Today on the Blog, we have author and friend, MJ Schiller!!
Welcome MJ!!!
MJ has a new release, Upon a Midnight Clear! I know it's going to be excellent!!
Recently, MJ and I shared a little bit about how and why she writes. She's a blast! (and she doesn't live too far away from me either, sweet!) Here's a little bit of what we talked about....
Why don't you start by telling my
readers a little bit about yourself?
Well, I’m wildly beautiful, with
long, luscious blond hair which tumbles down my back. In my
mid-twenties, I’m a svelte 115 pounds, 5’8. I’m built like the
Tahj Mahal, baby, with amazing eyes, as you know, Dottie. I turned
down a career as a rock star, though people still call and beg me to
perform sometimes. I took up writing and now have a dozen books on
the bestsellers list.
Ahh. The beauty of the Internet!
Actually I’m 5’2, the last time I saw 115 was at the grocery
store when I went in for “that one thing I needed.” My hair is
chopped pretty short right now because it was super damaged from
using the straightener. I’m not a rock star, but I do karaoke
(that’s kind of like, “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on
TV.”) I haven’t made the bestseller’s list for more than an
hour (that was a great hour, though), and when I’m not writing, I’m
a lunch lady (this is the truly glamorous part of my life, the kids
love me! Then again, maybe that’s because I am literally the hand
that feeds them.)
What drew you to the craft of
writing?
As you can see from the above, I love
to tell stories. ;)
Do you write for the story burning
to be told or do you write for a character that won't leave you
alone?
For me the two are inextricably
intertwined. I write the character’s story that won’t leave me
alone. My first book, which is a sci-fi romance, was a recurring
dream that wouldn’t go away, so I guess that one was plot driven.
My second book, though, TRAPPED UNDER ICE, is about a rock star who
is haunted by his past. Chad Evans grew up in an abusive home and
isn’t able to move past that until he meets Beth. She redeems him,
she saves him, and I simply had to write this character’s story.
Are you a pantser or plotter?
Pantser, pantser, pantser! I feel like
the industry pushes you to be a plotter, though, to fit into its box.
I think I need to be a little more of a plotter, but I don’t know
if I can ever choreograph my emotional sections (called beats by
some) into a pre-designated pattern. I think whenever you put
something into a formula, you lose its creative element, and this is,
after all, a creative endeavor.
When do you like to write? Mornings,
Afternoons, Middle of the Night, or somewhere in between (like when
the kids sleep)?
All the time, any time. With four kids
I’ve had to squeeze my writing in the nooks and crannies of my day.
So I take my laptop with me to doctor’s appointments and oil
changes, as well as haunting Starbuck’s and fast food joints. My
challenge then is to make sure the writing doesn’t become choppy
and sound like it was written in five and ten minute segments.
Do you have some favorite music that
inspires your writing? A movie? What inspires you?
Everything inspires me! I have a book
(TAKEN BY STORM) that was loosely inspired by the movie “Troy,”
kind of muddled together with pieces of “The Prince of Egypt” and
“Prince of Persia.” TRAPPED UNDER ICE is largely inspired by
Nickelback music and I have another one outlined that was birthed
from listening to Breaking Benjamin.
When you're not writing, do you have
a favorite author or genre you enjoy?
I love RT Wolfe, who just so happens to
be my friend. I hunger for anything she writes! I also love Nora
Roberts, but had to quit reading her because I was picking up some
bad habits. Nora is a head-hopper, which works for her, but not so
much for others.
What advice would you give to others
in the journey to becoming published?
In the words of Winston Churchill,
“Never, never, never give up!” Then again, you should want it bad
enough that giving up is not really an option.
I’d say, don’t worry about the
haters in the world. Write for you. Don’t change who you are to fit
someone else’s expectations, because you were given an unique voice
for a reason. And I’ll finish this question with another quote,
this time from D.M. Delinger. “You are unrepeatable. There is a
magic about you that is all your own…”
Did you have a long line of
submissions before you “got the call”? For those readers would
wonder, how long did the submission process take for you?
Yes! A very long line. And I got a
couple of calls that ultimately resulted in no book being published.
I had a contract rescinded (on Thanksgiving Day!) because the press
went out of business. That was quite disappointing! I’d say it took
me about a year from when I started submitting to having a book out
there.
If your book was going to be made
into a movie, who would play your heroine? Hero? Bad guy?
My current book, UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR,
has a hunky paramedic that I believe would be captured well by
William Levy. The heroine would be the red-headed Scarlett Johansson
from “The Avengers.” Bad guys I’m not as good at, but I’m
thinking a kind of Joe Pesciesque type.
What are your future plans for your
series? Are you cooking up a new one?
I have three collections out right now,
my ROCKING ROMANCE COLLECTION, ROMANTIC REALMS COLLECTION, and now my
REAL ROMANCE COLLECTION. UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR is the first in that
collection. I have another rock romance coming out in December, and
the book out after that will be the second in the REAL ROMANCE
COLLECTION, probably coming in February or March.
Some fun stuff:
Coffee, Tea, or Something Harder?
I guess my biggest weaknesses are Diet
Pepsi, Smirnoff Cherry Lime Ice (like cherry 7-Up!) and Bailey’s
and hot chocolate!
If you were a rock star, what
instrument would you play?
Guitar! I really wanted to learn how to
play it when I was in my teens, but my mom said it wasn’t
“lady-like.”
If you were stranded on a desert
island... would you hope that Johnny Depp, Hugh Jackman, or Gerard
Butler was stranded with you (if hubby/boyfriend decided to stay home
while you cruised, for me, not likely, lol, but I'd have a hard time
choosing...)?
I think I’d go for Johnny Depp. He’d
keep things interesting!
