(Q) Thanks for stopping by my blog! Let’s start with the basics: where are you from? Is there
any place online you’d like to direct us to learn more about you?
I was born and raised in Flint, Michigan. Now I live in a small city just outside Houston, Texas.
Michigan and Texas are like two totally different worlds!
Yes, there are a few places you can find me on the web and I'd love to hear from you! I love
comments on my blog and emails in my inbox. Whether you have good things to say, or
constructive (that means nice) criticism, or even if you just want to say "Hi," I want to hear from
you. Here's where you can find me on the web:
Website: www.michelle-pickett.com
Blog: www.michelle-pickett.com/blog
Email: michelle@michelle-pickett.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Michelle_kp
Facebook: www.facebook.com/michellepickettauthor
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/michelle-pickett
Book Webpage: www.conciliumbooks.com
PODs Webpage: http://www.site.spencerhillpress.com/PODs.html
KindleGraph: http://www.kindlegraph.com/
(Q) I always love hearing about how the idea for a particular book came about. Please fill us in
on how you got the idea for Concilium.
I wish I could. I've heard some authors say their ideas came to them in a dream (Stephenie
Meyer of Twilight fame…wish I had that dream!). Some authors can pinpoint the exact moment
the lightbulb went off in their head and the idea was born. I can't. Concilium just came to me
slowly.
One day while I was cleaning up files on my computer, I found a chapter of Concilium—it was
called Moon then—I had written a year or so before. I didn't even remember writing it until I
came across it that afternoon. I read it and filed it away in a junk folder I keep on my computer
for things I don't want to delete but really should. I thought I'd just stick it away and that'd bethe end of it. But I couldn't stop thinking about it and wondering what I had intended to write
next. It became a guessing game of what if this happened…then this…and then this could
happen…and then I could kill this guy off…and then this would have to happen…and on and on
until the plot was rolling around in my brain.
(Q) Which authors have most influenced your own writing?
You know, this is a really hard question to answer and it shouldn't be because I'm a huge reader.
But I write in a different genre than I read. In fact, I write in a genre I never read. Strange, I
know. But Sandra Brown, Tami Hoag, Lisa Jackson, Wendy Corsi-Staub are just a few of the
authors I read regularly. I'm sure they've influenced my writing style regardless of the difference
in genre.
(Q) What do you do for fun other than writing?
Oh, I have the most amazing family. I love spending time with them. My husband is the most
wonderful man—he's the peanut butter to my jelly. We have four kids, three girls and a boy.
They keep us busy and we enjoy (almost) every minute of it. We play board games, cards, swim,
take day trips exploring our new home state of Texas.
I also love photography. I don't get to spend as much time playing around with it as I'd like, but I
get my fair share of torture in with my family. My favorite thing to shoot are close-ups of faces,
especially eyes.
(Q) If you could describe your ideal writing spot, where would it be? What music would you
listen to (if at all)? What treats would you have on hand?
On a white sandy beach with a hot cabana boy bringing me fruity drinks with tiny umbrellas
in them. Okay, maybe not. My ideal writing spot is at home. Sometimes I go to the library,
but generally I write at home where I can curl up on the couch with my cat and my laptop. My
music player is filled with everything from Mozart to Linkin Park – it depends on my mood and
the scene I'm writing what I listen to.
Treats…oh, that's a sore subject. I used to eat Reese's peanut butter cups but I wasn't limiting
my intake very well and my pants started to shrink. So I switched to Twizzlers. They're low-
fat, right? They have to be better than chocolate. Well, low-fat does not mean low calorie so my
pants shrunk some more.
I had to quit the Twizzlers. Withdrawal was brutal, but I've been off the Twizzlers for three
months now. Now my writing time is snack free, other than some fruit now and then. I still
crave Twizzlers.
(Q) Plotter or pantser? Both? Neither?
A little of both, I think. I don't sit down and write out a plot, but I do have an outline laid out in
my head. I know where I want to start and where I want to end and I just let the characters guide
me through the journey from beginning to end.
(Q) Do you have any new projects that you are working on? Care to share?
I'm editing the sequel to Concilium. Concilium: The Departure is scheduled to release in
November. It will answer the questions readers might have after reading Concilium. It will also
tie up some loose ends between Leslee and Miller.
I also have a young adult science/fiction romance titled, PODs. It is scheduled to release in
paperback June 4, 2013 – my son's 12th birthday.
(Q) What kinds of marketing do you think are the most successful in terms of getting your name/
book out there? (Curious minds are taking notes!)
Oh, gosh, I wish I had a magic formula for marketing. I think marketing is the hardest part of
this business. First, know your audience. You can't market effectively until you know who to
market to. Then find your target audience. Goodreads is a good place to get a lot of attention.
Blog tours like this one is another way. Nothing beats word of mouth and with the Internet, word
of mouth travels faster than ever before.
(Q) If you'd like to add anything, please do so.
Be sure to enter to win a copy of Concilium and a gift card to Amazon. I promise you don't have
to jump through a lot of hoops to enter.
(Q) How about an excerpt to tantalize the readers?
Concilium is an Urban Fantasy with a big dose of romance and little touch of horror. But rather than tell you what the book is about, I'm going to give you a small glimpse at one of my favorite scenes. Leslee is, for the first time, realizing she may not survive the obstacle facing her:
The rain made dusk fall earlier. I watched as the team grabbed their equipment. I knew they weren't as confident as they wanted me to believe. They expected a bad night. “I want a gun.”
Miller looked at me and nodded. “It’s there in the hall. I want you to stay there. With the front windows covered and the bedroom doors closed, they won’t be able to see you. Stay on the floor. Here, put this in your pocket.” He handed me his car key. “If anything happens, Leslee, if any window breaks, if any of us tells you to go, get in the car and drive to the lake. Don’t think. Don’t ask questions. Just go. One of us will be there to get you as soon as it’s safe.”
“And if you aren't?” I asked.
“We will,” he said, his eyes intense. “We will,” he repeated emphatically.
“Okay.” I tried to manage a smile, tried to look as self-assured as he seemed. I couldn’t.
“Les, if you need to use the gun, shoot them in the neck. Right here where a man’s Adam’s apple is. Don’t waste a shot on the head or anywhere on the body. Just aim for the throat.”
“Okay. Why?”
“Their bodies aren’t built like ours. Their brains and spinal columns are in slightly different spots because of their, um, different look,” Brooks said, looking at Miller. “The throat is the kill shot. Like a shot to the back of the head would be for a human.”
“Okay, the throat,” I said, my voice wavering. My hands were already shaking. I prayed I could aim the gun if the time came. I hoped I’d be able to control my fear if I had to face one of the Imbibo alone.
One by one, the guys hugged me before they left, the same way they had every night at my house. Why did it feel so different? Why was I more worried than before? I didn’t have any answers, but the air felt ominous, the house felt threatening, and a thought slammed into me.
I could die here.
Doesn't that totally suck you in!?! Here's some more info on the author and Concilium, as well as ways to enter the giveaway for a copy of Michelle's book and a $10 giftcard!!
Leslee hit a strange animal with her car. Now she’s marked for death.It was a simple car accident – the animal didn’t even die – but it drew the attention of the Cruor Imbibo. Driven by their insatiable need to feed, the secret society of Imbibo has devoured the dregs of civilization for centuries. Afraid Leslee will expose them, and put an end to their meal ticket, the Imbibo want her dead.
The Concilium is Leslee's only protection. Guardian of the ancient secret and the protector of humans, the Concilium fights to control the Imbibo and end their feeding frenzy. Miller works for the Concilium. Keeping Leslee alive is his next assignment.
Now Leslee is on the run, and the only thing between her flesh and the snapping jaws of the Imbibo is Miller. He and Leslee quickly form a bond, but will falling in love make Miller’s job more difficult? Because if he fails, Leslee will be next on the Imbibo menu.
Available from MuseItUp bookstore, and Amazon!
Michelle's Bio:
sitting in a cubical all day was her form of cruel and unusual punishment, she decided to do what she really wanted to—share her passion for reading and writing with others.
She wrote her debut novel Concilium in 2010. The sequel, Concilium: The Departure soon followed. Both will be published by Muse It Up Publishing with scheduled released dates of July
27th and November 2012 respectively. Her Debut young adult novel, PODs, will be published by
Spencer Hill Press and is scheduled for release in paperback June 4th, 2013.
Michelle was born and raised in Michigan. She now resides in a small community outside Houston, Texas with her husband, four children, a 125-pound lap dog, a very grumpy cockatiel and a cat that thinks she's queen.
Michelle writes adult and young adult Sci/Fi and urban fantasy romance.
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