K. A. : Michell, please tell my blog readers a little about you.
Michell: My name is Michell Plested. I live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and I am a writer. I have written in many different genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Comedy, Horror, Erotica and non-fiction as well. I love to have fun with my writing but I also take it very seriously. I have a podcast novel available through my website, on iTunes and Podiobooks.com titled "GalaxyBillies" and I have the writing podcast "Get Published" available through my website and on iTunes. My website is http://www.michellplested.com/ or http://www.irreverentmuse.com/.
My first contracted book (a Young Adult adventure) will be out in the Spring of 2012 and I will be releasing a self-published Young Adult Mystery in late June/early July of 2011. I have written six books to date (I think. Starting to lose track) and I am currently collaborating on a Young Adult/Superhero/Steampunk mashup.
K. A. : When did you begin writing seriously?
Michell: I have been seriously writing for about the last six years and only really pushing for publication the past three.
K. A. : What inspires your writing? Music, etc?
Michell: My inspiration comes from a number of sources. I wrote a short story titled "Stolen Immortality" that came from listening to Seal's "Kiss From A Rose". The story literally pulled at me from the first moment I heard the song until almost two years later when I actually wrote it. Other inspirations come from stories I was told when I was young, things I've read and places I've been.
K. A. : For those that are not as familiar with your blog site, Irreverent Muse; when did you begin the site and why?
Michell: The site "Irreverent Muse" was a little like the Phoenix rising from the ashes. Prior to starting my own site, I had been contributing to a writing site called "StartingWriteNow" with four other wannabe writers. After two+ years writing for that site, we came to a crossroads. Our group had shrunk from five to three and the owner of the site simply couldn't put the time into it anymore. He decided to shut it down so I took my articles and started my own site. It was something I had been thinking about for a while anyway so it was time. I called it "Irreverent Muse" because I LOVE the writings of people like Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett and Robert Asprin and I hope to one day be compared favourably with them.
K. A. : When did you begin your plight to getting your work published and what obstacles have you faced during the process?
Michell: I have been trying to get my work published for more than nine years now. My first foray was to a magazine for a short story that took me six months to write. Six thousand words in six months; not my best effort by far. It was my first crushing rejection but not the last. It DID slow me down a little because the editor's comments made me wonder if I could write at all. She had totally missed the point of the story based on those comments.
The single biggest obstacle I've faced has been myself. Writing is a skill that requires trial and error and lots of hard work to develop. For the first while I didn't dedicate enough time to exercising those writing muscles. There were times when I quit writing because I thought I was wasting my time. Fortunately, the indomitable muse dragged me kicking and screaming back to it.
K. A. : At what point in your writing career did you decide to help others with your Get Published podcast and how has it helped you?
Michell: I have to give some of the credit for Get Published to a friend of mine, Sean Perrin. Sean was the architect behind the StartingWriteNow website. For the last year of the site's life, he talked about podcasting. I hadn't even heard of it at first but after many conversations, I decided to give my first podcast a listen. I don't remember if it was "I Should Be Writing" with Mur Lafferty or "The Survival Guide to Writing Fantasy" with Tee Morris, but I was hooked. I started listening to podcast novels and I knew I wanted to do that myself. So I started thinking about the process and what I needed to do it. The biggest thing there was having the courage to record my own voice. I had a Mac and GarageBand, plus a microphone, so the technical aspects were taken care of.
I also knew that before I could podcast a book, I needed to be comfortable with the tools and recording myself. But what to podcast about? Both Mur and Tee had great writing podcasts and that was what I was interested in. What was missing was a podcast about the actual art of publishing. I didn't know much about it and I figured others probably had questions too. How better to learn myself than to research the topic and share what I learned with others in the form of a podcast?
I had my idea and started to work on it. I know I spent over two weeks tweaking the first episode before I released it.
I think it was episode three that I decided to bring a guest onto the show. Christiana Ellis was a writer I admired. She wrote and podcast stories that were interesting and hilarious. Just what I wanted to write myself. So, I asked her to come on the show and she agreed, much to my delight. I hadn't even finished the first interview when I knew I was onto something. What better way to learn about getting published than to talk to people who had already done it? I put out the call for other guests and had an immediate lineup. It was great!
The podcast has been a real blessing since that first episode. I have learned so much about the publishing industry and the different roads authors take to publication. I've also met a lot of amazing people, many of whom I consider friends now. Those people are probably the biggest benefit for me. I know publishers, authors, editors and even a couple agents who have pointed me towards bigger and better things.
K. A. : How do you handle any rejection you receive and how to you overcome it?
Michell: Rejection hurt! I'm sure any writer who has ever received one will agree. The ones that hurt even more are the ones where you have written a story specifically for someone only to be rejected. I've actually had stories where edits were suggested by the publisher, which I've spent time doing, only to have them rejected anyway. Those probably hurt most of all. What I normally do with those (now, anyway) is shrug my shoulders and either send it to the next market or put it aside for a while and THEN send it again. I recently resubmitted a novel that I had shelved for just over a year (can you tell there was pain there?). :)
The rejection has been much easier to deal with since I made my first sale. That single sale made me realize that there are many, many, MANY markets out there to send to. What one may not want, another will. That realization is why I've now sold three short stories and one novel. And why I'm now getting asked to submit stories to some markets.
