Author

Maria Kuzniar // Author Interview

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About The Author
Maria Kuzniar spent six years living in Spain, teaching English and traveling the world, which inspired her debut novel ‘The Ship of Shadows’.. Now she lives in Nottingham with her husband, where she reads and writes as much as she can, and bookstagrams at @cosyreads. She is always planning her next adventure.
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Books By This Author:

Hi, and thank you so much for doing this interview with me! In 2021, you released two books – first, the second installment of ‘The Ships Of Shadows’ book series. And, in October of 2021, ‘Midnight In Everwood’ came out.

In your own words, could you summarize ‘Midnight in Everwood’?

Hi, thank you for having me! Midnight in Everwood is a magical retelling of The Nutcracker, set between Edwardian Nottingham and a fantasy world inspired by the Land of Sweets. We follow Marietta, a young woman in her early twenties, who is desperate to pursue a career in dancing ballet, although her family has other plans for us. Things take a very strange and magical turn, and she soon finds herself in a land of snow and sweets with a frozen sugar palace, moose-drawn sleighs, and gingerbread galas. . .

What inspired you to write such a compelling story?

I’ve always been drawn to fairy tales and retellings, and since I absolutely adore both ballet and all things wintry, The Nutcracker felt like the perfect choice to tackle for my first retelling.

Being that ‘Midnight in Everwood’ is a retelling, can you talk about any research you did prior to writing it?

I’ve always loved the ballet and The Nutcracker is the very first one I saw. I also attend adult beginner ballet classes—though I am quite happily terrible at it!—so a lot of my research into ballet comes from my hobbies and speaking to my ballet teachers. I also read E.T.A Hoffman’s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, which is the original, surprisingly much darker, story that Alexandre Dumas rewrote in a more family-friendly style in his The Nutcracker, which is the version Tchaikovsky looked to in composing the ballet.

What is the biggest difference, for you, when it comes to writing a Middle Grade fantasy, as opposed to writing an adult historical fantasy?

I think the biggest difference is that with Middle-Grade you have a much younger audience, so you need to keep things fast moving and action-packed or you run the risk of losing them to something more interesting! Of course, the word count is much tighter with Middle-Grade, so I do enjoy being able to take my time with my books for adults and flesh them out more, especially the descriptions, but then they do take longer to write as a result of being longer. . . Both age ranges present their own challenges but I get something very different from each of them and I really enjoy writing for both.

What was it like finding out that your book had become a Sunday Times Bestseller?

It was one of the best moments ever. A lifelong dream achieved! I still get teary when I think about it, months later.

How has your writing process changed, compared to when you first started writing?

It hasn’t really, I still approach writing the same way and though I’ve tried experimenting with things, I always end up going back to what works best for me! I do try and develop my writing though and am always pushing myself to improve.

What are you currently working on?

I’m currently editing my second book for adults which I’m very excited about – it’s like Swan Lake meets The Great Gatsby and it’s my oldest book idea so it’s been challenging yet amazing to put it down on paper at last! I’m also working on a few secret projects but I can’t talk about those yet. . .

What would your advice be to aspiring authors?

That there’s no one right way to do things. Everybody works differently and finds different things useful. So whatever way you find that helps you get words written, that’s the best way for you. And it’s not necessary to spend lots of time and money on expensive writing courses or creative writing degrees or books on how to write, lots of published authors haven’t done any of that! Reading and practicing writing taught me everything I’ve learnt so far.

What is one book that you didn’t write, that you wish you had?

Oh, so many! But my all-time favorite childhood book is Northern Lights by Philip Pullman and each time I reread it, I notice something new. It has layers upon layers and is very clever yet so readable and fun!

In the comments, let me know if you have read any of Maria Kuzniar books. Also, if you are an author interested in being interview for the blog don’t hesitate to reach out for more information visit my contact page. As always hit the follow button before you leave!

