Today, I have the wonderful Michelle Pickett to tell me about her latest
release, Concilium. Please join me in welcoming her to my blog.
Please tell us about your latest book.
Concilium is an urban fantasy
romance. It centers on a young woman
named Les who stumbles across and ancient secret, although she doesn't realize
it. The people keeping the secret think
Les knows about them and aren't too happy, so they set out to kill her. The Concilium is a secret society sworn to
protect humans and they send a group to guard Les.
What can we expect from you in the future?
Concilium: The Departure, the sequel
to Concilium, releases in November. And
my debut young adult novel PODs releases in paperback June 4, 2013 (my son's 12th
birthday) through Spencer Hill Press.
How do we find out about you and your books?
My website has a section on all my
writing and my blog has information about upcoming releases and news on
giveaways and things like that.
How can readers contact you?
My website, blog, facebook, email,
goodreads, linkedin, I'm all over the web.
But the best way to contact me is through email. I try to answer every email and blog comment
I get. If you don't get an answer it's
because I didn't get your email, so please send it again.
I LOVE to hear from
readers and other authors!
Links and Contact
Information:
Website: www.Michelle-Pickett.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/michellepickettauthor
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/michelle_kp
Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/michelle-pickett
Trailer: http://youtu.be/dxLvVQ9s7u4
Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/michellepickett
Book: htttp://www.conciliumbooks.com
PODs: http://www.site.spencerhillpress.com/PODs.html
How many readers/fans contact you?
Before Concilium released I'd get two
or three emails a week from people telling me they were excited for PODs to
come out or Concilium.
Since Concilium's release that number
has gone up a little, but it hasn't been out very long yet. I'm hoping to hear from more people. I'd love to get feedback and know what they
liked and didn't like so I know what to focus on in future books.
Do your fans' comments and letters influence you in any way?
Yes, they are very humbling. I can't
believe I have fans. I don't think of myself as someone that would.
Do you have a favorite comment or question from a reader?
Yes.
A woman wrote and said—this is a direct quote—"*happy dancin'* I
finally have Concilium!!! The wait is over:) Thank you." That made my day.
What does your husband/wife think of your writing? Do you ever
ask him/her for advice?
My husband is very supportive of my
writing, all my family is. Yes, I ask
him for advice a lot. I was having
trouble with a section in one of my books and I was telling him about it. I left to run some errands and when I came
home he had two notebook pages (frong and back) full of notes for me to read
over. I ended up using part of one his
ideas and it fit in perfectly with the rest of the story.
Fill in the blank favorites - Dessert. City. Season. Type of
hero. Type of heroine.
Anything chocolate. Magnolia, TX. Fall.
Flawed. Strong.
What do you think of critique groups in general?
What do you think of critique groups in general?
I've never used one. I hear they can be quite helpful. When I started writing Concilium I didn't
know things like Beta readers and critique groups existed. I just sat down and wrote.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I hope I'm still writing and being
published. But if my work isn't
published I'll be disappointed—who wouldn't be—I'll still be writing because I
love it. It's calming to me.
How many books have you written, how many have been published?
I'm finishing up my eighth book
now. So far I have contracts for three
of them.
After you've written your book and it's been published, do you
ever buy it and/or read it?
I do read it and nit-pick at all the
things I wish I would have changed. I
don't buy it simply because the publisher gives me a copy. Lol!
What book for you has been the easiest to write? The hardest?
The most fun?
PODs was the easiest to write. I think because it was my third book and I
was starting to feel more comfortable in my writing and was finding my
voice. It was also the most fun. I mean, zombies…come on. Who doesn't have fun when there are zombies
around!
The Concilium series books were the
hardest. They were my first and I
agonized over getting them *Perfect,* which, of course, they never will
be. We are imperfect people. So I guess I'd have to say the actual writing
part wasn't the hardest, but the editing and rewriting was.
Which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?
Wow, that's a hard one. I think it differs for each writer. For me the story comes first.
Are you in control of your characters or do they control you?
A little of both, I think. Characters definitely take on their own
personality as I write. For example, in
Concilium I had originally pictured Leslee as a shy, mousey, introvert. That is SO not how she presented
herself. So I changed my character sketch
to fit her emerging personality.
