Monday, September 3, 2012

Meet and Greet for GUTGAA

September is the month of an exciting contest hosted and created by Deana Barnhart. Gearing up to Get an Agent is a pitch contest and a chance to get to know other writers. There are eleven agents involved and a number of small presses. The first week is a chance to visit other blogs and read the answers to some questions, hopefully finding some great blogs and drawing new followers. To see the list of blogs, check out the Meet and Greet post.

Here are the questions and my answers:

-Where do you write?

I actually write, blog, query and so on at the kitchen table. Since it’s at the center of the house, it gives me a partial view of everything going on. Plus, it’s easy to get up and grab chocolate.

-Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?

How boring that I don't have an exciting view of mountains or some such, but instead see an empty chair. I could have said the dog’s food bowl for an equally inspired answer.

-Favorite time to write?

Always first thing in the morning. I have to write first thing before other interruptions drive what I dreamed up overnight out of my head. Writing at any other time is a struggle.

-Drink of choice while writing?

I don’t drink anything when I write. I think I have a secret fear it will spill onto my laptop and fry all my work. I back up my work by emailing it to myself whenever I reach a milestone.

-When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?

Silence doesn’t work. My satellite radio station, the Pulse, is always on the tv. In fact, I changed satellite providers when they cancelled my station.

-What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?

My inspiration for Dodge the Sun was a cheap ankle bracelet I got at a water park. The entire story came from the idea of a girl controlled by a magic anklet.

-What's your most valuable writing tip?

Use little details to flesh out your characters. So many people say details clog the story and bog it down. I think the opposite is true. Adding the right details gives your story depth. And always integrate strong and active verbs into your manuscript!


Bio: My complete bio is in the about me page at the top of the blog. I've been writing for about five years. My second novel, a YA epic fantasy called Kindar's Cure, is being published by Divertir Publishing in March 2013. Dodge the Sun is my third novel, and it is a YA fantasy with a post-apocalypse setting.

The other things you should know is that I love chocolate candy, Cadbury cream eggs being my favorite, I'm a book worm, and I don't like waiting. I have a hard time refraining from shooting out query letters before my manuscript is one hundred percent ready.

You can also find me on Twitter and my author Facebook page.

34 comments:

  1. Hi, Michelle, thanks for the visit to my page. I keep the chocolate as far away from my desk as possible, because once I start eating it I cannot stop. At least if I put it in the kitchen, I burn some calories walking back and forth to retrieve another piece every 5 minutes.

    Have a great day, and stop by my page any time, http://WayneMeyers.com

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  2. Loving the magic anklet idea! Great to meet you, Michelle! :D

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  3. I email my wip to myself after pivotal scenes, too. It's an easy way to back up your work. Have a great day.

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  4. I second the love of Cadbury Creme Eggs and am going to be following your blog!

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    1. If only it were Easter time, right? It's so mean they restrict them to springtime.

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  5. Hi Michelle! I will pick up your YA fantasy the second it comes out. I love any and all things to do with Henry VIII! What a family. The original Kennedys, right? ;)

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  6. Hi Michelle, thanks for following me. I will return the favor. I got so excited after my last blog tour and I had fourteen followers! Especially since they aren't people I know in person. I was inspired to write my first book by a guy who handed me a towel at the hotel I was staying at...so don't devalue inspiration! Ha Ha Great to meet you!

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  7. I love the premise for Dodge the Sun!

    I wish I could write first thing in the morning, but my kids distract me too much (they are early risers). I do usually wake up full of ideas, but, as the business of the day goes on, the ideas fade from my memory.

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  8. Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier! I love your writing tip. Well-placed details are what make a manuscript stand out. Good luck in the contest!

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  9. I totally understand about the satellite provider! I was so angry when XM lost BBC1. Nice to meet you!

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  10. Hi Michelle! I love your 'magic anklet' inspiration story--how unique. And I checked out the query for Dodge the Sun. I'd definitely pick it up! Cool concept! And awesome title! I email the many drafts of my query to myself, and I save chapters of my WIP on Google Docs. I have copies on my hard drive, memory sticks...yeah, I'm a little paranoid about backing up my work. P.S. I'm a fan of Cadbury Cream Eggs too! Chocolate-holics unite!