Cake or Ice Cream (or both, what
flavor)?
Both. And can’t believe this is even
a question—CHOCOLATE!
Favorite all-time read? Movie?
Favorite banned book? (Mine's To Kill A Mockingbird)
A TALE OF TWO CITIES. Favorite banned
book—CATCHER IN THE RYE. Movie—either “The Holy Grail” or
“What About Bob?”
Favorite paranormal creature?
(vamp's, always vamps, lol)
Hard to pick here. I find them all
fascinating. Probably vampires. There’s just something sexy about
them!
If you were going to pick a
book/movie character to become...who would it be?
Beth from TRAPPED UNDER ICE, because
then I’d score my rock star!
Secret desires?
To sing in a rock band…but maybe you
guessed that.
Tell us about your latest release.
Dylan Fisher is an EMT and part-time
Santa Claus at a mall in Denver, Colorado. He has logged plenty of
time with children sitting on his lap, asking for anything from the
latest electronic gadget to a week’s worth of homework passes.
Still, he never heard anyone ask for what little Delaney Kelly asked
for on one snowy night in December. A dad! When Dylan’s eyes search
the crowd for Delaney’s mother and land on Keira Kelly, the EMT
almost finds himself in need of a little CPR. She is stunning!
Keira Kelly is still grieving over the
loss of her husband, but a reckless driver has her thinking about
nothing but survival as she’s headed home from the mall. When Keira
wakes in the hospital to find a hunky EMT at her bedside, she begins
having a few thoughts that would put her on Santa’s Naughty List
for sure! But when she finds out the EMT is only hanging around
because the police believe someone is out to get her, she’s not
sure what to think about his kindness. Is he helping her because he
wants to, or because he feels he needs to? And what about the man who
rammed her car, could he have had something to do with her husband’s
death?
Here’s an excerpt:
Keira’s heart
began to beat faster. She was no longer singing, but Delaney didn’t
seem to even notice, carrying on without her. She heard her singing
about Frosty “hippity-hop-hopping through the snow.”
Keira was pretty
sure that was wrong, (didn’t Peter Rabbit “hippity-hop?”), but
didn’t bother to correct Delaney. Her hands clutched the steering
wheel as she hunted for a street ahead they could turn down. Spotting
one, she waited until the last minute to signal and then made a
right-hand turn. To her horror, tires screeched and beams from the
black sedan’s headlights swung crazily as the car swerved around
the corner, too, fish-tailing in the snow, but following all the
same. A motor raced as it zoomed up on them, getting so close she
lost sight of its headlights as they dipped below the SUV’s back
bumper.
Her heart thudded
in her chest. I can’t panic. Kevin told me if someone ever
followed me I should head straight to a police station. But where’s
a police station? She searched her mind, street names and places
flashing before her eyes and then the impact of the sedan’s bumper
jolted the SUV.
“Mommy!”
Delaney screamed.
“It’s okay,
sugar.” Even though she wanted to sound reassuring, her voice was
tight. The car rammed them again.
“Mommy!”
Keira’s eyes flew
back and forth from the rearview mirror to the road, trying to remain
in control of the vehicle and anticipate her attacker’s next move
at the same time. The street she chose was dark. A park hemmed
either side of the two-lane road and a long row of drivers in the
opposite lane waited their opportunity to turn onto First Avenue.
“Aaahh!” She
involuntarily yelped as the sedan hit them with greater impact,
making her SUV skid across the pavement. She quickly corrected and
then tried to speed up to avoid another collision. She checked the
side-view mirror. Headlights zoomed up again and she braced herself.
Too
late, she saw the car in front of her making a leisurely left-hand
turn onto the thoroughfare from a side street. She screamed and
slammed on the brakes. The SUV began to skid sideways, her rear
bumper making contact with one of the cars waiting in line next to
them, sending her vehicle spinning in the opposite direction.
Delaney’s cries rang in her ears. Images blurred through the
windshield, a tree, a lamp post, and then, the car gunning for them.
With a tremendous crash of metal it drove the SUV into a park bench
and a concrete, cylinder-shaped garbage receptacle decorated with
neutral-colored pebbles. The airbags failed to employ. Her head hit
the steering wheel with the initial impact, and then the side window
when the SUV crumpled against the pebbled trash can.
A car horn
blared…her car horn, she realized. She struggled to lift her head.
About ten feet in front of them, the black sedan swam in and out of
her vision. Its front bumper trailed on the ground on one side, half
of the hood accordioned upward, steam rolling out of it menacingly in
the cold night air. She imagined the black vehicle to be some sort of
fire-breathing dragon. Why does it want me dead? she asked
herself groggily.
It
came to life in front of her eyes, backing up over the curb a few
feet, pieces clunking and scraping against the concrete. The wheels
turned and with a screech of spinning tires it scrambled toward her.
For a minute, she thought it sought to finish them off. Instead, the
sedan roared off into the night with sparks flying from its
underbelly.
Pardoned for the
moment, she became aware of the pain driving through her brain. She
clutched at her stomach. She tasted blood. Head heavy, she laid it
down on the steering wheel, closing her eyes. She heard the horn
again…shouting… somewhere, Christmas music.
Delaney! a
voice screamed in her head. Keira wanted to turn to search the
backseat, but it felt like her head was no longer connected to the
rest of her body. She heard a strange noise, a loud, screeching,
whirring noise…the dragon returning. She whimpered and went still.
Where can it be you and your fantabulous book be found?
Thank you so much for having me,
Dottie! I enjoyed answering your questions.
Thanks again for being here today, MJ!! I enjoyed having you, sooo much fun, come back anytime!! And remember to check out MJ's new release!! If you'd like to find out more about Upon A Midnight Clear, check out the rest of MJ's tour dates :)
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