Author interview with Michelle Garcia

This week's interview is with the very popular Michelle Garcia who writes as M.G. Cobbett and has nearly 50k X (Twitter) followers. You may well have seen her there as she's a huge supporter of fellow authors and her follower trains are extraordinary! But before we get into all of that, let's meet her:

'I’m a 52 year-old Scouse grandma. I have one furbaby called Bella. I live on a mountain in Wales UK.'

She first published in 2017 and writes romance which can be set in YA, paranormal or crime genres. She has four indie books to date.

Returning to her X presence, I am in awe of all the work she does there, but it must take a lot of her time. Why does she do it? 

'I LOVE IT! And that's why I do it. If I had the option to sit on X all day and share people's work, I would.'

Wow, that's some passion! It's interesting, because her follower frenzies state they are ‘just for fun’ and she makes a point of stating 'non-political', so has she had issues in the past?

'I have had fights break out on threads, predominantly with American politics. Which, considering I'm not American and as a priest not political, is frustrating. I don't run the frenzy for anything other than fun and follower gains, and if people can't respect that, then I block them. 

I still get the occasional one but in all fairness it’s usually an error, and the poster removes it when asked, but now and again I get someone who has 

- A, put it up to cause a rut or 

- B, refuses to take it down because “They can post what they want.” 

Yes, you can post what you want on your own threads, but not on mine.'

Well said! She continues,

'In the UK, we don't do that as a general rule of thumb. Mostly, apart from the extremes of either side, Brits are quite quiet about their political leanings, so it's also a culture thing. 

Sometimes the sheer hatred makes me feel sick. I saw one woman of one political bias who had lost a child, offer support to anyone who was going through the same as long as they were not of the opposing political opinion. That kind of insensible hatred is vile. 

Because I can see both sides, I see they're actually not that different. Sure they want different laws passed, but in the day-to-day things, they're people, they have the same worries, the same heartaches, the same likes and loves, they read the same books and watch the same movies. I wish people would look for the similarities in others instead of the differences. But, in the most, people get along better on X than they do in the real world.

I’ve also had threats about my religion. I don’t post any religious posts even though I’m a pagan priest. But, I've had religious responses which have erupted in the DMs, and when I ask them to remove it, they refuse because their God is the only true God, and we deserve to die unless we convert to the one true religion, so when I point out that I’m a priest of a different denomination then I get a stream of abuse. But this has happened maybe 3 times in 7 years. Again, people tend to get along better on X than in the real world.'

Okay, she's mentioned it so I have to go there. I'd heard she was a 'witch', is this right and what can she tell us?

'YES! I am the pagan High Priestess of the Aurora Chandra Coven. I don’t hide it, I’m not ashamed of my belief system, (hence my profile pic).

I’ve had problems, but few and far between. I find most people just want to get on with their lives, and while we’re seeing the world gearing up for war I wonder why the outside world can’t be more like X where for the majority of the time we all get along great. There are the odd one or two hardliners but most people put their differences aside to have a good time, so I wonder why the outside world can’t be more like X? I have had some amazing conversations with priests of other denominations, and as a pagan it thrills me.'

I could ask a lot more just about this, but as we're really here to chat about her as an author, I'd better get back on-track 😄 

What inspired her to become a writer?

'I started writing to escape. Then, a couple of times, I got close to getting published and my writing became all about getting published. It took the fun out of it. It took the escapism out of it because now it was another mound of stress on my already full mountain. It also caused writers’ block. I lost the love of writing and my flood of creativity dried up. When it looked like AI might take over, I practically gave up.

Then I remembered the reason I started writing. I wrote for myself. My friends and family enjoyed my writing. So, even though I have my timetable, I’m once again doing it for the love of it. If I get a traditional publishing contract, then great. I know there are many honest agents and publishers out there. I’ve met a few, so I’m not going to stop trying. I’d say to any writer out there, write because you love it. Anything else is a bonus.'

Oh dear, stress is so destructive, but I'm glad she's back on track and I love her message to other writers - wonderful! As Michelle has mentioned AI, and I've seen her tweet about it, I wondered if she'd share her concerns?

