Hi Mia. Welcome to the Retro Podcast.

Hello. Thank you so much for having me, Laura.

So happy to have you here. I was telling you, I've been a long-term fan of yours and I'm so excited to chat with you. So tell us a little bit about yourself.

my name is Mia Sheridan and I am the author of, upwards of 30 books. At this point I think I've lost count but somewhere around there I started off writing just. Romance exclusively real emotional type romance.

Yes. Yeah.

I kind of segued into the more romantic suspense genre where it was kind of an equal amount of romance and suspense. And since then I have segued off into romantic thrillers, which are darker and heavier on the thrill component than the romance. I live in Cincinnati, Ohio with my husband. And three of our children have flown the coop and we have one 15-year-old left at home. So I have lots more time to sit and come up with demented plots.

Oh my gosh. Yeah. I have so much to ask you, but I think we are, we gotta talk about Roman thrillers because I feel like this is a unique niche. It's perfect for the people who like the thrillers, but they will like to have a little bit of romance. But then the Romans readers to go intro to the. Thriller space to that darker space. I think it's different than Dark Romance. There's actually a plot of suspense or a plot of things are moving. There's cliffhangers, there's pushing for the next propulsive, there's red herrings. You're just trying to solve something. It's beyond solving the murder or like you're. You're being chased. And so talk to us about the writing process of putting this together. How you evolve from romance into adding these elements beyond romance suspense to the thriller aspect of it.

So I think that initially, even though I was writing what were pretty much exclusively romance. Genre books. I always put a little bit of a mystery in there just to kind of, keep people engaged and to have a more of a layered plot. And I really found that I was, loving that component so much that I wanted to, do more of it. And I wanted the story to hinge more on that underlying mystery than just. The couple and how they meet and fall in love and all of that. So it, it really was kind of a natural, change up for me, I guess. And I just, I love the puzzle of telling a mystery, like where do you come in on it Exactly. And you kind of know the whole thing from start to finish, so what parts of it do I do, I, let the reader know what hints do I drop? All of that has just really been challenging, but in a really great way. Especially, when you write one genre, not that it becomes formulaic, but you can do it backwards and forwards for good and for bad. Sometimes it doesn't feel as fresh when you're writing something that you've, written a thousand times or so it feels so this is really just engaged my creativity and yeah, I love the puzzle aspect of it.

We are gonna talk about The Fix, which is your latest release. I want Kindle Limited as a read and listen. So if you wanna listen to it, you're able to, or you wanna tandem read and read under Kindle and then listen to it. You have both options, which is amazing. The Fix I read it and it started with the bank started really with, holy crap, what are we watching?

you're in it.

And you're just diving into it and without giving us spoilers, 'cause we wanna give them the surprise talk to are the premise of this book.

Yeah, so, the fix is about a teenage girl named Kami Cortland, who suffers a horrific home invasion where her mother and her sister are brutally murdered. And then years later she has. managed to rebuild her life to the best of her ability. She's living a quiet existence and she receives a disturbing phone call where a digitized voice asks her if she'd like a do-over, and she receives a video of a little boy in a locked room and is invited to find him and rescue him in four days time. So she reaches out to an ex classmate who was sort of tangled up in the initial crime. And asks that he help her find this little boy and they set off to do just that and to find out how the current crime relates to the initial crime. So that's the nons spoilery blurb

how were you able to build this story out? Was it the crime came first? Was it the plot? Or which area, which part of the plot came first? And to build it on, to make sense of it, to keep the reader engaged, but at the same time keep yourself surprised probably. And then out the line, like the line close it out, which is, that's more romantic. Some sort of happy ending, quote unquote.

mm-hmm.

Yeah.

I plunged the reader like right into trauma immediately.

