Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
“Remote employees: the ultimate guide” is the first book I have written. Even though I was working as content creator and copywriter, my dream was always to write books.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
As mentioned before, it is: “Remote employees: the ultimate guide”. When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the whole world started to change to remote work. For me, not many things have changed, hence I was working in this format for the last 5 years. But many people, including managers, CEOs, and team leaders, faced either severe challenges in the transition to a distributed work style or jumped on the wave of change. I wanted to create a guide for the new leaders in the times of the “new reality” by giving credit to companies who fully or partially embraced the new working culture and mix it with my own experience.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I always start with the introduction. Back in my university time, it helped me to write the introduction first to structure my thoughts and create a red line for the writing. I think I kept this habit until today.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
When I was an exchange student in the United States, we had to read “The Great Gatsby” as part of the American Literature course. I fell in love with the storyline and the way Fitzgerald was choosing his words to describe things, buildings, feelings. Sometimes without even using the word and giving just metaphors was enough for the reader to understand what was meant. However, some comparisons and depictions were so complex that I was sitting after school with my German-English dictionary trying to understand it. Later in the university, I enrolled in a class on Jane Austen and movie adaptions of her literature. I have never heard of her before (shame on me), but the female-empowering subject caught my interest. It was the best class in my life, I mean I had to read “Pride and Prejudice” and “Emma” and watch “Bridget Jones” as homework. Elizabeth Bennet made me dream, motivated me when I had no power anymore, and she made me believe in myself. I liked how Jane Austen stood up in her literature to her critical perspective on the society she was living in. At the same time, her writing style created a sense of suspicion that you just could not stop to read anymore, it became addictive, kind of binge-worthy Netflix-series. J.K. Rowling also learned from Jane Austen’s setting creating techniques when she was writing her first Harry Potter book. With the Harry Potter books, I had the same addiction and was reading until late in the night.
What are you working on now?
I am taking a break now, but the next book will be a female-empowering guide for teenage girls.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am quite new in the promoting and book marketing business, I am just focusing on the writing process. So after my first introduction to this topic, I would say topic related forums such as awesomegang and Facebook.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
1. Choose a topic that personally matters to you, something that has value.
2. Start writing
3. Find a skilled proofreader, or better 2 or 3
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It is ok to deliver something that is perfect to 80%, the most important thing is not to wait forever until you reach 100%. The other 20% can and should be delegated to professionals.
What are you reading now?
I am trying to finish “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep writing 🙂
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
1. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
2. In search of the Castaways (Les Enfants du capitaine Grant) by Jules Verne
3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
4. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Author Websites and Profiles
Maria Mazur Website
Maria Mazur Amazon Profile
Maria Mazur’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account