When did you realize or decide you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve been making up stories about magical creatures and fantastical worlds since I was knee high to a grasshopper and started writing them down as soon as I could wield a pen (or pencil!) A few years ago I realized that although I still loved being a filmmaker and screenwriter, I was really excited about the idea of writing full length novels that could expand into series (and not have to worry about raising a special FX movie budget!)
Why (and when) did you decide to write romance novels? What kind of romance novels do you write?
Pretty much straight away. I loved that as an indie author I could write about magic and steamy steamy rendezvous as much as I liked!
There’s a more serious answer to this question for me too. After having my two boys/while spending a lot of time nursing them, I fell back in love with reading and read 1000s of paranormal romance, fantasy romance and urban fantasy books. I devoured pretty much anything I could get my hands on.
These books and authors helped me healed some old trauma and also allowed me to blossom as an individual. I decided when I started writing PNR that I wanted to do that for my readers. To write stories which would help them heal, inspire them to grow and give them the chance to dream.
What are your favorite types of romance novels to read? Who are your favorite romance authors? How much time do you spend reading?
Paranormal or fantasy romance. I can devour 1 to 1.5 books a day. When I get stuck into a series, I’m voracious. So, when I’m writing a first draft or deep in the editing cave, I have to be careful to read old favorites or the sorts of books I can easily put down and still get some shut eye (paranormal cozy mysteries being a favorite for that), urban fantasy or my staple of lighter shifter romance authors.
Favorite authors – geez, I have SO many. I’ll rattle off a few! Kathryn Moon, Jane Washington, Jaymin Eve. A J Macey, Lindsey Hall, Leia Stone, Hailey Edwards, Tate James and J J Dean, Mariah Garell & Marlee P Louis, to a few new up and comers, too.
What are your favorite non-romance genres?
Urban fantasy, fantasy and paranormal cozy mysteries.
What has been your best experience as an author so far?
Getting to know my readers and other authors. The writing and reading communities have been friggin’ wonderful and have offered me so much support I can’t even. I’m incredibly inspired and grateful to so many indie authors and people in the indie publishing industry for being willing to share knowledge, resources or just drop a word of encouragement here and there.
What sort of challenges have you faced as a writer? How did you overcome them?
I have two young rascals under 6 and I am a stay-at-home mum. The pace that indie authors need to publish at to keep sales and page reads high is formidable. I’m still working on finding my optimum publishing rhythm but one thing I’m hoping to do more of in 2020 is co-write.
How do you research and plan your books? Do you find outlining helps or hinders your process?
I do outline – comes from my screenwriting days – but I also write off the hip when a story takes me over. I often start with an epic inspirational dump from the muse, I try to corral that into a sort of beat sheet/chapter outline in my writing program (Scrivener) and then my job is to write like a bat out of hell because those characters will start yelling at me straight away!
In terms of research, I go to the great gods of GGL or watch YouTube videos or TV shows if I need specialty type knowledge. Or I ask my readers!
Have you learned anything really cool or interesting while researching your books? What’s been the weirdest research you’ve ever had to do?
I don’t think anyone should look at my search history. Just saying.
What advice would you give to new romance writers in the field?
Write what you are passionate about. Yes, writing to market is powerful but you have to LOVE it first.
Tell us a little about your writing nook! Favorite tea/coffee/writing snack?
I mostly write at my kitchen table. I have a collection of trinkets, stuffies, good luck charms and things I’ve gathered (like SWAG) from authors at book conventions as my good luck charm/unofficial writing altar to the muse. I also LOVE to write in cafes. It makes me giggle.
Of all of your own characters, who would you most want to date?
Maybe the Italian three boys in my upcoming wolf shifter PNR RH (reverse harem) THE SAPPHIRE PACK series — Antonio is a moody but brilliant bastard and fierce protector; Luca is an adorable sweetheart omega but he has bite when you come after the ones he loves & Girgio… OMPH. He’s my ultimate alpha. Deep, romantic, gruff and demanding. Plus one hell of a leader to boot. And I have a serious crush on the FMC in that series. She’s a bad ass but you wouldn’t know it at the beginning of the series. I love it when a character transforms to become the person they were always destined to be.
If you had to be a fictional hero from any book or movie, who would you be and why?
Mackenzie or Sapphire. Those are both my heroines. Storm from X Men (man, the movies just didn’t get her right!). Man that’s a tough one to narrow down because I pretty much jump right on in to any book or movie I’m reading. Oh, Jane Washington’s Seraph Black. Hell yeah, I love that world, her guys AND her kick ass powers. I’ll be Seraph.
Have any of your books been made into audiobooks (or movies or plays)? If so, what was that experience like?
Not yet. I’m thinking of getting cracking on audiobooks in 2020. Movie wise, I’ve made my own films, worked on others. A few were adaptations of books but mostly they were original screenplays written for the screen. I am planning on adapting some of my original feature screenplays back into novel form later down the track though.
What project are you currently working on?
I’m working on getting out Becoming The Chief (Ryan’s origin novel out) and I have a couple of short stories/novellas in the pipelines too. Plus I’m writing Brock’s book from the Phoenix Crew Series, too. Oh and The Sapphire Pack which I’m so excited about as it’s set in the part of Italy my papa is from.
What’s next for you?
I’m attending my first signing as an author in 2020. Ballgowns and Books Event, in Sydney Australia on 1st February 2020. And I’ll be at Penned Con 2020 too. See you there?!
