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Wednesday, November 13, 2013

In conversation with : Michelle Pickett - PODs Blog tour!

Michelle : Thank you so much for hosting me today. I know it takes a lot of time to keep up a blog and I appreciate you dedicating some of it to me and PODs. Bloggers are priceless to authors!

Dhivya @ RM : What prompted you to write on such a unique theme as a virus destroying man kind? And how did you think it would be best to convey it in the first person narrative of a teenager?

Michelle : I really don’t have a great story to tell about how I came up with the idea for PODs. I wish I did. I don’t even remember when the idea came to me. It just started out as a “what if” game, as most of my books do. I usually hear something—on the news, in a conversation or ETC—and think what if this were to happen, and then this, and what if that happened, then this, and then if we did this…?? And so on. So I have an idea bouncing around. Sometimes it works into a story, like PODs did. And sometimes it fizzles out before it materializes into anything.
I used teenagers as my main characters because my idea of how the government would rebuild the country would be selecting young, strong individuals. So I wrote it from the young adult perspective.

Dhivya @ RM : I sympathised with the character of Eva, and could relate to most of the things in the book. But the actions of the government bordered on oppression. What prompted you to mix the virus with such a theme?

Michelle : It wasn’t really a planned partnership. The story just evolved as I wrote. When the virus mutated I visualized the government stepping in to try and stop a widespread outbreak—therefore the districts were closed to keep people from going into the infected zone and keep people from the infected zone from coming in.
It’s hard to know what our, or any, government would do when faced with such an outbreak. I think it would be very easy for the government to become oppressive and the citizens, thinking that the government is doing what is in their best interest, may blindly let them.

Dhivya @ RM : Could you tell us a little about the main motivator for writing this story and how the initial spark ignited?

Michelle : I can’t pinpoint one specific moment that inspired me to write the book. I didn’t have a dream or read an article or book that sparked an idea. The only thing that comes to mind that may have planted the seed is talk of the “Super bugs” or the “Super Viruses” that have been in the news. Both my parents have had MRSA. A strain of an aggressive staph infection that is very resistant to antibiotics. It’s just one example of a virus that has adapted and mutated and is now extremely hard to treat with common antibiotics.
Talk of the overuse of antibiotics and anti-bacteria soaps and cleansers have also been debated recently. Some healthcare professionals believe that the overuse of these products do more harm than good. They make bacteria stronger as they adapt to survive and the more we use antibiotics, the more our bodies become immune to their effects.  That’s one theory, anyway.

Dhivya @ RM :Apart from writing wonderful books, what are your other hobbies? And do they reflect on the books you write?

Michelle : Oh, thank you very much for saying I write wonderful books. Compliments like that always humble me. Other than writing I love photography. I love to take photos of faces, especially eyes. I also love to read. That helps with my writing. I’m able to study other techniques and styles.
My family is a constant in my life. I spend time with them when I’m not writing. We do a lot of things as a family. My kids are still young, but they are growing so fast and I want to spend as much time with them as I can before they outgrow me.

Dhivya @ RM : What are the things that you feel strongly about? (In short your likes and dislikes.)

Michelle: I feel strongly about my family. Don’t mistreat them. I’m very protective of them.
I feel strongly that we should all strive to help the unfortunate as much as we are able. I’ve volunteered at soup kitchens and it’s a very rewarding experience.  There are more, but I’ll move on to my dislikes.
I strongly dislike when people are purposely mean or fail to consider other’s feelings in what they do or say. I strongly dislike when people lie. I teach my children that telling the truth will always be better for them in the long term.
I strongly dislike people who abuse or mistreat children or the elderly.

Dhivya @ RM : If you could change one thing in this world by your writing, what would it be? And what would your books (if written for this purpose) be about?

Michelle :That is such a hard question to answer. There are so many things that I would want to change. But I think at this time in our world I would change the way we view each other’s choice of faith. I’d like to teach everyone to accept each other’s faith and not be distrustful of a person because of the God they chose to worship.
Honestly, I’m not sure how I would write a book that would convey this to readers. It would be something that would require a lot of research and introspection. I would want to make sure I was as fair as possible to each religion and its followers.

Dhivya @ RM :Please tell us a little about yourself, family and their support towards your profession?

Michelle : I’m a wife to the best man in the world. He supports my writing completely. He even helps me with ideas and is a great sounding board for me when I need inspiration. My 12-year-old son loves to help with the zombies and monsters. Although he thinks the romance part of the book should be cut out altogether. He told me, “Mom, zombies and kissing should NOT be in the same book!” My twin daughters are still too young to really help, but they do tell everyone that I write books. They love to hand out my bookmarks when we go shopping or out to eat. I think they are my best publicists! My mom reads everything I write and she is a great beta reader. Most people say family members don’t make good beta readers because they won’t tell you the truth because they’re afraid to hurt your feelings. Well, that’s not my mom! She tells me what she doesn’t like and it’s usually really helpful.
About me…there really isn’t anything to tell. I’m a pretty boring person, actually. I was raised an only child in Flint, Michigan. I met my husband at church when I was 15. We’ve been married for 25 years. I love Reese’s peanut butter cups and can’t write without wearing a hoodie. I strive to be abnormal because normal is boring. (ha-ha).

Dhivya @ RM: How did you take up writing? Who is your literary inspiration?

Michelle: I always knew I wanted to be an author. I can’t remember a time I didn’t want to write. The first book that really took me out of myself and immersed me into a new world was Wilson Rawls’ “Where the Red Fern Grows.” That book was a huge inspiration to me. “My Side of The Mountain” and anything “Nancy Drew” were also big when I was young. As an adult I loved Rebecca Ryman’s “Olivia and Jai.” Her characters just jumped off the page. I love them. I’ve reread that book so many times I can almost recite it by heart, but I still love it.

Dhivya @ RM : One piece of advice for aspiring authors?

Michelle: Don’t stop writing and build relationships with readers. Shoving a book in a reader’s face isn’t going to give you sales. Building relationships, true relationships, with the blogging community and readers is essential.

Dhivya@ RM :Can you tell us about your home state? Have you ever visited India?

Michelle :I have not visited India, but the book I mentioned above, “Olivia and Jai” is set in India and I loved the history and culture the writer included in the book! The country sounds wonderful and I would love to visit one day.
I live in Texas now. I’m in a small suburb close to Houston, which is the fourth largest city in the United States. But I’m originally from Michigan. That’s where I was born and raised. I miss it. I loved the Great Lakes that surrounded my home state and the seasons, especially the wonderful colors of autumn.

We @ Readers’Muse wish Ms.Michelle Pickett the best of luck with her books. We also thank her for providing us a review copy of her book and for patiently answering our questions – Dhivya & Janani

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