Yeah.

to leave them, in a good, hopeful, happy place where they received justice and and all that. And this one was a weird experience because I sort of started with the crime itself. I had been talking to a girlfriend of mine. About a crime that happened near her hometown. It was a terrible home invasion that had rocked the whole community and still, was pretty traumatizing to everybody who was around during that time, when they thought back to it. And it just, it struck me at the time what a. Particularly horrifying crime. That one is, like any violent crime is awful, obviously, but to have something like that happen in your own home at the place where you are supposed to feel safe and you know your refuge from the world, it just it always makes my heart sort. skip a beat. When I think about that, I started thinking about what might have led to a similar situation like that. I sat down to write with, that was basically all I had. And then I kind of pantsed this one along and came up with what would be the current, what was happening in the current day it was a rough one for me, actually. I wrote the ending. I didn't like the ending. I went and rewrote it again. There were just so many moving parts to this one, and I'm honestly shocked that it all came together the way it did. Shocked and, happy about it because it ended up working out in the end, I think, for the most part. But it was not an ideal writing situation for me. So I'm particularly proud of this one because it put me through the ringer.

It does and it has all the triggers. So readers check to trigger warnings. Keeping in mind the triggers in a little darkness that you embrace, how did you cope with it as a writer, be in that place? Do you do something else outside of it? Do you consume different media to balance it out so you're not fully affected, in the process?

Yeah, I hate to say that I'm not fully affected really, because that sounds,

Yeah.

People have asked me before do you cry when you write your really sad romances? And I don't cry and I don't really feel particularly. It takes a lot out to write really emotional scenes because I'm

Yeah.

part of myself into it too. But I think I come from the perspective that I know how it ends. I know everything's gonna be okay,

Yeah.

it's kind of like I am there as I'm writing. I am comforting the character's. Like it's gonna be okay, we're gonna make it through this. I know what's on the other side.

Okay.

To get me through it. And so I don't I, and sometimes. I even have to remind myself, Hey, people who are reading this don't have that perspective, so go easy on them. And editors help me out with that a lot too. They're able to say Hey, can we like dial this back a little bit here? Or this took

Yeah.

surprise or whatever. So, it's definitely a team effort

Yeah. Yeah. And obviously it does it's romantic thriller, so it does have the tidy up ending, and I think it's comfort. There's a light at the end of the tunnel, which sometimes some lives it may not have that, but I think in this place, you're giving the reader some satisfaction where you're not gonna kill off that person,

right. Exactly.

chapter and not have a. So you're allowing them to have some sort of hope of some sort?

Yes. And there's that, the romance is always, even though it's, the minority of the plot

Yeah.

soft place to land.

Yeah.

slow it down here and there to give them time to fall in love and, have that time together, which can be difficult in the midst of. Murder and mayhem. But

Yeah.

I think that's something that helps the balance, the dark aspect as well.

Awesome. All right, so let's talk some books. What kind of books do you tend to read?

I honestly, I read anything and everything,

Yeah.

about the books I wanted to talk about with you, I just was like all over the map and I, that's just been my reading life since I was. A kid. And I definitely, spent many years gobbling up romance. So maybe that will always be have the largest place in my heart. and it's also ministered me through lots of, rough times in my own life. There's always that, that there's that genre to turn to when life feels. and, rough and you just, you're looking for that hope, that lightness, that reminder that, love. If it doesn't solve every problem, it can certainly help cushion the blows. But yeah, and I've always loved thrillers. Stephen King was, one of my favorites growing up. And when I went to the library and saw that the, he had a bookshelf there that was like two, whole shelves. I was like, giddy about it. But yeah I think the only genre I don't really read a lot of is fantasy.

I'm the same way.

Really

Yeah, so I, I'm like, I like popcorn thrillers, like a lot of thrillers, and then I end up discovering mysteries, like old types of mystery. I actually. Like I'm doubling into the different romantic thrillers to the crime, procedurals to a little bit of everything. And it's been a nice shift. 'cause I was reading Romans exclusively for a long time, and it was like, oh, like there's something to be, besides the husband did it, or

But yeah.

