Ask the Author: M.A. Leon
Answered Questions (5)
M.A. Leon
As of January 2019, I'm about a tenth of the way through Steel and Magic Book 2: Blood Ties! My goal is to write at least two pages worth every single day and release the book in Spring 2020.
Stay tuned!
Stay tuned!
M.A. Leon
Accept that you're going to fail. No, wait, keep reading. Accept that your book won't sell outside of your friends and family. Do absolutely everything you can so you can walk away knowing you tried. That's the only way for the stress to not destroy you, or contaminate what you've struggled to grow.
THEN, when you book is picked up, when the rhythm of your sales falls into place, you'll be balanced. You'll know what steps to take next. You'll know how to respond because your mind will be able to THINK.
Live like your life doesn't depend on the success of your book. Some people wonder: how can I carry on with the mundane world and be a serious author? I worked full time, running three part-time companies, competing in my sport, which took 16 hours + per week, and had a side sport as well. I was sane, I was balanced. You can do it, and you can do it better.
THEN, when you book is picked up, when the rhythm of your sales falls into place, you'll be balanced. You'll know what steps to take next. You'll know how to respond because your mind will be able to THINK.
Live like your life doesn't depend on the success of your book. Some people wonder: how can I carry on with the mundane world and be a serious author? I worked full time, running three part-time companies, competing in my sport, which took 16 hours + per week, and had a side sport as well. I was sane, I was balanced. You can do it, and you can do it better.
M.A. Leon
The best thing about being a writer is, after years of imagining myself in other stories and books, my own characters get to come to life too. I'm so proud of my characters, who are "living" in the real world now and finding other people to love them too.
M.A. Leon
I only write on days when I'm feeling positive. That's not to say happy, or ecstatic, but just cruising through life where my emotions won't be transferred into my books. That way my characters feel what they want to feel, not what I'm feeling.
So, ultimately, how do I deal with writers block? I make sure I'm taken care of too :)
So, ultimately, how do I deal with writers block? I make sure I'm taken care of too :)
M.A. Leon
I’ve been living in novels since I was eleven. When I walk to the train station I’m walking down London roads in the 19th century. When I ride my bike I’m racing off in the dark of night as bait to lead the werewolves away from my friend. When I get ready for bed, I’m taking off my Hogwarts robes and tucking up into my dormitory bed...
Instead of listening to music, or watching videos on my phone, I insert myself into the stories I read. I imagine myself as an essential character like no others: I have gifts. Over the years, while working on the Steel and Magic series, I’ve given my characters the same indispensability, the same worth as I would give myself. It doesn’t mean they’re perfect, it doesn’t mean they’re superman. It means they complete each other, and the story wouldn’t be the same, the characters wouldn’t be the same, without one another.
Instead of listening to music, or watching videos on my phone, I insert myself into the stories I read. I imagine myself as an essential character like no others: I have gifts. Over the years, while working on the Steel and Magic series, I’ve given my characters the same indispensability, the same worth as I would give myself. It doesn’t mean they’re perfect, it doesn’t mean they’re superman. It means they complete each other, and the story wouldn’t be the same, the characters wouldn’t be the same, without one another.
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