'With the advent of AI I would imagine getting published is going to be nearly impossible. I’m annoyed because I have spent a lot of time and money perfecting my art, including a writing course at Oxford University.'

That is concerning for writers but hopefully readers will be savvy enough to continue supporting authors. She mentioned she had a timetable, does she also have a daily writing routine? 

'I am a stickler for time management. If I don’t manage my time I get nothing done. This is my daily routine.' (see photo)

Wow, I have to admit, I would love to be that organised! How long does it take her to write a book?

'That’s a tough one because I do an outline novella and then build so it could be 3 to 6 months.'

And which of Michelle's four books should readers try first, and why?

'Two Houses. It’s the first Verona College novella and it introduces the reader to Beswick Stanton where most of my books are or will be set. Beswick Stanton has a map on my website which is available via the Cobbett’s Books link (at base of post).'

And a tweetable of Two Houses (tweet here):

'https://amz.run/7C1i
Todd is a posh bully. Carmel hates him until a dance at The Venue Nightclub changes everything. Now, she’s falling in love, but he’s getting blackmailed to stay away.'

Can she give us an extract from one of her books?

‘Pervert.’ An old woman screamed from the changing room. Stark naked. Nipples pointing the way to the floor. Not making any attempt to cover anything.

‘Oh, puhhh-lease. I’d have to be a necro—Arghh.’'

She admitted that out of context this scene won’t make much sense, but it did make me laugh! Does she read reviews of her own books?

'All the time. Good reviews are great. Bad reviews, take the criticism, use it as a learning curve and build on it.'

Sound advice! Has she had any writing-career highs?

'Working with Terry and Steve at Greenhills Chats.'

Good to know, you can find their link here! Does she have any plans for future books?

'I am researching using a book manager. Eeva Lancaster came highly recommended to me by Terry and Ken Stark. I am currently reading her book ‘Being Indie’. The woman is a marvel and a mine of information.'

I’ve not come across the term ‘book manager’ before – what does she do?

'I've not used her yet. Her book, though, is a guide to indie publishing, and it's full of fantastic tips.'

Ooh, that sounds interesting, I'll have to investigate! What does Michelle consider a common trap for aspiring writers?

'Not learning the trade. I worked with an executive editor and attended courses and I’m still learning every day. I use proof readers and try my best to get my work on point. 

It saddens me when someone wins the competition (see below) to have a read and review and they’ve put 'The End' on the manuscript and uploaded it straight to Amazon. It’s not a nice reading experience. 

There is more to writing than putting words on paper. I’m not perfect, but I do make an effort. It’s when people don’t, I get annoyed. It makes me want to stop reading then and there.
The flip side of that is that indie writers don’t have access to expensive editors the way traditionally published authors do. That’s still no excuse for not asking someone to proof read it.'

And talking of her monthly blog competition – how does she pick which books to read?

'I pick by the one that grabs me. The one I like the look of the most. If I see one that I've not read before but I see they've entered several previous months, I will choose that one, but other than that, it's what sounds good at the time. 

As I mentioned above, the ones that disappoint me haven't been proofread or edited. It puts people off buying indie and I get that traditionally published authors get the whole nine yards when they sign on with an agent, but make an effort, you're letting the side down. Your bad work reflects badly on all of us. I have a couple of proofreaders, but I'm always in the market for more 😀'
 
So there you have it, an amazing lady who speaks a lot of common sense! If you'd like to find out more about her, please visit her links below and do take a look at all the books she's reviewed on her website to support even more authors!

Website: https://www.cobbettsbooks.co.uk/
Twitter: @M_Cobbett71
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/XanBorWid/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/m.g.cobbett/

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Sneaky peek at interview with Michelle Garcia

My next author interview is with the popular Michelle Garcia who writes as M.G. Cobbett and has penned four novels to date.

We have a fascinating chat about her weekly follower frenzies, her monthly book-reading/ review competition and her life as a pagan High Priestess. 

