Saturday, January 7, 2023

Let's talk about courage 🦁

The theme for my 18th book (the 13th in the Hernandez series) will be courage. I thought this was important since I fear that courage is a trait that's currently lacking in our world. Some will speak up and feel the need to have a voice, while others cower away and feel more comfortable going with the flow. It's been suggested that it's a generational situation, but I don't know. Without a backbone, do you have anything?

Anyone familiar with my Hernandez series is aware that the protagonist is fearless. In a way, he represents the courage many people wish they had, the freedom to speak up whenever they want, with no consequences. Of course, in the real world, that isn't always possible. We live in a time where some people hold puppet strings that can easily get tied up in a knot. 

In the world of Jorge Hernandez, there will be no one and nothing that gets in his way. No one intimidates him. Nothing scares him (and if it does, he will never let you know). Although some might rightfully suggest that his courage may sometimes go a little too far, these extremes in my series are to make a point. For example if Jorge is going up against someone in Big Pharma and takes extreme measures to make a point, it's representative of a society that perhaps has justifiable anger about the same oligarchs. Jorge takes on a lot of people, many of which represent ideas and behavior that those with courage might be already questioning. Not that new ideas aren't good, but we increasingly live in a society where there's a 'right' and 'wrong' view to have with no discussion allowed. Jorge Hernandez knows what he believes. No one tells him how to think. He listens but isn't swayed because of his strong personal beliefs. The popular vote isn't necessarily his vote. 

Although his tactics are questionable, no one can argue that Jorge Hernandez has courage. In a tight situation, you want this guy in your corner. 



Thursday, December 29, 2022

A day in the life of (this) author 🤪

Although I hardly have a glamorous life, it is a busy one. Between working a full-time, casual job and maintaining my writing, I don't tend to have a lot of extra time to spare.

I usually only write when I have a day off. And even that varies depending on my appointments and other things going on in my life. But ideally, I get up early (6-7 a.m.) to write a chapter for the specific book I'm working on during that time. I then write notes for the chapter I just finished and jot down some notes for the one I will do the next time. If I have time, I sometimes go back and edit the previous chapter, but I often wait and do a few chapters on a day when I'm not feeling energetic or motivated to create.

Whether or not I have the day off, I almost always am on social media to promote my work. This entails preparing social media in advance, checking comments and results on items already posted, and sometimes writing blogs or posting videos. Even though I'm not on many social media sites, I find it time-consuming to keep up with the ones I have, but it's a great way to connect with people. Of course, I sometimes record videos for my YouTube and Rumble channels, but this also depends on when I have time. I tend to schedule and organize these things in advance to get everything done.

Of course, life is busy. Things come up, and sometimes it isn't possible to keep all my ducks in line. Aspiring authors often don't realize that writing a book is the easy part. Keeping up with everything else and getting your writing to your potential audience, is another story. 




Monday, December 26, 2022

2022 - My year in review 🎉

Another year has ended and it's time to review what happened in 2022! 

New Book!

House of Hernandez (August 16, 2022) 

Check out the synopsis and read the first chapter! Go to your favorite online retailer to learn more. Here's a few:  


Videos and Blogs

Christmas themes in my books 🎄🎄🎄

     Video
     Blog

Why I don't write warm and fuzzy books 🧸

     Video
     Blog 

Loyalty Above All (There are no exceptions) ☠️

     Video
     Blog 

Why my books are so political 🤥
      Blog 

     Video 

Why my readers love Jorge Hernandez ♥️

       Blog 

       Video 

My two main objectives as a writer 🧐

       Blog
       Video 

Why Loyalty Above All isn't just a title 🐺

Blog

A quick read from Loyalty Above All (there are no exceptions) 📖


Blog
Video 


The protagonist's point of view 👀

Video
Blog

Why we need to connect with characters

    Blog
    Video

Relationship ups and downs between characters 😍🤬

    Rumble
    YouTube
    Blogger

Why Jorge Hernandez goes to extremes to protect his family 🏠

     Blog
     YouTube
     Rumble

Everybody's got a story (including children) 

     Blogger
     YouTube
     Rumble 

Check out my latest writing blog - Start in one place and end up in another 😯

    YouTube                           

    Rumble                           

    Blog 

How do you introduce new characters? 🤝

YouTube
Rumble
Blog

House of Hernandez 🎃

YouTube
Rumble 
Blog 


A quick preview of House of Hernandez 🎃


     YouTube
     Rumble
     Blog
 

Every character has a purpose 🤪

     YouTube

     Rumble

     Blog 

A different kind of crime series   
    Blog
    YouTube
    Rumble

I need your help (and tips on how to help other authors)
    Blog
    YouTube
    Rumble


Thank you for all your support! See you in 2023 😘


🇨🇦Canadian author Mima (aka Michelle M. Arsenault) is known for complicated and diverse characters, dark style, and never shying away from controversial topics. 


