Michelle Miles takes readers where they want to go

Michelle Miles writes in several sub-genres of romance but she got her start writing adventure and science-fiction stories for her own amusement. Her published novels incorporate elements of those early favorites, delivering fun and sexy books.

Welcome to The Examiner, Michelle. You started creating stories as a young teen. Did you think at the time that you might one day become a published novelist?

Thanks, Teri! I’m excited to be here.

I hoped! I dreamed of being published and seeing my name on the cover of a book. But after I started writing and learning how things worked (I picked up my first Writer’s Market in the early-1990s) the thought of having to wait a year for a response (at the time) from a publisher was daunting. I drifted away from writing in my early 20s and returned to it in 1999. A few days ago, I was going through some old papers and found the Writer’s Digest Novel Writing Workshop I’d taken and “graduated” from in late 2000. I read through some of those old assignments and cringed, thinking, “Wow, this is total crap!” I like to think I’ve come a long way from that. :)

And it’s really cool to see my name on the cover of a book. Surreal, actually.

Please tell us about your time travel books about Ransom and Fortune—great names, by the way.

Thanks! I love this story and they are some of my favorite characters.

Skye Ransom and Dane Fortune are a time-traveling duo. He’s a hit man and she’s his intended target and the two get stuck together with her father’s invention (which is faulty, by the way) traveling through time. They jump from the time of William Wallace to the far distant future to Stonehenge in the first century and a few places in between.

It’s a two-book series where Dane has some serious redeeming to do and Skye has some serious forgiving to do. They’re chased by killers through time and they have to rely on each other to get back to their own time in one piece. It’s great fun. I’ve had a couple of people ask me if there will be a third book. And with me, you never know.

What’s your favorite type of book to read and what books are you reading now?

I’m in love with urban fantasy. Or any type of fantasy really. Currently, I’m reading Vicki Pettersson’s TASTE OF NIGHT, the second book in the Zodiac series. And I’m salivating to get my hands on DREAMFEVER, Karen Marie Moning’s fourth installment in her Fever series.

Once you decided to write a book for publication, did you take any formal classes, or are you a self-taught writer?

I took that Novel Writing Workshop long, long ago. That would probably be the only “formal” education I’ve had. I had what I thought was a really great fantasy that got rejected by TOR and Luna. Once I realized I needed help, I went in search of an organization I could join and discovered Romance Writers of America®, joined and found my local chapter. I’ve taken lots of online workshops through the organization and learned the craft by doing.

What is your favorite aspect of being a writer?

The process of creating. There’s nothing better than sitting down with a blank page and writing those scenes that come alive from my imagination to the page. Sometimes I can “hear” the characters talking in my head. If I wasn’t a writer, I’d most likely be in the loony bin.

I also love networking and talking to other writers. It’s great to sit down with like-minded people and share writing-war stories over coffee—or martinis!

Do you focus on one story at a time or do you juggle?

I used to juggle but realized all that was doing was keeping me from finishing the manuscript. So now I focus on one at a time.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

A little of both. I finally learned having a pre-written synopsis is a great guideline for getting the book written but I don’t always stick to it. Sometimes the characters have a mind of their own.

Do you play music when you write or do you need quiet?

It depends on what I’m writing. If it’s an intense emotional scene, then I need quiet so I can focus on the interaction of the characters. If it’s a hard-hitting, action-packed fight scene, then I like to have some music in my ears. I stick to my favorite movie soundtracks on my iPod for that.

How do you handle writer’s block?

Luckily, I haven’t had that problem much lately. With my current book that’s still in the revision stage, I had the synopsis I used to write the book. There were times when I got a little stuck but I wouldn’t stop writing. I’d just put something like [INSERT MORE HERE] and then go back and fill in the gaps. It worked! And it kept me writing when otherwise I might quit.

Describe your typical writing day.

I have to ease into it. I read and respond to emails, surf the ‘net for a little bit and then get down to work. I need to be ready to focus on the story before I can get busy. My house can get a little chaotic at times, so sometimes that’s a challenge. :)

Describe your latest book, TAKE ME, I’M YOURS, a sexy contemporary romance.

Marion Parker is mending a broken heart. When her fiancé leaves her at the altar on their wedding day, she picks up the pieces and tries to get on with her life. She finds solace in her work at the gym and painting lessons. She vows to bubble-wrap her heart to protect it from ever shattering again.

Ladies man and painter extraordinaire Graeme Butler has never fallen in love. As a local celebrity in the art world, he can have any woman he chooses. Yet the one he really wants has eluded him for years…until a chance encounter brings Marion and Graeme together, giving him his shot at having the woman of his dreams…and drawings.

Graeme seizes the moment and decides this time he’s not going to let Marion get away. But the closer they get, the more her ex-fiancé tries to pull them apart with lies and deception…or are they? She will have to accept Graeme for who is he if she expects him to return her love. Faced to choose between him and her ex-fiancé, will she see the real Graeme and allow herself to fall hopelessly in love with him? Or will she fall prey once again to Ethan’s charms?

What’s the most important advice you have for aspiring writers?

If you want to write, you have to start which is the hardest part. Lots of people say they want to write a book but the difference between you and them is you actually sat down to start.

Educate yourself on the industry as much as possible. Learn the writing craft by taking workshops and reading craft books.

But I think the most valuable piece of advice is be persistent. Because you’ll never get anywhere if you (a) don’t finish anything, (b) never send it out, (c) quit after that first of many rejections. There are going to be days when you’re ready to throw in the towel permanently (I’ve had those) and days where you sit and everything you write comes out like crap (I’ve had those days, too). You just have to fight through all that and keep going.

Never give up. Keep writing, no matter what.

Is there anything you’d like to say to your fans?

Just a huge thank you for all the support! It really means a lot to me.

Michelle Miles:  http://michellemiles.net/

Photo courtesy of Michelle Miles