In this episode, Linda Hengerer talks with Mia P. Manansala about her debut novel Arsenic and Adobo, Filipino cooking - lumpia! - and how the pandemic affected her routine.

Mia P. Manansala (she/her) is a writer and certified book coach from Chicago who loves books, baking, and bad-ass women. She uses humor (and murder) to explore aspects of the Filipino diaspora, queerness, and her millennial love for pop culture. Her debut novel, ARSENIC AND ADOBO, comes out May 4, 2021, with Berkley/Penguin Random House.

A lover of all things geeky, Mia spends her days procrastibaking, playing JRPGs and dating sims, reading cozy mysteries, and cuddling her dogs Gumiho, Max Power, and Bayley Banks (bonus points if you get all the references). 

Find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @MPMtheWriter
Or check out her website: www.miapmanansala.com

Get to know Mia - The Tart Words Baker's Dozen:

1.   Plotter or Pantser? Combo? Light plotter

2.   Tea or Coffee? Tea

3.   Beer, Wine, or Cocktails? Cocktails

4.   Snacks: Sweet or Savory? Both!

5.   Indie Published, Traditionally Published, or Hybrid? Traditionally published

6.   Strict Writing Schedule: No

7.    Strictly Computer or Mix It Up? Computer and Alphasmart

8.    Daily Goal: No, but I'm trying

9.    Formal Track Progress: Sometimes

10.  Special Writing Spot? I love the Winter Garden at the Harold Washington Library

11.   Writer’s Block? Yes

12.   File of Ideas: Yes

13.   Favorite Author(s)? Currently, Sherry Thomas, Alyssa Cole, Talia Hibbert, and Kellye Garrett