Reflection 
Welcome to my blog Nadia.  Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions about yourself and your book, ‘Reflection’

  

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Q. Tell us about your latest work—title, genre, etc. — and why you wrote it?

A. Reflection is a Romance/Urban Fantasy novel with a dabble of the Paranormal. I wrote it because I have always loved writing and had a great desire to write books since childhood. When the muse hit me, I knew it was time. And with some gentle encouragement from a friend, I sat down and started writing.

Q.   What draws you to your genre(s)? Why is this type of story compelling to you?

A.   I am a big fan of Paranormal Romance. The first novel I ever read was Interview with a Vampire when I was 12. After that I was hooked. Reflection isn’t as quite the same but it was a start and I wanted to write a captivating romance story. I just had no idea where this story would take me. Reflection is compelling because it deals with issues that many encounter but choose not to face. I wanted show a broken character and how through guidance one can be built up to achieve greatness. To send a message to readers that until we face our past, we cannot live for the future.

Q.  What is your writing process like? Do you map the whole thing out or do you just let it unfold?

A.  For me the best way to write is to start with a general idea. And then I put my fingers to the keyboard and let the story unfold. Sometimes I do sit down and do some brainstorming so I have a clear idea of how a scenario will pan out, especially if there is a time line involved. I do character interviews to get to know my characters and I write their back stories on paper so I know where they came from. It amazes me when I look back on what I have written and have no idea where it came from. As if my fingers and my brain are working behind the back of my consciousness. It’s an awesome experience.

Q.   What kind of research was involved in writing your book?

A.    Well for the paranormal part of this story I wanted to add a piece that seemed plausible, so readers weren’t like, yeah right. So, with the idea I had about something the character is experiencing, I sought out websites to look at other cultural beliefs to see if my concept jived with others. I also reached out to my mother about one of the skill sets of a character to make sure I had the information correct.

Q.   How much of YOU makes it into your characters?

A.   Well that’s tough. I think that anything a person writes comes from personal experiences in some form or fashion. Even if it’s just one tiny element that leads to a bigger concept.

Q.   How do you balance the need to have time to write with the needs of family, society, etc.?

A.  I have no idea. LOL. It’s not easy and I am sure that sometimes my family feels like I could give them more attention. These days, when I write, I try to set a goal to just get about 3k words done and then leave it. This way I pace myself and my story and at the same time leave room to spend time with my family and meet their needs.

Q.   Have there been any authors in particular, that inspired your writing?

A.  Anne Rice for sure. I read so many of her books growing up, even the ones under her pseudonym. I felt my greatest muse hitting me growing up after reading one of her stories. I craved to write my own vampire stories. And one day I will.

Q.   Is there a story you want to tell behind or about your work(s)?

A.   Well it’s funny; the muse to write Reflection came after meeting a woman who happens to be just like me. I mean literally. We are only a day apart in age and it’s almost like we live parallel lives. The most recent thing that happened, which still has us blown away and anyone we tell, is that we both had two kids and planned our third. Well my daughter ended up being born on her husband’s birthday and her son ended up being born on my husband’s birthday. This was just one of many “coincidences”. I started playing softball and not too long after tore a tendon in my right ankle. After surgery I was laid up with a boot for a few weeks. Well shortly after, she had started playing flag football and sure enough, she injures her left ankle and is forced to wear a boot. This happened within months of my surgery. It’s a long story, but we share so many similarities. We went on a cruise together and I found myself faced with someone who was just like me and it was scary. It was like looking in the mirror and I saw the flaws about myself I needed to change. It was an eye opening experience to say the least.

Q.  What other projects are you currently working on or about to start?

A.  I have a new series that I have completed book 1 for called, Love Curse. It’s a story about three generations of witches and their trials and tribulations with a curse none of them knew existed. It’s a case of mistaken bad family luck.  The other book I am in the beginning stages of is a Vampire novel.

Q.  Could you share some of your marketing strategies?  Which ones are the most effective in your opinion?

A.  I have reached out to bloggers like yourself for interviews and book reviews. I post on my facebook page to all my friends, asking them to share my information with their friends. I have my own blog on my website where I put any updates on the books progress. I talk to people in the street all the time to promote my book. I’d say it’s too early to tell which is most effective. I have found from all the people I’ve been talking with that paperback is still a more preferred medium for reading books, so I have joined the ranks of authors in paperback through createspace. The link to where paperback copies can be ordered is below.

Q.  What would be the top five, (or 3 or 1 or however many) things you would tell aspiring authors?

A.  Don’t stop writing! If writing is what you love keep at it. Also find good critique websites because they can be super helpful in helping your writing grow. I found this and have been so glad to be a part of the critiquing community; the other writers have taught me so much. Also if you like to write fiction, take fiction-writing classes. They are also very helpful. And hire an editor to edit and format your book, but make sure they are including in their pricing a full proofread.

Again, thanks Nadia for taking the time to share your knowledge with us. We appreciate you and your work.

Good luck with your current and future publications.

For more information: 

Email:                          nadiakim@nadiakim.com

Purchase:           Amazon.com, https://www.createspace.com/3938601-Paperback, Barnesandnoble.com, Ibookstore from Apple, http://ebookstore.sony.com/  

Blog/Website:       http://nadiakim.com  

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