It goes live on the 15th February but if you'd like to find out more about her, please visit her links below:

Website: https://www.cobbettsbooks.co.uk/
Twitter: @M_Cobbett71
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/XanBorWid/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/m.g.cobbett/

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Author interview with J. E. Andrews/ S. Hawk

This week I’m interviewing an amazingly creative author John E. Andrews who writes under the names of J. E. Andrews (for his family books) and S. Hawk (for his mature books). So let’s meet him:

‘I've always been hooked on books, so writing was a natural next step. My most important project came with raising 2 daughters by myself, through that I learned a lot about me and people. They turned out nicely, since they were mostly self-propelled.

I've always been creative, with everything I do. I've been a Florist, Carpenter, Scene Shop Tech in a big Theatre, Grocery store, and now retired... though never 'retired' from being a dad. I use all the experiences and observations from a full life to create the character driven stories I write.’

He sounds very busy, no wonder he’s managed to indie publish 26 novels and 1 novella in 11 years! He’s created a tweetable introduction for you below (tweet here):

‘For character driven stories of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Contemporary Paranormal, with more than a touch of the unique, check out ‘S.Hawk’ for Mature, or ‘J.E.Andrews’ for Family.

Before we started chatting about his writing, I had to ask about his twitter handle ‘Neverborg1’ -does it have roots in Star Trek?

‘First –thanks, I did put some thought into my handle, though not in the direction you think. When I first joined Twitter (which will always be Twitter) I was doing it more to tune in to the political talk, back in the 2016 US election cycle. 

My avatar image (right) is James Stewart from the movie – Mr. Smith Goes To Washington. It was a political movie about the corruption in government and how frustrating it was for an honest politician to face that and try to maintain his integrity... while trying to get something done for his constituents. A good movie. So, that image, which I hoped would be recognized and portray my leanings in the political realm. 

The name Neverborg1 was to state that I oppose the Conglomerate Mind – the Hive Mind of being obedient to the Machine. I believe in the individual and the rights of all people to be themselves... recognizing the Borg as being the greatest evil while appearing to be inevitable. Resistance is Futile. AI will take over everything. So, that's the origin of the handle.’

Gosh, I wasn’t expecting that answer! And in case you’ve not met Borg before, they’re scary baddies who inject nanoprobes into individuals so they lose free will and become Hive workers – or as I like to think of them, bad dudes! Before we move onto his writing, my final indulgence is to ask which is his favourite Captain?

‘I'm old enough to say I watched the original episodes on TV, so I like William Shatner and enjoyed the show from the first. I liked Janeway, and the Voyager series. I also enjoy Picard (in fact, Patrick Stewart in all roles - The Canterville Ghost was fun), Scott Bakula in the Enterprise series and Chris Pine in the recent movies.
Leonard Nimoy was always my favourite. I used to practice the hand-sign and raised eyebrow.  (I know, cool).’

I’m sorry, I’m giggling at this, but I suspect many of us have done the same! John continues,

‘I love Science Fiction overall, so I also loved the Star Wars movies, along with all decent SF movies through the years. (Blade Runner, 2001 a Space Odyssey, Logan's Run, Planet of the Apes –original, The Black Hole, so many).

I'm not much of a fanboy, I read too much to be hooked on movies or TV. I've read in every genre but for romance, I get hooked on particular writers and read all their stuff until something else catches my attention (or if they get predictable LOL).’

It’s one thing to read a lot, but quite another to write, so what inspired him to take that leap?

‘I was often sad when a book ended, having to wait a year for next book, so I started writing my own. My imagination keeps me going. I've got books I've written 40 years ago that'll never be published because of the ones I'm starting in these days... imagination never ends.’

Too true! What does he enjoy the most about writing?

‘Creating the worlds and developing the characters. Most of my stories are character driven or character studies, each in their own particular world. Which is why SF*, F*, and contemporary with some paranormal thrown in is most fun.’
*(SF- Science Fiction, F – Fantasy)

Does he have a daily writing routine?

‘It's rather random according to mood and what phase of a story I'm on. Yesterday I was editing and I worked from 10am until 1am the next morning with lunch/ dinner breaks. I don't have a standard time, though I try to write 8pm until 1-ish every day.’

So, a real night bird then! What has been the hardest part of his writing experience?

