Guest Author Daria Miller

Please welcome Daria Miller to the blog today! She is a fellow newbie just getting started out.

Without further ado.....

Tell us a little about yourself. (Author bio)

I’m a law graduate, a professional number cruncher by day who aspires to be an author. I am highly opinionated and I do tend to rant on twitter, which I’m told can be equally annoying and endearing. In my free, non-writing time I cook and collect vintage paraphernalia, costume jewellery in particular.

Did you always want to be an author? What made you choose to write romance?

I have been making stories in my head since before I could read and write, I consider myself a storyteller first and a writer second. I hadn’t considered writing as a profession until I was in my late teen years. Even then, I didn’t consider it very seriously, hence why I didn’t study literature or creative writing. But I got hooked on writing during my university years and it’s a habit I can’t see me breaking any time soon.

I chose romance because even when I tried to write in other genres, the love story took the front seat and everything else was secondary. It’s the way I structure my stories, I think of the connection between two (or more) people first and then look to see what’s happening around them.

Tell us a little about your book. What inspired you to write it?

Nellie Bryant wakes up hangover in a Las Vegas hotel room to discover that in the last 24 hours she may not have won the prestigious Golden Apple competition for amateur cooks but she apparently got drunkenly married to a cowboy who wants to give the marriage a real shot, even if he doesn’t remember getting married either.

I love to cook and I watch all cooking shows and cooking competitions. I was watching Master Chef one night and these characters popped into my head, fully formed, expecting me to write their story. They even brought recipe inspiration. They were too nice to ignore.

Do you plot and outline or do you just write?  Plotter or Pantser?

A combination of both. I usually start with an outline for the beginning but I rarely know what happens in the middle. By the time I’m there, I could usually plot the other half but I rarely do.

I do keep a lot of notes on characters, scenes and bits of dialogue that pop in my head so even without a fully fledged outline, I know what happens when and how.

Do you have other book in mind to write after this one?

Yes, this is the first book in a series detailing the love lives of people in the culinary industry. And I also want to venture into writing paranormals at some point.

What is your favourite romance genre?

I started reading romances with Historical, and Regencies will always have a special place in my heart but I tend to read a lot of contemporaries and paranormals. I can’t pick just one genre, I’m afraid. I love a good love story, regardless of the ...

What are your feelings on self publishing vs. traditional publishing?

I think both are valid choices and have their pros and cons. One has a better support system whereas the other offers more flexibility. As a reader, I read both traditionally and self published books.

My only concern is how some authors try to cut corners and skip professional editing and formatting on their books, thus offering very low quality products. It’s a pity to see a great plot riddled with typos and format errors.

What route do you see yourself following?

 Possibly a combination of both. I will try to publish my full length novels traditionally and self publish my shorter stories, which are harder to publish traditionally and would be better suited as ebooks rather than print books.

What you like on a man - boxers or briefs? This is a hard one because either can look horrid. Boxerbriefs?

What’s your dessert of choice? French Fancies. And it is undoubtedly a good thing that I can’t find them often where I live.

What’s your favorite American comfort food? Macaroni and cheese.

Beer, Wine, or mixed drink? Cocktails. If I had to pick a favourite it would be a Manhattan.

Where to find you @

Websites, Blogs, Twitter, FaceBook, etc.

www.dariamiller.com (Scheduled to launch September 2012) twitter: @MsDeeCM

Thank you for sharing with us today, Daria. I look forward to having you back again to show off your book!