Please welcome Miriam Thor to my blog. Good morning to all! Please introduce yourself to those reading this blog post.

My name is Miriam Thor. I am originally from Louisiana, although I spent over a decade living in North Carolina. My husband and I recently moved to Alabama.

In addition to being an author, I am a sign language interpreter at an elementary school, and I have six adorable cats that I love dearly.

• Has writing always been part of your life and when did you “know” that it was time to start writing your first book? (If you are here as an invite to promo your small business, then please write your own questions and provide relevant photos and links, thank you.)

I discovered my love of writing in second grade. My teacher encouraged me to write to my heart’s content, so I did and never stopped.

I didn’t really “know” it was time to write my first book. I started writing fantasy novels in middle school but only completed a few chapters. In high school, I had the idea for the story that became my first novel, Listening to the Rain, but I didn’t finish writing the full first draft of the novel until I was 23.

• How difficult was it writing your first book?

Writing Listening to the Rain was quite challenging. As I mentioned, I first had the idea when I was a teenager, but I was extremely busy in high school and college. I managed to write the first few chapters during that time, but I didn’t commit to writing it until my first year out of college.

When I finished the first draft, I thought I was done, except for proofreading, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. I completely rewrote the first three chapters multiple times. I did numerous revisions, including deleting entire chapters, before it was accepted for publication.

I actually had two novellas published before Listening to the Rain, but I still consider it my first book because I wrote it first.

• Have you ever wanted to give up and what stopped you?

I’ve never wanted to give up. Writing is my passion, and I will continue writing, even if I never get published again.

I have definitely felt discouraged when it comes to getting published, though. A couple of the rejections I received for Listening to the Rain made me wonder if it would ever be published. When I get discouraged, I often take a short break and focus on writing something just for fun.

• Who is the most supportive of you and your dream to be a writer?

My husband and my parents are supportive of me and my dream to be a writer. I also have a few special friends who are willing to be my beta-readers. It is very hard to say which of them is most supportive because they have all been wonderful in that regard.

• Anything specific you want to tell your readers?

Thank you for reading my stories, and I hope you find them both enjoyable and edifying.

• What is the best advice given to you (book or otherwise), and by whom?

The best advice that comes to mind is something my husband told me: It’s okay not to be perfect because God loves me exactly as I am.

That’s something that others have told me in the past but that I have had a lot of trouble internalizing, in my writing and otherwise.

• What is your target audience and what aspect of your writing do you feel targets that audience?

For Listening to the Rain, my target audience is teenage girls, especially Christian girls. I feel like the main character, Ally, is someone they can really relate to, because she is someone I would have related to at that age.

Did the cover evolve the same way, or did you work with someone to make it come together for you?

My publisher, Pelican Book Group, took care of making the cover, although I gave ideas. They did a wonderful job of incorporating the ideas I gave them, and I am very grateful.

What are you working on now? Can we get a peek, an excerpt?

Currently, I am working on a young adult fantasy series. I don’t want to share too much about it, but here is one of my favorite quotes from the protagonist:

“That boy is a he not an it, and if you think meeting a deadline is more important than a citizen’s life, then this land is better off without you.”

Any last words before we wrap things up?

Thank you so much for having me on your blog!

I’m happy to host you, Miriam.

Blog: https://threecs.org

Author website: https://miriamthor17.wixsite.com/author

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/people/Miriam-Thor-Cats-Coruscant-and-Castles-in-the-Air/100063738865282/

Twitter: @Miriam_Thor17, https://twitter.com/Miriam_Thor17

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18283324.Miriam_Thor

Instagram: https://instagram.com/miriamthor17

TikTok: @miriamthor398

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Listening-Rain-Miriam-Thor-ebook/dp/B09VS27PHW

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/listening-to-the-rain-miriam-thor/1141235963