Ask the Author: Mimi Marten
Answered Questions (9)
Mimi Marten
Wow. This sure was a morning EGO BOOST....:-))) Thank you! lol
The one word I hang on to is PERSEVERANCE...., and if you can get out of pain, sorrow or fuck up better instead of bitter, then you are my kind of a person. :-)
My second novel is being formatted and I'm working on my cover. My third and fourth are being edited. It took me years to write them, and almost the same amount of time to hone and polish them. :-)))
The one word I hang on to is PERSEVERANCE...., and if you can get out of pain, sorrow or fuck up better instead of bitter, then you are my kind of a person. :-)
My second novel is being formatted and I'm working on my cover. My third and fourth are being edited. It took me years to write them, and almost the same amount of time to hone and polish them. :-)))
Mimi Marten
75 steps???? LOL.... you have to put that in some book! :-))
Being in a customer service industry for decades, I have seen many 50th Anniversaries. They all have a common thread, HUMOR.... :-)) One of my personal favorites was..."After 50 years I get out of the bedroom and she still says 'you are not wearing that, are you?"....LOL
Being in a customer service industry for decades, I have seen many 50th Anniversaries. They all have a common thread, HUMOR.... :-)) One of my personal favorites was..."After 50 years I get out of the bedroom and she still says 'you are not wearing that, are you?"....LOL
Mimi Marten
I'm no expert on publishing, I'm just passing informations from my literary agents about standards in the industry. Romance is around 80K, women's fiction can be 100K.
Some agencies don't even look at anything more than 100, some have it written in their policies on their website.
Another author /traditionally published/ just had to revise her manuscript /3rd revision/ to get it down to 110K.
Hope it helps. :-)
Some agencies don't even look at anything more than 100, some have it written in their policies on their website.
Another author /traditionally published/ just had to revise her manuscript /3rd revision/ to get it down to 110K.
Hope it helps. :-)
Mimi Marten
I think generally speaking most heroes in the history are male. Maybe we are raised with that image. :-)
I can only speak for myself. I grew up with boys and worked with men mostly. I was always more comfortable in the male mentality. Women for me were big unknown with a huge trust issues. It was a reflexion of my childhood and subconscious connection to evil and betrayal.
I feel like I had to become a woman in order to understand them. Motherhood changed me too. I still attract strong independent women, but I have grater understanding and empathy for the rest. My partner calls me hybrid, I guess I still don't have a clean cut category...lol.
As far as your characters...., villains are necessary, flaws are a must, and I like stories where there is an evolution or some growth. I was blamed to embellishing them all...haha. I proudly take that. I don't necessary like happy endings, but I like some positive message, something uplifting. :-))
I can only speak for myself. I grew up with boys and worked with men mostly. I was always more comfortable in the male mentality. Women for me were big unknown with a huge trust issues. It was a reflexion of my childhood and subconscious connection to evil and betrayal.
I feel like I had to become a woman in order to understand them. Motherhood changed me too. I still attract strong independent women, but I have grater understanding and empathy for the rest. My partner calls me hybrid, I guess I still don't have a clean cut category...lol.
As far as your characters...., villains are necessary, flaws are a must, and I like stories where there is an evolution or some growth. I was blamed to embellishing them all...haha. I proudly take that. I don't necessary like happy endings, but I like some positive message, something uplifting. :-))
Mimi Marten
Hey! Life in Hawaii is paradise. :-))
When it comes to weather, healthy life style, blue sky and sunshine,
we have nothing to complain about. :-)))
When it comes to the rest, it's like anywhere else.
Life is what you make it out to be.
Problems come without an invite.
Happy, you have to create. :-)))
When it comes to weather, healthy life style, blue sky and sunshine,
we have nothing to complain about. :-)))
When it comes to the rest, it's like anywhere else.
Life is what you make it out to be.
Problems come without an invite.
Happy, you have to create. :-)))
Mimi Marten
No worries! It's usually a drop down menu below the picture. :-))
I have been to Honduras, amazing country. That picture is da bomb! lol
I have been to Honduras, amazing country. That picture is da bomb! lol
Mimi Marten
Thank you, Bill. It's great to get others prospectives. I know some series go forever..., and many follow. :-)
Mimi Marten
Yaaay!!! This is my first! I have never done it! :-)
Do we suppose to read the same book? I guess not. :-)
In that case I would like you to read "My name is Lucy Barton"...I think it's on your list. Please double check. :-)
Soooo excited!