‘Deciding which story to work on. I might have a dozen books going steadily yet must choose which one to focus on (and when uncertain, I use dice).’

I’m sorry, a dice? I need to know more!

‘LOL. I have 3 dice – a 6-side, and two 12-side gamer's dice, in a clear jar. The only time I really turn to them is when I've hit a wall with whatever I was working on. Usually this means I know what I need to write to continue a story I'm working on, but it must work in the context of the story. For instance, in my book Dragon's Magic, I had to figure a way for my MC (main character), a witch, to kill Dragons. Seeing as how the Dragons are nearly immortal, it was a tough problem. It took me nearly 5 years to solve that in a way consistent with the elements of the series of 9 books. I wrote other books as I dealt with that problem.

So, when I hit the wall, I'll roll the dice to choose one of my WIPs (work in progress), unless I'm already drawn to one. (I rarely need the dice, it's a safety net, so I don't waste time). My WIP list is only at 30 stories but there are many more files of potential books in my computer.

When I do roll, I will stick with the choice and work on it, either until I finish the book, the section... or get caught by a really LOUD new idea. 

My problem with all the WIPs is that I know all the stories, but they are all fun to work on. Also, stories evolve. Like the 9-book series mentioned above, I knew the entire story arc as soon as I created the first character. But, by the time I wrote book 5, developing the Stories of the Characters, I had to go back to the first couple of books to elaborate details I'd only hinted at previously. 

I sometimes think of my books like the social evolution equation in Foundation which expands in all direction as details are known. (I read the series by Isaac Asimov back in the 70s).’

I admit, I had to google this and now I’ll have to learn more as it sounds fascinating! So, what does he consider the best money he’s ever spent as a writer?

‘I'm a little bit of an artist, so I did my own covers for the first batch of books, a fantasy series. I'm not a computer artist but freehand, so my art never translated well to digital. So, hiring an artist for the covers has proven beneficial. It's one initial outlay I wish I could've afforded then.’

And what does he find the most difficult thing about writing characters who are very different from him?

‘The voice (how the character presents her/himself) is it. I try to make each an individual, so once the character clicks for me, I'm good. A trilogy I'm working on has such a distinct MC that I reread the story to get the feel of her each time I work on it.’ 

I find this fascinating, as writing in so many genres and series surely must entail some rereading of previous notes or manuscripts? If so, how does he manage all this data? 

‘You're right. I believe most of my MCs have strong individual voices, so I do reread all I'd written. There is a lot that goes into creating the voice of the character, it's not only the actual dialogue, but actions, intentions, purpose... all of it, how they observe the world around them. I try very hard to have identifiable voices for each character so the reader can hear the features I'm aiming at. I have to be both subtle and blatant... you know, doing the impossible LOL. It's especially difficult when there are a dozen (or so) characters in a book, such as my SF series SeaScape, which has three Main Characters with Mates, Children, and Crew... everyone is different.

As far as managing the data, rereading is one primary part, but I think a large part is keeping each of my characters alive and growing in my head. I can set a story aside for a year or two and bring it back to life after reading a bit.’

Wow, that’s amazing! Does he read reviews of his books and how does he deal with them?

‘I definitely do not seek out reviews. I first published at Amazon and never received reviews. Publishing at Smashwords.com/ Draft2Digital meant I got notified of reviews, so I checked them out. I also receive some direct communication with mutuals who have read some of my stuff. There’s also face-to-face talks with friends/readers but I don't think reviews should influence my writing, unless everyone hated them. I have to please myself, and I'm very critical and picky.   

This question of readers giving feedback was tweeted about recently, and I do wonder about it. A reader has no obligation to the writer to give feedback. It's only in this age of personal social media where everyone expects a two-way conversation on opinions. 

When I first considered being a writer (this was pre-computer, to say nothing of pre-internet) it could take a genre author ten years to make a name - cut that in half if you get a big-name publisher -but there was no instant feedback for a novel... everything took time. Now, everything is supposed to happen in a week, or less.’

Too true! So which of his books should readers try first?

