Interviews

All posts in the Interviews category

5 Questions with Katie Shea

Published May 24, 2012 by LS Murphy

Katie Shea joined the Donald Maass Literary Agency in 2011. She was previously an agent with the Johnson Literary Agency. She specializes in fiction and memoir, especially women’s fiction and commercial-scale literary fiction.  She is also seeking memoir, narrative non-fiction, food, pop culture, health and lifestyle, and realistic YA.  She is most interested in coming-of-age stories and stories of unique relationships. Some of her favorite authors include: Joan Didion, Mary Karr, Michael Cunningham, Alice Sebold, and Jean Kwok (Girl in Translation). She is a graduate of Marist College.

Now on the FIVE Questions

1.      How important is a platform for new and established authors in the 21st century?

Platform comes in various ways nowadays. With self-publishing and ebooks, it seems that authors have more options to get their work out there. However, you must be smart about it. Traditional publishing is still here, and I believe won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Authors must be very careful in the decisions they make because sometimes they can make-or-break you on getting an agent. For example, if an author has a project they want me to take on, but they have been self-pubbed with previous work, how I can rebuild them as an author if they have already ‘branded’ themselves through self-publishing? Try to have a clean slate when going out with your first project, and make sure your pass work that is somewhere out there in Internet world is something you are proud of. Story stories, articles, awards are all wonderful things I like to see. But be smart about the things you do if you are serious about getting a publisher behind your work.

2.      What’s it like for you to make “The Call”?

When I finish a manuscript, I know. I usually have been non-stop thinking about the story, bombarding my mind, and simply, I just can’t get enough of it. Sometimes I even have dreams about the characters! When I know I am about to offer representation, I contact the writer, schedule a call and then we talk. I explain to them what I love and how excited I am, and then offer rep. The conversation always goes deeper – to what edits I may suggest, what they are looking to do next, what ideas they may have on the project, and just understanding each other on a business level so that we know how it will be to work with each other. It is always a great moment to be able to connect with a writer and his/her story. It is a beginning of a new relationship.

3.      According to your bio, you’re seeking realistic YA. What does the story need to win you over?

Realistic YA is a tough category to breakout in. The first pages are so important to me when it comes to grabbing my attention. As far as YA, I want the main character to have a strong voice. A strong enough voice that will make me what to follow them wherever they go. Make sure the character is unique enough for her to stand out. I always want to writer to think ‘MAINSTREAM’ – how can you develop this character to connect with any young reader? Presenting a conflict is also very important when I read YA – what is going on in their life that make them different? What is happening to them that makes me want to keep reading? Life is so complicated as it is. Take a deep look at everyday problems and build a story from it.

4.      What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Listen and watch. Listen and watch the world around you. To people. To agents. To editors. To other writers. To family. To friends. Understanding the ‘world’ is the best way to write a novel. Observe what goes on around you and put it into a perspective for ANY PERSON to learn from. Take the reader from their ‘world’ into another ’world’. If you are able to do this successfully, you have a work that anyone will be able to read and connect to, in some way or another.

5.      Finally, Beatles or Rolling Stones?

The Beatles. They are the definition of timeless.

 

5 Questions with Katie McGarry

Published May 22, 2012 by LS Murphy

Katie was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. Her YA novel, Pushing the Limits, will debut with Harlequin Teen on July 31, 2012.

 Now on to the FIVE QUESTION

1. Congrats on Pushing the Limits. How long did it take you from concept to publication?

I began writing Pushing the Limits in late December of 2009. I began querying the story in the spring of 2010 and landed my agent in the fall of 2010. I sold several weeks later. My book will be released on July 31, 2012. So from start to finish the process has taken over two years.

2.  What was the spark of inspiration for Echo & Noah?

The original spark came when I was free writing for another story. I thought it would be fun to write a scene with my characters in therapy. Halfway into the scene, I realized that my heroine’s voice had changed. That new voice became Echo.

I gave Echo room to play and when I asked myself who would be the best person to bring her out of her shell, Noah was created.

3. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

To never give up. The publication process is a very long and arduous one. It is full of rejection. Remember, for every no you receive, you are one step closer to a yes.

4. What is your solution to writer’s block?

I listen to music and go for a jog. I often talk about the scene I’m stuck on with my husband or beta readers. If all else fails, I go back to the last place in the manuscript where I had no problems writing and analyze what I had done between that point and where I became stuck. Often, I’m paralyzed because I’ve taken a wrong turn. This means I need to delete and rewrite.