Mimi
Do we suppose to read the same book? I guess not. :-)
In that case I would like you to read "My name is Lucy Barton"...I think it's on your list. Please double check. :-)
Soooo excited!
Mimi
Mimi Marten
Q: What makes Trouble Finding Blondie special?
It’s a combination of things. I wanted to write something that I would like to read.
I’m a passionate reader who grew up on the classics which I have a ton of respect for. But today’s world is different; faster and more complex. Cluttered, in a certain way. My top picks are soulful stories about complex relationships, human growth, and perseverance.
Q: Your protagonist Simona is a very strong woman. Is she today’s female hero?
Simona arrives in Paris on a fragile road to recovery. She hides her broken heart behind her kick ass attitude and fast-paced lifestyle. Confronted with extraordinary challenges she hides her vulnerability behind her humor and her outgoing attitude. But deep down she is very fragile and just wants to be loved, like we all do. Every decision has consequences, but ultimately my story is about the perseverance of the human spirit.
Q: Is Trouble finding Blondie a story about a love triangle?
It would be a spoiler to deny or admit anything about the difficult relationships of the characters. This book is more about friendships, relationships in general, cultural differences, and different personal backgrounds. I also wanted to show that friendship between a man and a woman can exist. Whether is eventually evolves into something more serious, I will leave to my characters.
Q: One of your readers defined your story as a family saga…
It wasn’t planned that way, initially. But the characters in my head wouldn’t leave. They just kept exploring a multitude of directions. I love the Godfather by Mario Puzo because it’s a classic story of a complex and complicated family. Same with Danielle Steel. The books she writes usually deal with family issues. In both examples you have the good, the bad, the ugly. In a certain way, my story shares similar traits. The difference is that my stories don’t necessarily have happy endings.
Q: Are your characters based on real people?
A writer should always create ‘living people’. Hemingway once said that characters are just caricatures of the real people. My story is fictional. My characters and many scenes are not. Let’s leave it at that.
Q: You have elaborate descriptions of food and fashion.
I guess that is always going to be my flavor - passion for travel, food, and clothes.
Q: Why do you think readers will enjoy your books?
One reviewer wrote that my book reads like a movie script. It’s fast paced. No boring prologues, a lot of dialogues, humor with twists and turns. But it also has the depth of complicated relationships, personal growth, test of characters, and a beautiful love story with juicy passionate attraction. Two very similar souls at different stages of growth.
It’s a combination of things. I wanted to write something that I would like to read.
I’m a passionate reader who grew up on the classics which I have a ton of respect for. But today’s world is different; faster and more complex. Cluttered, in a certain way. My top picks are soulful stories about complex relationships, human growth, and perseverance.
Q: Your protagonist Simona is a very strong woman. Is she today’s female hero?
Simona arrives in Paris on a fragile road to recovery. She hides her broken heart behind her kick ass attitude and fast-paced lifestyle. Confronted with extraordinary challenges she hides her vulnerability behind her humor and her outgoing attitude. But deep down she is very fragile and just wants to be loved, like we all do. Every decision has consequences, but ultimately my story is about the perseverance of the human spirit.
Q: Is Trouble finding Blondie a story about a love triangle?
It would be a spoiler to deny or admit anything about the difficult relationships of the characters. This book is more about friendships, relationships in general, cultural differences, and different personal backgrounds. I also wanted to show that friendship between a man and a woman can exist. Whether is eventually evolves into something more serious, I will leave to my characters.
Q: One of your readers defined your story as a family saga…
It wasn’t planned that way, initially. But the characters in my head wouldn’t leave. They just kept exploring a multitude of directions. I love the Godfather by Mario Puzo because it’s a classic story of a complex and complicated family. Same with Danielle Steel. The books she writes usually deal with family issues. In both examples you have the good, the bad, the ugly. In a certain way, my story shares similar traits. The difference is that my stories don’t necessarily have happy endings.
Q: Are your characters based on real people?
A writer should always create ‘living people’. Hemingway once said that characters are just caricatures of the real people. My story is fictional. My characters and many scenes are not. Let’s leave it at that.
Q: You have elaborate descriptions of food and fashion.
I guess that is always going to be my flavor - passion for travel, food, and clothes.
Q: Why do you think readers will enjoy your books?
One reviewer wrote that my book reads like a movie script. It’s fast paced. No boring prologues, a lot of dialogues, humor with twists and turns. But it also has the depth of complicated relationships, personal growth, test of characters, and a beautiful love story with juicy passionate attraction. Two very similar souls at different stages of growth.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more
Mar 30, 2016 12:31PM · flag