Meet Mariah Ankenman

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mariah Ankenman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Mariah, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
My mother. As a child my mother always told us to do the best job we possibly could. If we slacked off with our chores we just had to do them again. I learned quickly that it’s better to work hard and do the job right the first time otherwise you’ll just have to do it again.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I write Sassy and Swoon-Worthy romance. The best part of my job is making someone happy with one of my books. I tend to write on the funnier side, but still with plenty of spice. I love it when readers contact me and tell me one of my books made them smile or helped them out of a dark day. I’ve been called a comfort read which I love! I mostly write contemporary, but I have a few paranormal books as well. You can find out all about my books (including a FREE steamy short read) on my website: https://mariahankenman.com/

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I have a theater background so learning about character and dialogue has been a huge help in novel writing. Reading has obviously been one of the most helpful aspect to my writing career. As a lifelong reader, enjoying and studying books for years helped me develop my own writing skills. I suggest anyone who wants to write a book to read as much as they can. Also talking workshops or classes on writing can help too, but you don’t need a writing degree to be an author.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
The best thing to do when you feel overwhelmed is take a break. When a story just isn’t working I get up from my computer. I put on some music and take a walk or clean the dishes, anything to get my mind off the book. When I’m not worrying about the problem is usually when my brain can relax and a solution comes to me.

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