Monday, February 10, 2014

Notes From Nadir

Readers, please help me welcome Lisa Maliga to the blog. Lisa, thanks for coming.



1. How long have you been writing? What inspired you to pick the pen up one day and create characters that capture the imagination?

Since before middle school I've wanted to be a writer. I did create characters back in high school when I wrote a skit for a speech class. I misunderstood the directions from the teacher and thought we had to write an original piece. I remember sitting in a study carrel in the library working on the skit and feeling the dialogue flowing effortlessly. To me, that was such a heady feeling and I guess that would be called a writer's high.

2. How long did it take for your first book to get published?

That depends upon if you consider a now defunct e-publishing company to be my first publisher. If so, then it took a decade.

3. What does your writing day look like?

Every day is a writing day. I go with the flow when it comes to writing, as I can't organize myself into blocks of time. I can even write in the morning if I have to. Being flexible is important to me.

4. How do you handle family and your writing career? Is your family understanding of the time that you have to give your career? Is it sometimes difficult for you? How did they react to fact that you’re an author?

I receive support and that's what matters. Writing isn't a 9 to 5 job that you forget about at 5:01. There are many obstacles along the path to getting your book from your Word document [or whatever program you use] to an online and/or offline bookstore.

5. Do you feel each of your characters lives with you as you write? Do their lives sometimes take over a part of your life?

Yes, the characters and the stories they inhabit can affect me. With Notes from Nadir, I chose to write it in two parts but was later able to join them into a full-length novel because that's exactly what this book was envisioned as. 

Lisa, thanks so much for answering my questions. Here's a little more about Notes From Nadir.



Notes from Nadir
by Lisa Maliga
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

A Los Angeles-based writer returns to her Midwestern home due to financial difficulties. Moving back in with Mom, she lands a job at an online auction site. From encountering wacky characters to dealing with unsympathetic relatives, to her mother's health issues, the narrator struggles with being in Nadir--the place and the state of mind.


EXCERPT: 



From Chapter 19 ~ The Boss of Bakery Bleu

I met Gordon, a tall auburn haired man bordering on pudginess. He wore a navy polo shirt with the golden-brown Bakery Bleu logo [a pair of crossed breadsticks] above one of his manboobs. He shook my hand and sat down across from me so he could see both me and all the baked goodies to the north.

"Do tell me about yourself," he said in a hearty voice. His accent wasn't local, that's for sure. He sounded English. Of course, I didn't think he wanted to know about my personal history but about how valuable I'd be as a minimum wage slave, I mean, employee. I smiled, and for once, I wasn't unhappy about sitting across from the man even though he could only offer a part time job. I pulled out a pale blue resume and handed it to him. He nodded and looked at it. I knew he was probably surprised when he saw the word Dreamweaver on the bottom where I listed a few web related things.

"You had your own business," he studied that piece of paper atop the black table. "You lived in Los Angeles…what're you doing here?"

Much as I want to, I couldn't avoid that question. The man was scrutinizing me now. I looked at his dark eyes, then down at the darker table. "Cheap rent. I live with my mom."

He had a genuine, hearty laugh. It sounded so wonderful after not hearing much of it that year. And I laughed out loud myself. It was true, that cliché about laughter being healthy.

"I did too when I first moved here from London."

"Not London, Kentucky?"

He smiled broadly and I was feeling more comfortable with this man I had just met. "England." He replied, though I knew the answer and he knew I knew that he was from across the pond.

"The people are so boring here," I said. Oops, not the kind of thing to say in a job interview, especially as I was applying for a job where I'd be waiting on those boring people. But somehow this didn't really feel like one. "I didn't say that," I said.

He leaned forward a bit, covered his ears, and replied, "I didn't hear that!"

God, we were like teenagers on a first date.

 Lisa will be awarding a PDF copy of Notes From Nadir plus their choice of one of the following ebooks: Sweet Dreams, Diary of a Hollywood Nobody, The Wilkes House Haunting, North of Sunset, South of Sunset or Out of the Blue to one randomly drawn commenter at each stop during the tour, and a Grand Prize of a Print Copy (US ONLY) of Notes From Nadir will be awarded to one randomly drawn commenter at the end of the tour. Follow her tour and comment often.







AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Lisa Maliga has been writing ever since she learned how to put crayon to paper back in kindergarten. Since then, she has learned to type and uses a laptop, citing it as way more convenient. She still makes and uses her own soapy creations. You'll find more about her work at:

http://www.lisamaliga.com

http://lisamaliga.wordpress.com

http://pinterest.com/lisamaliga

https://twitter.com/LisaMaliga

http://www.goodreads.com/LisaMaliga

http://www.everythingsheacreates.com

NOTES FROM NADIR – Book Links

Amazon Kindle http://www.amazon.com/Notes-from-Nadir-ebook/dp/B00486UDJA/

Amazon Kindle UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/Notes-from-Nadir-ebook/dp/B00486UDJA/

Amazon paperback http://www.amazon.com/Notes-Nadir-Lisa-Maliga/dp/1493519077/

Amazon paperback UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/Notes-Nadir-Lisa-Maliga/dp/1493519077/

B&N NOOK http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/notes-from-nadir-lisa-maliga/1100144163?ean=2940012697790

Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/notes-from-nadir

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/35983

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