Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
A1. Hi my name is Michelle, and I am 60 years young lol.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing your book “Why”?
A2. I think the most challenging thing was revisiting the trauma in my head, I had told no one what had happened to me as a child. Although I went through various emotions it was very healing for me
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
A3. The Truth is, and I know this won’t sit well with some fans of particular authors, to me it’s the content of a book that grabs me not who wrote it.
Although I have read numerus stories of child abuse, A child called it’ by Dave Pelzer was immensely challenging for me to read a real roller coaster of emotions.
Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
A4. I love Brighton, I lived there for a while in my 20’s, I felt free in my identity there. Being a lesbian was still looked upon as some sort of illness when I was growing up.
Q5. What inspired you to write the book ‘Why’?
A5. During my teens I was so angry at the world, I would truant from school and get into all sorts of trouble lol. I was labelled as a bad kid.
As I got older my mental health was affected by the abuse and finally, I decided to write it down.
Everybody got to hear what had happened via the book, I didn’t need to tell people individually about what happened.
It was very healing finally speaking out about something I had kept a damaging secret for so long.
Q6. How long did it take you to write your book ‘Why’?
A6. About a year all in all, I had to keep stepping away from it as the memories were so vivid. I had to make sure it wasn’t going to deteriorate my mental health.
Q7. On what platforms can readers buy your books?
A7. It is on Amazon, better-world books and book wire. And hoping to get it into Waterstones also.
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘Why’?
A8. The book cover I chose from KDP attached to Amazon; I picked the cover of a chain as it represented me breaking free.
And the title, well that’s what I asked myself, WHY. As well as the abuse I suffered so many tragic things have happened in my life, but Why??
Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
A9. With Why, the memories were still vivid, and I wanted to let people know there is a life after abuse, but we must use our voice. In my other books I have a vivid imagination lol, I like to include a good back story so when reading the book people feel as if they can actually picture what is happening.
I like to feel free to write and so I think putting yourself in the place of the reader and asking, would they relate to this, or do the Characters seem real is important. I like to think that while they are reading, they can’t wait to find out how it ends.
Q10. What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?
A10. Write what you want, don’t limit yourself in your imagination, our creation is our imagination 😊
Buy Why on Amazon
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