Mariam Kobras’ “Love is in the Air” Blog Hop Kickoff

I am pleased to welcome a special guest to my blog today.  Author Mariam Kobras is here to tell us about her journey to publication and to kick off her “Love is in the Air” Blog Hop!  Follow the action on Twitter by searching “#TDSBlogHop”.

PJ: Thanks so much for joining me as my special guest on my blog, Mariam!  We’ve been Twitter friends for a long time and I’m thrilled with your success!

MK: Thank you for inviting me, PJ, the honor is all mine. And yes, it seems like we’ve been friends for ages!

PJ: I want to start by asking you about the main character in your novel, international rock star “Jonathon Stone” – is there a real celebrity who inspired the persona of Stone?  

MK: When my publisher and I met for lunch the first time, she asked me the same question, and added, “because he reminds me of Bruce Springsteen!”

Heck, who am I to argue with my publisher?

Seriously? There is no “real” rock star. Jon is his own person. He’s a Brooklyn boy from a normal, middle class family. His mother is a retired teacher, and his father was a surgeon. His divorced sister Valerie is a music teacher at the same school he went to as a kid, and his brother Kevin is a doctor, like their father. His mother still lives in the same house where Jon grew up, not too far from the promenade. Jon is the only one who has the ambition to be more, to be famous. At the point where The Distant Shore starts, he is in his mid-forties, and ready to take a new path, to leave the stage and get involved in serious composing. In fact, Jon and Naomi, his wife, develop a Broadway musical together.

 PJ: Can you tell us about your journey to publication with Buddhapuss Ink?  What has publishing with a small press been like?

MK: In a word: awesome. I met Buddhapuss on twitter, I think about two years ago. For a long time we just chatted about their puppy, the weather and coffee, until I posted page 99 of The Distant Shore on my blog. Within minutes I got a message with a request for the full manuscript. Several months later, I signed a contract with them. I’ve never looked back.

PJ: What do you feel the advantages are of publishing with a small press over a large press?

MK: I enjoy working with Buddhapuss. I like how personal it is, how much I’m involved in the publishing process, and how much I have learned about editing. You wouldn’t get that at a large house.

But…I have to tell you, I think with my heart. I “knew” I wanted to be signed with Buddhapuss. There were two other publishers requesting the book BEFORE I signed with them, and I refused. I WANTED Buddhapuss. And I’m glad I followed my gut feeling. I’m at home with them. 

PJ: Can you tell us about the editing process?  

MK: For me, it was easy. But then I’ve been very, very lucky with my editor. We speak the same language, we think alike. I can’t tell where my writing ends and her edits begin. I’m totally comfortable with her work.

I’m  even thinking it would be kind of fun to write a book with her. A collaboration. I think it would work.

PJ: Did you consider self-publishing?

MK: Never. Not for a moment, ever. I wanted a traditional publisher. Not even an ePublisher would have done it for me. This may be old-fashioned, but I wanted to hold a printed book in my hands. A printed book, published by a publishing house, with my name and their colophon on the spine. It’s the validation I need. And it’s the vindication for the many hours I stole from my family, writing.

PJ: And how did a one-book deal turn into a three-book deal?  Did you always know the story of Jonathon Stone would be a trilogy?

MK: I think so, yes. I used to teach theater classes at a high school before I REALLY started writing. When I took that job, there was only an empty, unused auditorium, no technical equipment, no props, nothing. We started from scratch. It was a wonderful time. I had to learn a lot about lighting, sound engineering, stage settings, basically everything. There was no one else! I even had to write the plays myself.

During that time, I went to a number of big rock and pop concerts—Simply Red, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Diamond, Chris de Burgh, some others, even Cirque de Soleil—and found I was more interested in the technical aspects of the production than the show itself. It fascinated me. I counted the containers on the parking lot behind the venues. I would stay after the shows, until they threw me out, watching them dismantling the stages. I found I wanted to write about that, as well as about the musical productions I had put on myself.

From Jon Stone, the lovesick rock star to a Broadway show…somehow that works for me.

PJ: What’s the timeline for your books—the second one is in the editing stage now?  How’s the third one coming along?

MK: That’s right. The Distant Shore was published this month, and it rocketed!

Book 2 is written and with the publisher for editing. I think you can expect it in September. Book 3 will be out in January or February 2013. January, if I have any say in it.

PJ: Any hints as to what’s coming down the line for Jonathon Stone?

MK: As I’ve already mentioned, he and Naomi will produce a Broadway show. There may or not be a new baby…but, you will have to wait and read the books to find out!

PJ: Have you always written in long-form or have you written short stories as well?  Which do you gravitate towards and why?

MK: The thing is, I didn’t write at all before I started Distant Shore. Well, a number of plays for school. But not novels, and not short stories. Doing a novel seemed like a natural  choice. I didn’t think about it. I really can’t tell you why.

PJ: How do you feel about genres – do you feel comfortable placing your book in a particular genre?

MK: My novels were placed by the publisher, on the “contemporary fiction/romance” shelf. I’m quite comfortable with that. Some day I’d like to see one of my books get the label “literary fiction”. That’s where I would like to be.

PJ: Do you have any tips for aspiring writers who would like to follow in your footsteps?

MK: Well, if they want to follow in MY footsteps, there’s only one word of advice: WRITE.

End of story.

Sit down, and write.

PJ: Thanks so much for joining me today, Mariam!  Best wishes to you!

This was the first stop on Mariam’s “Love is in the Air” Blog Hop & Giveaway. We hope you enjoyed reading this interview.

Buddhapuss Ink LLC will be giving away copies of Mariam’s first book The Distant Shore along with some other pretty terrific (and very Romantic) gifts as we count down the days to Valentine’s Day!

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