February 25, 2011

interview for Loving the Reviews Challenge and a little bit about me

my turn is up today at Loving the Reviews Challenge. you can read the interview on Brandi's blog to find out where i got my idea for Eldala, which characters i'd want to have dinner with, which ones i'd avoid, and what my super power would be if i could have one. Brandi is also giving away a free copy of Eldala.

for those of you stopping by for the first time, welcome to beautiful chaos, and here's a little bit about me.

- i'm sure you've noticed that i don't capitalize on my blog and i explain why in this post.

- i've been making up stories ever since i was a little girl but gave it up when i had to write essays and essay tests in college. i rediscovered my passion for storytelling in 2005 with the writing of Eldala, and the stories have been pouring out ever since.

- i'm an indie author, meaning i'm not looking for an agent, editor, or publisher, and i publish my books myself. among other reasons for going this route, i like the control i have over my story, my title, my cover art, and my deadlines. on the downside, i have to do everything when it comes to publishing my novels, or hire it out.

it's a hard road, but i don't think it's any harder than what my writing friends have to go through with submissions and rejections and pitches to agents. despite the difficulties, i wouldn't give up the indie author/publishing route for anything.

- i love to write fantasy. i used to say that i wrote fantasy because i like making up my facts, but since my novels take place in a medieval type world, i still have to do research to make them believable. now i realize that i write fantasy because i like the freedom i have to put other-worldy elements in my story, like heart connections and the ability to manipulate nature, etc.

- i always write romance into my stories. i'm a sucker for love stories and happy endings, especially when the characters have to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to find love.

- i'm forty-eight, have been married to a wonderful man for 24 years, and homeschool my three creative and fun-to-be-around kids (16, 15, and 9).

- my passion is to encourage people--especially moms and teens--to follow their dreams, be they dreams of writing, getting published, dancing, painting, or whatever.

- i love hummingbirds, cats, dogs, butterflies, giraffes, cheetahs, and octopi. interesting combination of animals now that i think of it.

so that's me, in a few random bytes. for other random bytes, you can go to my "get to know me" tab at the top of the blog.

4 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

So what fantasy authors do you like to read? terry Brooks is my favorite.

Michelle Gregory said...

Alex, the funny thing is, i don't read much fantasy because i haven't found a story that captures my imagination. also, i prefer reading romance. but my son and i did find two series that we enjoyed-- The Door Within Series by Wayne Thomas Batson, and The Ranger's Apprentice Series by John Flanagan.

Kristie Cook said...

Hey, nice to "meet" you! LOL Just when you think you know someone... Haha! I learned a lot about you here. You need to do these interviews more often (I've already been over to Brandi's blog). I'm thinking one on my blog would be a good place...

dolorah said...

You rebel you; thumbing your caps finger at grammer :)

Fantasy is my favorite genre to read - besides horror. Can't make up my mind, but you can have both . .

.......dhole