle to function at all, and would really stress if I was facing a deadline I couldn’t meet… Dat marketing doh… OY! What is one thing you wish readers understood about authors?
MIKAL : Both indie and traditionally published authors really don’t make much money. Especially when you consider how long it takes to write a book, and the investment that goes into editing, cover design, marketing, etc. Most authors I know work outside of writing, whether it’s for a company, or they do editing or cover design on their own for clients. But for most of us, writing isn’t a job—it’s a ministry and passion. The money just helps us to keep writing.
rem: Ain’t it the truth! Tell us a little about your writing journey.
MIKAL : It all started one December evening after Christmas in 1974 when I was born. Ha!! (rem: Oh, I do love the way you think! #kindredspirits) But seriously, I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I wrote little stories as a young child, poetry in high school and Bible college, then I took a break for several years. And I mean several. It wasn’t until 2015/16 that I really got serious about writing when I was in a writing class and a story idea came to mind that someone said she’d read. Count Me In was born! Since then, I slowly plug away at writing, often dreaming of retiring (after just one book and now two novellas—one is released and one is about to release in October). LOL! I know, I know. Thankfully, I have family and friends who slap me upside the head every time I mention that “r” word.
rem: It’s good to dream, though! Isn’t it? What are your top 3 recommendations for a new writer? What 3 things would recommend not doing?
MIKAL : 1. Get into a critique group!! When I first started, I had a crit group of three other ladies. One was already a published author, and the other three of us were in different stages of starting out. We learned a lot not just from having our own work critiqued, but from critiquing the works of the others. It’s critical to get that feedback!
- Read stories in the genre you want to write! Study those authors who are successful to see what they’re doing when it comes to pacing, characterization, story arc, etc. Don’t read just to read, read to learn the mechanics.
- Attend writing conferences. That’s where networking will really go deep. You’ll want to network with other authors online, reading their stories and interacting with them on their social media sites, but going to a conference and meeting in person, along with attending classes at those conferences, is invaluable.
Three things to not do? Connect with an author you don’t know well and immediately invite them to like your social media pages. That’s just…please don’t. Don’t submit your stories to a contest without first having feedback from honest and talented critique partners. And don’t submit your stories to a publisher without investing in an editor!!
rem: Such wisdom. How do you choose your characters’ names?
MIKAL : Oh, fun question! For Count Me In, I chose Allegra’s name by how I wanted her to grow and what I wanted her to be like by the end of the story. Allegra means “joyful, lively.” She sure wasn’t that way in the beginning of the story. 😉 For Tyler, it really was more of a name that just seemed to fit with Allegra. The rest of my characters have been along that same line. I look at the meaning, though, and if I don’t like the meaning, it ruins the name for me.
rem: Do you think of the entire story before you start writing?
MIKAL : Oh, how I WISH!!! No. No, I don’t. I often know the beginning (but not always), rarely do I know the middle, but I do always know the end. Sometimes the end will adjust some based on what comes out during the story, but no. I’m a pantser—there’s little to no plotting involved.
rem: Again with the kindred spirit… Tell us a little about your latest book? What is your current project?
MIKAL : I actually just finished it! It’s a Christmas novella based on the story of Mulan. I don’t think it’s as “laugh out loud” as my other stories, but I hope the reader still finds it amusing and charming. As for my current project, I’m picking back up with Bo and Story, side characters from Count Me In. They should have had their story out two years ago, but they’re stubborn, prideful characters. For a while, they were so troublesome, I switched over to Caprice’s story (Allegra’s sister), but Bo and Story are starting to share more with me, so I’m hoping to stick to my original plan and have their story out next.
rem: I loved Count Me In, and can’t wait for the next book! What is YOUR favorite part about the book or why do you love this book? Why should we read it?
MIKAL : I’ve always loved the story of Mulan and her quiet strength. Retelling it to fit my brand wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be, though, and I think that makes it that much more special to me. That, and I love Christmas! As for why you should read it, well…it’s in a collection with four other Christmas novellas that are fairy tale retellings, and I think you’ll love them all!
rem: Collections are so much fun! Please give us the first page of the book.
MIKAL :
Huang Li Na peered out the window that exchanged Denver snow with Seattle drizzle and eyed the worker bees on the ground, driving around their carts, pushing planes, and waving those glow stick things like they were doing the Macarena. There was no going back now.
“Welcome to Seattle, where it’s a depressing thirty-three degrees Fahrenheit and no snow to show for it. As our Captain James putspedal to the metal to get you to our gate in record-time, please remember to check the overhead bins for your belongings. If you forget anything, please make sure it’s something of value that we’ll be happy to take home or sell for a tidy profit. As always, thank you for flying Northwest Airlines, where we’re happy to take you for a ride.”
Laughter rang throughout the plane, but Li wasn’t having it. She couldn’t believe she was actually doing this. And she could only imagine what her father was thinking right now. She glanced at the silver watch on her left wrist. Yep, he was likely awake and beside himself.
She was beside herself. While she was prepared for this by taking the uniform bar exam as her father had, enabling her to practice law in both Colorado and Washington, impersonating another lawyer could ruin any chance of a career she might have imagined.
Psh. Could? It would, if she was found out. And as her mother always said, “Concealing the truth is like wearing embroidered clothes and traveling by night.”
Yeah. She had no idea what that meant, but she loved remembering her mother’s voice. Let’s just hope she wouldn’t also have to work to remember her father’s voice just yet.
Cancer. She shuddered as she unbuckled the seat belt and stood.
Her chest rose as she swallowed a deep breath. No sense in dwelling on what might happen when she had a big job ahead of her.
rem: I’m not crying, you’re crying… What is one take-away from your book(s) that you hope readers identify with?
MIKAL : We all have struggles, we’ve all been dishonest. My prayer is that we would find the forgiveness we need to heal from that.
rem: Why is it harder to forgive ourselves than the rest of the world? Anything you’d like to add?
MIKAL : I just want to thank you so much for having me here again, Robin!! It’s always such a pleasure to pop in, and your interviews are some of the most in-depth and enjoyable ones!
rem: Mikal, thank you so much! Your words mean the world to me! Thank you so much for chatting with us at my little nest today—and pop back any time!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mikal Dawn is an inspirational romance author, wedding enthusiast, and proud military wife. By day, she works as an administrative assistant for an international ministry, serves in her church’s library, runs her kids to all their sports, and drinks lots of coffee. By night, she talks to figments of her imagination as she attempts to write while dinner is burning. And drinks lots of coffee. When she isn’t writing about faith, fun, and forever, she is obsessively scouring Pinterest (with coffee in hand, of course!) for wedding ideas for her characters.
Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Mikal now lives in Oklahoma with her husband, two of their three children, and one ferocious feline.
https://mikaldawn.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Mikal-Dawn/e/B071NGN8D5
https://www.facebook.com/mikaldawnauthor/
https://twitter.com/MikalDawn/
https://www.instagram.com/mikaldawn/
https://www.pinterest.com/mikal_dawn/
GIVEAWAY
Mikal is offering an e-copy of Once Upon a Christmas Collection.
Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
Giveaway will begin at 12:oo A.M. on Thursday 29 August and end at 12:oo A.M on Thursday 5 September. Giveaway is subject to the policies found on Robin’s Nest.
RAFFLECOPTER
“Enter the Psalms. They refocus me, give me hope, peace. They give me joy. I think more on the Lord. I speak with Him more. I’m more relaxed and less irritable.”
#Blogwords, Chat Thursday, Author Interview and Giveaway, Mikal Dawn
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DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She combines unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels.
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