AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Michele Bell

Tell me a about yourself. What got you started in writing?

For me writing was just a natural extension of my passion for reading. From as early as third grade I loved books. My first real love was the books from Laura Ingalls Wilder. I probably read through that series 5 times in 4^th and 5^th grade. I had an interest in creative writing in college but didn’t really do much with writing until after my second child was born. After reading a short story in Good Housekeeping that I though was poorly written I proclaimed, “I could write a better story than that one!” That became a challenge to myself which eventually led to a trip to the library to check out books on writing, a community education class on Creative Writing and then joining the League of Utah Writers. 

 How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write? 

I try and confine my writing to during the day when my family is at work and school, unless I’m on a deadline then I squeeze it in whenever I can. I try and write every afternoon, then on the mornings I’m free I will try and get a few hours of writing done.

How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or some other method of getting your words down? 

If my house were on fire and I could only save one thing, other than my family, I would save my laptop. It has my whole world on it; photos, manuscripts, outlines and book ideas. I’ve learned to write anywhere; airports, waiting rooms, my couch, my home office, it doesn’t matter. If I had to wait for an ideal place and situation it would rarely ever happen. Once I start writing I am in my own world and can block the outside world. Thank goodness!

How did you come up with your book idea? How long did it take you to write your book?

I get ideas from literally everywhere and my last book came from a situation in my extended family that was purely innocent, but when my imagination latched onto it the story morphed into a full-blown psychological thriller/horror story. It was awesome! This is my first horror story and I can say it won’t be my last. It was a blast to write! The writing was about an eight-month process. If I buckle down I can get a book written in about six months. 

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What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?

My publisher will help with some of the promotion and set up a blog tour and email blasts and submit the book to reviewers. I do some of the same things utilizing social media and have contests and giveaways. I do have a love/hate relationship with social media. I don’t like to be a pest and bug my followers but it is a necessary part of book promotion.

What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out? 

I am currently working on a romance about a girl whose best friend talks her into going on fifty-first dates. I’ve recruited stories from readers and friends and family and I cringe when I think about how crazy dating can be. The main character gets to travel to Natal, Brazil and I’m so excited to write that part of the book. I’ve been to Brazil but not this area. I’ve loved doing the research and would love to visit Natal someday. 

Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

I love this question! I have several books ideas percolating and the one that starts boiling over first will be the next book I write. I have an idea for a fairytale and an idea for a Syfy book. My ideas are all over the place but that’s how my imagination works.

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

I don’t really believe that talent is the deal-breaker in getting published. I don’t regard myself as the most talented writer but what I lack in talent I’m willing to make up for in hard work and perseverance. If a person believes they have a unique story and they are willing to do the work to write it, then I believe it can happen. Still, it doesn’t hurt to take classes, go to workshops and conferences and read books about the art of writing. I’m continually learning and growing as an author.

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Thank you, Michele!

Learn more about Michele:

 Blog address: micheleabell.blogspot.com

Website: micheleashmanbell.com

CHARACTER INTERVIEW: Michelle Thorn from Revelation

Tell me a little about yourself (where you live, who you are, what you look like, what you hope 

to achieve, etc.)

My name is Michelle Thorn. I’m fifteen years old, I lived with my parents in our home overlooking the ocean on the Oregon coast. We were a pretty typical family, my dad was an auto mechanic, my mom a travel agent, and I was part of the high school team on our way to the state soccer championship. I don’t like bullies, and since I am stronger and faster than the senior boys, I don’t have to, and I don’t have to let them pick on my friends either. The day I ran into Doctor Carlos Safine my life went from, “Wow, hope I do well on my math test,” to “Wow, I hope I live through tomorrow. Now my biggest hope is to someday return to a normal life.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Sports. Soccer, basketball, martial arts, and surfing. That’s what I used to like to do. Nowadays, I’m lucky if I can go for a run. The closest I am able to get to sports is sneaking through the forest, but I do get a lot of time practicing loading, unloading and field-stripping a variety of weapons. And my big, I mean really big friend Wallen is teaching me more than I ever wanted to know about all sorts of military stuff.

What is your favorite color and why?

Green. It’s the color of life. The forest is full of life, and even the air is green when you get deep in the trees.

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What is your favorite food? Why is it your favorite?

Pizza. Because it’s like, the all around food. If I’m feeling down, pineapple and onion. If we just won our soccer game, mushroom and black olive. When I pass the math test I've been stressing over for a week, Greek pizza with feta cheese, red onions, green peppers, and green olives. Oh, and chocolate-chip cookies, because they are the food of the gods, from the time they begin to perfume the house to the time those chocolate chips melt on my tongue, it’s like the sweetest expectation. And they have all your basic food groups, wheat, milk, chocolate, and sugar.

What would you say is your biggest quirk?

I don’t deal well with frustration. If I’m frustrated, I’m not going to hide it, you will know if you've done something so ignorant that it irks me. And it won’t be pretty.

What is it about your antagonist that irks you the most, and why? Share a line in the book 

where this irk is manifested.

I believe in fair play, on the soccer field and off. Homeland Security Chief Danson crossed lines that should never be crossed, proving he is anything but fair. “She’s a single mom with a blind daughter. Why does it have to be taken care of? If we kill her, are we any better than Danson or his Homeland Security goons?”

What or who means the most to you in your life? What, if anything, would you do to keep

him/her/it in your life?

My parents. Lots of kids at school rag on their parents, some only have a mom or dad. I’m lucky, I have both my parents, and they’re pretty cool. They give me enough freedom to enjoy life, and enough structure to keep me close. I would do anything to keep them in my life.

What one thing would you like readers to know about you that may not be spelled out in the

book in which you inhabit?

I’m a team player. I may argue with my teammates, but in the end, we are all on the same team. When I am in a game, the team matters more than individuals. We win or lose as a team, and even though I am faster and stronger than any of my soccer teammates, we agree on a strategy and stick to it. When I decided to join Dr. Safine, I began to see him and the other Newvers as teammates.

If you could tell your writer (creator) anything about yourself that might turn the direction of 

the plot, what would it be?

Even more than my team, my family is one of my top priorities. If anyone hurts any member of my family, I will hunt them down and make them pay.

Ask me any question. I've always wanted to know what a character thinks about writers like 

myself. I'll answer the question at the end of this interview.

Why do readers want us good guys to go through so much pain and suffering, I mean, do we really deserve to be beat up so much?

This is a question I've been asked before, but my answer bears repeating. Characters are just like real people in the sense that they must go through the bad and experience the good. If a book held off in the "pain and suffering" department, the character wouldn't be able to learn and grow, just like a real person wouldn't. 

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Thank you, Michelle!

Learn more about Michelle and her creator at the following site:

http://jethompsonauthor.blogspot.com/