MTA Monday -- Meet Maia Strong

Happy Monday, and welcome to the debut of Meet The Author Monday here on my blog! I'm very excited about introducing you (officially) to our first debut author, Maia Strong. Now, if you're a regular here, you probably recognize the name because (a) Maia is also a regular, (b) we're friends from wayback in Real Life, and (c) I was a tad excited when she sold her first book to Samhain. Okay, that's putting it mildly. I think they could hear me screaming halfway across the country.


In any case, time has flown by, and Maia's first book is coming out with Samhain tomorrow. You can read more about The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing tomorrow during Book BIN Tuesday. Today, here's an official introduction to MTA Monday guest Maia Strong.

NAME: Maia Strong

WEBSITE: http://www.maiastrong.com/

BLOG: http://maiastrong.blogspot.com/

TITLE OF FIRST BOOK: The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing

RELEASE DATE: 10 June 2008

FAVORITE WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY:
Favorite writing saying: "It's only ink." That'll get you though some unpleasant edits. Not all of them by any means, but some of them.

FAVORITE NON-WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: That's such a big category and I suck at picking favorites most of the time. I have a crappy memory for things like that, too. On the upside, I also have a crappy memory for things like "Most embarrassing moment." Who remembers that kind of thing? I block it out. ;)

COMFORT FOOD: Potatoes. Seriously. They are the best food on the planet. Don't argue with me. You know I'm right. Baked, roasted, fried, mashed. You cannot beat the potato for sheer fabulousness.

COMFORT READ: This is going to sound a bit twisted to some—okay possibly to many—but…The Lord of the Rings. There is no better fiction out there. Not even from Stephen Fry. While I don't suppose one could ever consider it to be comforting in and of itself, I have read and reread that trilogy so many times, listened to the BBC radio production so many times, watched the movies…fewer times but still more than once. It's comforting in the way that "Apocalypse Now" is comforting (and that movie was much less scary than the 1988 presidential election coverage): I know how it ends. Even more with LotR: I know everything that's going to happen.

YOUR PERFECT DAY: Overcast and about 68 degrees. Maybe a little drizzle in the morning and sunbreaks in the afternoon. And the announcement in the evening that I've won the state lottery. … Oh. You'd like a play-by-play? Let's see…

Lazy snuggles in the bed with the cat.
Coffee or a latte around 9:00 or 9:30 while catching up on email and whatnot.
Shower—maybe some yoga first if I'm being good.
Breakfast.
Writing at least a couple of thousand words, preferably either at the coffee shop in the bookstore up the street or at home with my kitty nearby or on my lap. That way no matter what else happens I have accomplished at least one thing in the day.
Lunch. Something loaded with cheese. Mmm…grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup! Quesadilla with corn and salsa and sour cream! Welsh rarebit! It's not potatoes, but I do love me some cheese.
More writing? Maybe some reading. Definitely some watching of Food Network!
A stroll to the grocery store during one of those sunbreaks I mentioned before to gather up something yummy for me or my hubby to cook for dinner.
Dinner with the hubby. Doesn't matter who cooks; we both like to. As long as we get to eat together, it's all good. Glass of wine. A little dessert.
A baseball game that the Mariners win.
Snuggles in bed with the hubby and the kitty.

Alternately, all of the same things, only in Edinburgh. :)

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?: Any number of things in various states of completion.
I have an unnamed novel that needs reading by one more beta. (I was working on stuff like the hook, blurb, and synopsis the other day in the desperate hope that this would inspire me with a title. So far, no joy there.) It's a follow-on to The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing. Set in the same country, in a different city, and showing another side of what's going on in the first novel.
I have a named novel that needs one more reading by me before going to my betas. This one is in the same universe as the others; all my stuff these days is in that world. It's nice. I like it there. That novel is based at a theatre company on the Northern Continent. There's a lot more magic in that one.


Finally, I have a multi-titled story (I think I have three possibilities at the moment.) that I started last week. We'll see if I can get it done in any reasonable length of time. I don't know how long it's going to be. I kind of hope it comes in at about 30,000-32,000. Don't ask me why. I do not know. Maybe I just want to be able to finish it quickly so that I feel all accomplished and stuff. ;)


So there you have it! Thanks, Maia, for playing along. Keep an eye out for her in the comments, and be sure to check back tomorrow for details on her new release!