Happy Monday, folks! I’m pleased to welcome cozy mystery author, Mia Manansala today.
Mia’s debut novel, Arsenic & Adobo, released last week, and it’s AMAZING!
Let’s get started with the interview.
Describe your decision to become a writer.
I’ve been interested in writing since I was a kid, but I didn’t try to write anything with the goal of getting published till 2015. I had taught English abroad for years, and in 2015, I had been back home for a year, and was already stuck in a rut. I was 29 years old and thought, “Is this really it? Is this all there is for me?” Then I remembered how much I loved writing. Even though I was an English major in college, I’d never taken a creative writing class. So I literally just Googled “Chicago writing class” and found a one-day mystery writing workshop I could actually afford. I didn’t set out to become a mystery writer–I always thought I’d work in kidlit–but that class changed everything.
I came up with the idea for what would become my first finished novel there (it got me my first agent, but it never sold) and when the teacher, Lori Rader-Day, saw my writing and learned it was my first class, she said, “I think you’re a mystery writer.” She invited me to join the Mystery Writers of America Midwest Chapter (which she was president of at the time) as well as Sisters in Crime Chicagoland, and that’s how it all began for me.
What’s the best thing about being a writer?
Writing the stories I’ve always wanted to read, and impacting other readers and writers like me. I can’t even begin to explain how good it feels to see the excitement other Filipinos have when they see/hear about my book, and knowing that I’m part of the growing representation of Fil-Ams in publishing. I’ve also had the privilege of receiving messages from readers telling me how much my book meant to them and their own reading/writing journey. It’s things like that that keep me going during the hard times.
What superpower would you like to have?
Definitely teleportation. I love traveling but hate the actual “travel” aspect. If I could just snap my fingers and be anywhere in the world, think of all the time and money I’d save! Also great for those days when you’re dragging but need to get to work on time.
Are you an introvert or extrovert? What’s that best thing about being an (introvert or extrovert)?
I’m an extroverted introvert, if that makes sense. I actually had to take the Myers-Briggs test at my previous job as part of a team-building exercise, and it reaffirmed what I’d always suspected: I’m a professional extrovert and personal introvert. I was an English language instructor for about a decade, so I was always able to turn it “on” when I was in the classroom and shut it off when I was done and needed to recharge. It’s a wonderful asset as a writer since the solitude and quiet I crave as an introvert is great for my writing, but being able to flip the extrovert switch on for panels, podcasts, workshops, etc. is really useful.
How do you deal with critiques of your work?
Easy, I don’t read reviews! Or at least, I don’t read reviews if I can help it. I get tagged in a lot of reviews and do my best to “like” them and move on without reading them, but sometimes I see them anyway. If I accidentally read a negative/critical review, I remind myself of two things:
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- Nothing is for everybody. I write cozy mysteries, which are a very specific subgenre of mystery that not everyone cares for. And that’s fine. Taste is subjective and I have to recognize and respect people’s individual taste.
- Reviews are for readers. I wrote the best book I could with the time and skills that I had at that moment, and that’s all I could ask for. Unless there’s something truly problematic in my work that I need to educate myself on, I don’t need to read reviews. Readers should feel safe to express their honest opinions about my work (unless, of course, those views are racist, homophobic, or otherwise prejudiced) without worrying about my feelings or me attacking them.
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A negative review is not a personal attack, though it feels personal since we pour so much of ourselves into our writing. And if that review does happen to contain a personal attack? Then that tells you more about that particular reviewer than it does about you as a writer. Set some boundaries for yourself and move on.
About Arsenic & Adobo
About Mia
Mia P. Manansala (she/her) is a writer and certified book coach from Chicago who loves books, baking, and bad-ass women. She uses humor (and murder) to explore aspects of the Filipino diaspora, queerness, and her millennial love for pop culture. Her debut novel, ARSENIC AND ADOBO, is available now with Berkley/Penguin Random House.
A lover of all things geeky, Mia spends her days procrastibaking, playing JRPGs and dating sims, reading cozy mysteries, and cuddling her dogs Gumiho, Max Power, and Bayley Banks (bonus points if you get all the references).
Find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @MPMtheWriter
Or check out her website: www.miapmanansala.com
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