From the Booking Desk:

Mia Manansala first came to my attention when she won the 2017 William F. Deeck – Malice Domestic Grant for Unpublished Writers presented at the Malice Domestic Agatha Award Banquet. As soon as I heard the details about her manuscript in progress, I knew this was a writer I wanted to stalk…er…follow on her path to publication. Since then, I’ve seen her at other conventions and watched as she has become more and more active within our wonderful tribe. Other beginning writers should take notes – this is how it is done, folks. Oh, and yes, i still can’t wait to read her mystery set at a comic book convention featuring a kick-ass heroine. Until then, let’s see what Mia has to say about our Composite Sketch questions:

Name: Mia P. Manansala
Location: Just outside of Chicago

This person from my personal life is such an inspiration:

Not to be cheesy or trite, but my husband is so funny and talented and amazingly supportive. He’s who I go to when a joke needs to be punched up, my ego propped up, and my writerly self-loathing smacked down. He’s the best <3

One of the people I admire most in the crime fiction community is:

I’m cheating and choosing two ‘cause that’s how I roll!

First, I need to acknowledge Lori Rader-Day for starting me on this path. She was my very first creative writing teacher, and is one hell of a supporter/enabler. Her work as the MWA Midwest president has been tireless, and as a bonus, I really enjoy her writing. I studied her second novel, Little Pretty Things, as research for my own WIP regarding structure, plot beats, twists, character work, etc.

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Kellye Garrett, my mentor and all-around bad ass. A young woman of color writing traditional mysteries is rare enough, but she takes it upon herself to advocate for and support other marginalized mystery writers. Not only is her writing funny and fresh, she is the plotting QUEEN.

Eternally grateful to these two women and what they’ve done for me and my writing.

STALKER ALERT! If this fictional character were real, they would likely need to get a restraining order against me:

Anyone who knows me even a little bit can probably guess, but Wonder Woman <3

People are always surprised that I am a fan of this individual (singer, actor, or artist):

Cheating again! Instead of naming an individual, I think people are surprised when they find out I’m a fan of Korean R&B and hip hop.

My personal catch phase is (or should be):

Stolen from an article about the movie Thor Ragnarok, my new life motto is:

Why be subtle when you can be awesome?