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.
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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