Globetrotting Book Tours: August 2013

In the Limelight with…

Michele de Winton

Welcome Michele and thanks for being part of this blog.

I thought it a good idea to catch up with you and see what you are up to since the last time I reviewed a book for you. The Boss and her Billionaire was beautifully written and a wonderful romance story.

Author’s Interview Questions

1. Are you famous is the general question I get when family and friends introduces me to their friends. It always left me with a pause as quick comebacks filters through my mind but ending up saying something like ….”Oh gee thanks” and give a shy smile. (a)Does this happen to you and (b) what do you say?

Bahahaha. I write both under my own name and a pseudonym. I do sometimes get this question, but mostly in the “should I have heard of you” form rather than are you famous. I usually say I’m world famous in my street.

2. In general do you like to talk about you writing and published books or are you very close-lip about it? If no why?

I love to talk about my published books, but I’m often a bit more hesitant about work in progress. Once it’s contracted I’ll chat all day, but I have a thing about jinxing work until I know it’s actually going to be out there in the world.

3. What book/s are you currently writing and what is it about?

I’m currently writing the two follow up titles for The Boss and Her Billionaire. The second (which is currently called Love Lost and Found) is due out from Entangled Publishing this fall and I’m pretty excited about it. It picks up Felicity’s story, who was Michaela’s BFF on board in The Boss and Her Billionaire She was a character I just loved and so had to give her her own book!

Rick McCarthy had everything sorted until his CFO and fiancée Felicity Williams vanishes after an accident. No Felicity means no investors, no business deal, no wedding. Discovering she’s taken work on a cruise ship, Rick is suspicious but determined to bring her home, whatever it takes.
The accident wipes the last five years completely clean for Felicity. Stranded on a deserted Pacific Island with a rich handsome stranger she decides to live out the made-for-Hollywood scenario, only to find Rick is about as far from a stranger as they come. After a trip through The Islands to catch up with the cruise ship and plenty of time to get used to his body, Felicity realizes Rick was right not to confess who he was straight away – she’d have run a mile. But when he reveals what he really needs from her, Felicity must decide whether she can ever trust the man she loves, but can’t remember.

4. Why this particular genre?

I love contemporary romance. It’s a nice bite sized dip into romance without too many overriding setting or character building things to digest before you get to your happy ever after!

5. What inspire or motivate you to write?

I guess I kinda just can’t help myself. A couple of writing friends often complain that they’d like to be cured, from this writing bug, but no matter how tough it sometimes is, it’s a passionate love affair with words that always draws me back to the page.

6. What is the writing process like for you?

It’s a job for me. I get up and I write. These days I’m usually always on deadline, but I still have time to sneak in a short story here and there that springs as if from nowhere – usually from a first line that has stuck with me.

7. What is the best and/ or worst part of being a writer?

Seeing your work in print and hearing that it transported readers to somewhere else!

8. Any advice for struggling writers?

Four things really. Write. Read. Rewrite. Don’t stop. Seriously, the number of people who have told me they’d like to write a book but never quite get round to it. Obviously there are lots of things to learn and craft to hone, but the most important part is getting words on the page, if you can, everyday.

9. What is your favorite genre to read or write?

I love contemporary and paranormal romance at the moment.

10. Favorite author?

Love Sarah Mayberry, Ruthie Knox and Nalini Singh.

11. Do you have a favorite spot to read and write?

I have an office I write in. I’ve recently had to install a lock as my Mr One and a Half yanked the cord out of my hard drive and almost lost all my writing! ARG.

12. What do you like to do when not writing?

13. Do you have a bucket list and would you share at least two things on it?

Skydiving, having a bath in warm milk chocolate, trek the Himalayas, dive the Red Sea and travel to the Pyramids. There’s still so much of the world I’d love to see.

14. What have you done so far on this list?

I have skydived. I tried to get up into the Himalayas but there was some unrest (I was travelling overland from India) so we got turned back. The rest will have to wait its turn.