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Convenient Interruptions // Pre-Order Now

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Hi Friends,
I never truly imagined that this day would come, and even now it feels surreal. Convenient Interruptions, my first ever book is now available for pre-order here. This is a collection of poems that mean so much to me. The book will be solely available on Amazon, and the paperback will be available the day the ebook is released. As of now, KDP only allows you to do a pre-order for an ebook, so if you would like to pre-order the ebook version please do so here. Otherwise, you can buy the paperback edition on April 12, 2022. Thank you for all of the support! And, follow my blog to support me even more.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

If You Could Only Read One // Coffee Break

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Hi Friends,
Which author would you choose if you could only read one for the rest of your days? Which standalone? Book series? I saw Kathryn Books do this post, and it seemed like so much fun. So, I thought that I would do it too! Essentially, I will be sharing with you the author, standalone, and book series I would choose to only read forever.

Author
I don’t know if this comes as a surprise, but it would be Kasie West. Her YA contemporaries are adorable, and I typically enjoy all her books. She is a great author, who I don’t think gets enough hype.

Standalone
Yep, I talk about this book way too much. But, I would be lying if I picked any other book. I couldn’t imagine not being able to read ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens. As you know by now, it is my favorite book ever.

Series
This one might seem random, but I loved these books when I was younger. It was the book series that got me into reading. So, even though I haven’t read the books in years, I would hate not being able to reread this series.

Interestingly enough, I didn’t have to think too hard about my answers. However, I am glad that I get to read any book I can, and am not limited to only certain books or authors. Leave me a comment with your answers. Don’t forget to like and share this post. And, follow my blog for more bookish and lifestyle content.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Books, Blogging And More

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Hi Friends,
I have a life and blog updated for you all today. My hope is that in doing this post, I can keep myself accountable. These are a bunch of fun goals that I want to accomplish. Not sure where time will take me, but “I have some dreams to make true” (comment if you get that reference).

Self-Publish
It has been a goal of my for sometime to self-publish books. I am going the self-publishing route for two reasons. First, I have a lot of respect for self-published authors. Secondly, I don’t want to put my mental health through the stress and possible rejection that comes from looking for a publisher. Anyhow, let’s talk about my books. I have been dying to put out a poetry collection for sometime now, and I already have a title and a draft of a cover. Now it’s time for the editing and formatting stage.

My goal is to have it out by winter of 2021, or early 2022. I have a children’s picture book completely thought out, and on the process of getting the artwork done. I would like to release that by March of 2022. Currently, my main focus is a YA thriller that is reminiscent of classic teen horror flicks. I am working on the manuscript and taking my time getting it just right. I would like to have that released by October 2022 or Fall of 2023. For me it is about quality, not speed. I have a loose idea for a magic-realism middle grade and an adult rom/com novel, but those won’t be out for a few years. Comments about self-publishing tips or advice would be great!

Candles
If you are a reader, you are a candle lover as well. For some reason candles and reading go hand-in-hand. I am starting a small candle business. I want to make a few small fall candles, then winter ones as well. The goal is to create scents that you can’t find anywhere else. The plan in the future is to release themed collections, which will be a lot of fun. I would love to know your scent ideas in the comments below. You can follow the company’s Instagram page to stay updated on our progress.

Blog
As for my blog, I wanted to let you know that I will be officially doing “The 13 Days of Spooktober” as well as “The 12 Days of Bookmas/Blogmas”. I already have most of my posts planned out, but topic suggestions in the comments. Not all of my posts will be book related, but I do think I have a good mix of lifestyle and book posts planned. “Thankful Thursday” may also be a thing in November, which will consist of mostly lifestyle posts.

I am going to be doing a giveaway in October too. I picked October, since everyone is bound to do a holiday giveaway. Also, October is close to my heart because I got married on Halloween. Another thing is that I have a readathon idea, so I might be hosting that sometimes next year. Do you prefer just prompts? Or would people prefer a bingo board? Last, I might be starting a book club, but more info about that will be on my Twitter.

If you read this entire post, thank you! I love getting my readers’ feedback. Don’t forget to like and share this post. And, if you aren’t already doing so, go subscribe to my blog to get post notifications.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny