The Lost Testimonials are back! (Updated)

My website has changed a great deal since the early days of my writing career. From stumbling through a webs.com site in 2010 to nervously wandering into the world of domains and 'real' websites a few years ago, I experienced a learning curve and continue to educate as much as possible in this area.

In the shuffle between websites, I lost one of my favorite pages. It was titled 'Testimonials' and contained various reviews for my first books, contributed by my original readers. It meant a lot because it was early in my writing career, and it showed support for what I was doing. 

So today, I  was really excited to find some of these old reviews for my first two books and would like to share them with you! 

Fire

Starlily - "First there was a match, then there was a spark, and now there's Fire!" Fire chronicles the rise, triumphs, and heartbreaks of a band in the '90s. Mima clearly has put a lot of research, effort, and heart into her first novel. She takes an honest and unflinching look at the music industry and the ups and downs of the decade. Tarah's story drew me in and I finished it in a half a weekend. Can't wait for A Spark Before the Fire!

Joe - 'From the front to the back cover Fire is a book that cannot be put down. The gripping action goes from page to page with a climactic ending. This novel showcases the rise and tribulations of bands in the 90 s music scene, which the author catches very realistically in the characters, which are portrayed in this novel. Mima has done an amazing job on this book and I can’t wait for Spark Before the Fire.'

Maxine - 'What a great read. If you haven't read a book in a while, grab Fire and find a quiet corner. You can feel yourself becoming involved in every aspect of this story. You get to know every character, and can really visualize every scene. I cannot wait for Spark Before the Fire!! Great job Mima. Looking forward to many more books from you!!'

Jamie - 'When I read 'Fire', I couldn't put it down! The characters were so real and beautifully described, you felt yourself cheering them on when something great was happening, and worried and anxious when they were faced with challenges and difficult life decisions. Mima has beautifully crafted this wonderful piece of literature, greatly detailing the time, the culture and sub-culture of the 90s, and the unforgiving music scene. I am anxiously awaiting Mima's next installment to read more about the 'Fire' characters!'

Evelyn - 'When I read Fire I couldn't put it down. I sat and read it from cover to cover. Then I told lots of my friends about it and they bought the book and told me the same thing. It was happy, sad, exciting, and the edge of your seat reading. I can't wait for the next book to come out. I am looking forward to reading it and I know it will be just as good or better than the first'

Linda - 'Congratulations on a great story. I very much enjoyed the storyline. Just so different from anything that I have read. Looking forward to the sequel.'

Nadine - 'Fire was so well written! The details were there exactly when needed. I could imagine everything so vividly. The story was intense and so interesting I had a hard time putting down the book. I read it until my eyes got dry! When I was at the end, I just wanted to keep reading and was hoping for another book to continue this one and now there is one. I read the first chapter and can`t wait to read the rest. BTW the sensual scenes made me hot!!! Thank you MIMA for the excellent entertainment and information because this book was also very well documented.'

Lisa - 'This is a book everyone can relate to because at some point in your life you must have seen or even done.. sex, drugs, and/or rock and roll. I could see either myself or my friends in the main character Tarah on many occasions, I have known many guys who were like William or Jimmy and Michael is a hateful character who I've known a few of as well. As previously mentioned in one of the comments "Fire was so well written! The details were there exactly when needed. I could imagine everything so vivid." I can't wait to read about Jimmy's life and I would absolutely love to see this made into a movie. Great job Mima and congratulations on a super awesome book!! Keep them coming and I will keep reading!'

A Spark Before the Fire

Sherry - 'Just finished reading A Spark Before The Fire. Absolutely loved the book. Could not put it down, I loved reading about the life of Jimmy, I could defiantly picture this as a movie just like Fire. I would love to read another book on what happened after Fire. Do you think you would continue with this story? I look forward to your next book. All the best!'

Joseph - 'KUDOS TO MIMA. ANOTHER AMAZING READ.THE PREQUEL TO FIRE PORTRAYS A GRIPPING REALITY OF NOT JUST LIFE ISSUES BUT THE UPS, DOWNS, AND TRIBULATIONS OF TRAGEDY TO FOLLOW A DREAM TO ITS FULLEST. THE DIALOGUE BETWEEN CHARACTERS DRAWS YOU INTO EVERY PAGE AND MAKES YOU WANT TO CONTINUE ON TILL THE END. CONGRATULATIONS ON ANOTHER WRITING SUCCESS. TO EVERYONE I RECOMMEND YOU READ FIRE. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED'

Maxine - 'If you've never taken a day off work to complete reading a book, then you've never read Spark Before the Fire!! I have not found myself engrossed so deeply in a book since the release of Fire. My world disappears, and Jimmy's springs before me. Not one detail is left out, yet a lot of "didn't see that coming" surprise moments spring up. A must-read for everyone. Kudos to Mima. Yet again, you have caught and kept my focus on your words. Keep up the great work'

Jean - 'I have just finished reading A Spark Before the Fire, another excellent book by Mima. Like her first book, Fire, each chapter brings a surprise, you never know what to expect with each chapter. She tells the story of a young boy, who suffers a traumatic experience as a child and it haunts him through his teen years. It affects his lifestyle for many years. It shows how one person's actions can affect the lives of so many innocent people. Mima deals with the issues very well, making people see that bad times can be worked through and good things can happen to people who never give up. Reach for your dreams you can make them come true, that is what she shows in this novel. Looking forward to reading many more books by Mima. If you haven’t read Fire or a spark before the fire, then you don’t know what you're missing. '

Canadian author Mima is known for her complicated and diverse characters, a dark style, and for never shying away from controversial topics. To request an interview or if you are interested in doing a book review, please send requests here  

 

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Product endorsements in books? Tell me it isn't so!!! 😱 (Updated)

So, I thought I would chill out on the weekend and read a few pages in a best-selling novel when suddenly, out of nowhere, I was bombarded by the world of product endorsement.

Okay, so maybe I am wrong. But check this out...

It began with one mention of IKEA. A young woman, fresh out of college went to IKEA and bought the basics’ that she needed for her bedroom. (Unlike most people right out of college, who manage to drag something out of the dumpster, steal furniture from their parents or search Craigslist) The 'basics' of course, include everything from bedding to the curtains, a mirrored armoire, a chest of drawers, a ‘comfortable’ chair, two night tables…you get the idea. Needless to say that this girl must have got one hell of a deal at IKEA because that shit adds up fast! I should visit an IKEA because according to this book, the main character was ‘amazed’ by how little everything cost her. Ahem.

The book then goes on to mention how the good people at IKEA helped this young woman load a van with all the crap she bought (unlike most stores where they hide when seeing a customer in need)

Her father’s cheque (I believe it was for $1000) went a ‘long way’ in purchasing everything she needed. She loved all her new IKEA stuff. Her roommate loved all her IKEA stuff. Life was good. 

And from there, I could understand if the story went on and moved past the whole IKEA thing. It didn't. 

After discussing the wonderful evening this girl spent with her new roommates, she went on to say how her new room was peaceful and pretty now, ‘thanks to IKEA.’  She once again expressed being thrilled with her purchases and that her friend’s suggestion to shop there was a great idea!

Are you IKEAed out yet? Well, you will be. Before the chapter is finished, Ikea is brought up again. She comments on having a conversation with her sister earlier that day ‘while shopping at IKEA’.

I might be jumping to the conclusion, but this chapter seemed to scream product endorsement from beginning to end. Maybe I'm a little naive, but I never considered that authors would attempt to market something in their book. I know writers may mention products to set the scene or to create an image of a character. For example, you get a completely different image when I talk about a young lady wearing ruby red lipstick than Blistex or Lip Smacker. If I mention that tube of Blistex repeatedly throughout the chapter, it might be overkill. Going back to the IKEA chapter, I will say it's not justified that the popular chain is mentioned so many times in one chapter.

Don't get me wrong. I have no issues with Ikea. I don't even have issues with the author in question. However, something is unsettling about product endorsement in books. It doesn't sit right with me. 

Canadian author Mima is known for her complicated and diverse characters, a dark style, and for never shying away from controversial topics. To request an interview or if you are interested in doing a book review, please send requests here 

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Glowinski Library 📚 (Updated)

When I first received an email from Poland, I was skeptical. After all, when random emails arrive in

my inbox from outside of North America, it often tends to be spam. Then when I noticed that the sender was requesting a copy of my book, I was even more guarded and quickly shot off an email asking where he had found my address. Then I did my research and automatically felt terrible.

The man who contacted me was Tadeusz Glowinski from Olesnica, Poland. He is the founder, volunteer librarian, and book recruiter for the Glowinski library. After some research, I quickly emailed him back and said I would immediately order him a copy of Fire and have it sent to his library.

My research indicated that this library is in a poor neighborhood in Poland, one that may not normally have the resources involved to purchase books. Glowinski, a former teacher, was not discouraged by this factor. He went on to learn how to use the Internet and then started contacting authors to look for book donations. His goal since opening in 2000 was to look all over the world for books to fill his shelves. So far, he has been successful in doing so in 83 countries. His positive attitude is as much a legacy as the library itself.

Canadian author Mima is known for her complicated and diverse characters, a dark style, and for never shying away from controversial topics. To request an interview or if you are interested in doing a book review, please send requests here  

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