5.  Finally, Star Wars or Star Trek?

Definitely Star Wars.

5 Questions with Avery Olive

Published May 15, 2012 by LS Murphy

Avery Olive is proudly Canadian. She is married, and when she’s not helping raise her very energetic and inquisitive son, she can be found working on her latest novel-where she devilishly adds U’s into every word she can.

When she is looking for a break Avery enjoys cake decorating, losing herself in a good book, or heading out to the lake to go camping.

The release of Avery’s first novel proves to her it won’t be the last. As long as her family continues to be supportive, she can find the time, and people want to read, Avery will keep on writing.

Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

1.     Congrats on A Stiff Kiss. How long did it take you from concept to publication?

Thank you!! Hmm it was about a year and half. A lot of that time was actually the Query process, waiting on agents to see if there was a bite (lots of nibbles, but no catch) and then waiting on publishers. The entire publishing industry is slow, its runs at a snail’s pace. But in the scheme of things, it really didn’t take as long as it could have. I wrote A Stiff Kiss in three months, took about 3 months to polish it and get it ready to send out, querying took about 6 months and then the back and forth between my editor making A Stiff Kiss ready for publication.

2.     What was the spark of inspiration for Xylia & Landon?

The first scene I really had nailed down was Xylia in the morgue kissing Landon. It was a dream I had. And then I had to think of all the reason why someone would dare do such a thing. Xylia’s a little dark, but she’s also desperate to understand, it gave me a reason to allow her character to grow, which is needed. Landon was a little harder, I’d done all sorts of research trying to figure out how to come up with a plausible explanation for what happened to him, and why he’d want to be a part of Xylia’s journey. Of course, when you have both a male and female characters, you get to have fun and create your version of the perfect romance.

3.     What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Start writing and worry about all the other stuff later. There are so many people desperate for answers, wanting to know how the process works, how to find agents, how to pick publishers, how they get paid, how the covers are designed, but most of the time when you ask if they’ve actually sat down and written anything, it’s usually a No. Writer’s write because they love to, not because they are set on becoming millionaires. You have to learn how to walk, before you can run. Join writing groups, or online communities, read as much as you can because that’s your biggest tool when it comes to learning and worry about how to jump that last hurdle when you are ready.

4.     What is your solution to writer’s block?

Oh man. This is a tough one. I think writer’s block is a phantom. It’s just something that people build up in their heads as a reason, or an excuse to why they aren’t working on something, or because they are stuck.  If you let it become a problem, it will take over. Now, that’s just my opinion, and like most Authors, I get stuck, or blocked, and find I can’t figure out where to go next, but I try and push through. A thousand words of utter crap is better than no words at all. And if I do find I can’t push through it, I set it aside and come back to it later.

5.     Finally, Star Wars or Star Trek?

Neither. I know, I think I can hear the gasps of shock everywhere. But seriously, I don’t think I’ve watched either of them all the way through. Sci-Fi isn’t really my thing.

Important Links:

Avery Olive’s Blog : www.averyolive.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002656782468

A Stiff Kiss Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Stiff-Kiss/255522414458899

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/averyolive

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13411964-a-stiff-kiss

Crescent Moon Press: http://crescentmoonpress.com/index.html

A Stiff Kiss Buy Links

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Stiff-Kiss-Avery-Olive/dp/193725433X/

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stiff-kiss-avery-olive/1108801919?ean=9781937254339&itm=1&usri=a+stiff+kiss

The Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/Stiff-Kiss-Avery-Olive/9781937254339

KOBO: Keep an eye out! Coming Soon!

5 Questions with Robin Renee Ray

Published May 10, 2012 by LS Murphy

BIO: Robin Renee Ray is known as a Multi-genre Author. She’s only been writing for five and a half years, but has come to love everything about being a novelist. She began in the paranormal romance genre, then jumped into horror, then right on into suspense thrillers. She has also co-author a children’s book with her oldest grand, A.L. McBee…. 18 novels and numerous short stories later, she is well on her way in the writing world! She resides in Southern New Mexico with her husband, David, and lives very close to her two granddaughters.

