We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mimi Francis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mimi below.

Mimi, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I wrote fan fiction for years, first for the TV show Supernatural, then for Marvel movies. I loved writing it and I grew to be relatively popular on Tumblr and Archive of Our Own.

I also wrote original fiction, which I enjoyed, and I considered self-publishing. But, being a wife, a mother, and working a full-time job kept me from devoting myself to all that came with self-publishing. There was also the pesky problem of not believing in myself enough to take that step. I did use Patreon for a while, along with some social media channels. I thought if I could build a following, eventually I could sell some books.

In August of 2020, I noticed 4 Horsemen Publications started following my Instagram author account. Curious, I checked out their page and immediately noticed they were accepting submissions. I batted around the idea of submitting the first ten thousand words of my completed novel. I argued with myself for several days until finally I said “To Hell with it,” and did it.

According to their website, it could take ninety days to hear back from them. I figured it would be weeks before I heard anything and I fully anticipated it would be a friendly “thanks, but no thanks.” After all, this was my first submission and I had heard all the stories about authors receiving hundreds of rejections before they got a yes. Some never got that elusive yes. I knew I would be one of those authors.

A week after submitting my manuscript, I received an email from 4 Horsemen. I stood in my living room at five in the morning staring at my phone, terrified to open it. I chastised myself repeatedly; I was being dumb. I just needed to open it, see my “no thank you” and move on.

I opened the email and read it. Then I read it again. And again. I read it until it penetrated the fog in my brain and I realized it said “We would love to work with you.”

In October of 2020, I signed my contract. Since then, I have released five books and have another set for release December 29, 2022. I have also had my work included in two anthologies and I will have another short story appear in an upcoming anthology set for release in February.

None of this ever would have happened if I hadn’t decided to take a risk and submit my work. Taking that risk changed my life forever.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

My name is Mimi Francis and I am a contemporary romance author. I’ve been writing my whole life and I always dreamed of being an author. My twenties and thirties were devoted to my family, in particular raising my kids. When I got into my forties and my children were older, I had more time on my hands. I fell in love with a little TV show called Supernatural, which led me to the astonishing world of fan fiction. I went crazy, eventually writing more than two million words of fan fiction for both the Supernatural fandom and the Marvel movie fandom.

While I loved writing fan fiction, I wanted something more. Eventually, I began writing original fiction. I now have five books published, with a sixth one set to release at the end of December. I have had stories published in three anthologies. My books are fun, steamy, engaging reads for everyone ages 18 to 100. I love tropes and I especially love taking those tropes and flipping them on their heads, hopefully giving my readers something they don’t expect.

More than anything, I am passionate about showing people that age doesn’t matter. I was almost fifty when I signed my contract with my publisher and it is my proudest accomplishment. I’m not the college-educated, seasoned writer that some people expect me to be; instead, I am a hard-working wife and mother who loves to write and took a chance that others would love my writing, too.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being creative is meeting people who have read my books and become fans. I love to talk about my books and how they make people feel. I enjoy discussing ideas with my readers and ask them what they would like to see from me in the future. Nothing is better than discovering people who have become my fans after discovering my books.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to eventually see my books reach a wider audience. I am exploring different ways to do that through different avenues. I know with hard work and perseverance, I will be able to do that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mimifrancis.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author.mimi.francis/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/author.mimi.francis
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/author_mimi

Image Credits
Raina Virgina Media, Tiana Gaudioso, Amie Gaudioso and 4 Horsemen Publications