Interview with Socialpunk author Monica Leonelle

Ima would give anything to escape The Dome and learn what’s beyond its barriers, but the Chicago government has kept all its citizens on lockdown ever since the Scorched Years left most of the world a desert wasteland. When a mysterious group of hooded figures enters the city unexpectedly, Ima uncovers a plot to destroy The Dome and is given the choice between escaping to a new, dangerous city or staying behind and fighting a battle she can never win.

 

This is from a cool new book called Socialpunk. It is the first installment of the Socialpunk Trilogy and I had the pleasure of being able to get a personal interview with Socialpunk author Monica Leonelle and I want to share it with you.

Cocoons2Butterflies: What got you interested in writing?

Monica: It's not a career that you choose, it's something that chooses you! I feel like I mostly write because I can't help it. I love to write and that's how I express myself, day in and day out. I can never understand how people want to be writers or authors when they don't write. I always think, "Then why aren't you writing every day?" I organically average at least 2,000 words a day writing. When I'm finishing up a manuscript, I average closer to 5,000 words a day. This is just what I do, so I never believe people who say they're going to write something but just don't have the time.

C2B: What inspired you to write Socialpunk? What gave you the idea?

Monica:  I was inspired by the city of Chicago, by social media issues in our current world, and by the cyberpunk genre. The book is a bit like the Terminator series and I reference that a couple times just for fun. James Cameron is basically my favorite director ever, and he really inspires me with his world-building and storytelling skills.

C2B: Have you written anything else besides Socialpunk Series?

Monica: Yes, my Seven Halos series. Silver Smoke is the first book in that one.

C2B: How long did it take you to write the first book?

Monica: I don't know, maybe a few months? I don't really keep track because I have so many projects (marketing or writing) in the works at any given time.

C2B: Besides writing, what other things you love to do?

Monica: I'm an editor and a marketing consultant, which you can learn about at proseonfire.com. I'm also training for a marathon and love spending time with my boyfriend and my dog.

C2B: What are your plans after you finish writing the Socialpunk Trilogy? 

Monica: I'm probably moving into serialized fiction next, just because of my work schedule. I'm working on developing two different ideas at the moment—one, kind of like Game of Thrones meets Waterworld. The other is about superheros in the 1920's. These are super generic descriptions at the time, but that's all I have so far! Either way, I'm going to keep experimenting with new ideas. I'll probably never really leave YA.

C2B: If there was no obstacle, what is something that you would love to do?

Monica: Well, I guess that's what I"m working on right now. The obstacle to a full-time writing career is money, because frankly, it doesn't pay well until you've got either a bestseller or a solid backlist. As an indie author, I'm still building my audience and backlist. So I work as an editor and marketing consultant in the meantime (both of which involve a ton of writing, of course). Right now I have a laser focus on my writing goal, so I can't say anything more original here—writing is my life and I will succeed with time.

Monica Leonelle is a well-known digital media strategist and the author of three novels. She blogs at Prose on Fire and shares her writing and social media knowledge with other bloggers and authors through her Free Writer Toolkit.


You can purchase the Kindle version of this book now on Amazon.

Blood Cursed 2 - Blood and Bones Coming Soon.

Today I want to share with you something I'm really excited about! And it's the soon to be released second installment of the Blood Cursed Series, Blood and Bones.

I had the privilege of participating in this book by helping out with editing. and I want to introduce this series to everyone. This is an Adult Paranormal Series rated M for Mature.

    Quoted from the Facebook Page:              "Blood & Bones-----In the second book of the Blood Cursed series, we find Mia and her friends encountering several different groups of supernatural beings. Some are there to help, but others have ulterior motives. While they search for the ingredients needed to help save Nathan, Zarek continues to find ways to invade Mia's dreams. Mia embarks on several life changing journeys and finds out she is stronger then she thought. Blood and Bones continues the story of Mia's journey, and is filled with just as much adventure and passion as the first book. Even though it will answer some questions left from Blood Cursed, it will add new ones leaving you wanting more.


Blood Cursed is the first of a series of Supernatural Books by writer Bambi M. Gray. This book is full of supernatural action; you have Vampires, Werewolves, fairies, demons, Sorcerers, Seers, even Minotaurs. From the first paragraph you get hooked on the story line, the characters are very likable and you automatically feel like you are in that world and that you are reading about your own friends. The story is told through the eyes of a young female Damphyre, half vampire half human that has a curse in her blood that could kill the human race. The story follows Mia, her Uncle Nathan and their supernatural friends on a quest to save Mia, and save the world. The story line hooks you from the beginning and doesn’t let you go. It is filled with love, drama, humor, adventure; it’s everything you would want from a book of this genre. But Blood Cursed has a cliffhanger ending, and for those of you who have read it I know that you have been anxiously waiting for this second installment who is going to be available very soon.