K. A. : I know you have had several short stories published in e-magazine format, how difficult was it to get these stories in “print” and how did you feel when you found out they were to be published?
Michell: The difficulty was in finding the patience to keep going (and trust me, that was very difficult; I'm not the most patient person alive). Finding that market that your work truly fits takes time and luck. When I got the word that the stories were accepted, it was the most amazing feeling. I had to take the family out to celebrate (and spent more money than I earned on the story itself, I'm sure). The first book contract? I still have trouble believing it. It won't be truly real until I see the finished product.
K. A. : You tell your blog readers on your website that you have one completed novel sold, tell my readers more about it (title, what is it about?; who bought it, if you can tell us; when is it due to be out in stores and what venues?, etc).
Michell: My first contracted book is titled "Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero" and it is being published by Five Rivers Publishing (http://www.5rivers.org/). The book is first in a series of books about a boy who decides he is going to be a superhero (obviously, a Young Adult Adventure). The story is one that I've dreamed about writing for a long time and was so much fun to write. I actually took the plunge and wrote it during my first NaNoWriMo (who says you can't write a good book during NaNo). I remember vividly writing scenes with tears running down my cheeks as a scene touched me. That had never happened before. The book will be available as an eBook, trade paperback and also on the Espresso Book Machine. You will be able to find it on Amazon or order through your local book stores. There are six planned for that series with the first three already written. I've also got plans for at least one other spinoff series. It is scheduled for Spring 2012 release.
K. A. : You also tell your blog readers about two others that are being edited. Do you plan to have them published by a mainstream publisher or are you going to self-publish them?
Michell: I am editing the first book in another series titled, "The Mystery of Lake Chulala: An Outcast Club Mystery" and expect to self-publish it in late June/early July. I am also editing my podcast novel, "GalaxyBillies", a SciFi/Comedy. I have high hopes for "GalaxyBillies" and plan to have it ready for World Fantasy Convention 2011 in San Diego. If I can get the right interest, it will be published by a mainstream publisher.
K. A. : If you are going to self-publish, what format are you leaning toward and why?
Michell: I plan to self-publish in all major eFormats and using CreateSpace for the trade paperback. I'm printing a trade paperback because I know so many people that still like the look, feel and smell of a book. I'm using CreateSpace specifically because I like the Print-on-Demand aspect and the service itself, especially being able to put it on Amazon.com. I also know many people who have had good success using CreateSpace.
In regards to the eFormats, I think the marketplace is still scattered enough that it makes sense to do all the various formats. The amount of work to go from one to the other isn't onerous either, especially using a service like Smashwords. I personally prefer the ePub format, but I also like the Kindle's format for its market share.
K. A. : In the beginning of building your author platform, what did you find worked the best and what did not work like you thought/hoped?
Michell: I use my blog, podcast and the various social networks out there to build my author's platform. Now before you think that's all I'm interested in, let me clarify that I use those methods to connect with people and form relationships. I've never been one to shill myself or my work so I would much rather connect with people on a personal level. If they chose to become part of my readership, that is a bonus. I've also learned to not be shy about talking writing. If someone asks me about myself (such as this blog interview) I will usually mention that I'm a writer. Since most people have, at one time or another, dreamed about writing themselves, it is a perfect icebreaker.
Probably the biggest and best lesson I've learned here is that an audience will not appear out of thin air. I've had to work hard to develop my network and keep it up. Like anything else connected with writing, patience is key.
K. A. : How has getting published changed your perspective on writing?
Michell: That first contract really made me realize that if I write something decent, there is probably a market out there for it. If I believe in my writing enough, someone else will too. I've also learned to take chances. I wrote a story once when I saw one of Twitterfriends talk about a Zombie Erotica anthology they were putting together. I hadn't written anything Zombie or Erotica before and thought it might be a fun challenge. The story didn't make it into the anthology (although the editors both assure me it was close), but it was requested by another publisher for a website they were putting together.
K. A. : What would you say to other aspiring authors to help them overcome rejection and continue their goal of being a published author?
Michell: Follow the three P's of Publishing: Patience, Persistence and Preparation. In other words, know your market, never give up and be willing to wait for good things to happen. Oh yeah, and don't forget to keep writing while you wait. That way you can get more stuff out there and you exercise those writing muscles at the same time. Rejections will happen, but so will acceptance if you keep at it. Good luck!
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Attention fellow bloggers and authors! I would love to be a guest blogger for your site or provide an interview. I would also like to have guest bloggers and interview you! Contact me through my website www.wix.com/kadewberryauthor/K-A-Dewberry to find out more information!
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to contribute to your site. I appreciate it and I'm glad you find value in what I do.
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