Reader Spotlight: Mia the Happy Homesteader

In the Reader Spotlight series we ask our smart, diverse, and multi-talented readers what makes them tick and what they're seeing in Spun Yarn manuscripts. Our readers span the gamut of literary taste, so expect to see a little bit of everything! 

Hi Mia, thanks for chatting with us today! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a middle aged mom of many, who lives on a small homestead in the Midwest. I raise poultry and waterfowl and am a prolific gardener, all of which helps me stock a “pay what you can” farm stand in the warmer months. I’ve been a voracious reader for nearly my entire life - I started reading before I was three and have never slowed down. Because I’m autistic and hyperlexic, books have not only been a form of escape when I’m overwhelmed, but also a way to connect with the world in a way that makes sense to me. I form a deep bond with characters in books, and think of them fondly when I’ve finished reading.

Storytelling is an ancient skill, and there’s a lot of oral tradition valued by my Mexican and Mexican-American family, and I think that reading is a natural extension of that important part of my identity. I had a background in ambulatory care and hospitality, before choosing to stay home full time when my youngest child was born, but the true love of my life has always been the printed word.

What are your favorite hobbies?

I have a lot of hobbies, and while reading is a significant one, I also love fiber arts. I knitgarments - sweaters, socks, hats, and once even a pair of merino wool shorts - and I love sewing. I started sewing when I was six and never stopped - it started with a dress for my favorite doll and evolved into clothing for myself and my children. I’ve been quilting for about a year now and find it highly meditative and relaxing. I also love to do anything outdoors when the weather is warm. I can happily spend an entire day puttering around in my 1080sq ft vegetable garden or picking berries in the fields behind my house. I love hiking, and the Great Lakes, and just being in nature.

You've been a reader with us for a while now, when giving feedback for the Spun Yarn, what part do you find most challenging?

I think the most challenging thing about being a reader is knowing that an author is trusting me with the creation they’ve put their sweat, tears, and whole heart into and trying to give the most useful feedback possible to help them see a perspective that could take their work to the next level. I want to be able to utilize their trust in me to the fullest extent by imagining what will elevate their work to a new stage. I really believe that authors are capable of impacting the way entire generations of people see the world, and I want to help them do so. It’s actually a huge responsibility, because I really believe in the power of books to make this world a much better place where everyone can see life from another point of view.

What is your favorite part about being a reader for The Spun Yarn?

I genuinely get excited by each and every manuscript that comes into my inbox, because there’s always the potential for sitting down for a few hours and escaping into a world that changes the way I see things for the rest of my life. I can say with absolute honesty that I’ve read a number of manuscripts submitted by our authors that have stuck with me for months or - at this point, for years. Every manuscript I open is the purest form of hope, because when someone gives me the gift of allowing me to enter a world of their creation, I have the chance to see through their eyes, and that’s often a really beautiful thing.

Is there a genre you haven't been chosen for yet and would like to be? Why or why not?

I would love to read some books about the supernatural, ghost stories or witchy stories, maybe even horror. I tend to read a lot of mystery and thriller, women’s fiction, and memoirs, which are my usual fare when I read for pleasure, but there’s also something really fun about being scared silly!