M.R. Polish Author Interview

Hello, blogospherians! Today, I have Ms. M.R. Polish here with me. She’s an author who’ll be attending UtopYA Con in June of 2014. What? You’ve never heard of UtopYA Con? Well, you need to check out this link:

UtopYA Con

Now that you’ve all figured out what it is we authors will be attending, mark your calendars so you can pick up a ticket and join us! 

Without further ado, I bring you an interview with Ms. Polish. Sit back, relax, and enjoy a cup of coffee while you read. **Beware! Coffee may spew out of nose or be sprayed orally; be careful around electronic devices. Jo Michaels Blog is not responsible for damage done to devices while interview is read.**

Jo: Howdy, M.R. Good to have you with us today!
MR: *Snicker* Howdy… I love that word! I'm so excited to be here! Thank you for having me. 

Jo: Anytime. Now, I stalked you online (purely for interview research, of course) and I see from your bio that you have four kids. Congratulations! I’m the mother of five kidlings myself. I know how hard it can be to find time to write because of that. Do you find it difficult with that many nose-miners running around? How do you stay sane?
MR: Is sane a word? HAHA…. Well, as you know with five kiddos yourself, the only way to get through it is to love every minute of it, and I do! Being a mom is my greatest blessing.

Jo: I have no idea if sane is a word. I lost my sanity about eighteen years ago. That many kids is an adventure and it takes a special kind of person to handle it. How old are your kids and what are the biggest challenges you face on a daily basis?
MR: Well, I have a 10 yr old son, a 7 (almost 8) yr old daughter, a 5 yr old son, and a 2 yr old daughter. Right now my biggest challenge is juggling potty training, scouts, and ballet classes. My husband and I take regular dates to keep things fresh so that helps keep a lot of challenges at bay.

Jo: Dates are always good. Gotta keep the marriage connected! I read that you won a writing contest in the fifth grade. Share with us how that made you feel at the time.
MR: I had the biggest shiz eating grin. (Yes, I said shiz…) I can remember the feeling because I still get it every time I finish a book, publish one, or get a review. Remember the most exciting feeling you’ve ever had then times it by ten hahaha.

Jo: Holy shiz! I kinda like that. *grin* Break down your journey in writing for us. Tell us about the first story you wrote and how your mindset has progressed since then.
MR: Well, it started off with short visions or clips that I could see and write down. Now I see things long term and deeper; like what will happen to a character IF that happens.

Jo: Who’s your biggest cheerleader?
MR: My husband and kiddos.

Jo: What knowledge have you gained from their support?
MR: I've learned that no matter what the world thinks, I'm the best to them. I’ve also learned more about what inspires them and that there are no boundaries to our imaginations.

Jo:  They sound awesome. Your book cover for Ageless Sea was nominated for best cover at the UtopYA Con in 2013. Did Jeanette Mathews or Jenny Laatsch design it and why do you love it?
MR: Yes, Jenny Laatsch was my cover artist. She is spectacular and incredibly talented. I love that cover because it depicts the story completely. The tattoos are perfect, the water, the necklace (which she drew by hand), the custom drawn clothing…. Gosh, there are so many things I love about it hahaha.

Jo: Tell me about your editor, Kristina Circelli. How did you meet her, and is she a super harsh (eek!) editor?
MR: Hahahaa…. Is she reading??? I love Kristina. She came to me by a reference and since I met her, I knew she was the perfect editor for me. She makes sure my characters are on track and I don’t stray from my story. I can say red might be her favorite color. Although, it’s because of her that my stories are polished.

Jo: As an editor myself, I do my markups in pink. It seems less aggressive somehow. Maybe because it doesn't look like I slit my wrists and bled all over the page after seeing all the errors? *grin* When was the last time you plugged your name into Google? Do you have any thoughts on being listed with Mr. Polish automotive care?
MR: HAHAHAHA! I did that once and was like, "What is that?" I haven’t Googled myself in a long time, but I have to say that M.R. Polish and Mr. Polish get confused a lot. I have had a few readers surprised that I was a girl and I have also been called Mister Polish.

Jo: Mister Polish. Hmmmm, perhaps a good thing to put on a t-shirt? I could see it now: Mister Polish - Woman Author. Would be a great conversation starter, eh? *grin* What are your long-term goals with your writing and how do you intend to achieve them?
MR: I have lots of goals and dreams. My writing is something that makes me happy and I want to go far with it. Achieving my goals is a little harder than just dreaming though… I can say that I wouldn’t be where I am or where I want to go without my awesome readers.

Jo: Readers are the backbone of the author community. Without them, we toil for nothing. *bows to readers* I see you concoct magic potions in your spare time. Where might one find references to help them mix and bake their own?
MR: *Looks around to make sure no one is listening* Okay, but it might surprise you. I find all my spells in my magic book that I found while visiting the unicorns, but before I went to see the leprechauns. The fairies keep it hidden for me so no one can find it. You do, however, have to fight a werewolf to have rights to any spell book, so you might want to prepare yourself.

