BOOK PROMOTIONS INTERNATIONAL AUTHOR FEATURE
MANDI KONESNI
Welcome to the L.O.V.E. blog! Today we'll be chatting with author and blogger Mandi Konesni about her life in the literary field. Enjoy!
Q: Thank you Mandi for chatting with us today. Can you start by telling our readers a little about your writing routine? How do you start writing a new book?
A: Hello, and thanks for having me! I love to write, but sometimes it seems like there aren't enough hours in the day. I'm one of those 'day dreamers', my mind is constantly wandering, which helps immensely. A lot of times I'll see something while out, or catch a glimpse of a book cover, and random plot points start forming. Lately I've written the most during NanoWriMo. The fast, hectic pace manages to keep me focused and on task.
To start a book, I'll usually come up with some plot point I'm interested in, and build an outline around it. If I'm a little stuck, I run my half-planned idea by my best friend. She's amazing at pinpointing possible issues and tweaking things until it makes so much more sense to me.
Then, I lurk on http://www.fantasynamegenerators.com for a few hours... okay, days. Seriously, this site is such a good resource! You can find name generators for pretty much anything there, so you'll get lost for days creating towns, cities, worlds, characters, etc. Once I've got all my information, I pop on my headphones and dive in. For some reason, I cannot write to anything other than Fleetwood Mac. I have no idea why... I'm a rocker girl!
Q: That's awesome! We've heard from a lot of authors that they use music to keep their writing flow going. You also have some companionship when you're working in your "ornery bassle pup?"
A: As all pet owners know, the furry ones run our lives. Mine is the most spoiled mama's girl in existence. When I'm sitting down writing, she's attached to my hip. Literally. If I get up, she follows. My schedule is dictated by her schedule... she has a very hectic napping regime. Being part basset and part beagle, she's got the tenacious personality and stubbornness from both. If Molly says I'm done writing because it's bedtime, well, it's bedtime whether I'm tired or not. We had a cancer scare 3 years ago, a mammary tumor. I scraped up every penny I could to get it taken care of. She's my baby, it's the only thing I could do. So her dictating my life is welcome, because she's still here and healthy. I'm happy to work around her. :)
Q: We're so glad that Molly is still here and still healthy. You have a few things listed on your site that you do other than writing. Can you tell us a little bit about them?
A: I'm kind of a rebel, in a way. If someone tells me that I can't do something, it just makes me that much more determined to prove them wrong. When I was a teen, a lot of people I knew had skin allergies, but said there wasn't anything they could do about it. So I learned how to make soap and lotions, and tailored them to what people could use. When I wanted to start my own jewelry-making business, everyone told me I had no idea what I was doing, and was too young to start something like that. I incorporated it into the soap making, and started making custom items for friends and family.
When Facebook started its "real name or else" campaign, a lot of friends of mine were losing years of writing work each time they got nuked. I had no idea how to code or run a social network, but I worked my tail off and started http://www.roleplaylives.net for my roleplaying friends 4 years ago. It's now an invite-only home to over 5500 writers, and growing. Everyone I talked to told me I couldn't do it, which just pushed me forward. Now, I build my own sites, can set up servers and databases, and handle most issues easily.
Looking back, nearly everything I've done has been because someone else told me I couldn't. If you have a dream, don't let anyone else stomp it down. You are the only one in charge of your life and your goals, and others can either help you, support you, or step aside and get out of your way. If you end up tweaking your goals as you work on them, you're the one that gets to decide that, nobody else. I never expected to be running a social network, but life happens. We're just along for the crazy ride.
Q: We love it and we wish you continued success with your social network! I also saw in your bio that you're into gemstones. (me, too!!) Tell us a little about that please.
A: I was kind of a nerdy kid growing up. My parents instilled in us a healthy curiosity of the world around us, and encouraged us to explore when it came to things like science, reading, etc. Growing up, I collected rocks just because they were pretty, but after awhile, I started learning more about the properties of them. I learned people used gems and minerals for crystal healing, and that was it... off I went. Being Pagan, it really helped solidify my ideals, that all of nature works together in balance, and everything has its own energy signature.
I really tried to learn what each individual stone was said to do, and how to blend different stones for different meanings. It's still my nerdy hobby, honestly. I love making custom bracelets and things for people. I've been banned from buying any more gemstone beads until I use up some of what I have, since it's reaching the point where I may end up on an episode of Hoarders. I just can't resist a pretty bead!