15. Most daring thing or experience you have done you would like to share?

My word, I’ve done quite a few things that could be considered foolish rather than daring! Hitchhiking through India and Malaysia springs to mind. I certainly wouldn’t do that now and I’m not sure I’d want to hear about it if my wee ones ever decided they’d give it a go!

16. This or that questions:

· Coffee or Tea – Tea.

· Sweet or sour – Ideally both together.

· Home make meal or takeouts – Home made

· Winter or summer – Summer

· Night-owl or Early-Bird – Early Bird but only if I have to.

· Telephone or visits – Visits

· Which social network do you prefer? – Arg. Facebook or Twitter

· Blogger or website? Both

· What does your family say about your career? Supportive or Clueless - Supportive

And Finally

Moto/wisdom in life you live by.

“Fear is excitement without breath.”

Contact details and buy links of the newest books you would like the readers to know.

Readers can reach me through www.micheledewinton.com @MicheledeWinton and http://www.facebook.com/michele.dewinton I’m also on Goodreads.

My next two books will follow on from The Boss and Her Billionaire to complete The Pacific Empress series for Entangled Publishing’s Indulgence line.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Boss-Her-Billionaire-ebook/dp/B008LQ78UK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1342582868&sr=8-2&keywords=the+boss+and+her+billionaire

Thanks once again for your willingness to share with me and the readers.

Roy Huff

Interview Questions:

First off I have to say thank you that I can be part of the Massive Give away you are launching. It is a privilege to be part of it.

Personal Questions:

1. I visited your blog for a comprehensible understanding where you come from and what makes you tick. I like the piece on New Year’s resolutions and just as you I never really made them since they were so easily broken. At the end if you can not hold yourself accountable you have no one to blame but your self if dreams and New Year’s resolution does not materialized. But I have learned that life teaches and forces your hand to play the game and it is our willingness to accept and take the matter further. We can either shrink away from the magnitude of it or work with it and see how the doors open to step in and make your dreams a reality. Your thoughts.

Well I certainly think that we all play the game, it’s just a matter of whether we believe it and are actively engaged or whether we pretend we are not and sideline our selves. The real question is what is our end goal. For some it’s happiness, for others it’s money, for still others it’s the latter in the hopes of achieving the former. How much we are motivated has a lot to do with what we believe, what we know about our own selves, and what we hope to learn. If one believes nothing or knows nothing about one self, it’s difficult to stay motivated for any extended period of time to achieve any end.

2. Tell us more about your support system and how you benefit from them. Not only as a writer but as a human being.

I think surrounding one self with friends and family that are supportive is very important. It’s been said that we become the average of all the people we associate with. That being the case, who we choose to spend our time with and listen to can have an immeasurable impact on what we believe, how we feel, and the choices that we make. I am certainly no saint, and I have not always made the best choices in decisions or friends, but if we stay mindful of that fact then we will be more likely to make better friends and better choices. I have always been and hope to always be an optimist. I don’t like to take no for an answer, and I don’t like to listen to people who have no hope or no constructive outlook on the future. I think people all too often take what people in authority or experts say as gospel, but experts are human too. If someone says something that simply shuts down the conversation or has nothing to add, then I tend to discount that and look elsewhere. I try to glean bits of truth or advice where I can find them. This should not be confused with positive confirmation bias, but rather a method for gaining specific information and research necessary to further one’s goal.

3. You have 5 degrees in 4 separate fields including liberal arts, history, secondary education, and geoscience. Is it because you are inquisitive by nature that you like to learn or is there a specific reason you have taken them?

It was a little of both, but I had a specific goal in mind when pursuing those degrees. I am fortunate enough now to say that I have achieved that goal.

