Mia Knight's Blog, page 6

I spent this month editing Roth and Jasmine's first month together and posting the raw chapters on Patreon. This is not where book 1 of 2 will end, but rather, the only chapters complete enough for me to show. The rest of what I have has major chunks missing because I wasn't sure which route I wanted to take. I think revisiting the beginning and nailing down some details I was undecided about has helped me figure out a way forward, so that's good. Also, the reaction of the patrons and their questions is helping me form the rest of the story. Some things still aren't settled in my head, but that's part of the process. Once I start writing again, I know I'll figure it out.

In July I'll be finishing up their story and, of course, post on here about my progress.

“Give him a kiss, love. He’s done good work here today.”

She stood beside Roth's chair, but couldn't bring herself to look higher than his chest. He wasn’t wearing a tie. Why that bothered her, she had no idea. He just sat there, waiting. He was always fucking waiting for her to make a move, so he could counter it. Everyone expected her to rush into his arms like the newlyweds they were supposed to be playing, but she couldn’t do it. Even if he married the same woman twice, what sane person would expect Roth to morph into an affectionate husband?

She turned away from him with a fixed smile on her face, ready to crack some joke, when a hand grasped the back of her coat and gave a firm yank. She yelped as she staggered back and fell across his lap. One hand went around her back to stop her fall while the other cupped her face. She had a split second of warning as his head descended. She braced for a peck to appease their audience. The last thing she expected was for his tongue to invade. She let out a distressed gasp, which he took full advantage of. She clutched handfuls of his suit to anchor herself as she was engulfed in prickling heat.

It was the cheers, clapping, and hollers from the normally staid businessmen that reminded her where they were and with whom. She was stretched across his lap like a fainting heroine and he, of course, looked like the conquering hero. That image gave her the strength to wrest her mouth from his. She sat up and buried her hot face against his shoulder.

Draft of Bitter Secrets © 2021 Mia Knight

A reader noticed I stopped posting personal tidbits, so I'll include one here. I need a haircut. LOL. My hair is to my waist. This is probably the longest it's been since I was seven-years-old. I dread booking appointments and with COVID and now the influx of people who have moved here, it's a 2-3 week wait to get in with the very few hair places in town so I've been putting it off. Doing my hair is an all day affair. Every hair dresser who touches it never fails to say, "You have a lot of hair." Eye roll. I know. I've been trying to take care of it my whole life. SMH. It's not that I like long hair, it's more like I don't like going to the salon and sitting there all day. I don't even do anything that fancy--just dye and cut, yet with the amount of hair I have, it's a 4 hour process. I can't stand sitting there twiddling my thumbs. I know. I have a problem. I try to read on my phone while I wait, but I've never been able to lose myself in a book when everyone's chattering around me. I'm going to be 33 in a few months and I have more gray hair than I'd like at this age. It's hereditary. My brother's, 31 and 38, are already salt and pepper. But it looks good on them, so whatever. I'm super low maintenance, so I just want my hair dyed as close as possible to my natural color--a very dark brown. I wish my hair was more like Moana's. We're both Polynesian, but my hair is wild and more like Merida's. LMAO. The humidity in Hawaii does me no favors.

You can tell its summer in Hawaii because of the sweltering heat and the amount of tourists everywhere. My family planted this massive garden so we have tomatoes, cucumbers, and lemons galore. It's been nice seeing things grow. We've been buying more plants than usual. I think everyone is since we're all still nesting in our homes so much. Me, by choice, because I'm a hermit and try to avoid people at all costs. (Yes, I know I have a problem and I'm ok with it).

I need to get to the beach more. I tried editing at the beach the other day, but it didn't work out too well. It was a little too hot for my iPad (which I edit on) and my dogs and there was a ton of people there. I was drawing quite a bit of attention for trying to work at the beach. LOL. I'm going to try to go this week and just chill.

Anyway, that's all for me. I may post every other week in July. I think me posting so often is giving the impression that I'm close to publishing, but I'm just giving weekly progress reports and still in the first draft stage. As soon as I have a release date, I'll update everything on my website and send out an email. Until then, the blog will be me giving micro updates.

“You don’t know when to stop, do you?” he chided, but he didn’t sound upset. His voice was warm with approval. “You shouldn’t challenge me. It rouses my fighting instincts and we both know I’ll do whatever it takes to win.” 

“You—” She stopped abruptly when his teeth clamped on her ear. 

When he was certain he had her compliance, he released her and nuzzled her cheek as he husked, “You know I don’t fight fair. Provoke me and I won’t be responsible for what happens.”

“I’m not going to bow down to you,” she hissed. 

“I would be disappointed if you did.”