Which one can we have,

yes

and I think it's, it around the reality where it allows you to figure out like for your life, like how you approach this, how will you be in this place? And sometimes experiencing, seeing characters, experiencing triggers allows you to be like, okay, how do I reflect it,, myself, those triggers, like how does it actually work? For me or do I have other options to cope with? And I think that's a beauty of books and it allows you to not only to have empathy on other people's stories, but also allows you to explore within yourself, which is kinda like fun.

Exactly. Yes. And it also, I think too just when I've read darker thrillers where somebody has experienced, a really tragic situation just to see, to watch them. Survive it and to overcome it is so healing. For me personally, just even if I haven't experienced that particular type of crime or trauma or whatever it is just to watch the strength of the human soul in moving through dark times.

Yeah, the resiliency, like a lot of people are scrappy. A lot of people will figure, well, I'm someone who has A-P-T-S-D of like just a terrible childhood. And what I realize is like the other side is. What's given me and books were that escape, were the way to kind of like just escape from, and we call it dis association, but it's, it can be, something can just transport you and it can be like, it taught me how to have a healthy relationship, how to have healthy friends, and it's like that's the power of books.

Yeah, that's beautiful. That's, it's so true. I mean, I, books literally can change the world, change lives,

yeah.

the world, lift you out of, your circumstances even for a time and, give you that a different perspective. And hopefully. Make all of us want to in the way that these heroines confront adversity and at least strive for that. So, I'm with you there.

Let's start some book recommendations. Which books do you wanna write on our listeners to pick up?

Okay. This is so hard. It's like the hardest question ever, but I had to go with the road. Have you read The Road

Yes.

McCarthy? Right. I should have written down all the authors too. I read the Road so many years ago. I mean, I never reread books because I always want that first impression to stay with me because there's something, it feels so special and it feels like you can never reclaim your first reaction to a book. And it probably has a lot to do with where you were and who you were when you read that particular story. So I never do, but that's one that I always think. like to re-experience because even now some of the lines, maybe not verbatim, but still repeat in my head. From that book, it was just so impactful for me and it was so like. I think it, it just it was filled with so many contradictions. Like it was frightening, but it was also tender and it's, it's beautiful but it's so hard and so I think everybody should experience that one. Have you read that one?

I like in the nineties,

Yeah.

Like a long time ago. I'm like, I remember being like attacked. I was like I think it was recommended by Oprah. Point At some point

okay.

feel like it was like this, seminal text. I remember the cover, it's a road, it's a car and it's black. I remember the experience, but it's, yeah, I definitely should look it back. Like it probably 30 years later, it would probably be a very different text to look at.

Yeah, it's definitely one that's stayed with me,

Yeah.

Over decades probably

Awesome.

point. So I had to mention that one. And then another one that I had to go with is the Thornbirds. Have you read that

No, tell me all about it.

gosh. I mean, literally this I could start crying right now just talking about it. I think I read that book way too young. First of all, I probably was like. 10 or 12, I don't know, like way too young for something that emotionally

Yeah.

But I just remember just sobbing my eyes out after reading that book. It's just, it's so painful. It's one of the most painful stories of forbidden love that I've

Yeah.

Read in my life to this day. It's a family saga too, and so you just, you feel like it's like one of those books when you put it down, you feel like you come out of a daze, like you were there, you were in that. I think Australian Outback, if

Yeah.

correctly you were there in that dust and that heat with that family and you come out of it and you're like, what is this life? What is this life? I'm, this is not,

yeah.

where I'm supposed to be. It was that immersive and again, just the dagger to my heart with that love story. Oh Lord.

All right. I gotta pick that one out.

Don't do it. No, I know. I'm really selling this one, right?

Move books. I'm like, family saga, it's gonna break my heart. And I'm like, okay, that's fine. And then contradictions with the road. I was like, I remember reading it. It'll be interesting to read it. I read it probably in teenage years and it's really interesting middle age, like what it looks like now.

Yes.

Like you know what we know as an adult it's very different.

how we see the world so

Yeah.

too. So yeah, that would be an interesting re-experience

Yeah. So.

What else do I have? The other one that I had to mention was the Poisonwood Bible.

