»BBC called it a fascinating story and territory, American award winning film director Nicole Conn described it as her cup of tea.«
So what makes this book so special? Lesbian novel Mia Xara is more than just another love story. It is an adventure that may shake up your life forever. Why? Because it will help you realising that happiness is not hiding from us, but is seeking us. After all: why would happy endings only happen in books?
Synopsis of the book
Mia Xara ( Greek for: I am Happy, everything is ok, also the names of the two main characters – Mia and Xara – not a coincident!)
Book excerpt:
»I close my eyes filled with unanswered longing. Salt corrodes my vision, hangs on my lashes, until finally, from the sheer weight of melancholy, the tears disengage from my eyelids. I let them fall onto the nape of her neck. They slowly make a salty trace down her taut skin, collecting in the hollow above her tailbone. I can hardly restrain myself from sucking them back in. But I must not. They are hers. They have returned to the source. Isn’t that why I also return? To the place I belong? I want to stay. There, where she is. From the first time I plunged into her source, I’ve dreamed only of her waves. I don’t want to leave her bay. But I am leaving… »
The story's main charachter is Mia, a girl in her mid twenties, who struggles with her past. Having met Xara, a young Greek artist, she finds happiness, but is unable to enjoy the full momentum of it as her past tightens its clutches to taunt her. Mia decides to pack her bags and wave goodbye to Xara– abandoning her bountiful future for a rotten past. She runs away to the airport, eager to take flight. While waiting for her flight she bumps into different people, who each bring back certain memories to Mia and make her reflect on her life and her decision to leave.
Who Am I?
In short: I am Mojca Vakselj, a journalist by chance and a writer by heart. I've been working in the media business for almost ten years now and have kept my dream alive: – writing a book. Having published over 1000 articles in various media, Mia Xara is my first novel but definitely not the last one! I worked on it for three years and published it in Slovenia in 2012. Now I am eager to reach out to a wider circle of readers.
Why Mia Xara is a book everyone should read?
From the day we are born we all pursuit happiness. Mia is no different, trying to fight her fears, guilt and doubts on a rocky road to happines. MiaXara touches a very common issue of 21st Century – pushing away people that love us, because we are afraid of intimacy and showing the world how fragile we really are. Sometimes it is hard to admit that decisions do not always come from strength, but come from fear. Have you recognized yourself or a friend in this description? Then this is a book you should definitely read, because you are not alone. Mia and many other people are walking the same path you do.
So Far So Good – The Feedback
In Slovenia, the novel MiaXara has already reached hundreds of people from young to old, from men to women, straight and gay and everything inbetween. When pitching Mia Xara outside Slovenia, BBC called it 'a fascinating story and territory'. American award winning film director Nicole Conn (Elena Undone, Perfect Ending) described as 'her cup of tea'. At this point almost all of the 1st printed Slovene edition (500 copies) were sold.
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This book was written for YOU so please help me get it translated into English and then published in many more countries around the world. Maybe with the help of Mia's story, you too can unfold another layer of your life that perhaps stayed untouched and is waiting for you to discover it. I already have a perfect translator for this job, but as you know, quality goes hand in hand with higher funds and that is where you come in.
Where the Funds Will Go
Your support is crucial to making Mia Xara a success! Your financial contribution will be used to for two purposes: to cover translation into English making sure that nothing is lost in translation, and for editing and printing. As I don't have the resources of a big publisher, it'll take some ingenuity – and I have startup-like mentality to make it happen!
More specifically, your backing helps me with the following:
– Translating the book from Slovene to English
– Line and copy editing
– Proofreading
– Allow printing in bulk to bring down the per-book costs
– Obtaining ISBN numbers, paying registration fees, and additional costs associated
with getting listed in various online bookstores
-Envelopes, packing materials, postage
– Extra copies in case of "breakage" (those that get lost in the mail, etc.)
– Extra review copies
– Live readings, publicity, advertising
– Preparing the book for ebook
What do you get for donating?
Well first of all you get to read a story that will change your life! Saying that I strongly believe that I was given the talent to write to touch people's lives on a different level and Mia Xara is just a beginning. Every penny that I raise will go into making the dream of Mia Xara as big as possible, reaching out to many people that might need to hear what the novel has to say. I strongly believe that we all deserve to be happy and we can take the first step towards it together. In the pledging section I am mentioning some of my great friends and amazing artists, that are a part of this project too. Read more about them so you will understand why book is not the only thing you can get by donating!
MARTA LAMOVSEK (Photographer)
Marta Lamovsek was born in Slovenia, but the world is her home. In the past ten years she has been working in Los Angeles, London and Dubai, where she has proved herself as a true artist in fashion, portrait and advertising photography. With her charisma, talent and contagious joy for life, her camera caught many celebrity faces including Vivienne Westwood, Will Smith and Pamela Anderson.
www.martalamovsek.com
OLGA FACES ROK /Rok Marinsek & Olga Kosica (jewelry designers)
Slovenian jewelery designer Olga Košica and graphic designer Rok Marinšek are the creative pair behind the Ljubljana based jewelery label,olgafacesrok. Inspired by contemporary art, sculpture, painting and nature, their work is often created by combining materials, techniques and latest technology like 3D printing. Their artwork was published in many worldwide known fashion magazines as Elle, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, etc.
www.olgafacesrok.com
PETER MOVRIN ( fashion designer)
Peter Movrin is known for his impressive unisex pieces with massive silhouettes. His work has won numerous prizes and was part of exhibitions such as the MoBa Biennale, where his graduation collection Franz Madonna was shown next to Jean Paul Gaultier, Maison Martin Margiela and Prada. Lady Gaga has been spotted wearing several of his creations.
Special thank you's:
There is not enough space to thank each and everyone that has supported me from the beginning but there are some crucial people that played a big role for the whole project so far.
– Gasper Jager ( for the amazing video presentation)
– Eva Kras ( for playing the best Mia I could wish for)
– Jakob Kapus ( for assistance, make up, styling and all the thousand tiny things in between)
– Angelina Farzam ( for moral and emotional support, time managment of the project + fab web design of the official Mia Xara page)
– my parents, sister and friends that never stopped believing in me
– Marta Lamovsek, Rok Marinsek and Peter Movrin ( for amazing artistic gifts for my backers)
– www.crowdfunding.si (for numerous advices how to approach the Indiegogo audience)
– www.poligon.si ( special shout out to Eva Percic for being a 'fairy godmother' of the project's realization)