Her main dream in the writing world, now, is to be the female version of the late, great, Alfred Hitchcock. She has also added scriptwriting to her list and has a project with a film production company in New Orleans for future consideration that goes along with her soon to be released story: Zombies, Sex and Chocolate Cheesecake with Hellfire Publishing. A mini series in three parts…Book one: Before It Began…Book two…Zombie, Sex and Chocolate Cheesecake and book three…Stopped by a Single Bullet. All three books are going into script form and being turned in as Seasons Projects to the film company.

Next project…Who knows..LOL “Thinking I may try a novella ‘Christian Love Story’ for my mother?”

Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

 

1. Where did the spark of inspiration for Renee come from?

Robin: The character’s life came from my mother’s world, down to where she was born in the small town of Burkett Texas. Everything about Burkett and Renee’s life on the farm is true. The cemetery with that oval Tomb of Doc Hills’ wife is there to this day, the one where Martin (Marteen) takes her, the very place he had been staying throughout two months worth of days while he watched Renee during those nights. His love for her grew long before he knocked on the door that first night. Renee is strong like my mom and I gave her the Crocker name, my mother’s maiden name. Her people are buried in the Burkett Cemetery so it looks cool for those who have read the books and know and have been there and seen Renee’s mother’s headstone…My mother’s grandmother…to this day there is no death date and she was born in the 1800′s??? A cool strange note for Bloodbreeder Fans. ; )

2. Bloodbreeders is set during the 1930s. Why did you chose that era?

Robin: Once again, because it’s the time from when my mother and her people lived and ran the family farm. I know the area like the back of my hand and everything else I got in conversations with my mom. I keep the first 5 books in the series in the 30′s and 40′s showing how Renee’s walk in darkness began and how she chose to take action at the treatment of others, Bloodbreeders or normals.

3. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Robin: Write everything that hits your thoughts, even if you have to stop a key project for a few hours. Write the main idea down so you can get back to it. And never stop writing no matter what you think your story/stories may be…we all get down on ourselves at times…think the flows not going the way we thought it would be, but who cares??? You just keep hitting those keys until you complete that tale and you will be surprised at how truly wonderful it really is!!!

4. What is your solution to writer’s block?

Robin: Start a new project….never let writer’s block run the show..LOL Leave whatever has you blocked and open a blank page. If nothing comes to mind then snag a photo and write a tale about it, whatever comes to mind. It will get you back on track more than you think and if you can bounce into a different genre, even better. ; )

5. Finally, Beatles or Rolling Stones?

Robin: This is gonna show my age, but Beatles..LOL  Come Together and Let It Be are songs that will live forever. ; )

5 Questions with M. Molly Backes

Published May 9, 2012 by LS Murphy

M. Molly Backes has taught students of all ages and abilities. As an English teacher in a struggling rural New Mexico school, she designed and taught curricula to a wide spectrum of students, with a close consideration of state and national standards and benchmarks. In honor of National Novel Writing Month, Molly got 150 middle schoolers to write their own novels. As a teacher, she developed classroom writing workshops, pushed for greater emphasis on interdisciplinary writing in core classes, ran trainings for educators in writing workshop implementation, led her school’s Educational Plan for Student Success Goal Team and served as English Department Chair in 2007.

Her YA novel The Princesses of Iowa will be published in Spring 2012 by Candlewick Press. In addition to novels, Molly pens the “Writing Tips” column for The Prairie Wind (the newsletter of the Illinois Chapter of SCBWI), blogs at Bittersweet, has been a guest blogger at Puffery, Brood, and This Wasn’t in the Plan, and is a frequent contributor to StoryStudio’s own blog Cooler by the Lake. Her story “Teacher’s Pet” appears in the anthology Good Dogs Doing Good (LaChance, 2009).

Molly is the Assistant Director at StoryStudio, where she’ll be happy to answer all your questions about life, the universe, and all our classes.

Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

1. Congrats on The Princesses of Iowa. How long did it take you from concept to publication?

Thank you! I started working on the first draft in May 2005 — I was supposed to be packing up the house in preparation of a big move, but instead I spent a whole weekend writing the first chapter. So it was seven years from first draft to publication.

2. What was the spark of inspiration for Paige and her journey?

To be honest, I don’t exactly know. I always tell my writing students that the subconscious mind is like a crock pot — you put a bunch of stuff in it, turn on the heat, walk away, and come back to find something cooking and ready. I think the subconscious mind is way smarter than the conscious mind, and it builds bridges between disparate ideas, making connections between moments and images that you’d never link with your conscious mind. So I suppose a lot of random ingredients went into the Princesses of Iowa crockpot — my experiences as a teenager, my time in the classroom surrounded by teenagers, questions about conformity and gender and tolerance and bullying, homesickness for Iowa, etc — and one day the story appeared to me, pretty well formed.

3. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Don’t even think about the market or marketing until your book is a fully formed, finished, polished draft. Don’t worry about building a platform; worry about making sure your book is the best possible book you can write.

4. What is your solution to writer’s block?

Writing. There’s only one solution, and it’s to write. Start a totally new project, write page after page about how much you hate writing and what a talentless loser you are, whatever. Just write. Writing begets writing.

5. Finally, Beatles or Rolling Stones?

“Wild Horses” is one of my favorite songs ever (particularly the cover by The Sundays), but I walked down the aisle to a Beatles song, so I feel like I owe it to my marriage to say The Beatles. :-)

5 Questions with Jennifer Lane

Published May 8, 2012 by LS Murphy

People fascinate the psychologist/author (psycho author) known as Jennifer Lane. Her therapy clients talk to her all day long about their dreams and secrets, and her characters tell her their stories at night. Jen delights in peeling away the layers to scrutinize their psyches and emotions. But please rest assured, dear reader, she isn’t psychoanalyzing you right now. She’s already got too many voices in her head!

Stories of redemption interest Jen the most, especially the healing power of love and empathy. She is the author of the Conduct Series—romantic suspense for adult readers—and is currently at work on the third and final installment: On Best Behavior. Streamline is her first foray into writing for young adults, but she’s found this sort of writing even more fun. A former college swimmer, Jen was able to put a lot of her own experiences into this book.

Whether writing or reading, Jen loves stories that make her laugh and cry. In her spare time she enjoys exercising, attending book club, and hanging out with her sisters and their families in Chicago and Hilton Head.

Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

1.      Where did the spark of inspiration for Streamline come from?

The actor Wentworth Miller inspired this story. I loved him in the TV show Prison Break, and when I found out he was a former competitive swimmer (like me), my imagination ran wild. Learning about Wentworth’s mixed ethnic heritage also intrigued me, leading me to create the character of Leo Scott.

2.      How long did it take from initial concept to publication?

This one was longer that normal. I started writing the story in July of 2007 and finished six months later at a whopping word count of 213,000 words! I’d become obsessed, writing every day. When I showed the finished manuscript to a friend, he thought it lacked a target audience (this was before we knew much about YA). I thought it was too long and unpolished, so I went on to write an adult romantic suspense series. After Omnific Publishing released the first two books in this series (With Good Behavior and Bad Behavior), I reconsidered Streamline. After a MAJOR edit, the 129,000 word novel launched on 3-27-12.

3.      What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

I’m still new to this publishing thing but I hear this is the best time there’s ever been for authors because there are so many opportunities with self-publishing or small-press publishers. Still, I’ve talked to many people who have a great idea for a novel or who have started a novel, but haven’t finished. The most important advice is just write. Write and write, and you get better as you go.

4.      What is your solution to writer’s block?

If I’m not feeling a scene, or if I’m not properly rested or caffeinated, I don’t write. Writing is still secondary to my career as a psychologist, and I don’t try to push it. I want to keep writing fun. I’ve also found that writer’s block can come when the scene isn’t working, so a block might be an opportunity to try a different angle.

5.      Finally, Beatles or Rolling Stones?

I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of either, but I’ll choose the Beatles simply for their great song “Twist and Shout” sung so eloquently by Ferris Bueller, ha!

Check out Streamline at Amazon or Barnes & Noble

5 Questions with J.R. Wagner

Published May 1, 2012 by LS Murphy

J. R. Wagner was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania during a blizzard. The snow made travel by car impossible, so his father called an ambulance when his mother went into labor. The ambulance became stuck at the bottom of their home’s driveway, prompting the dispatch of a fire truck, which towed the ambulance to the hospital where he was born.

Maybe it was this experience that destined J.R. to love adventure. A competitive cyclist, triathlete, mountain biker and adventure racer, he once received a medal for saving a woman’s life during the kayaking section of an adventure race. And the adventure is hard to miss in his debut novel Exiled (Live Oak Book Group, June 5, 2012), the first book in J.R.’s young adult fantasy series The Never Chronicles. He’s got a day job to keep him “grounded”; J.R. helps run his late father’s Downingtown, Pennsylvania floor-covering business.

