Mia Knight's Blog, page 8

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I can’t believe 2017 is coming to a close. With all the upcoming holiday madness approaching at full speed I wanted to offer an early Happy Holidays! It’s been a year full of trials and triumphs. I can’t wait to see what 2018 brings!

I am currently working on book 4 in the Crime Lord Series, Carmen’s story and I am hoping to spend as much time offline as possible since I’m hoping for a Feb release, earlier if I can swing it. If you didn’t catch the teaser I released, here it is! There’s more teasers in my Facebook group, Mia Knight’s Captives, which I check in with almost daily. For the holidays we’re doing lots of games and giveaways so make sure you join! I’m also doing a virtual Q&A next Saturday, December 9, 2018 PST in the group. The “Captives” are lively, quirky, sexy and a great support group for those having withdrawals from the Crime Lord Series. LOL. We talk all things Crime Lord and dark romance so if you’re interested, we’d love to have you!

Once again Happy Holidays and thank you for making 2017 one of the best years of my life by supporting my series! I can’t wait to show you what else I have in store.

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It’s been exactly a year since I published Recaptured by the Crime Lord. I published Crime Lord’s Captive’s but things didn’t really start rolling until I put book 2 up. I never could have anticipated that the Crime Lord Series would turn into what it has.

I quit my corporate job and had 3 months to make it work. November was my cut off month and when Recaptured released, I had my first hit ever.

Thank you to my betas who spread the word about my books. Thank you to those who never read my genre and gave me a chance. Thank you to those who left me bad reviews and made others curious enough to pick it up. Thank you to everyone who whispered about it in book groups and recommended it to their friends and family. I am almost at 100 reviews on Amazon!! If you haven’t left me a review, please do so. It would be a great anniversary present to see one of the books in triple digits!! Also, the reviews are hilarious. “What is with this guy? He’s freaking psycho!” LOL

If you aren’t in my private Facebook group yet, you are missing out! I drop teasers of Carmen’s (and other) upcoming books almost every week. We spend hours talking not just about my series, but others in the dark romance genre. Be the first to know everything in my world!

Once again, I have to thank everyone who decided to come on this adventure with me and make this world a reality. I appreciate you all so much and I couldn’t have done it without you! To many more years of adventure, smoking hot alphas and love!!

I don’t mean to sound dramatic, but it’s true. Writing the Crime Lord Series changed my life. As I pack my luggage and tape up the last of my boxes, I find myself reflecting on how much my life has changed since publishing the Crime Lord Series. Maybe it’s the passing of my girl or the fact that I’m moving back to the mainland and leaving the safety of home that makes me realize that there’s no going backwards, only forward.

I wrote 12+ books in contemporary romance, YA fantasy and paranormal romance. I had little blips of interest that quickly died away. I couldn’t live off of it, not by a long shot. I worked three 6 month contracts at a corporation who told me I was perfect for the job and had excellent potential. They gave me everything I wanted- my own office, part-time schedule and offered trips to France and San Francisco to entice me  into accepting future roles in the company. I should have been ecstatic. I wasn’t. I had daily migraines, dreaded going into work and was all around miserable. The office politics, strict environment and unrelenting workload threatened to consume me. During my third contract at this corporation, my best friend died at twenty-seven, snapping me out of my work induced daze. I realized how fragile and precious life is and I quit less than a month later. I had enough money to write for 3 months before I had to find another job. Everyone thought I was nuts, but I decided that a job at McDonalds was better than having a healthy savings account if I was happier and I could write.

Earlier in the year, between contracts, I was in a slump and decided to write something dark and a bit taboo. I started a romance with a heroine who was attracted to a much older man who was also her boss. At the end of book 1 the heroine’s ex (Gavin) enters the picture and blackmails her into returning to him. Book 2 is supposed to show her past life in Las Vegas with this mobster guy who used to be the love of her life before she found out what he did for a living and cheated on her. I began book 2 with Gavin and wasn’t concerned that he was a ruthless ass because she wasn’t supposed to stay with him. Book 2 poured onto the page. Carmen, Manny, Vinny and the whole underworld was just there. It was like they’d been waiting for me to pay attention so I could tell their story. Halfway through book 2 I realized Lyla wasn’t going to leave Gavin for her silver fox. It took me 2 days to decide to scrap the silver fox idea and give Lyla and Gavin their own series, which became the Crime Lord Series.

Fast forward to me quitting my job. I had Crime Lord’s Captive and Recaptured by the Crime Lord written and began the revision process. I had no expectations for these books. After all, none of my other stuff had taken off and I was starting from scratch. On top of that, the story was uncomfortably real, gritty and brutal. I’d never written anything in this genre and didn’t think there was an audience for a story like this. I didn’t dare tell my conservative family about these books. They would have crucified me on the spot. I published the book without telling a soul and searched for the next thing to write, but something miraculous happened. People bought Crime Lord’s Captive. Positive reviews appeared. Hate mail poured in. I was in turns, crushed and elated as I watched people react to the story. 

September makes a year since I published Crime Lord’s Captive and I haven’t gone to look for a day job. The positive feedback from the fans made me realize that it’s okay to be yourself. Writing the Crime Lord Series, it was the first time I was completely honest and held nothing back. I was always conscious of the fact that someone I knew could read my work so I modified the stories and didn’t allow myself or the characters be who we truly are in all our gory glory. I didn’t allow myself to become immersed in the world because I was afraid people wouldn’t accept me. With the Crime Lord Series, I had no choice. I’ve only been this enmeshed in one other series to this extent. I grieved Manny’s passing for days and scared myself with the disturbing scenes that appeared on the screen.