Author Bio:
Miri Stone writes steamy romance novels with lashings of fantasy and adventure in them. She’s a writing mamma, an award winning filmmaker, a fellow book devourer and a hopeless coffee addict.
She believes in magic, the power of love and that stories transform lives. Since she was knee-high to a grasshopper growing up in New Zealand, she has been telling wild and fantastical tales. Now she’s living in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. with her young family.
Her head is inhabited by a vast and wonderful array of book boyfriends and feisty heroine crushes (why choose?!) and a menagerie of imaginary friends that often feel more real than life itself.
BECOMING THE CHIEF is going live on 31st Dec 2019.
Right after Pyro, Pyro, Burning Bright in the Phoenix Crew Series comes Ryan’s origin story, Becoming The Chief.
### BLURB for BECOMING THE CHIEF ###
ALPHAS ARE NOT BORN, THEY ARE CALLED.
Ryan, aka The Chief, has his hands full. While he would love nothing more than to lose himself in his new mate, an alpha’s job is never done.
He has to remind himself daily why killing his ex-best friend is a bad idea.
That damn cat shifter is still strutting about his turf, calling his crew to war.
He’s suddenly playing host to a pack of wolves who arrive unannounced for a BBQ.
And to top it all off, his sassy mate is keeping one heck of a secret, leaving Ryan no choice but to torture it out of her in the most pleasurable way.
With the ghosts of his past getting tangled up in his future, The Chief is left wondering … Why did he even agree to be alpha of The Phoenix Crew again?
Becoming The Chief (Book 1.5 of the Phoenix Crew) is a full length novel (approx. 60k words) and written for mature audiences (18+ only please!) It includes explicit sex scenes, frequent cussing, and hot growly alpha males bumping up against sassy, female heroines who can hold their own.
Get ready for firefighting bear shifters, phoenix shifters and pyro-kenetic, psychic powers, oh my!
AUTHOR’S NOTE: While the Phoenix Crew is a paranormal shifter romance series with lashings of suspense, magic and steam—and strong urban fantasy influences—Becoming The Chief is an origin novel designed to fill out the backstory of how the Phoenix Crew came to be together under their alpha. But don’t fret, book devourers, I’ve packed plenty of steam and heart-throb into these pages too! The dual-timeline also allows us a sneak peek into the weeks following Mackenzie and Ryan’s explosive mating (see what I did there?!) and the turmoil of crew life after the troubling events of Pyro, Pyro, Burning Bright.
READER BEWARE—This book is a continuation so it contains spoilers. Best read in series order!
Steam up your kindles by preordering today!
Where did your writing inspiration for the book come from?
As the whole Phoenix Crew shape so much of the story of Pyro, Pyro, Burning Bright I wanted to share with my readers how they came to be a crew and Ryan, aka The Chief, their alpha. I also wanted to expand on the current timeline of what happens right after all the upheaval in Pyro, Pyro, Burning Bright. There is a series arc which continues throughout the books as we head for a big battle finale, returning to Mackenzie & Ryan’s POVs, as the crew battle with their nemesis for the future of the crew. So this origin novel allows the readers to gain a bit more insight into that building tension and storyline before we move onto Book Two which is Brock’s fated mate story (he’s going to have his hands full with not one but two fated mates!)
Did you outline the story, or dive right in? What’s your process?
I do a combo of outlining and diving right in. I usually beat out my chapters in scrivener but if the words start to flow, I’m all for dancing with the muse. In this particular novel, I wrote the past timeline first, then wrote the present timeline sewn throughout the book. It was my first dual timeline book and it was a special and very rewarding challenge.
How did your characters come to life?
They tend to blossom in my mind full formed and yelling at me to get writing, to be honest. But they always fill out as I go. I’m constantly discovering new things and being surprised by my characters as I write each new chapter or sequence.
Did you do any cool or interesting research for this story? What did you learn?
Not so much for this one. It was a lot of flow on from what I’d set up in PPBB.
What was your favorite part of working on this story? What was the most challenging?
See above! lol.
What’s next for this story – is it part of a series? When does it come out?
Next up is book two of the series called DOUBLE THE PRIDE, DOUBLE THE FALL. But I may be slipping a short from the POV of Pins (a very spunky hedgehog shifter) in there as well. We’ll see…
Share an Excerpt:
### SNEAK-PEEK TEASER for BECOMING THE CHIEF ###
I whipped through the change faster than I’d ever done before, driven by my need to protect those that were mine. “CHANGE.”
Every single animal that was conscious obeyed.
“Take your dead and your wounded and go.”
“Who are you to give us orders, fire bear?” a surly man snarled, spitting a glob of blood into the dirt. But his wolf was already showing me his neck. So the man was left shivering, cupping his junk to protect it from the cold night air as his animal put all its efforts to healing the seeping gash in his leg. “Our alpha’s not even here. I’ll just bet he’s cozying up to that curvy baker by now.”
I strode up to the wolf, grabbing him by the throat to snarl straight into his face.
“I. Am. The Chief. And Bear Falls is under MY protection. Next time you come at my people, it’ll be your grave we dig. Got it, pup?”
### All words my own & rights reserved, etc. ###
Sales Links:
PYRO, PYRO, BURNING BRIGHT – https://books2read.com/u/mv2qeV
BECOMING THE CHIEF – https://books2read.com/u/bzvkkj
I have a free sample of PPBB available in a BookFunnel Promo running until 31st December 2019
Social Links:
FB Reader group – The Phoenix Inferno—Miri Stone’s Book Devourers
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