I took a playwriting class in college. At the time, I knew absolutely nothing about writing for the stage. All I knew was that when I went to see my professor for our one-on-one conference, he kept telling me that my characters “need stakes, Quanie!” “Okay,” I said, and then sat back, dazed and confused. I had no idea what he meant. “So tell me about your play.” I told him my idea and he stopped me in my tracks: “So they go to the store?” “Uh huh.” “So you’re going to put a car on the stage?” “Ummm…I hadn’t thought about that.” “You can’t put a car on the stage!” “But my characters like to go to the store,” I whined. In any event, I completed the assignment, a one-act play, the night before it was due. It was called Mercy Under Fire and was about this woman who gets duped by an inept burglar. Was it ground breaking? Probably not. Did it have “stakes?” I had no idea, but I finished the assignment and got some pretty decent feedback (and a friend of mine eventually read the play, loved it, and produced it at the Baton Rouge Community Theatre). So there I was, faced with completing my second assignment. There could be no car on the stage, and I needed the ever-elusive “stakes.” What was I to do? Well, I had a short story called “Sandwich Shop” based on my experiences working at Subway. The characters were quirky and the plot? Even quirkier. But would it work as a one-act play? Well, it was going to have to. The assignment was due the next day and my cup of java was quickly wearing off: “Sandwich Shop” it was. I was terrified when my critique day came. The professor casted the parts, and as the “actors” started reading, something miraculous happened: the class was laughing so hard that they were completely out of breath. So much so, that they actually had to stop several times because the actors couldn’t continue. I was shocked! Was it…that funny? Could something written by little ole me make people react in that way? Well, apparently so. I’ve held that experience close to my heart ever since, and whenever I’m feeling doubtful about my writing, I think back to that time and say to myself: if you can’t do anything else in life, honey, you can write.

The New Mrs. Collins

(Paranormal) Release Date, October 13, 2014

Book Blurb In the small town of Carolville, Louisiana, no one knows that Adira Collins inherited mystic powers from her great grandmother. All they know is that she’s beautiful, poised, graceful, and ruthless—especially when it comes to love. And no one knows that more than Leena Williams, who was all set to marry the man of her dreams until Adira swooped into town and stole the man’s heart. Being left at the altar is bad enough, but Leena and her ex share custody of their son, so she has to see the new Mrs. Collins on a regular basis. And it burns every time she does. But soon, Leena starts to suspect that there is more to Adira Collins than meets the eye. And it’s not because she owns some kinky lingerie shop or allegedly insulted the pastor’s wife—it’s the strange way she can make a door close without touching it, or take one look at something and make it drop dead at her feet. Leena starts digging for answers and soon discovers that, unlike her public persona, Adira’s true nature is somewhere on the other side of grace. She also learns, a little too late, that some secrets are better left buried. Author Bio Quanie Miller grew up in New Iberia, Louisiana. She fell in love with reading at an early age and spent most of her time at the Iberia Parish Library discovering authors like R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike (she was often found walking back home from the library with a stack of books that went up to her chin). She holds degrees from Louisiana State University and San Jose State University. She has been the recipient of the James Phelan Literary Award, the Louis King Thore Scholarship, the BEA Student Scriptwriting Award, and the Vicki Hudson Emerging Writing Prize. She is the author of The New Mrs. Collins, a southern paranormal novel, and It Ain’t Easy Being Jazzy, a romantic comedy. She lives in South Carolina with her husband and is currently, as always, working on another novel. To find out more about Quanie and her works in progress visit http://quanietalkswriting.com.

Book Purchase Links

Amazon (US) http://www.amazon.com/New-Mrs-Collins-Quanie-Miller-ebook/dp/B00OAC362I

Amazon (UK) http://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Mrs-Collins-Quanie-Miller-ebook/dp/B00OAC362I

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/483357

 Social Media Links

Twitter:@quaniemiller Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QuanieMillerAuthor Blog: http://www.quanietalkswriting.com Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/QuanieMiller Website: http://quaniemiller.com Email: quanie@quanietalkswriting.com