Spotlight on Michelle Muto - Author of The Book of Lost Souls

I recently read Michelle's book - The Book of Lost Souls. I absolutely loved it! Check out my review here.

Because I loved it so much, I just had to see if Michelle would be willing to an interview... =) and of course the answer was yes!

Michelle has always loved storytelling. When she was a child, her favorite stories were of monsters and things that lurked in the dark. Telling stories often
frightened her classmates and got her into a lot of trouble with her teachers. They had no sense of humor.

As an adult, Michelle traded her love of writing for the corporate life where she was an IT professional. Today, she's back to doing what she loves best - writing and storytelling.

Michelle grew up in Chicago, but currently lives in NE Georgia with her husband and their two dogs. She loves scary books, funny movies, sports cars, chocolate, dogs, and changes of season.

Author Interview Michelle Muto

Random Questions:

Hardcover or Paperback? 

Hardcover.

Bookmark or Dog ear a page? 

Bookmark

Coffee or Tea? 

Tea. Loose leaf.

Pepsi or Coke? 

Coke

Vanilla or Chocolate? 

Chocolate! 

Favorite fictional character? 

Oddly, it'd be from a TV show - most of the cast from Supernatural. Cass, Bobby, Dean, Sam.

Favorite movie? 

All of the Harry Potter movies.

Have you met anyone famous? 

No, but I'm a descendant of William Howard, Blackbeard's Quartermaster. Does that make me part pirate? LOL!

Favorite Quote? 

If you think you can or think you can't, you're right. ~Henry Ford

Vampire, Witch, Werewolf etc. If possible what would you be? Why? 

Witch. No shedding, no sunburns. Ha! Plus, being a witch would just make housework so much easier.

Serious Questions:

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? 

I'm an animal fanatic, a nature lover, a die-hard geek, and accomplishment driven. I never trust people who don't have a sense of humor. I've been a sales clerk, a model, an IT professional, and a tech writer. 

When did you begin writing? Who or What were your inspirations?

 I wrote my first story when I was seven. As a teen, I became more interested in horses and boys, so writing took a back seat. I dabbled a little in my twenties and early thirties, but life and the day jobs always took center stage for a long time. But, once I got back into it, I vowed to never give it up again. My inspirations? First would be my mother who read to me as a child. Then, it'd have to be Bram Stoker, Stephen King, Alfred Hitchcock and Rod Serling. I read Dracula when I was ten and fell in love with all things supernatural. Hitchcock was just brilliant when it came to suspense. My brother used to babysit for me when I was young and made me watch Twilight Zone & Creature Feature reruns. So, he probably had a hand in it, too.

Do you have a favorite place to write or a favorite time of day? 

I don't really have a preference. These days, I write in a dedicated room. But, The Book of Lost Souls was written entirely on a laptop while sitting at the dining room table. I wrote whenever I could - in between doing laundry and jotting down grocery lists and paying the bills. That part, the time of day, hasn't changed. I've even been known to get up and write in the middle of the night. I'm sort of an insomniac. 

What made you write The Lost Book of Souls? Were there any scenes or situations you had to leave out for any reason?

 I loved the original Harry Potter so much that when it ended, I was at a loss to find something as light hearted and fun as the first few books. I'm also a huge fan of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. I started to think about a small town witch and how her life was just sweet and chaotic all at the same time. I did cut out a character from this book that will be in a future Ivy MacTavish novel. Yeah, I'm starting to kick around the second one since The Book of Lost Souls has received such a warm welcome with readers. And, I miss writing about Ivy and her friends. They were so much fun.

What genres do you like to read in your spare time? 

I read all kinds of books. Literary, urban fantasy, thriller, suspense, horror, humor, young adult.

Is writing your full time job, or is it just your super hero persona? 

It's mostly my full time job now, although I do take on some short-term technical freelance writing jobs to help support my writing habit and pay some of the bills. 

Do you have any quirks or special rituals you must do before writing or when completing a story? 

Not really. Short of making an itunes play list for each book as I go. I listen to it when I have writer's block or need a boost of ambition.

If you could be a character from any story who would it be? Why? 

Jenny Weasley. She's just so powerful, so cool, and yet, she's low key.

What are your thoughts about books that become movies? Do you prefer to read the book first or see the film? 

There have been some books that were great as movies, and some that could have been better. I'm all for making books into movies. It gets people to go back and read the book. I usually prefer to read the book before seeing the movie, although I'm busy enough that it doesn't always happen that way. Like The Rite. I saw it as a movie and immediately added it to my TBR pile. Unfortunately, I still haven't gotten around to it. I'm dying to see Water for Elephants, though. I loved the book!

Are you currently working on anything right now? 

Oh yes! I'm editing a book I hope to have out this summer. There's another book that I'm totally revising, and yet another that I just recently started. And of course, I'm thinking about the sequel to The Book of Lost Souls.