J.R. first started writing at 10 years old with his sequel to “Return of The Jedi” – the self-proclaimed “Star Wars geek” had lofty aspirations of working with George Lucas on filming the project. In 1990 he began filming his version of “The Lord of The Rings” in his parent’s basement, but the plug was pulled after he nearly burned down the house. Since then the storyteller has also written a full-length science fiction screenplay, a thriller novel and a second screenplay.

After graduating in Kinesiology from Arizona State University, J.R. returned to Downingtown, where his creative fires were re-stoked by his two beautiful daughters.

J.R. also endearingly considers his wife Lisa his muse. It was during their trip to Maine he began writing Exiled.

   Now on the the FIVE QUESTIONS

1. Where did the spark of inspiration come from for Exiled?

I had a vision of the opening chapter and decided to write about it.  Once I finished the chapter, I put the story aside for several months until it started poking the back of my brain telling me it wanted me to write more.  Finally, I obliged and couldn’t stop until the story was told.

2. How many books are planned for The Never Chronicles?

I honestly have no idea. There are two written so far so I imagine there will be at least three.  The story takes me where it wants to go -I am powerless to stop it.  It could decide it’s finished one day and that would be it.

3. What is your solution to writer’s block?

I’m one of those people that people who get writer’s block love to hate. For some reason, it just doesn’t happen to me.

4. What are you reading right now?

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, The Knife of Never Letting Go(Chaos Walking, #1), and 11/22/63 -I can’t read just one at a time.

5. Finally, Beatles or Rolling Stones?

The Beatles!

Exiled will be released on June 5th. 

Website: TheNeverChronicles.com                

Author blog: whatisthenever.blogspot.com

5 Questions with Daniel A. Cohen

Published April 24, 2012 by LS Murphy

Daniel A. Cohen was just your average business student. Microeconomics, finance, marketing… you name it, he had to do a PowerPoint presentation on it. One dark and stormy night, he was bitten by the radioactive realization that memorizing business jargon could possibly be the most boring activity known to man.

After gaining eagle-eye vision, abs that could grate cheese, and a talent for imagining things (including his cheese-grating abs), he wrote his first novel and began his epic battle against the formidable business jargon. He continues to fight the good fight by playing saxophone and writing YA fantasy, forever hoping his Veil trilogy will help inspire others to join his cause.

 

Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

 

1. Congrats on your novel Masters of the Veil. Where did the spark of inspiration for Sam Lock come from?

I’m a huge sci-fi/ fantasy fan. Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Alvin Maker, Name of the Wind; I love it all. I noticed that there seemed to be a trend in fantasy novels where an outcast is pulled into a fantasy world and finds his place in the new society. I thought it would be really interesting to see what happened if the opposite circumstance occurred. Say… a football playing, popular kid getting pulled into a fantasy world and struggling to find a place there. I couldn’t find it, so I wrote it!

2. Masters of the Veil is the first in a trilogy. How different is the writing process for you now than it was writing the first book?

Oh man, I thought writing the sequel was going to be easier than the creating the first, but that’s not the case at all. With a sequel, us fantasy authors have to keep track of SO much. We have to reveal more of the world, develop the characters further, and keep track of so many interpersonal relationships. I’ve found that writing a sequel requires putting in the effort, but I’m very excited about how “Children of the Veil” is progressing.

3. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Keep pushing against the tide of rejection! All it takes is one yes to change your life.

4. What is your solution to writer’s block?

I’ll get back to you when I find it. What’s yours? (PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE) (Actually, my secret is to interview other authors to find out their secrets. L.S.) 

5. Finally, Star Wars or Star Trek?

Neither. Lord of the Rings all the way! But If I have to say something with “STAR” in it, than STARDUST by Neil Gaiman. Pretty much anything by Neil Gaiman is pure genius.

 

5 Questions with Tricia Lawrence

Published April 17, 2012 by LS Murphy

Tricia is the “Pacific Northwest branch” of Erin Murphy Literary Agency —born and raised in Oregon, and now lives in Seattle. After 16 years of working as a developmental and production-based copyeditor (from kids book to college textbooks, but mostly college textbooks), she joined the EMLA team in March 2011 as a social media strategist hoping to learn from Erin and Joan about agenting.

As associate agent, Tricia represents middle grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction. She’s looking for strong worldbuilding, wounded narrators, and stories that grab a reader and won’t let go. You can find Tricia’s writing about blogging, Tweeting, Facebooking, and other social media topics (for authors and the publishing industry at large) here.

Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

1. Did you always want to be an agent?

I have always wanted to write AND . . . Just like that Coke Zero commercial. I love books and stories and thought I might be a writer when I was young (I wrote pages of terrible prose when I was very young and all through my teen years). But someone told me to learn to edit, I can’t even remember who now, and that’s what I did. And then as the years went by and I edited and wrote, I began to advise writers on their marketing, queries, proposals. See, I can’t just do it myself, I have to meddle in other people’s stuff, too. It was my personality that had to write AND edit AND agent. So, I have always wanted to be an agent, I just didn’t know it until about five years ago.

2. How important is a platform for new and established authors in the 21st century?

Platform is one of those words that makes the veterans in publishing want to cry. I like to say that it is important for writers to be individuals, to be themselves, and to let THAT support them as a writer. Practically speaking, this means what works for that writer over there will not work for you. You may love to blog, the next writer may prefer to put up YouTube videos of themselves talking (same audience, different medium and learning style). To be individual, a writer must be sure of who they are. There is no clone system, although that is a great idea! Every writer has to gauge the energy level they own and then push it. I think the most successful writing “platforms” (I hate that word!) are those that spring organically out of the writer’s work. Call it your life work, your life story, whatever. What is unique about how you see the world that you can use to build on. That’s important. An actual platform that we all could literally fall off of; not so important.

3. What is the most common mistake most authors make when pitching an agent at a conference?

One of my writing buddies wrote this on her blog a few weeks ago: “Don’t treat the agent like they are your one shot to fame and fortune.” I agree! Treat agents like we should be treated—as human beings, who have traveled far to get there, who are probably starving, brain-tired, in need of some peace and quiet, and who are alone in a big crowd. Agents at conferences often feel like they are human targets. Instead of perpetuating that, how about just being friendly? Ask them where they are from and about their kids/animal kids. Ask them about a favorite book they read recently. Ask them questions you would ask someone if you wanted to truly get to know them. That’s powerful.

4. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

To dig deep, to never give up, to do what you have to do to stay confident because just as others have learned how to write amazing books, so too can you.

5. Finally, Beatles or Rolling Stones?

Oh boy. Well, my dad was a radio dj and so actually, in our house, it was the Birds.

5 Questions with S.S. Michaels

Published April 10, 2012 by LS Murphy

S. S. Michaels is a writer of transgressive fiction. She holds degrees in Business Administration and Film & Video Production. She has lived abroad, traveled widely, jumped out of an airplane and driven a race car. In film and television, she read slush and wrote coverage, then moved on to become a production coordinator. She finally served as a TV network financial analyst before leaving Hollywood. She lives with her husband, two kids, and two dogs.

Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

1. Where did the spark of inspiration come from for Idols & Cons?

I was working on a television award show and a couple of our guests were boy bands. I observed their dynamics and had an idea or two.

2. What authors have influenced you the most?

I’m most influenced by Chuck Palahniuk, Bret Easton Ellis, S. G. Browne, and Jeremy C. Shipp.

3. What is your solution to writer’s block?

Writer’s block… Hmm, I used to think that didn’t exist, but I’ve recently been hit right in the face with it. I’m still struggling with it, so I’m open to suggestions. I’m going to try running and reading more. We’ll see.

4. What are you reading right now?

I am currently reading The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama.

5. Finally, Beatles or Rolling Stones?

Beatles all the way.

Her novel Idols & Cons is available from Omnium Gatherum Media.

Synopsis:  Jake Wolfram is the biggest, slickest, sickest pop star of our time.

Drug-dealing voyeuristic punk, Jake, is yanked from poverty and into the white-hot spotlight after witnessing a crime committed by his neighbor, Damien Tungsten, front man for the boy band, In Dreams.

Jake lives life on the run, hiding in the limelight, and resenting every single minute of it. He’s relentlessly pursued by his former friend, psychopathic visual artist, Patrick Salinger, who coerces Jake into helping him turn a grisly murder into a masterpiece.

Seizing control of the power he craves, Jake disposes of Damien, confronts Patrick, and lives a bad-boy rock-and-roll lifestyle as he hijacks Damien’s super-stardom.

But Damien’s not quite ready to let it go.

In her debut novel, Michaels uses biting wit and seething satire to bring the reader behind the scenes, to an explosive world where pop music grinds up against the cutting edge of art and drugs are the fuel that ignite it