 Bambi Gray did an excellent job on this story and I highly recommend it. If you haven't read the first part go on and buy a copy, you will be so glad that you won't have to wait to read the second part for long.

I write for...

What do I write for, or better yet, why do I write?
I write because I have a hard time talking to people and I find it very liberating to actually be able to express myself in writing.

I write because I want to learn about myself, and I want to share that with the world. Because I know that there are a lot of people out there who also have trouble finding their path, and if I can share with the world my journey, then maybe I can help other people too.

I write because I want to make a difference in someone elses' life. I want to give my girls a good example by following through with the things that I love. Teach them that they too can do what they want to do in life.

I write because I love it, because it is fun for me, the same way I love to read, because it teaches me, and it engages me.

Do you write? If so, why do you like it? If you don't, then what is your favorite thing you like to do?

What do you share and what do you keep to yourself?

Lately I have been thinking about the restructure of my Blog. I want to make it be more educational.The reason for that being that I am in a constant state of learning. I am day in day out reading and learning about a few topics in specific. One of the topics I am constantly learning about is Education, mainly how to raise kids in a way to build up their true potential and how to deal with the different setbacks that sometimes occur normally throughout life. I also love to learn about marriages and how to make marriages better, and how to be a better person and recently I am absorbing all things social media. Because I am constantly learning about these topics I would like to be able to share with you the things that I learn while I learn them, but I want to be able to write with my own voice, and describe the reason why I was inclined to learn about the subject in particular. Yet I am left thinking that there are times when the reason behind the learning of a particular topic is highly personal and I might say, What does it matter if I share a private topic with the online world? No one really knows me in real life, but then I think of all the people I really DO know in real life that will read it and then it makes me re-evaluate writing about it in the first place.
I know that many of you who Blog may have encountered yourselves with a dilemma like this. What do you do when you have a sensitive and personal topic in mind and would like to know what other people think about it, but don't want other people who you really know in real life to read it?
Hove you ever been in a situation when you decided to share and it backfired?
Please share! :)

Do you want to be part of a Writing group?

Today is Saturday and the topic of today is supposed to be SELF.
But somehow I do not feel like writing about that, and I can't figure out what to write about, especially since I am supposed to write a short piece to be presented to the Women Writers Workshop I go to. I have until Sunday to create something, or bring back to life something I wrote a while back, and the second one seems to be winning.
So, in the spirit of writing I will take this time to promote my Women Writing Workshop Group, I have created a Facebook Page and Lisa one of the members of the group created a page with the details of our group. We are looking for more members, so if you live in the NYC area and are interested please email me.

The website for our Women Writing Workshop page is: 
https://womenwritersworkshopnewyork.wordpress.com/

And you can request to be added to the facebook group as well.

Happy Writing!!!!

How to write and do something you don't like

As I start getting myself out there more as a writer I have come across some assignments that could do wonders for my career yet they seem so hard to do.
To those who know me personally they can tell that I am a very picky eater, I do not like to cook and I like junk food the most. So having to write about health and healthy meal options it's quite a stretch. I am surrounded with plenty of friends who are into health, who eat nutritious foods and actually eat vegetables because they like them, they tell me about the benefits of a healthy life style, yet my body is so accustomed to junk that when I start eating healthy my body goes through not so good changes that make me go back to my old ways. I have a hard time eating things with fiber as they send me running. And eating vegetables often give me too much gas. I wonder if this is normal as I must confess that the aroma that comes from me seems to be more of death than health.
I have been encouraged to keep trying, to keep incorporating health into my lifestyle, that once I see the benefits of it, I will not go back. My friend Karina from eatpretty.com told me that maybe I could see healthy foods as a medicine at first that can cure my tiredness, then after I see how energetic I become then I won't think twice.
As I struggle with this dilemma, about how to become more healthy so I can write about health and not think it's a drag, and maybe further along my writing and get more credibility, it seems now at this point in my life starting to live a healthy lifestyle can reap more benefits then before. So I ask you, what do you do when you must do something you don't like to do? Do you have any tips for someone who is having a hard time making the switch to a healthy lifestyle?