Draft of Bitter Secrets © 2021 Mia Knight

This month I've been editing/revising the first half of Bitter Secrets and posting the raw chapters on Patreon for my Bigger Baddie and Super Baddie tiers. This is just a draft and may change from what is published. In July I'll be finishing up part 2. I kind of lost my way in part 2, trying to decide what events I wanted to explore and balancing their volatile relationship and their individual arcs so I decided to revisit part 1 and share what I have so far. I am humbled by the enthusiasm for this series and these characters. :)

I want to release these two books detailing their year together either at the same time or within the same month, so I won't release part 1 until both are complete. I will announce a release date as soon as I have one. Thank you!

Hey everyone!

This is going to be a holiday post and last announcements for 2018. First of all, I hope you’re having a great holiday season! Mine has been hectic and crazy, (as usual). My family reassures me that that’s just how my life is.

Okay, onward.

There are two ways that you can win paperbacks of the Crime Lord Series. The first is from Goodreads. I’m giving away two copies of Crime Lord’s Captive. The giveaway ends January 1, so make sure you enter here. Unfortunately, this is open only to US and Canadian residents.

The second way you can win paperbacks is in my Facebook group, Mia Knight’s Captives, and it is open to everyone. There are five games that you must participate in to be eligible to win the full series. All 5 paperbacks are signed by me and the cover model who plays Gavin. The winner will be announced the second week of January.

I want to thank you all for being part of my support group this year. I wouldn’t be able to live my dream without people like you who not only understand my work, but love it and recommend it to others. I can’t thank you all enough!

I have some exciting things in store for 2019 that I can’t wait to share with you! My next release will be a standalone and book 5 in the Crime Lord Series will follow soon after. I hope to have multiple releases this year, so if I am slow to respond, know I’m trying to stay offline and translate what’s swimming in my head onto the page.

Thank you for all your well wishes and support. You mean the world to me! Stay safe and happy!

Love,

Mia

The post Paperback giveaways & last announcements for 2018 appeared first on Mia Knight.

Hey everyone! We’re doing a release party for Crime Lord’s Paradise in my Facebook group, Mia Knight’s Captives on October 14. I’m being joined by an amazing group of authors! Jane Henry, Soraya Naomi, Cora Reilly, JC Grant, & Lana Sky. There will be games, giveaways, and fun so make sure you tune in! I will also be answering some questions, so make sure you submit yours by filling out this form.

Once again, thank you to everyone who has sent me sweet and encouraging messages and emails for Crime Lord’s Paradise. They brighten my day!

The post Release Party for Crime Lord’s Paradise appeared first on Mia Knight.

Amazon, Kobo, iBooks, Barnes&Noble, Playster

FINALLY it’s on all retailers. I thought it would be fun to do a surprise release. Uh, no, not fun. More like nightmare. More like HELL. Having the book go live within 3 hours on some retailers and 24 on others was a bitch. Therefore, you better believe the next book is getting a damn preorder. My sincere apologies to the poor souls who had to wait hours or a day longer than everyone else!

Releasing a book is always nerve-wracking for any author and particularly me since I don’t release that often. I don’t even like bothering people to tell them I have a book coming out. LOL. For those who reached out to me as soon as I announced there would be a new release, you guys are a special breed. I got emails saying, “Hooray! Thanks for letting me know. Keep me informed, okay?” And then there’s the flip side: “Where the hell is book 5?” (I’m going to go hide now). Every time I release, my readers humble the fuck out of me. The emails, posts, tags, and reviews you guys leave or send to me just blow me away. Having people empathize and be so invested with the characters I spend so much time with is a miracle! I still can’t believe I’m so fortunate. I have the best job in the world!

I’ve been in Sin City for over a year, but I think I need more quiet. Too much drama in the city (ironic, I know). SO, I wasn’t sure where I want to move. Thank God, I have an amazing friend who is letting me stay in her Utah home. (The pic isn’t her actual house, but this will probably be me in the future. Hermit-writer.) I’ll be in Utah for the winter, writing book 5 and 6 and who knows what else. (I’ve been bombarded with so many stories lately, I don’t know how my brain is retaining all this insane info.) But my main objective is to complete Carmen’s book. I’ve said before that the timelines in 5 and 6 intersect so I need to write them at the same time, which is why I need more time. Because I feel terrible for being a slow mo fo here’s a sneak peek of book 5. This is a draft and some things may change so take what you read with a grain of salt.

I figure I’ll bunker down in Utah and if I get itchy feet I’ll go see my siblings or friends who live in the Pacific Northwest. Anyone need a house sitter?? Bwhaha. Nora Roberts wrote about a writer who was a house sitter. Mind. Blown. I can’t believe people do that for a living. If I wasn’t a writer, that’s what I’d be trying to get into. I still might… LOL. I haven’t found my place yet. Therefore, I wander. I’m hoping on my travels this summer I’ll find a place that feels right. I’m trying to learn to just go with the flow. We’ll see how that goes.

I’m gonna wrap this up by telling you again, thank you so much for your patience and support. I love the emails and messages and tags on social media. You guys are the best and I couldn’t do it without you! Your enthusiasm and support urge me onward and I can’t wait to show you what else I’ve got in store.

Crime Lord Series, Book 4.5

After Gavin Pyre steps down from his position as crime lord, he and Lyla focus on picking up the pieces of their lives and creating the paradise they deserve.

AHHH I am in love with this cover! I feel it fits the story and this point in Gavin & Lyla’s relationship. My designer did a stellar job. I told her “tropical with edge” and she delivered! There will be no preorder. I will release within the next 2 weeks and report immediately once its live!

I wasn’t planning to write this novella. I was thinking of a bonus clip to put at the back of book 5 and thought it would be fun to write about Gavin and Lyla in Bora Bora (mentioned in Awakened by Sin). So, I began a scene with Lyla on the beach. One clip turned into two and all of a sudden, I realized that I could expand it into a short story. A catch up, if you will. Gavin and Lyla will get one more full novel within the series, so I knew we’d revisit them, but definitely not so soon! You’d think after 3 novels, they’d be talked out. Guess not.

I hope you enjoy this novella. We’re just tapping lightly on the surface of these characters and seeing what they divulge. I fell into Gavin and Lyla as if I never left them. I enjoyed writing this and hope you enjoy it as much as I did! I love writing Gavin’s POV and watching to see how he’ll react to things. I can’t wait to write Crime Lord’s Captive from his POV. This is a future project along with the prequel: their first meet until he gets her back. That’s going to be a long one. I still need more info from the other novels, so I’ll wait for the characters to fill in the blanks for me.

I’m holing up in a cabin in Utah for the winter so I will be writing books 5 and 6 and releasing in early 2019. Thank you all for being so patient and encouraging. I couldn’t do this without you! I will be posting everywhere as soon as Crime Lord’s Paradise is live! Here is an excerpt of chapter one!

The post Crime Lord’s Paradise appeared first on Mia Knight.

(Ok,  so this post is month’s overdue, but better late than never, right?)

After my visit to Lake Tahoe, I was supposed to spend a day or two in Klamath Falls, but I ended up passing through because of an upcoming snow storm. I did a straight shot from Lake Tahoe to Eugene, a nine hour drive through terrible rain and winding roads. My windshield wipers couldn’t go fast enough, my windows were fogging up, and I could barely see. I thought I was going to die. Anyway, long story short, I made it. I was beyond exhausted by the time I made it to my sister’s place. My sister was watching for me from her window. She spotted me and came running down the stairs and hugged me. I burst into tears of relief and also happiness since I hadn’t seen her in a year. It was a Hallmark moment.

I spent about a week and a half in Oregon. I was scoping out the place to see if I wanted to move there. I love the vibe, the landscapes, and being closer to family. I drove around and decided to rent a cliff house with an amazing view.

This location was so remote that I didn’t have cell service, which freaked me out. Thankfully, my brother came down from Seattle (a 6 hour drive) to stay with me. He arrived at 1:30am with groceries galore and cooked up a storm (he’s an executive chef and was appalled by the fact I only brought food to make sandwiches). We didn’t go to sleep until 3am. It’s been a year since I saw him as well. We spent the next day talking, eating, watching TV, and enjoying the view. The location and sound of the ocean worked wonders on us. We all lead hectic lives so time outs like this are necessary to help us regroup. Here’s a pic of him enjoying the sunset:

The next day we drove to Eugene to surprise my sister who hadn’t seen him in almost 2 years. We caught her right before she left for work. My brother  stood out of  sight  as  I  knocked and gave some BS excuse to get them to  open the door. My sister  didn’t have  pants on and was horrified when my brother  walked in. LMAO.

My brother and I cruised around  Eugene on the best dirty chai I’ve ever tasted before we went back to the cliff house and he headed back to Seattle, hyped on caffeine. My sister and her husband joined me for a couple days. I spent one more night with them before I left for Las Vegas. I stopped in Medford (which I would like to visit again in future). I stayed in a hotel, which is hell when you have dogs. Ahh! I also stopped in Mount Shasta, a tiny town filled with friendly people, a breathtaking view, and a front desk clerk who told me to “calm down” when I wrote 2013 as the date when checking in. By that point, my brain was fried to a crisp and I barely knew which state I was in. My last stop was Reno where I stayed for 2 days before I did the 7+ hour drive back to Las Vegas.

