I recently reviewed Mia Hoddell's book "Summer Demons" and Mia was kind enough to allow me to interview her, hope you all enjoy getting to know her a little bit better.
About Mia taken from Goodreads:
Mia Hoddell lives in the UK with her family and two cats. She spends most of her time writing or reading, loves anything paranormal and has an overactive imagination that keeps her up until the early hours of the morning.
With three poems published before the age of sixteen, Mia moved on to short stories but finding she had too much to tell with too little space, Mia progressed to novels. She started her first series (The Wanderer Trilogy) at the age of fourteen and since then hasn’t stopped writing. Elemental Killers is her second series and with an ever growing list of ideas, Mia is trying to keep up with the speed at which her imagination generates them.
How
did you first start out as an author?
Becoming
an author was an accident really. I progressed from poetry, to short
stories, to novels but I wasn’t really writing for anything other
than my own pleasure. I didn’t even know I was writing a book until
I was halfway through it—it just started as an idea and grew. Once
I realised it though, I couldn’t stop. I love creating worlds,
stories, and characters, and because it was something I enjoyed, I
decided to pursue it as it makes me happy. Technology and
self-publishing just allowed me to fulfil my goals quicker, for which
I’m grateful.
Have
you always wanted to write?
I’ve
always written, I just didn’t know it was something I wanted to
pursue as a career until I was fourteen. Up until then I had focused
on poetry and short stories, but after one year of creative writing
in English lessons, I started to work on my first novel and from then
on things just continued.
I
once heard an author mention how when reading a really good book she
would catch herself thinking "I wish I had written this."
If you could write a book that has already been written which book
would you choose and why?
I’ve
been asked this a few times and I think, like most authors I’ve
spoken to, I’d have to pick successful books like Harry Potter or
The Hunger Games because you can’t really get any bigger than
having your book turned into a movie (or everything else attached to
Harry Potter). However, it’s not something I think often when
reading books as I have too many ideas already in my head that I’d
love to create. The book wouldn’t have been the same if I wrote
it—and I’d probably be sick of it upon release after the amount
of edits I go through—so when reading for pleasure, I tend to
switch off the writer in me.
If
you could meet with any person, dead or alive, who would you choose?
I
have no idea as there are too many people to even consider. Can I
choose a character instead? Because I would love to meet Ethan or
Luke from my Seasons of Change books (1 & 2). They’re my
favourite male leads so far.
What
is your writing process?
I’m
lucky in that I can write full-time so I generally work 12-14 hour
days when creating a book. When planning, it takes me anywhere
between a week and a few months to figure everything out. There is a
lot of mulling things over inside my head, scribbling down random
thoughts, research etc. until I finally end up with a chapter by
chapter breakdown, character profiles, and other necessary details.
After that, I set myself a daily goal of 3000 words (about a chapter)
as a minimum. Some days I write as much as 15,000, but I always hit
the target so I can finish the first draft within a certain amount of
time. Once I’ve competed my first draft, the books goes through the
usual edits (myself, an editor, proof reader, and betas) and finally
is released once I’m happy with it.
Usually,
I have around three books on the go at one time. They’re normally
all in different stages, but it helps give me a variety of projects
to work on.
How
do you deal with writers block?
I’m
not really sure what writer’s block is as I’ve never had a
problem when writing a book because I plan so thoroughly. I
definitely have issues during the planning stages because I’m
piecing everything together, but by the time I come to write it, I
know everything inside out. I also find that stopping around 500
words into a chapter helps me because it maps my train of thought out
at the time and I can pick up straight where I left off.
What
is your favorite quote?
It’s
not a book quote but I think my favourite one is: “Shoot for the
moon, even if you miss you’ll land among the stars.”
If
you had to describe your book in three words what would they be?
Feel-good
summer read.
What
books are you reading now or looking forward to reading?
I
just received an ARC of Becca Fitzpatrick’s Black
Ice
so I’m currently reading that as I couldn’t wait to start it. As
for what I’m looking forward to reading, my tbr pile never seems to
shrink so I’d be listing books for ages. Although, the final
Skulduggery Pleasant book comes out this month so I can’t wait to
get that in the post!
Where
do you draw inspiration from?
My
inspiration comes from many places and people. I love watching my
surroundings and you’d be surprised by how many things there are to
see—especially when in a large group of people—when you just sit
back and look.
Besides
that, ideas come from real-life experiences (Elemental
Killers),
music (The
Wanderer Trilogy),
dreams, and basic themes like a feel-good romance (Seasons
of Change).
As well as that, I’m sure I overthink things and turn everything
into worlds. I like creating stories and generally there is a theme
or a “what if” question in my head that starts everything off.
With
regards to characters, I don’t like saying I use real people as
everyone wants to know if they’re in my book. The truth is that I
use different aspects of certain peoples’ personalities and merge
them into one character. There is also a bit of me in every character
I write, which can be scary with darker characters, but it’s true.
Thank you so much Mia for stopping by and I cannot wait to read your next book!
Until next time,
Ginger
