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This week we have the lovely Michelle Irwin to the blog.
Give her a warm welcome!
11.
Have
you always had a passion for writing?
Yes
and no. In high school, I loved English and always had my nose in a book
reading or writing. I especially loved writing poems and song lyrics. When I
left high school and joined the ‘real world’ that passion was largely supressed
by university study and my day job. About three years ago, as I closed in on
the end of my many years of study, I was finally able to reconnect to that love
and since then I have never looked back.
22.
Does
what you read influence what you write and what are some of your favourite
authors/books?
I
tend to be a very eclectic reader, just as likely to be reading a mystery novel
as a high fantasy or paranormal romance. When I write though, I tend to hover
toward the paranormal romance.
Favourite
authors and books are fairly varied, again because of my eclectic tastes. Above
all else, I love Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. I adored Harry Potter and
fell in love with Twilight. An author which I know will always give me a good,
entertaining ride is Harlan Coben.
33.
What
are your biggest inspirations?
I
love trying to find twists on old stories or new ways for people to fall in
love. So far the creatures I’ve used in my paranormal stories are not the usual
shifters or vampires (not that there’s anything wrong with a good vamp or wolf
story).
In
terms of what can inspire a story, it can be anything from a conversation, an
episode of a TV show, or even a song. With my current series, it all started
from the song “Cat and Mouse” by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and a brief thought
during a re-watch of an early season of Supernatural, but as I wrote the first
book the story shifted significantly away from the rough outline I had and took
on a life of its own.
44.
Do
you have a technique in how you choose characters and/or locational settings?
Generally
my characters talk to me first. I spend a bit of time getting to know the
basics of that character—what motivates them—and then I sit to write. On a good
day, when the muse is switched on, it’s like watching a movie in my mind and
trying to dictate it to the page.
Usually
the location comes to me some point later, I don’t really have a technique for
that and although I like to root stories in real places, and do as much
research as I can into an area, I also like to leave a certain “anywhere-ness”
to my stories to allow readers to fill the blanks with their own experiences
which I think is important when dealing with the fantastical elements of
paranormal stories. The more “at home” the reader feels the more likely they
are to believe in the unbelievable.
55.
Do
you listen to music while you are creating your masterpieces?
Almost
always. Usually one of the first things I do after a story has moved from idea
conception to actually story (some point around 2-5k in usually), I start a
playlist for the mood I’m trying to create in the book. Then when I sit to
write, I use that playlist to get into the right mood. For me, mood sometimes
comes from lyrics and other times it comes from the music itself. I know a lot
of people who listen to classical music so that there are no words interrupting
the ones on the page but I’m the opposite—usually the more noise I have going
on around me in the music the more I can focus in on the words. For Through the
Fire, my playlist was eclectic, from , very heavy with Dashboard Confessional,
Train, Taking Back Sunday, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and similar songs.
66.
What
do you do to stay motivated and avoid writer’s block?
Ask
me this on a good day and I can give you a number of techniques—music, just
writing anything, character interviews, writing the scene from a different
perspective. I’ve done all of these over time and all of them have worked with
varying degrees of success.
On
a bad day though, it’s sometimes impossible to remember and use these
techniques. Sometimes the best way to avoid writer’s block is to just shut the
laptop and get out of the house for a few hours.
77.
How
has becoming a published author (independent or traditional) changed your perspective
on life and is it everything you expected it to be? (If you are not published
yet – what changes do you foresee?)
Ask
me again in a few months LOL. Seriously though, it has made me appreciate the
process of editing and the work that goes into creating a book so much more. As
much as I’d love everyone who is interested in paranormal romances to read and
love my book, I am realistic. I don’t expect to set the world on fire and have
any significant changes in my life, I still see myself getting up each morning
and going to work, doing what I need to around the house and carving out
precious writing time after my daughter is in bed at night.
88.
What
are your biggest challenges as an author?
See
question seven: time. I would love nothing more than to be able to spend hours
and hours writing each day. In reality, I’m usually lucky to get three hours
and in that time I have to plot and write blog posts, keep up with Facebook and
Twitter, read and review crit partners’ work, and write. So far, I’ve managed
to average around 500 words a day in that time, which sounds really low when I
put it like that, but I’m happy with considering I haven’t adjusted for
holidays or days where I’ve written nothing at all.
99.
Do
you have any pets?
I
have one cat, Tom. He’s an anti-cat though—he loves his cuddles and adores his
humans. When time and funds allow, I’d love to get a dog too but at the moment
we don’t have adequate fencing or time for a puppy. My dream pet is a miniature
dachshund, although I couldn’t honestly say why.
110. What hobbies do you have outside of
reading and writing?
Is
travelling a hobby? If so, than that.
111. Where is the most exciting/memorable
place you have been in the world?
So
far, London. As much as I’ve loved all of my travels around Australia and New
Zealand, there’s a sense of history that London has that Australia just
doesn’t. I’m not talking cultural history as such because I know there are a
number of significant Aboriginal sites, but the architectural history in London
is just so mind blowing. I can easily recall the feeling of walking near the
Tower of London and reading the signs which declared the dates various part of
it had been built. It’s hard to put that sort of experience into words but it
made my life, and my place in history, feel both insignificant and incredibly
important all at the same time.
112. Tell us about your latest work in
progress or most recent published work…
My
current work in progress is a twin series called Daughter of Fire and Son of
Rain. The first book in the Daughter of Fire series Through the Fire is due for release in 2014 (join the BDP
newsletter for more information on the release date and a 10% discount http://www.bottomdrawerpublications.net).
The Daughter of Fire series follows Evelyn “Evie” Meyers as a former love
interest, Clay Jacobs—who is also the most dangerous man she knows—forces his
way back into her life with devastating consequences. The Son of Rain series
tells the story from Clay Jacobs’ side. Although both series travel the same
timeline, they have very distinct paths.
The
official blub is:
Evie Meyers’ life is one spent on the run. Every minute of
every day, her life is in danger if anyone should suspect the truth about her
ancestry. Her father was willing to risk everything to keep the truth hidden,
even from her, but the lies he fabricated were exposed when her high school
crush, Clay Jacobs, inadvertently stumbled upon her secret. His discovery puts
Evie at risk from a secret organization tasked with washing the world clean of
nonhumans—and Clay is one of its deadliest soldiers. Forced into a war she
doesn’t understand, all because of what she is, Evie is left with no choice but
to flee with her father to escape persecution.
When
Clay reappears in her life, battle scarred and mysterious, Evie is unprepared
and terrified as he forces his way back into her heart. When the battle catches
up with her, and a tragic accident tears apart the peace she discovered, she
finds herself alone and without the protection of her father, or her lover.
Now, she needs to keep her secrets hidden and learn to survive on her own in a
world that wants her dead, all while searching for the missing piece of her
heart.
Goodreads
book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21530234-through-the-fire
Goodreads
author: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8076291.Michelle_Irwin
Twitter:
https://www.twitter.com/writeonshell
Thank you so much for featuring little ol' me. It was my first and it was terrific :D
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. :)
DeleteIt was great to read about Shell's journey to her first published work - thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you Georgie, glad you enjoyed it. :)
Delete