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  11. I'm always for being close to grabbing chocolate ;) Sounds like a cool idea for a story- and all from a cheap ankle bracelet. That rock if it ended up being the next big thing! Good luck and hope to see you around!

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  12. Hi Michelle
    Thanks for visiting my blog ( 152 when I grow up I wanna write a kids book)
    Firstly huge congrats on your upcoming novel, and I love the anklet story, hope I get to read the query. Cheers Julie

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  13. Many congratulations on the publishing deal! :) I'm your newest follower. Very nice to meet you!

    AA
    http://anallegedauthor.blogspot.com/

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  14. I have issues with waiting to send out my query as well. I usually didn't... haha. I figured by the time the agent contacted me (IF the agent contacted me) it would be done by then ;)

    So nice to meet you! :)

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  15. My favorite field trip of all time: the Cadbury Chocolate Factory in England! I share your love of the delicious eggs, esp. the ones with caramel in the center. So cool that your inspiration for one of your novels came from a water park anklet. I absolutely love that inspiration can be found in the smallest things. Thanks for stopping by my post! It's great that you're a special ed teacher...you ladies and guys really deserve more credit than you get.
    -Jenna

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    1. Oh! *headknock* Now why didn't I stop there when we went to England a few years ago.

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  16. Well, hello! Nice post. And I do that thing of emailing my work to myself too. I created an account just for that.. i'm ultra paranoid that I'll lose something I've been working on.
    And your novel sounds very interesting, I cam't wait to read it :)
    Read you around!

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  17. Hi there, blog hop neighbor! Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier. I did a little research and it turns out that I have an aunt and uncle who live near Smithland, IA - how's that for a small world? :)

    I hope you had a great Labor Day!

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  18. I agree - good details, properly placed, can do wonders for characterization! Best of luck with the contest!

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  19. I hear you about jumping the gun with querying. And with chocolate :)

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  20. How awesome to meet you Michelle! Congrats on your future publication!

    I'm a bit of a chocolate freak myself, after all it IS the food of the Gods. (I assume...) But I really don't back up my work anywhere near as much as I should. I gamble with my sanity sometimes.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog :)

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  21. A waterpark? I guess it goes to show that a writer never knows where inspiration will come from.

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  22. I know I already commented. But I finally made it to you Ms Stuck in the Middle, lol.

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  23. Congratulations on getting published! I could never write in the middle of action - chocolate or no chocolate it would just be too distracting. My characters would get frustrated with me. Nice to meet you, and have fun with all the GUTGAA festivities!

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  24. Hello fellow GUTGAA participant! Good call on not drinking while you write, I've killed 2 computers that way (So embarassing.) Now I put my drink in the desk drawer underneath.
    Thanks for stopping by the blog. You don't like to admit that your book was inspired by a gimmick (what if the beast was FEMALE!) but I'm like you, once the characters are fleshed out with details, it moves beyond the initial inspiration to something great. (Like a plastic bracelet becoming a magic anklet!)

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  25. I love cadbury cream eggs! -Wow, looks like everyone is focused on that part. Probably because their deliciousness is out of season now.

    I loved learning about your story. Your hook about the magical anklet immediately made me want to know more.

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  26. I've never spilled anything on my laptop (knock on wood.) I did have my cat jump on the keyboard once and delete ten pages that I had just finished writing. Thank goodness my computer has autosave.

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  27. Oh yes, details! But really special/memorable ones and not an overabundance. I also email my WIP and completed projects to myself. And chocolate, ah chocolate, where would we be without it...

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  28. It sounds like you're a pretty established writer! I'm enjoying reading all the different places writers are at in their journey through this blog hop. I also wish I had a more exciting view of mountains (I live in Illinois) but sometimes I imagine a scene like that through my balcony door. At least seeing pretty blue sky I can fill in the rest. Here's my GUTGAA Meet and Greet Post

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  29. Hi Michelle - checking in from GUTGAA ~ :) Nice to meet you!! A magic anklet = cool. :)

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  30. Just love the dog bowl, anyway! So nice to meet you on GUTGAA! What a fine concept to meet and greet..I'm a first-time author, so I don't know much about the Agent thing, but I'm having fun and isn't that what counts in this life? Muaaah!


    Dr Margaret Aranda

    www.girlpowerinamm.blogspot.com
    drmargaretaranda.blogspot.com

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