When I was younger, I actually wrote a gemstone healing guide, with different correspondences for each stone. Even though I don't advertise it much since I wrote it so long ago, I'm still pretty proud of it. I use it all the time when creating new things.
Q: We'll take some beads off your hands if you ever decide to part with them. LOL :-) How can readers keep in touch with you or get to know more about your books and hobbies?
I'm currently working on revamping the blog section of my main site, but most everything is linked from there.
http://www.mandikonesni.com
https://www.facebook.com/mandikauthor/
http://literarysocial.com/mandikonesni/
https://twitter.com/mandikauthor
http://www.mandikonesni.com/newsletter.html
You can also see book signing and takeover events, by checking out my event calendar here- http://www.mandikonesni.com/find-me.html
Thank you Mandi for taking the time to share with our readers and THANK YOU READERS for taking to time to learn more about our featured author! Your shares and comments are welcome.
Q: We're so glad that Molly is still here and still healthy. You have a few things listed on your site that you do other than writing. Can you tell us a little bit about them?
A: I'm kind of a rebel, in a way. If someone tells me that I can't do something, it just makes me that much more determined to prove them wrong. When I was a teen, a lot of people I knew had skin allergies, but said there wasn't anything they could do about it. So I learned how to make soap and lotions, and tailored them to what people could use. When I wanted to start my own jewelry-making business, everyone told me I had no idea what I was doing, and was too young to start something like that. I incorporated it into the soap making, and started making custom items for friends and family.
When Facebook started its "real name or else" campaign, a lot of friends of mine were losing years of writing work each time they got nuked. I had no idea how to code or run a social network, but I worked my tail off and started http://www.roleplaylives.net for my roleplaying friends 4 years ago. It's now an invite-only home to over 5500 writers, and growing. Everyone I talked to told me I couldn't do it, which just pushed me forward. Now, I build my own sites, can set up servers and databases, and handle most issues easily.
Looking back, nearly everything I've done has been because someone else told me I couldn't. If you have a dream, don't let anyone else stomp it down. You are the only one in charge of your life and your goals, and others can either help you, support you, or step aside and get out of your way. If you end up tweaking your goals as you work on them, you're the one that gets to decide that, nobody else. I never expected to be running a social network, but life happens. We're just along for the crazy ride.
Q: We love it and we wish you continued success with your social network! I also saw in your bio that you're into gemstones. (me, too!!) Tell us a little about that please.
A: I was kind of a nerdy kid growing up. My parents instilled in us a healthy curiosity of the world around us, and encouraged us to explore when it came to things like science, reading, etc. Growing up, I collected rocks just because they were pretty, but after awhile, I started learning more about the properties of them. I learned people used gems and minerals for crystal healing, and that was it... off I went. Being Pagan, it really helped solidify my ideals, that all of nature works together in balance, and everything has its own energy signature.
I really tried to learn what each individual stone was said to do, and how to blend different stones for different meanings. It's still my nerdy hobby, honestly. I love making custom bracelets and things for people. I've been banned from buying any more gemstone beads until I use up some of what I have, since it's reaching the point where I may end up on an episode of Hoarders. I just can't resist a pretty bead!
When I was younger, I actually wrote a gemstone healing guide, with different correspondences for each stone. Even though I don't advertise it much since I wrote it so long ago, I'm still pretty proud of it. I use it all the time when creating new things.
Q: We'll take some beads off your hands if you ever decide to part with them. LOL :-) How can readers keep in touch with you or get to know more about your books and hobbies?
I'm currently working on revamping the blog section of my main site, but most everything is linked from there.
http://www.mandikonesni.com
https://www.facebook.com/mandikauthor/
http://literarysocial.com/mandikonesni/
https://twitter.com/mandikauthor
http://www.mandikonesni.com/newsletter.html
You can also see book signing and takeover events, by checking out my event calendar here- http://www.mandikonesni.com/find-me.html
Mandi is one of the best writers I've encountered. She takes you to different places in her books and pushes limits with twist and turns. Not only is she a great writer but she's an amazing woman, friend and support system. Anyone lucky enough to know her and read her writing is better for it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment Michelle!
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