Mia King's Blog

You've probably heard about vision boards. Basically it's crafting your future — literally and figuratively. It got a lot of press when The Secret was out a few years ago, and Oprah even partnered with Getty Images to create an O Dream Board desktop application so people could make vision boards without ever have to leave their computer.

I'm a fan of doing it the old fashioned way — grabbing a bunch of old magazines, scissors and glue, then finding a piece of sturdy cardboard or card stock (I ...

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I read a lot. It doesn't matter if the kids are screaming or a deadline is looming, I have to read. Fiction, nonfiction, all books call to me but at the end of the day I gravitate towards books with those gosh darn happy endings.

I'm not talking about fluffy or cotton-candy-pink kind of happy (though I've read some of those, too). I'm talking about books with a hero or heroine we find ourselves rooting for, watching in both horror and fascination as they navigate the unwieldy circumstances...

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I had a really wonderful radio interview today with Nancy Wiegman of "Nancy's Bookshelf" on KCHO Public Radio. We talked about TABLE MANNERS (of course!) and chatted about Deidre, my main character, her very sweet boyfriend Kevin Johnson, and Marla Banks, her on (and off) camera nemesis. The interview will air next Saturday, August 15, at 4:30 pm PST on http://www.kcho.org/listen/listen.asp. The show runs for half an hour and airs right before "All Things Considered." Nancy was wonderful and I g

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The dining room is a theater … the table is a stage.

Chatillon-Plessis

What a perfect quote to announce the official release of TABLE MANNERS, my third novel published by Berkley Books/Penguin USA! Today is the day, and I'm thrilled to be in sunny northern California for its release.

I have a contest going on in celebration: I am giving away a signed copy of each of my books (that's THREE books, signed to you or a friend), a special edition ceramic GOOD THINGS wall/desk plaque that says "Live Simpl

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We're only a few days away from the official release of TABLE MANNERS and I gotta tell you—I can't wait!

I'm in rural Washington right now, looking at the gorgeous lakes and trees and mountain that inspired GOOD THINGS and its sequel. The trip from Hawaii to Washington was … well, let's just say that I had my hands full with three kids, bags, car seats, diapers, snacks, DVD player, ID, and stickers. My three year old spilled apple juice all over him an hour into the first five hour leg of the fli

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Or the sequel to Good Things, to be exact! (Which, by the way, is on sale at Amazon.com this week for less than $5!)

My publisher, Berkley/Penguin, just sent me an early copy of Table Manners. I love getting packages but of course this was especially exciting. I've been working on the book for over a year and have been looking at the cover art for what feels like forever, and yet it's still incredible to actually see the real thing in front of me. Expect to see another post like this when I actua

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Here we go, the first review for Table Manners:

"In this the follow-up to Good Things, Deidre McIntosh must figure out the right ingredients to make the recipe for her life work. As she does this, King provides a feast for the imagination, since much of the plot revolves around food. There's no real doubt that this will end with a happily ever after, but the reader will enjoy getting there. There's a treat at the end, where several mouthwatering recipes await."

Sandra Garcia-Myers, Romantic Times

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I know this is terribly random but I love Wilbur from Charlotte's Web (I also love Fiver from Watership Down). After having been in a bit of the doldums last month, my high spirits have returned, thanks in no small part to all of the wonderful comments everybody left! What a fabulous group of readers you all are. I know how busy everyone is so I read and relish each and every comment. Thank you!

So since it is July 1, that means that we have a winner for the Table Manners galley and Good Things g

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I just finished teaching another two-week memoir intensive. My students were fabulous and I was amazed by the amount of wonderful writing that came from it!

I've had a few requests to talk a little more about memoir writing and why I teach it with such a passion when I am a fiction writer. Well, for starters I've been teaching creative writing for over fifteen years, long before I was ever a published author. My favorite form has always been the personal narrative, I think in part because I've ke

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OK, so Table Manners is still a few weeks away from its release date of August 4 (a Tuesday, in case you were wondering), but in the publishing world that is only a nanosecond away (I guess if we want to get all metaphysical about things, EVERYTHING is really only a nanosecond away, but we’ll save that discussion for another day).

As I’ve mentioned (repeatedly, I’m afraid), Table Manners sold book club rights to Doubleday, Literary Guild, Rhapsody, and Book of the Month book clubs. Now I’ve learn

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