What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer?
I'm going to tell you about my most
rewarding day. It was when my son came
home and said he wanted me to go to his school's career day and talk to his
class about what I do. There was nothing
better than that. Knowing you've made
your family proud. The feel was indescribable.
Michelle's
Bio
Michelle has been an avid
reader since a young child. She began
writing for personal enjoyment in college, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude
with a degree in accounting. Deciding
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. It was released July of 2012 by MuseItUp
Publishing. The sequel, Concilium: The Departure will also be
published by MuseItUp Publishing with scheduled release date of November
2012.
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 incredibly
supportive husband, four wonderful children, a 125-pound lap dog, a very grumpy
cockatiel and a cat that thinks she's queen.
She
writes adult and young adult Sci/Fi and urban fantasy romance.
Concilium
Blurb
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.
The Cruor
Imbibo are coming, and they're coming for Leslee.
Excerpt
Tired
of them talking as if I wasn’t there, I did what they wanted and went inside. I
thought about locking Miller out. But I didn’t. It wasn’t because I wanted to
spend the evening alone with him like we had spent that afternoon. It wasn’t...
Mostly.
I
sank deep into the cushions of my couch and waited for them to finish their
work. Grabbing the remote, I flipped on the television, surfing the channels.
Nothing was on. More than two hundred channels on the stupid thing, and nothing
worth watching. Irritated at the television, at Miller, at the whole situation,
I hurled the remote against the door.
“Crap,”
I muttered when it fell to the floor in pieces.
“I
think you killed it,” I heard Miller say behind me.
My
stomach did a little flip-flop, and I cursed it silently. “Yep, I certainly put
it in its place. It won’t be talking back to me again. I wish I could do the
same with you.”
His
lips pursed into what almost looked like a grin. “You think you’re the one to
put me in my place, Leslee? You, just a slip of a girl? I doubt it.”
“Don’t
mock me, Miller. I meant that I’d like to throw you across the room,” I
snapped. “I just might surprise you. And I’m not a ‘girl.’ Girls go shopping at
the mall for flip-flops and lip gloss. And, for the last dang time, my name is
Les!” I walked around him, my shoulder brushing slightly against his arm. As I
caught the faintest whiff of his cologne, not only did my stomach do a
flip-flop, but my whole insides swirled out of place.
What
is it with this man?
I
barely knew him. In fact, the only thing I did know was his first name. At
least, I thought it was his first name. What was this thing I had going on? A
schoolgirl crush? I was twenty-five, a little old for crushes. And besides,
Miller wasn’t the type of man I was attracted to. I didn’t go for the
mercenary, guns-and-ammo type. I enjoyed the company of well-read college
graduates who had stable jobs and good heads on their shoulders.
Holy
crap, I sound like a snob! A stable man with a stable job. What a joke.
I
secretly wanted the bad boy. What woman didn’t? Miller didn’t seem to have one
stable thing about him. But he smelled so good and looked beyond gorgeous standing
in my living room with his hair, mussed from running his fingers through it,
falling over his forehead.
Yeah,
I was doomed.
I
trudged into the laundry room and grabbed a broom and dustpan. When I walked
back to the living room, Miller was picking up pieces of the demolished remote.
“Don’t.
It’s my mess, and I’ll clean it up,” I said harshly.
“Fine.”
He dropped the pieces, and they clattered against the wood floor. “Suit
yourself.” He walked over and eased himself down on the chair across from the
couch. “And you’re right. You did sound like a snob, and you should find
yourself a nice stable guy and have a nice stable life, with perfectly stable
kids. Bad boys are called bad for a reason.”
I
froze. “Stop it. How are you able to do that?”
“It’s
a bad-boy thing.” He flipped on the television. “Sure wish I had a remote. I
forgot how tedious it is to channel surf without one.”
Buy Links:
MuseItUp
Publishing
And
Want
your copy of Concilium signed? I'd be happy to do that! Just go to http://www.kindlegraph.com/ and send me
a message and I'll send you a personalized inscription for your copy of
Concilium.
Blog Tour
Give away:
1)
Concilium E-Book
2)
$10 Amazon Gift Card
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