Aspiring Author Interview with Michelle Merrill

Okay guys, are you ready for this?  Today I'm interviewing the lovely Michelle Merrill from Perfecting the Craft!  And guess what?  She's interviewing me too!  We found out we both do aspiring author interviews, so naturally we just had to interview each other and post them on the same day!  She's an awesome mom (of 4 kids!!), YA writer and totally still double spaces after periods like me (I know I know, archaic, right?  But we just can't help it!)  So here she is!  Be sure to stop by her blog to see my interview!  You might as well follow her while you're there- she's super cool and has wonderful interviews!


1.        Tell us the scoop on how you got into writing novels.

A random lady at church came up to me four years ago and told me that I should write a book.  My response..."Excuse me?" Okay, I barely even knew her.  And it was way before my reading obsession came along.  About eighteen months later I was getting to know a good friend and just after finishing a very animated piece of my life, she turned to me and said, "You should write a book."  This was after I was sucked into the reading world through Twilight.  Still, I thought everyone had gone crazy.  Well, a year ago, deep into my reading obsession, an idea for a book popped into my head.  Before I knew it, they were talking and having conversations.  Their emotions were taking over mine and their conversations creeped their way into every part of my life.  So, Jan. 3rd, 2010, I wrote their story down.  And now my life has been taken over by all sorts of character's. 

2.      What genre do you write?

YA Fiction.  Mostly Paranormal and Fantasy, but with romance included in everything.  Stories are like food, they only get better with a little spice.


3.      What authors inspire you?

Every debut author out there inspires me.  The fact that they have their first book means that I can do it too.  Every author faces the impossible.  They sit and write for hours on end and then after they finish the story, they go through it again.  And again.  And probably again at least one more time if not more.  And then after all that, they get the attention of an agent or get some kind of other lucky break and they've reached the next step.  There are so many steps and if they can do it, I can do it too.

4.      How often do you write?

Not enough.  I write whenever I get a moment throughout the week, but I usually set aside a good three hour block once a week.  Sometimes I write thousands of words and sometimes I don't get any.  I'll take what I can get.

5.      Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Pantser, but maybe someday that will change.

6.      Where do you write best, and do you listen to music while you write?

I write best if I'm at a friend's house babysitting their sleeping kids in a silent home with my laptop on my lap.  How did I discover that?  I just did it one night and it was so awesome!  I think it's because I wasn't at my house worrying about what else I could be doing.  If you haven't tried it, then I dare you.  I guess it only works if you have a laptop, but I guarantee you that your friend will love you for it too.  See, two birds with one stone.  Writing and building friendships :)


7.      What is on your TBR pile?

Um, this answer could be really long, but I'll try to just add the ones that I'm most excited about.  Anna and the French Kiss, The Mockingbirds, Glimmerglass, Need, and Brightly Woven.  There are a lot of books coming out in the next year that I want to get my hands on the minute they're released, but I'll save that for another day.

8.      If Stephanie Meyer and JK Rowling got in a cat fight, who would win?

I just had to google both of them to find the most intimidating pictures of each.  Here's what I came up with.

Yeah, not very intimidating.  Cat fight, huh?  Scratching, slapping, pulling hair, and biting are all part of a cat fight.  Although Stephenie Meyer has more hair to pull, I think that might be a strength.  The less hair, the worse it hurts right?  So with her locks of hair and (maybe) wicked Vampire teeth, she'd definitely have my vote.  No wand...no magic. 

Now if it was a writing fight, the results could be different.  Just sayin'.

9.      What is your “day” job? 

I'm a hairdresser, outfit coordinator, chef, maid, driver, councilor, cheerleader, tutor, and all those other things that deal with being a stay at home mommy of four kids.

10.  What can you not leave home without? (cell phones are off limits- NO ONE can leave home without one of those). 

I wouldn't get very far without my keys and a pair of shoes, but in my life, a diaper bag is also a must.  My diaper bag is like Mary Poppin's carpet bag.


11.  Mac or PC?

Well, I've heard great things about Mac's, but they are a bit pricey.  So I've had to live my life with a PC.  I don't have much to complain about, though.  I'm not too picky.

12.  Favorite dessert?

Candy.  Think Halloween.  All of those little taffy's, tootsie rolls, sour gummies, suckers, etc.  I can't stop once I get going.  It's bad!

13.  Favorite desert?

Big deserts-Sahara.  Not so prominent desert-Utah.  I grew up there so I'm a teensy bit biased.  Southern Utah is beautiful, though.  If you haven't been sightseeing there, then GO!  Arches, Zions, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef and so much more.

14.  Where is your dream vacation?

Really?  That's a hard one.  Um, there is a small town South of Cancun, Mexico named Akumal.  I've been there once and I loved it.  If I wanted a nice quiet week on a white sandy beach, it would be there hands down.  That's tangible, though.  Dream vacation would be Austrailia, New Zealand, England, Italy, or snorkeling in Roatan, Honduras.

15.  Finally, link us to your website, blog, fb, twitter and anything else you might like to shamelessly plug for yourself
My only public website is my blog, but I'd love for everyone to come visit me.  http://perfectingthecraft.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much Abby!  I loved your questions.  It was a lot of fun to answer them all.