What
is your name, where were you born and where do you live now?
I'm Maria Hammarblad. I was originally born
in Falun, a small city in Sweden, and I moved to Florida late 2008. Today, I
live in the Tampa bay area with my husband Mike and our rescue dogs. Thank you
for having me on your blog, I'm excited to be here!
Did
you always want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?
A part of me always wanted to be a writer.
I was fascinated with books and wanted to make them even before I could read or
write. I made my mom staple colored papers together to resemble books, and I
drew suns in them. I called them all, "The Sun Book" and I must have
made dozens before I learned to write actual letters. I wanted to be other things too. Everything
from a truck driver to an astronaut…
Did
it take a long time to get your first book published?
Yes, it took years. From time to time I've
written something and sent it in to publishing houses, but when looking back,
the material was far from ready and I deserved to have it returned. I just
didn't realize at the time how bad it was. I finished the somewhat final
version of Kidnapped early 2010, and submitted it to a number of places. I got
some friendly rejection letters, even one for someone else's book, and gave up.
Last year, my friend Christy Elkins persuaded me to try again. I wrote a new
synopsis and submission letter, and sent it to Desert Breeze Publishing. After
a while, you get really used to rejections, and I almost fell off my chair when
I got a letter saying they found my book interesting.
Do
you work another job as well as your writing work?
I do… I go to school full time, trying to
get a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management. I also work part time at Pet
Doors USA. It's tough to balance it all, everyone needs a day off from time to
time, but hopefully I won't do three things forever. Once I get into a story, I only want to work
on it, and everything else is an annoying distraction. "What? I have to go
to work again? But I did that
yesterday, and I want to finish this chapter…"
What
is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20
words what would you say?
My latest book is called Kidnapped. Hmm, 20
words or less, that's a tough one. How about: "Prisoner in a hostile and alien environment, alone with a
horrifyingly scarred stranger, Patricia's only thought is escape."
Who
is your publisher? or do you self publish?
Kidnapped is published with Desert Breeze
Publishing, and I have another book with them to be released September 11. I
have a couple of self published ones too, but it is easier to be confident
about a book from a publishing house.
Partly because someone else already believed in it, and partly because
having professional editors and a professional cover artist makes a world of
difference. I'm pretty good with Photoshop, but I doubt I could come up to
anything even close to the cover for Kidnapped.
Which
of your books were easier/harder to write than the others?
Kidnapped was very easy, it almost wrote
itself. I have book called Wrath of the Goddess, and that one fought me every
step of the way. I worked on it for
almost three years, and it certainly had a will of its own... It turned out
pretty well in the end, but I had a world of trouble getting it together.
What
can we expect from you in the future? ie
More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?
I usually write science fiction romance,
but lately I've been getting some ideas about people finding trouble here on
Earth. My upcoming release, "Undercover," is a contemporary
spy-romance. The focus will remain on science fiction though. Space has always
been one of my passions, and I don't see it changing.
Do
you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
Kidnapped is freestanding, but I have plans
to write a short prequel. If it turns out like I want it to, it will be a
freebie, available around Christmas. I'm writing on a novella right now called
Operation Earth, and on a novel about a girl getting involved with a criminal
motorcycle gang. If I don't get too sidetracked, both should be ready soon.
Do
you have a favourite character from your books? and why are they your
favourite?
My favourite character is Stephan Forks
from The Goddess's Saga. He is strong
and smart, but always struggling with something. I've written three novels with
the same characters - Touch of the Goddess, Wrath of the Goddess, and Return of
the Goddess - and he has developed quite a personality during the years. If he
was real, he'd probably annoy me to no end, but I like him in the books.
Do
you gift books to readers to do reviews?
Absolutely. I expect honest reviews though;
if a person doesn't like something, it's okay to say it even if they got a free
copy. It's always interesting to hear what people do and don't like.
Do
you read all the reviews of your book/books?
Oh yes. I love reading the good ones, of
course, but bad reviews are often interesting, provided the person mentions
what it is they don't like. Sometimes it's just a matter of taste, or a person
getting something different from what they expected, but it can be a learning
experience too.
What
was the toughest/best review you have ever had?
I have one review that says, "I'm sure
Maria is a nice person, but she's not a fiction writer." (That's a funny
comment, don't you think?) I don't respond to reviews - I want people to feel
free to say what they want without worrying about the author - but sometimes
I'm tempted to ask, "Can you be a little more specific?" One of the
best ones says, "I read this book in 12 hours and couldn't stop
reading." Yay!
Would
you ever ask a reviewer to change their review if it was not all positive about
your book/books?
No. Everyone can't like everything, and if
a person hates something, it's their prerogative to say it. I don't like
everything I read either.
Do
you choose a title first, or write the book then choose the title?
To me, titles and names are a royal pain in
the behind. I'm horrible at thinking of names, and I usually end up
brainstorming. I write down everything I can think of until I find something
not completely abhorrent… When it comes to characters, I usually write most of
the book calling them X and Y, and once I figure out their names I do a search
and replace.
Do
you decide on character traits (ie shy, quiet, tomboy girl) before writing the
whole book or as you go along?
I start out with a general idea of who they
are, or sometimes what they look like. From there, they develop as I write.
It's a bunch of imaginary friends living in my head, hahaha!
Are
there any New Authors you are interested in for us to watch out for? and Why
should we watch out for them?
Christy Elkins recently got a book contract
for her novels Parallel and Lilac Hill. She writes amazing books that many
people will love.
What
do you think about book trailers?
I like making
book trailers, because I like playing with images and music. I don't watch
a lot of them though, because they make me want to see a movie, not read a
book. I haven't figured out where to put them so the right people will see
them.
What
piece of advice would you give to a new writer?
Write! Be persistent. I say this a lot, but
if you're going to wait for the perfect moment when you have inspiration, the
perfect setting, the perfect thing to write on and with, you will be waiting
for a long time. Great ideas are likely to strike when you can't do anything
with them, and when you have the time to write, you'll probably want to do something
else. The trick is to overcome all this and write anyway. Honestly, I've written some of my best
chapters when I didn't want to.
Do
you or would you ever use a pen name?
I do… Maria Hammarblad was my real name
when I started writing, but I got married last year and became a Sadowski. I
thought it would be confusing to change my name as a writer, but it all turned
out confusing anyway because people don't get that Hammarblad and Sadowski is
the same person. "Hey, why am I getting e-mails from a Sadowski?"
Where can readers follow you?
Your
blog details? http://www.scifiromance.info
Your
web site? http://www.hammarblad.com
Your
facebook page?
https://www.facebook.com/mariahammarblad
Your
Goodreads author page? http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4114780.Maria_Hammarblad
Your
Twitter details?
http://www.twitter.com/mariahammarblad
And
any other information you wish to supply?
I have a trailer for Kidnapped here: http://youtu.be/GDmhI7c69iM
No comments:
Post a Comment