📚Author of The Hernandez series - loyalty above all. There are no exceptions. https://mimaonfire.com/the-series/


👩🏼‍💻Find me -


Twitter - https://twitter.com/MimaonFire

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mima/271461381835

Rumble - https://rumble.com/c/c-1204603

Blogger - https://mimaonfire.blogspot.com/

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4122390.Mima_


🔪Hernandez series playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNMrBPeLoQWnVfF3-e0UrBbtotu4NfTl2



📬Sign up for my newsletter: https://mimaonfire.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=e4b9bfddd7901619af4c3fb91&id=a6a6466b83


☕️Buy me a coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/q8pGi4VYn

Saturday, December 24, 2022

January 2023 newsletter 🥳

We've come to the end of another year, and I don't know about you, but I'm relieved to have 2022 behind me. It's a time to tie up loose ends, make new choices for 2023, and create new goals. Will one of those goals be to write a book? 

If so, check out my latest blog about why you should write your own book. Check it out 👇🏼

Blog

Rumble

YouTube

I only uploaded one new video in December because I'm still working on adding all my videos to Rumble. I'm getting close to finishing so want to focus on that before posting new content. I have a handful of videos to upload to Rumble and YouTube soon, so stay tuned! Sign up for the newsletter, and don't miss a thing! 

Coming soon will be my year-end newsletter, where I review all the news from 2022! Check out last year's HERE.

Thank you for all your support! 😊




Saturday, December 10, 2022

Why you should write your own book 🤓

Throughout the years, I've had a lot of people inquire if I could potentially help them write a book. Sometimes it's fiction, but usually non-fiction, and most of the time, a memoir. I'm sincerely flattered, but I always decline. And I will tell you why.

Although there are the most logical reasons (not enough time being the top of the list) it's always more about feeling like I'm not best suited to tell someone else's story. Now I know what you're thinking. Many people have ghostwriters (sadly, much more common than you realize), but I'm not convinced that someone else writing your stories is the best solution. The truth is that only you can most effectively communicate the narrative. You know the highlights and where the emphasis should be, not to mention the overall theme you wish to convey. Sadly if someone else tells your story, even with the best intentions, it will be difficult for them to align with what is going through your heart and mind.

A perfect example would be if you had a picture in your mind. You can find the best artist in the world, but simply describing it won't give you the final image you had hoped for because some things are hard to communicate. And sometimes artists are only sure once you're working on their art. How many times have authors admitted that the book they started to write quickly became something completely different? I know it's happened to me.

I always encourage people to write their own stories. If they need help along the way or advice, I can certainly try to help them, but it's their story to tell. It's cathartic and necessary for some people to tell the story they feel passionate about and want to share with the world. 

Do you have a story in you?





Wednesday, November 30, 2022

December 2022 newsletter 🎄

We're heading toward the end of another year. It's hard to believe because I feel like not too long ago, I was sunning in the backyard (and I sure as hell wouldn't do that today 🥶) The good news is that the holidays are coming up! 🎄


Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? 🎁


Are you looking to buy someone a book? Are you looking to buy yourself a book? 🙈


May I make a few suggestions? Check out my list HERE.


I have some GREAT news!! I started writing my 18th book, the 13th in the Hernandez series (remember, you don't have to read the entire series to enjoy any of the books!) I still have a long road ahead of me, but I've made the first couple of steps. 


In other news, here are the latest blogs and videos:



A different kind of crime series

    
    Blog
    YouTube
    Rumble

I need your help (and tips on how to help other authors)

    Blog
    YouTube
    Rumble

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season. Thank you for all your support. Keep an eye out for my annual newsletter that will give you the breakdown of everything you have to know from 2022. ❤️

Check out some year-end roundups from the past:








Friday, November 18, 2022

I need your help (and tips on how to help other authors)

Today's blog is just a short one. I'm looking for ideas on how to get more eyes on my books and also how I can help other authors.

Now, first of all, I don't have a great deal of time. I work full-time plus write, but I do everything I can to get my books out there. I've created videos, and blogs, I'm on social media, (I will post all links at the end of this blog) and I do my best to connect with potential readers. The truth is that it's hard. It's hard to find readers when you have a niche genre that doesn't smoothly fit into a category. Also, not having a multi-million dollar publisher behind me leaves me with other challenges, but let's face it, most writers out there are in the same boat as me. Whether you are traditionally published or self-published, unless you're a best-seller that's a household name, chances are you're not making your entire income on selling books. 

I want to increase attention to my books, but I want to do the same for other writers. There has to be a simple way to support each other that doesn't take much time. What about committing to sharing 5 book posts (other authors, obviously 😊) on Twitter every day? On Facebook? Are there any other ideas? I'm all ears! 




Canadian author Mima (aka Michelle M. Arsenault) is known for complicated and diverse characters, dark style, and never shying away from controversial topics. 


Author of The Hernandez series - loyalty above all. There are no exceptions. https://mimaonfire.com/the-series/


Find me -


Twitter - https://twitter.com/MimaonFire

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mima/271461381835

Rumble - https://rumble.com/c/c-1204603

Blogger - https://mimaonfire.blogspot.com/

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4122390.Mima_


Hernandez series playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNMrBPeLoQWnVfF3-e0UrBbtotu4NfTl2


Sign up for my newsletter: https://mimaonfire.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=e4b9bfddd7901619af4c3fb91&id=a6a6466b83


Buy me a coffee ☕️ https://www.buymeacoffee.com/q8pGi4VYn