4. Often I have witnessed how people blame their environment or circumstances as an excuse not to excel, but yet, you proved them wrong. Personally, I think it is an attitude problem, what is your take on this?
I completely agree. One thing that I take issue with is modern societies obsession with equality. We are not equal, and we will never be equal in any field, in any subject, or in any aspect in life. People all to often get hung up on the differences and the challenges they face. The beautiful thing, though, is that the differences and the challenges that make us unequal are also the same things that provide us an opportunity to hone different character traits by attempting to overcome the challenges that are unique to every person. Regardless of whether one is poor, a minority, has physical or mental disability, or lives with family that are not supportive, every person has a chance to achieve the goals or dreams they set for themselves if they accept those differences as opportunities to learn unique skills and hone specific strengths that are required to overcome those differences. The more difficult the obstacle, the greater the opportunity to develop one’s character. It’s all a matter of perspective. If one chooses to accept other people’s view of inequality or disadvantage as a negative, then one misses out on the chance to achieve greatness. If instead, a person looks at the obstacles presented as a method for learning, then there are no limits and no restrictions to the greatness that one can achieve.

Reading the piece I got the sense that reading was not only an escape from the circumstances but also a preparation for your own books.

Buy link: Amazon

Paperback

Review link: Amazon

For more detail please visit Aspired Writer Link

Tell us more about the books:

1. Where did the idea come from for the books Everville The First Pillar and Everville the City of Worms?

The first book came about as creative writing paper for a college English class. That paper became the basis for chapter one in Everville: The First Pillar. The second book, Everville: The City of Worms is a continuation of an ongoing series that starts where the first book left off.

2. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

From start to finish 2 years for the first book, but 75 percent of the book was written in two weeks. The length of time it took in the beginning was largely due to setting it aside as an idea for the future. When I decided to finish the book, it was just a matter of making the time to write it.

3. In creating a new dimension for the books where did you start or did you see it in a dream? I usually just pull the ideas out of the air, though, I do get good ideas from time to time as I discuss ideas with friends or family or do various things. Anything can be a source for inspiration.

4. Did you physically mapped out the new world, or did you use a familiar country or town to help you? I don’t work with an outline in the beginning, or a map before hand. The world is shaped as I write it, so I take notes as the ideas and maps get filled in throughout the process.

5. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition or even a series?

I like Jennifer Lawrence for one of the female leads. I could see John Malkovich or Christopher Walken as playing one of the older male characters. I would like a strong unknown male character to Owen Sage.

6. With which director would you love to work with?

Peter Jackson!

7. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

With the help of his friends, a young college freshman is faced with the task of saving of multiple dimensions from a growing evil that is set on taking over the world.

8. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

It will be self-published, though; I am open to it being picked up by an agency at some point in the future.

9. If self published why did you choose to go this road? I chose to self-publish because the daunting task of getting a lit agent and publisher was becoming a mental obstacle to writing the book. I felt I could make a quality book on my own, but more importantly, I could gain the knowledge and experience necessary to make myself a better and more successful writer if I just started writing and let the chips fall where they may. I am certainly open to representation in the future, but I’m not going to let the lack of an agent or the lack of a publisher keep me from writing.

10. What other books would you compare this story to within the Science Fiction genre? I would say that the Lord of The Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Harry Potter are similar in certain respects.

11. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? I like to intertwine philosophy and general moral principles in the story that everyone can relate to and benefit from regardless of one’s religious or political persuasion. I think it also adds to a sense of fulfilment when reading the story and allows one to better engage and identify with the characters. I also like to write things that can inspire people for the better. While I certainly don’t have a problem with entertainment for entertainment’s sake, I personally like to add an extra something that people can take with them in other areas of their life. If you look at some of the more longstanding works, this is a common trait with many of them.

12. What has been the most encouraging comment someone has made about your writing?

I think there were a few comments like “This was the best scifi fantasy book I’ve ever read” or more common comments like “I can’t wait for the next book.” Some comments conflict with each other, but whenever someone expresses a desire to read the next book or simply acknowledges they enjoyed the first one, that provides tremendous encouragement.