Ask the Author: Mikel Miller
Answered Questions (7)
Mikel Miller
Yes, Ron, good to connect with you by email in February. Sorry I just now found your question in my Goodreads inbox.
Mikel Miller
People and events and places inspire me. Who, what, when, where - then why. You can see all that in my books about the Baja peninsula. But some of my Kindle chapbooks deal universal themes - love, dying - that go beyond who what when where why. And I'm working on several memoir pieces as Kindle chapbooks.
Mikel Miller
Write about what you know, at least in the beginning, because that's the easiest. Then you can begin to write fiction or research and write history and historical fiction about topics that fascinate you.
Mikel Miller
I don't remember ever having "writer's block." Maybe it's because of my background as a journalist when I had to write and edit and finish a story (sometimes more than one) in a single day. These days, I still write for two-three hours almost every day starting about six o'clock in the morning even on vacation. Then I put the draft aside for a day or two before beginning the rewrite process. My latest book went through fifty-nine rewrites, about one a week, and after publication I can still see some things I could improve.
Mikel Miller
The best thing about being a writer is hearing from readers who say they like what I write, either in reviews or in person. Of course, not every reader gives me even four stars, but I love it when readers want to talk with me about my writing. My best ever experience as a writer was when a reader from New Jersey tracked me down in Guadalajara, Mexico (where I live now) to get my autograph for the first edition paperback of "I Love Baja!" And then she and her husband bought dinner for me and my wife. For me, it doesn't get much better than that.
Mikel Miller
I'm finalizing production of two great projects with other indie authors. One is an eBook version of a 1997 out-of-print paperback titled "Breaking Even" by Alejandro Grattan-Dominguez, which will launch in April. The other is an anthology of chapter excerpts from books by ten authors who write about Mexico and live full time in the country--the working title is "Mexico: Sunshine and Shadows." The authors are E.G. Brady, Michael Hogan, Jeanine Kitchel, David Lida, C.M. Mayo, Carol Merchasin, Antonio Rambles, Daniel Reveles, John Scherber, and me. I'm trying to launch it in May.
Mikel Miller
My latest book, the eBook version of "I Love Baja!", comes from my desire to produce a more useful version of the 2011 third-edition paperback by using live hyperlinks to events and places all around the peninsula. The eBook also has a lot of updated information people should know about living on the Baja, with live hyperlinks to external reference sources. A lot has changed on the peninsula since I published the original paperback, and I tried to update and improve the overall content and target it to people thinking about moving to Mexico. One good example is a new chapter about the Baja wine country.
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