Mia March, author Finding Colin Firth, stopped by Traveling With T to discuss Finding Colin Firth, who she’d cast into a movie version, and if she is going on a book tour!

I’m also lucky enough to have a giveaway of this book- a SIGNED copy! Hold on to your hats, ladies!

Check back on Wednesday for Author Spotlight on Mia March- we’ll learn her #literarycrush and #literaryconfessions!

Interview with Mia March

Mia, thank you so much for agreeing to be interviewed.

A: Thank you for having me!

What was the inspiration for Finding Colin Firth?

A: Well, I’d say it started back in 1995, when I sat down to watch the BBC TV miniseries of Pride and Prejudice. When Colin Firth, as Mr. Darcy, first appeared on the screen, I thought to myself: Who IS that? I swooned for the six hours of the miniseries and he’s been my favorite actor ever since. But the inspiration came from A) having just watched The King’s Speech and B) my wandering around of my favorite towns here in Maine, Boothbay Harbor, picture-postcard summer tourist town, and wondering what it would be like if Colin Firth came to film a movie there. Suddenly I had three main characters all with very different reasons to want to find Colin Firth.

Mia, out of all the actors you could have chosen to feature in this book- what made you pick Colin Firth?  (Not that I’m complaining or anything- he plays quite the adorable man in Love Actually!)

A: To be honest, I didn’t pick him; the book chose him. He’s my favorite actor and has been for such a long time. He has a unique hold on women, I think. Yeah, George Clooney is gorgeous, and Ryan Gosling is hot, but Colin Firth has something special; women, especially myself, respond to his perceived integrity, despite having never met him! And yeah, he’s so good looking!

How long did it take to write Finding Colin Firth?

A: I thought about the characters for a few months before I started writing, as I always do. Once I started writing, I had a first draft in about five months. The revision took another few months. I do a lot of writing in my head!

How involved were you in the choosing of the cover for The Meryl Streep Movie Club and Finding Colin Firth? I’m a huge fan of book covers- and I adore both of them. Interesting and eye-catching.

A: Oh, thank you! I was involved in that my editor asked for my ideas. For Meryl, we all liked the concept of Maine and readers being invited into a living room. I love that popcorn bowl! For Colin, my brilliant agent came up with the idea. A man’s suit as the cover—with the idea that it’s Colin Firth himself. The minute she suggested it, I knew it was the cover, and everyone said yes!

Do you have a writing space? Or a writing routine?

A: I write when my soon to be 11 yr old son is either at school or camp. My routine doesn’t vary too much, mostly because I love my desk: a six foot tall mahogany secretary. It’s narrow without much room other than for my laptop and my chamomile tea and the little things that inspire me, like photos of my son and dog and a stack of inspiring books. So I write at home generally during the hours when my son is away. I’m a morning person, so up at dawn to walk the pooch, where I work out plot problems and think of ideas. Then I write until my son wakes up. Once he’s off on his day, I sit down and write for hours.

The Meryl Streep Movie Club was picked as a She Reads Book of the Month choice.  How, in your opinion, was that experience for a first time author?

A: It was magical! It brought the book to the attention of so many readers, and it was wonderful to have so many book bloggers readers the novel and writing about it. The whole experience was amazing. It was quite an honor that She Reads chose my novel! I love that site.

The Meryl Streep Movie Club and Finding Colin Firth sound like perfect summer movies. If either was made into a movie- do you have a dream cast in mind?

A: I do—and it’s amazing how quickly these actors came to mind out of so many. For my three main characters: Bea—Anna Sophia Robb. For Veronica—Jessica Chastain or Cate Blanchett. For Gemma: Isla Fisher. And Colin Firth will play himself in a cameo!

How did you create the characters in Finding Colin Firth? Do you have a favorite character?

I’ll admit that my favorite character, the one who came alive for me in a really deep-down way, was Veronica, the 38 year old diner waitress who bakes special elixir pies and is grappling with her painful past. It was Bea, the 22 year old who came first though: I started thinking about what it would be like to discover as an adult that you were adopted at birth when you never knew. And the characters stemmed from that concept. Before all of that, I had a small Maine town and the idea of Colin Firth coming to film a movie and how that would affect people. And everything just tied together and I started writing.

Will you be going on a book signing tour with Finding Colin Firth?

A: I’m doing a virtual tour and a few local-ish readings, staying close to him. I recently adopted a shelter dog (the cutest little beagle mix) and want to make sure she feels settled before I take off for extended time).

Mia- what are you working on next? Can you reveal any hints about your next book?

A: I’ve just started thinking about my next novel . . . all I can say at this early point is that it involves food!

*Special thanks to Mia March for agreeing to be interviewed!

Mia March, author of Finding Colin Firth, can be found on Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook and her website. Mia is not only a reader- she’s also a huge movie fan (and she does watch movies other than the ones Colin Firth has a role in- although she does like those quite a bit!)

*Giveaway: To win a copy of Finding Colin Firth, tell me you favorite Colin Firth movie! Please include your email (you may use the AT and DOT). Giveaway will begin July 22nd and end July 29th at 11:59pmEST. Winner will be announced July 30th. Giveaway is open to US only (sorry!)