Jo: Leprechauns. Nasty little boogers. They give my protagonist some trouble in The Bird. Haha! I found you here: http://utopyacon.wordpress.com/2013-exhibitors/ashley-laveringm-r-polish/ and I’m wondering about living in Nevada. Do you see many UFOs out there? Ever been to Area 51?
MR: LMBO… Area 51 is real and sometimes at night you’ll see strange lights in the sky. Seriously, not fictitiously. I haven’t seen Area 51 myself, but living here is very crazy.

Jo: Is there any way you could bring us an alien or two from your home state? That would go well with the theme for 2014. I’ve never seen a real alien (unless you count the ones that abducted me in ‘98…) and would love to get up close and personal with one. Maybe do an interview! What do you think?
MR: That would be awesome! Maybe me and the kiddos should go alien hunting and capture one to bring! Do you think TSA would let it pass through security though?

Jo: It couldn’t hurt to try. Or, maybe it could. Not sure I’d want to be strip-searched over having an alien for a seatmate. I couldn’t find a map of your blog on any of the pages. How long have you been blogging and what has it done for you as a writer?
MR: Honestly, I suck at blogging! I do, however, love to help show off other authors and promote them on my blog as well. I use my website, www.mrpolishauthor.com, for myself and my blog for everyone.

Jo: So, you’re an Indie author. Congratulations! You’re part of the most elite publishing and writing group on the planet! Okay, we may not be elite, but we’re huge, and size is everything, right? Seriously though, what’s your favorite thing about being Indie?
MR: Everything! I love the hours, the fact that I have a say in my books/covers, I get to meet and make friends with some of the most amazing people.

Jo: I also love being Indie! We all rock. Did you ever try (or are you still trying) to get a trade publisher? Why/Why not?
MR: I was contracted with my first book, Wolf Spell. It was through a small house but two weeks before it was to publish they closed their doors. They gave me full rights to my book and I started my Indie career right then. I was nervous and had no idea what I was going to do. I had to get a cover and publish it myself, all the fans I had excited about the release of that book were ready so I didn’t want to disappoint them. Thankfully I had Ashley Lavering, who is my bestie and knew what I had to do.

Jo: This may sound weird, but I know of another author that was two weeks or so away from publishing and the company closed up shop on them. What are the odds of that? What’s one thing you hope no one ever finds out about you?
MR: Well, if I told you then it wouldn’t be a secret.

Jo: Ouch. You got me! I was trying to sneak that one in there! Okay, what’s your theme song?
MR: A theme song huh… (It changes periodically lol) Who Says by Selena Gomez.

Jo: M.R. Polish is different and it’s intrigued me. Why do you use that as your author name rather than first name, last name? Or did I just answer my own question?
MR: Well, I write using my first initial and middle initial and then the most obvious, last name. It’s actually Misty Polish, I don’t care who knows my name, but I write with my initials so I can keep work and personal separate. So, for example, on Facebook, Misty is my personal profile and anything with M.R. is public.

Jo: That makes sense. Good idea! Now, Tell us about your featured book for this week!
MR: My newest release, Wolf Dream, is the second book in my Wolf Trilogy. It is a older YA paranormal and I am super excited about sharing it with everyone. I love that story and the characters.

Description:
Saying Goodbye Isn't the End... 
The Reaping Spell has weakened her greatest enemy, but now Esmerelda faces a different threat - one that haunts her dreams. To finally defeat Nicholas and end his madness for good, she must travel back to Spain with the help of her powerful friends.
What she doesn’t know is that in his weakness, Nicholas made a deal with the Death Keeper – his soul in exchange for Esmerelda’s life. Worse, she soon learns that the ones she trusted most have become part of her nightmares. The only one she can trust is the man who holds her heart, and together they must fight Nicholas to the death.
Fighting to stay awake so Nicholas can’t find her in sleep, Esmerelda prepares for the battle that will finish this war. One of them must die for her nightmares to end - unless the Death Keeper, with plans of his own for Esmerelda’s soul, gets to her first.
Amazon: Kindle - $2.99 Paperback - $9.49 
B&N: Nook - $2.99

Jo: You guys can pick it up at the links shown. Well, that’s all the time we have for today! Any parting shots? 
MR: Thank you so much for having me! I loved this so much! I can’t wait to meet you at UtopYA 2014 and hopefully I’ll be able to sneak an alien on board with me.

Jo: I can’t wait to meet him/her. Here’s hoping they don’t detain you too long. *grin* Thanks for visiting with me here on the blog! I look forward to meeting you in person at UtopYA Con 2014! 

Connect with M.R. Polish! 
Website: https://www.mrpolishauthor.com  
On Twitter: @_MRPolish_ 
On Facebook: M.R. Polish  
On Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/mpolish/boards/ 

Do you have any questions for M.R.? Post them below! 

Well, that’s all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
  
Jo