By way of introduction, here are Mia Mei’s & Bill’s bios:
Hi, I’m Mia Mei, a Chinese-American learning to navigate life between cultures. I’ve shared my journey on my blog since I was four years old. I dream of joining the Peace Corps, teaching at U.S. military bases, or maybe working for Pixar or as a Disney Imagineer.
Now a 12th grader, I love baking and hope to become a pastry chef-or maybe feed storytellers while telling stories myself. I spent recent summers in France (’23) and Italy (*24), shaping my passions.
In the summer before 6th grade, my dad and I began writing the Growing Up Aimi series. Together, we’ve completed six books (over 2,000 pages) and may write more. Join 2,500+ subscribers to receive our bi-weekly newsletter, including a free copy of Making of the Giant Forest. There, we share insights into our co-authoring process and offer an alternate ending to The Giant Forest.
Bill served as a communications and intelligence officer in the US Navy before becoming a tent-making missionary in Japan for 20 years. In his third career, he helped Silicon Valley companies build their online brands.
Now retired, he co-authors a fiction series with his daughter, Mia, and writes two non-fiction series: Dad, Tell Me A Story and Revelation.
Bill’s non-fiction works reflect lessons learned throughout life about prayer, forgiveness, selfishness, and eschatology, with special focus on Revelation and the Gospel of Mark.
We’re excited to welcome you to the Growing Up Aimi world!
Hello, Mia Mei & Bill, welcome to Angel Kiss Publications. Thank you for agreeing to do this interview.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING us.
Bill, when did the writing bug ensnare you?
I retired at 62. I am 70 now. I learned a rhythm in life a long time ago.
Years 1-20 we learn. 21 – 40, we try. 41-60 we do, 61-80 – we teach. I am in the teaching phase of my life and writing is my way of teaching.
Is writing your full-time profession?
Nope. Retired. But I spend a lot of time looking at my keyboard or thinking about what I will do when I get back to my keyboard.
How long have you been writing?
68 years.
Have you won any literary awards?
Someone promised me an award if I would please stop writing. Just kidding!
How many published books have you written?
20+
Which genres do you write?
Fiction – Action and adventure for advanced Middle Grade. Non-fiction – Biblical studies – eschatology
What do you find most challenging writing for these genres?
The hardest part is getting to my keyboard.
What are you working on now?
A kickstarter campaign to get the word out. I am profitable on Amazon. I have wide distribution. Kickstarter is a new challenge, and I like challenges.
Where do you find inspiration for your characters?
Biblical characters …. and my daughter <= she brings characters to our collaborative writing projects.
What is a favorite quote from one of your own books?
“But, you came back!”
What is your favorite book review from a reader?
“We had never seen that happen in a book before!”
Can you share a random interesting fact about yourself?
To celebrate turning 70 yo I walked from Canterbury, UK to the Vatican. It took me just over 2 months and I covered 1200 miles.
What spark started one of your stories?
An encounter with an angel.
What is one of your favorite scenes that you’ve written? Why?
Our main character made the ultimate sacrifice, but was still able to tell her story. Solving that problem was very interesting to me.
Who is your favorite character that you’ve created? Why?
Narci. She’s evil, and she has her roots in one of my non-fiction books. Making the crossover from NF to F was also an interesting challenge that I solved.
What has been your most rewarding experience since publishing your work?
Having our readers tell us how our books impacted their family.
What advice would you give to authors just starting out?
Write something. Rewriting is more fun than you think. There is no such thing is good writing, just good rewriting.
Is there anything else you’d like your readers to know about you?
We really do want to change the world. Laugh if you like. We’re not laughing.
What message are you sharing in your books?
There are 7 story arcs. We tell them all. Not all stories have happy endings. But, most of them do.
What is your favorite book?
Chronicles of Narnia.
If you could create an author’s group with writers from any time period, who would you invite?
Now is fine. But, I’d like to hang out with authors who are serious about their craft. Got ideas?
Who has influenced your writing the most?
Seriously … no one. I want to be original. The greatest insult to me would be, “You write like so and so.”
When you’re not writing, where can we find you?
Walking. I recently took a local self-made pilgrimage. I visited the 6 $T companies within walking distance of my house – Nvidia, Apple, Tesla, Broadcom, Facebook and Google. It took me over 14 hours and I walked 39+ miles in one day.
A movie producer wants to turn your book into a movie, and you get to make a cameo. What would you do in the movie?
Kill the main protagonist and take over the film.
An elf named 12-25 approaches you. He’s sneezing, wheezing, coughing and there’s a strange tattoo of a snoring dog on his cheek. What do you do?
Ask to meet his/her father.
What are your most effective marketing strategies?
I am profitable on Amazon. I have a vibrant Newsletter with 1400+ subs. I’m experimenting with Kickstarter which I think has the most potential of them all.
Do you have a website?
My website is here: growingupaimi.com
Where can we find your books?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJ1DG3QP
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086QZPNF2
Start here => https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/growingupaimi/growingupaimi-series-qna-companion-guides-hardcover-set
Details on the Kickstarter:
Hi, I’m Bill and this is my daughter Mia. We wrote a 6 book series for middle-grade readers that love action and adventure. Along the way we created discussion guides that go with each book in the series.
These discussion guides are our goal in our Kickstarter to get them out into the world in hardcover format. The purpose is to get young readers, parents, and grandparents involved with reading at a young age to build a strong bond with each other as they grow with their love of reading.
The Kickstarter’s purpose is to get all the QnA Discussion books plus three not written yet ready for the masses. Do you want to be a part of the journey that puts your kids on the road of being readers?
Then, follow my Kickstarter and see how you can help the cause. Each person that helps is saving a kid from the lack of adventure and will bring them into many worlds they never thought imaginable.
