Interview with Mindy Hardwick, author of Weaving Magic

By: Meradeth Houston on 1:00 AM

Hi everyone! I'm happy to be able to share an awesome book and author with everyone today. Mindy's a fellow MuseItUp author extraordinaire and she's here to share a little about herself and WEAVING MAGIC:

(Q) Thanks for stopping by my blog! Let’s start with the basics: where are you from? Is there any place online you’d like to direct us to learn more about you?

Thanks for hosting me! Readers can learn more about me at:

www.mindyhardwick.com (Website)

www.mindyhardwick.wordpress.com (Blog)

https://www.facebook.com/weavingmagic (Facebook)

@mindyhardwick (twitter)

(Q) I always love hearing about how the idea for a particular book came about. Please fill us in on how you got the idea for Weaving Magic.

WEAVING MAGIC is told in alternating view points between main characters, Christopher and Shantel. Her hobby is weaving while his is magic. I combined the two to be WEAVING MAGIC.

(Q) Which authors have most influenced your own writing?

When I was writing WEAVING MAGIC, I read and studied all of Simone Elkeles books—in particular PERFECT CHEMISTRY. The weekend WEAVING MAGIC hit the online bookstores, I was at the Chicago RWA Conference. Simone Elkeles was the keynote speaker. Afterwards, I asked her to sign a copy of her book. I fumbled all over myself telling her how much I admired her books and how I’d read them to help me write WEAVING MAGIC. Total fan girl crush!

(Q) What do you do for fun other than writing?

I like to do mixed media collage, art journaling, and I travel quite a bit in the Pacific Northwest—in particular to the Oregon Coast.

(Q) If you could describe your ideal writing spot, where would it be? What music would you listen to (if at all)? What treats would you have on hand?

I would be sitting in a coffee shop with a large mocha-hot for cold seasons and iced for warm seasons.

(Q) Plotter or pantser? Both? Neither?

I used to be a pantster for my first book, STAINED GLASS SUMMER. When I wrote WEAVING MAGIC, I discovered that I needed an outline to keep both character’s stories intersecting. I’ve also discovered that outlines keep me much more on track and my books get finished faster!

(Q) Do you have any new projects that you are working on? Care to share? 

I’m working on a chapter book for ages 7-9. I had two books come out this past year—STAINED GLASS SUMMER and WEAVING MAGIC. It was pretty crazy and I felt like I wasn’t getting any time to write. So, in March, after I turned in final edits on WEAVING MAGIC and before it released, I treated myself to Writing the Chapter Book class with Anastasia Suen. I was so glad I took that class because now that the hubbub is settling down from both books, I have a project to sink my teeth into without being so scared of the blank page for a brand new story.

(Q) What kinds of marketing do you think are the most successful in terms of getting your name/book out there? (Curious minds are taking notes!)

Ah…now that is a question, isn’t it? Honestly, I think it’s a little bit of everything. Blog interviews, tweets, Facebook, and, don’t forget….the face to face interactions. Both my books are published with digital first publishers. At first, I was worried that would detract from schools being able to buy them. I wasn’t sure where schools were in terms of having ereaders. But what I’m finding is that schools are purchasing multiple copies for their school Nooks. The kids can check the Nooks out of the library and read the books loaded onto them. Some of the schools  also have the ability to let students check out ebooks onto their own ipads and Nooks. 

(Q) How about an excerpt to tantalize the readers? 

The following is an excerpt from WEAVING MAGIC.

Everything would be okay, I told myself. Christopher was my boyfriend. I trusted him. I crunched inside the wicker basket and curled my legs underneath me. I wiped my sweating palms onto my black slacks. The audience stopped calling for an encore. They were so silent I wasn’t sure anyone was still out there.
I’d barely gotten my balance before the first sword barreled into the basket with a lot more force than we’d practiced. Startled, I realized Christopher was keyed up from the magic show performance. He was overestimating the force he was putting behind the swords.

I tried to figure out how to tell him to slow down. I couldn’t very well call out to him or the audience would hear.

Before I could it figure out, the second sword zoomed past me and into the basket. The two swords crossed over my head, and I rearranged myself so I could crouch lower. As I shifted, a third sword whizzed by my left arm and peeled off a small layer of my skin. I saw the blood before I felt the searing pain.

He loves magic. She loves romance. But the biggest illusion is the one Shantel and Christopher perform together.  Sixteen- year- old Christopher fights to stay sober while fifteen-year-old Shantel struggles in the aftermath of her mother’s death and seeks refuge in a fantasy world. But the unacknowledged roots of their problems refuse to stay buried and soon, the two are headed toward a deadly magic trick. Can Shantel and Christopher move beyond magical illusions to find love?

Readers can buy WEAVING MAGIC at:

MuseItUp Publishing

Amazon

Itunes

Barnes and Noble