‘For fantasy, Too Much Magic – book 1 of a 9-book urban series. For SF, Sea's Dance – book 1 in the series. For my Mature books, Buried Draughts –book 1 of 3. For a conspiracy thriller with sex and ghosts, Pet- book 1 of series. (As an aside –although labelled  ‘Adult’, they do not rank as Porn – this disappoints some people!).’

Gosh, plenty of choice for readers then! Can he give us an extract from one?

‘Notice on pin board
Wait…
Female pet wanted? Whaaa?
Petite, attractive, twenty to thirty years old. Full time. Limited.
This was funny.
Pet?
Couldn't be what I'm thinking…
What did limited mean? Pet?’

That had me laughing! Which book is this from?

‘LOL – it’s from PET. This is where the MC, Emily, needing to find a job, first steps foot into a mysterious side of this renewed civilization. It's really something of an SF storyline, with alternate reality mixed in. It's kind of Post- Post Apocalyptic. 

The world is meant to be a perfect world/ civilization, where everyone can be the Best of who they are meant to be. This is book 1 of a 6-book series, book 6 is being written as we speak. The difficulty is wrapping it up, tying all the loose ends in a manner I'll be satisfied with. 

Interesting thing with this book Pet... listing a book as Adult, or Mature, only allows one category, so they all look the same intensity, unless you read the sample or blurb. So, people looking at the title Pet, as an Adult book, automatically think it's something about kink... usually thinking its instant, deep, pornographic kink. Except all of my books are character driven, and porn is not really like that. It does have kink, sensuality, and stuff, but there's a lot more to it than a simple porn story. So... when there's a sale on the site, I can watch when copies of Pet get sold... which is great... but then I'll see Pet2, Pet3... all 5 sell... This tells me there are people enjoying the Story, the Tale, rather than the titillation of the story. While I might sell 10 or 15 copies of Pet, I'll only sell 1 or 2 of Pet2. Usually these people buy most of the books I list. I find it amusing.’

Honestly, you learn something new every day! I ended the interview asking what’s next for him?

‘Top of the list is book 6 of my Pet series to wrap it (it's complicated), but there’s also book 3 of Beck series, book 1 of The Vessel, book 5 of SeaScape SF series, book 2 of Alice of MW series, I have a list, and I never know what new idea I might get later today which might start something else. I simply write. Oh, I do have a Steampunk trilogy which is nearly finished, too.’

Jeez, I don’t know about you but I find his enthusiasm exhausting – I need a cuppa and a lie down! If you’d like to find out more about John, please visit his links below and help support this creative author:

Twitter: Neverborg1@twitter.com
Smashwords.com/profile/view/JEAndrews
Smashwords.com/profile/view/SH54write
Also available on Amazon

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Sneaky peeky at interview with J. E. Andrews/ S. Hawk

 My next author interview is with an amazingly creative author John E. Andrews who writes under the pen names of J. E. Andrews (for his family books) and S. Hawk (for his mature books). His photo's above but he has an author avatar to differentiate his work and he just bounds with endless energy!

He's indie published 26 novels and 1 novella in 11 years and has been a Florist, Carpenter, Scene Shop Tech in a big Theatre, Grocery store... now he's 'retired', he can focus on writing in his chosen genres - Science Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mature Science Fiction, Mature Paranormal, Mature Fantasy... experimental!

Our interview will go live on the 15th August but if you'd like to find out more about him, please visit his links below:

Twitter: Neverborg1@twitter.com
Smashwords.com/profile/view/JEAndrews
Smashwords.com/profile/view/SH54write

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Sneaky peek at 'Thread Weaver'

 

I'll have another book review and author interview available for you next week, from the talented Jess Frankel. He has penned over 50 books and writes in the genres of Young Adult, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Romance, Action and Paranormal. 

Thread Weaver is a stand-alone novel and I have to say, it gripped me from the start! I asked Jess to give us a tweetable synopsis of his novel and he says (tweet here):

'Teenager Fenton Mardwich is a prisoner-scribe—a thread weaver—to a tyrant on an alien world. For Fenton and his fellow thread weavers, freedom is something worth fighting for. 

It’s also worth dying for.'

Find out more in my full book review on the 1st October or by visiting the author at:

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/JessSFrankel

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007640056961

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