The Crime Lord Series has brought together a community of amazing, enthusiastic readers who I am honored to have join me on this ride. You’ve made it possible for me to move back to the mainland and create for a living. I’m hoping this move will electrify my imagination and give me the opportunity to bang out the stories you’ve been clamoring for.

Thank you for giving the Crime Lord Series a chance and allowing me to live my dream. I couldn’t do this without you.

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I lost my dog, but she wasn’t just my dog. She was my soulmate, my shadow, my best friend, my constant, my everything.

I have two dogs, a Shih Tzu (brown male) and Lhasa apso (white female). I got them in my tumultuous twenties when I didn’t know what the hell I was doing with my life. I hopped from job to job, trying to make ends meet. I had a falling out with my family and I was cast adrift with only my dogs for companions in a cold, harsh world. My dogs became my support system and gave me the fuel I needed to keep going. They didn’t complain that we lived in the ghetto, had one window in the whole apartment or that the smell of cigarette smoke seeped through the walls. They didn’t care that I didn’t have a bed or that I worked two jobs with no days off for months. They didn’t care about anything as long as we were together.

My dogs have been my only constant for eight years and now one of them is gone. It’s like having twins and all of a sudden only having one half. The dogs adapted to my life no matter the circumstance. I dragged them across multiple states, across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii and was in the process of moving us back to the mainland when my world flipped upside down.

It was a freak accident. My dog got into a large flower pot where my mom tossed old fruits and vegetables. Unbeknownst to us, my girl ate a piece of the old vegetables and it instantly made her sick. I didn’t know that this was considered compost or that it was toxic until I was standing in the vet’s office at nearly one in the morning with the vet telling me there was nothing she could do. It was surreal. My girl was gone in a little over twenty four hours, two weeks from our moving date.

She was the best dog I could ask for. She was loyal, protective, loving. If I left her overnight at my paren’ts house she would wait by the door until I returned. All I had to do was look at her and her tail started wagging. She was enthusiastic, unaware of her strength and always up for an adventure. She was fearless and full of life. I was her world and she was mine. She had a pillow beneath my desk and always let me know when it was time to take a break. She was the happiest dog and always waited patiently for me to open my eyes before she pounced. My dogs are opposites, yin and yang. My girl is the canine version of me- wary, protective, anti social. My boy is friendly, social, lazy. I know, we make a great team.

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I’ve received a lot of questions about the future of the Crime Lord Series. Some think that Once A Crime Lord was the end. Let me put that fear to rest- we’re just getting started.

When I started writing this series, I only intended for it to be two books. My handful of early beta readers can attest to this. I revealed Sadist’s identity at the end of Recaptured by the Crime Lord and wrote a nice epilogue. I thought to myself, “I’ve done it. I actually finished something.” I gave myself a pat on the back and my beta, Lori, finished and asked, “What’s next?” You can imagine my pique. “What do you mean, what’s next? That’s it. It’s finished.” Lori persisted, “But what happens to them? What about Nora? What about Carmen?” It took me less than a day to realize that I could definitely write another book with Gavin and Lyla. So, major shout out to Lori for pushing me to think beyond the 2 books to expanding the Crime Lord Series into what it’s now become- a series with more depth and adventure than I ever imagined!

The following characters (in no particular order) will get a book in the series:

I am currently writing Carmen’s book. As you all know I am moving to Las Vegas so this has thrown my writing off a bit so I’m not sure of her book’s release date. I’ll announce that as soon as I know. As for those who are having Gavin withdrawals, I can assure you that he and Lyla will be in most if not all of the books to come and they may take center stage again in the future. We’ll see.

I wanted to thank you all for your interest and support in the Crime Lord Series. You all are amazing! The series wouldn’t be what it is without you guys.

[image error]I need an outlet, so why not a blog? Haha. I may not be consistent, but for those who are interested, this will be a behind the scenes of a writer’s life. I may not post regularly, but I will when I have something to say, which is better than rambling and wasting everyone’s time.

I felt the need to blog because I made a huge decision this week. I decided to move back to Las Vegas AKA Sin City. I lived there in my early 20s and worked at several casinos on the Strip. I spent 3 years there and moved to Texas and then Hawaii. I’ve been in Hawaii for 4 years, which has allowed me to write and build up my career. Living in Las Vegas heavily influenced my work (obviously) and I think it’s time to return to this desert oasis. Living in Hawaii is great (I’m from here, BTW), but I think it’s a bit too small and remote and I want to travel (anyone love roadtrips? Yahoo!). I would also like to attend some conferences in the future and I want the conveniences of city living and anonymity (did I say I live in a small town? I can’t go to the post office or store without running into someone I know).

I’m due for a change. I’m leaving at the end of July, which doesn’t give me too much or too little time to get my life in order. Things are a bit hectic right now, but I am very excited! This does impact my writing, but I think this move will actually speed up my flow once I get set up since I won’t have as much distractions as I do here. I am worried, ecstatic and relieved. I’ve been thinking about this move for months and now that I’ve made the decision I feel freakishly calm so I know it’s what I’m supposed to do.

Wish me luck, guys and I’ll keep you all posted!