Oh yes. Yes. Oprah. That was another Oprah book.

another

That was another Oprah.

through Oprah's

We were

at the

going through it. This is I remember that. Oh my gosh, yes. This is the one with the during in Africa, I think. Is that, yeah.

a missionary and his family traveled to Africa to, spread the love of Jesus to these tribes. And is it Atwood? I think

yeah,

I should have written down the names of the authors Margaret

but no. This is kin.

Barbara Kingsolver. Yes. And she just, she really manages this sort of like prickly balance between religion and race and. Colonialism and all these really tough topics with this beautiful humor and humanity and it's just really one of the most beautiful books I've ever read and enjoyed. So, a must read.

Oh my gosh. Yeah, you're just taking me back. And I'm like, oh my. It's like I see myself reading those books at an age where I had no safety, where I was just like, this is like an escape. And now being the other side, I'm like, what do it look like to read those books now that I'm safe, that I'm low unconditionally, that I have the space where like the trauma has been healed to be like that and revisit those from a first time perspective, so thank you for reminding me of Gie Oprah's book list.

I, I.

influencer.

I didn't remember that they were Oprah's book club books, but I think you're right. And maybe that's probably why they were so popular and why I remember them just so vividly, the feeling that they gave me. And another one like that I'm like, these are all sort of books that are pretty heavy

yeah.

I, but it's like that's why they impacted me so much and I had to mention them because to this day, when I think about that reading experience, I feel that story still in my soul. And one more of those is Angela's Ashes, which I, that might have

Oh

a

I think that's another one. That's Irish. That's the Irish family, I think it is.

Yes. It Frank McCourt

Yep.

of that one, and it is his true life story. And he grew up in, in Ireland, I think Limerick, if I'm remembering correctly during the famine

Yeah.

He tells this story of just absolutely gut wrenching poverty. The type which none of us have even, fathomed most of us anyway, hopefully. And just things that, survival that. That is just, it's very difficult to read about, but he does it with this like beautiful eloquence, in, and this Irish I don't even, I don't even know what it's called. If you have read more than one Irish authors, you

yeah.

you can hear it

yeah.

their prose. Which I love so much. And so, yeah, that that's one that is, is again, very heavy and hard, but it's done so beautifully and filled with so many moments of tenderness and deep love and, neighbors showing up for other neighbors and it's beautiful. It's a beautiful.

I remember that book too, so I was like, you're just giving me a reading list.

Oh my gosh. You'll have to tell me if you reread any of these Yeah.

know. I gather all the books and I go back and put the links in there and I'm like, I might just start buying these books again,

I think I don't have a place in my house where I have a room for a bookshelf really.

Yeah.

tend to collect paperbacks. But as I was thinking about these books, I was like. Why don't I own these books?

Yeah.

that I would recommend to people if I was like, what are books you'd recommend to people? Why don't I own these books? I

Yeah.

I think this has told me that I need to go out and get a copy of each

Yeah.

hardcover.

gosh. Well thank you for the recommendations. Thank you for the throwback of the nineties. 'cause, it was a seminal time. It was a good time to have an OG book influencer. 'cause

Yeah.

We didn't have social media then. We barely had the internet and we just had our TVs telling us like, here's the book to read.

Or I think I would read about them in People Magazine. They had

like the magazines and maybe the newspaper that's how people get our recommendations for doing a podcast or no, like maybe the radio Actually the radio was,

I know. Oh my gosh, that's so funny. I love that. You know that all that

yeah,

there.

I was there. Well, I was a child of the eighties,

Same. Love it.

tell us, we can find you online.

I am at mia sheridan.com. That's my website, but I am mostly on Instagram. That's where I try to answer messages and communicate the most with my readers. So that is Mia Sheridan author

Awesome.

So if you're looking for me, Instagram and my website.

Awesome. Thank you, Mia, for being at the show.

Thank you so much for having me. This was awesome.

Thanks for listening to the What three next. For more book lists, cozy reads and library tips, visit the what three Next block.com. Your next great read might be waiting there.