My trip was about 4 weeks long. I added over 2500 miles to my Honda CR-V and I got an education about driving long distances solo. My dogs were fucking troopers. My older boy was beyond over it on the last leg. Strangely, my puppy who was car sick in the beginning (don’t even get me started on this) was fine by the end. I left Las Vegas like a bat out of hell and drove back in, drumming my fingers on the steering wheel, desperate for a glimpse of my city. On the drive back, you don’t know how happy I was to see evergreens and mountains fade to sand and endless desert.

When I set out on the road trip, I wasn’t sure what I was looking for. All I knew was I needed to disconnect and take a break. There were many ups and downs on this trip, but it all worked out in the end. I don’t think wandering is a waste of time. Everything I do and experience somehow works it’s way into my writing so I’m glad for that. Also, it makes me appreciate the simple joy of coming home to your own place and that’s awesome.

During this trip I’ve watched way too many episodes of Ink Master and am now ready to tap those keys, baby. Stay tuned.

The post Road Trip – Oregon appeared first on Mia Knight.

Hey everyone!

Awakened by Sin is nearly here! I am having an epic party in my Facebook group, Mia Knight’s Captives. The party will run from 3 – 9 PM EST. There will be games, giveaways, and fun!

I am honored to have this line up joining me: Amelia Hutchins, K. Webster, Lylah James, Amo Jones, Isabella Starling, JL Drake, Charmaine Pauls, Jennifer Bene, Michelle Brown, Bethany-Kris, Nikki Belaire, Mary Catherine Gebhard, Willow Winters, Lili Saint Germain, Michelle Hardin, A. Zavarelli, Addison Cain and Anita Gray.

Hope to see you there!

The post Release party for Awakened by Sin, March 29 appeared first on Mia Knight.

I wanted to make a formal announcement that I will be offline traveling and writing. I have been overwhelmed with the positive response to Awakened by Sin! I couldn’t be happier! Before I start writing book 5 I need to take some time off to fill my well by wandering and visiting family. I will be spending several months on the road and stopping in remote locations to get some much needed rest. Don’t be alarmed if I don’t respond to your messages! I haven’t died. I am probably sleeping, writing, or on the road. LOL.

I know you all are anxiously awaiting news on book 5. The more time I spend offline, the quicker I will be able to produce a book. It takes time for me to write, so please be patient. I will report any news as soon as I have any.

Thank you for your support and understanding!

The post Offline Traveling and Writing appeared first on Mia Knight.

After I published Awakened by Sin I took off. After a hard year and an equally difficult book, I was emotionally and mentally drained. I needed to get away from my desk, away from my house, the ping of emails, the slew of reviews, and endless list of things of things to do. I needed the open road, a new scene, and quiet.

I’ve done several road trips, never by myself. My sister lives in Oregon and I hadn’t seen her for a year, so I decided to pack up my doggies and visit. I had no idea how long I was going to be gone and vague ideas of where I would stay. I tried to stay open and just do what felt right in the moment.

My first stop was Lake Tahoe. I felt like I had to stay here because the drive from Las Vegas was so damn far- 7 hours just to reach Reno and that’s without stopping for gas, potty breaks, and getting stuck behind big rigs or RV’s. So, let’s say 8 hours of driving. That’s a lot and I was still in Nevada and only halfway to my sister’s place.

I decided to spend a few days in Tahoe before I continued on my trek to Oregon. I was scrolling through Airbnb and came across a view that made my heart skip. This house on the lake made my imagination pulse with ideas and the view made my writer’s heart sing. I had to stay there! When I arrived, it was snowing, which I didn’t anticipate. Also, I failed to see how difficult it would be for the dogs since the house is built into a hill and there was no grass. I was amazed at how quickly the dogs adapted. They learned to go on the slopes and by the third day were hopping like agile billy goats up the hill, thank God. Here are some pictures of the coveted view:

I didn’t know that Lake Tahoe has a noise ordinance. This has to be the quietest place I’ve ever been and it had a therapeutic effect on me. I lounged, slept, ate, and started to relax. I watched 3 out of 4 sunrises and propped my feet on the railing and let myself mentally drift. Life seems simple when it’s quiet, there’s bad internet and phone service, and the water is so still that it reflects the sky.

Here’s a cute pic of my puppy, Koi, enjoying the moment:

I’m so glad I visited. I would love to come back in winter. I can imagine being holed up in a cabin, watching the snow fall on the lake as I write. This was definitely a highlight of my trip and a great way to start off my road trip!

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