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a quick thank you to Michelle Muto for stopping by and doing this interview. 

visit Michelle @

Goodreads

Amazon Author Page
Michelle's Blog

Spotlight on Scott Cherney - Author of Red Asphalt

Alright everyone! Spotlight #2! Scott Cherney is an awesome author. I had the great opportunity to read and review his book Red Asphalt. Check out the review here. Also he was kind enough to do a little interview with me!!! First A Quick Bio:

Born and bred in Stockton, California, Scott Cherney has worn many hats in his life and times, among them a cowboy hat as a stunt performer on the streets of the Pollardville Ghost Town, a western amusement park that housed leftover sets from the William Wyler film The Big Country.  He then ventured to the Palace Showboat Dinner Theater becoming a triple threat actor/writer/director of their melodrama/vaudeville stage productions including, Song of the Lone Prairie and California Follies. 

Cherney is an award winning actor with roles in such shows as Angry Housewives, Sylvia and Move Over, Mrs. Markham.  His film credits consist of appearances in Under Arrest, Omega Cop and Backstage Pass.  In 1986, Scott was the winner of the one and only San Joaquin County Stand-Up Comedy Competition. He spent time as an on-air film critic for KUOP-FM and even inside a giant raccoon suit as a radio station mascot. 

Scott’s first book, the non-fiction memoir In the Dark: A Life and Times in a Movie Theater, was published in 2003 followed by his novel, the road rage thriller Red Asphalt, a collection of original comedy sketches entitled Now THAT’S Funny! and a travel journal, Please Hold Thumbs: A Not-So-Round Trip to South Africa.

He currently lives near Portland, Oregon with his wife, Laurie.

Fun Random Questions:

Hardcover or Paperback?  

Paperback. I aspire to be hardcover.

Bookmark or Dog ear a page? 

Bookmark, even if it’s just  a scrap of paper.

Coffee or Tea? 

Coffee. I live in the Pacific Northwest. It’s required.

Pepsi or Coke? 

Coke, now and forever. 

Vanilla or Chocolate? 

Chocolate.

Favorite fictional character? 

Holden Caulfield, Catcher in the Rye. 

Favorite movie? 

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Have you met anyone famous? 

Anthony Bourdain from The Travel Channel’s No Reservations, Robert Blake, way before the murder trial & Adam West.

Favorite Quote?

The dreams that possess you may blossom and bless you or run you insane.-Kris Kristofferson lyric from a song called El Gavilan (The Hawk).

Serious Questions:

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

I grew up in Stockton, California where I lived most of my life. My interests didn’t seem to coincide with the real world especially in that town. It wasn’t until I found a magical playground on the outskirts of Stockton called Pollardville. It was a roadside attraction that housed a fried chicken restaurant with an authentic western ghost town amusement park behind it and a melodrama/vaudeville theater called the Palace Showboat. I was able to play cowboy out in the ghost town, performing in the gunfight recreations out on Main Street. Later on I moved into the theater where I was able to do everything I ever wanted to do in show business-act, write, direct, stand up comedy.It was a great training ground and place that lives forever in my heart

I moved up here to Oregon in 1999 and concentrated on my writing, turning three books in the process.

When did you begin writing? Who or What were your inspirations?

I began writing at around ten or eleven, mostly secret agent stories since I really loved the James Bond movies. The main character’s name was Dick King, agent AB-98 of ACE (American Counter Espionage). Real original stuff. I’d try to write bedroom scenes but they didn’t turn out anthologies from Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. They were these neat little murder mysteries with great little O’Henry twists at the end. These inspired me to write a bunch of similar stories in a short period of time. And soul. When I wrote comedy sketches at Pollardville, I was inspired by years of classic comedy that I studied and enjoyed over the years, but for the melodramas I put together, I found inspiration from Jay Ward cartoons like Rocky & Bullwinkle and George of the Jungle. 

Do you have a favorite place to write or a favorite time of day?

I used to write anywhere and everywhere, but now I hole up  in my office at just about any time of day or night.

What made you write Red Asphalt? Were there any scenes or situations you had to leave out for any reason?

Red Asphalt was meant to exorcise a lot of demons in my life. It’s based on a period of time when I was going through very similar things as my main character, Calvin.. I had the same sort of job as a medical courier, picking and delivering bodily fluids and parts throughout Northern California. I could feel all my hopes and dreams start fading away until one day, I scared the crap out of myself. I had always had that fabled “fire in my belly”, that passion that keeps hope alive in dreamers like me. One day, a felt the fire go out. It was like someone just blew out the pilot light. I never felt so empty before…and honestly quite scared because I was trapped with no way out. The story of Red Asphalt came out of this panic because I started writing about myself, or at the least my worst case scenario. Eventually, I fictionalized it, you know like that killing part, but if I was to be completely honest I’d have to say that it’s about 60% non-fiction. Writing it really saved my soul. I believe that. As for anything I left out, they were too minimal to recall. 

What genres do you like to read in your spare time?

All kinds. I’ll look through anything and everything related to film. I’ve tried to expand my horizons over the last few years and try different things. Lately I’ve been interested a little bit more in hisorical non-fiction, especially after reading Erik Larson’s Devil in the White City. Lately though I’ve been crazy about P.G. Wodehouse, a British author who wrote these hysterical stories about upper class twits, like those featuring Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves who always saves the day like some kind of Zen master in a waistcoat. They just kill me.

Is writing your full time job, or is it just your super hero persona?

The latter, though my cape’s in the dry cleaners. I got printer ink on it.

I see you have a blog. Is there anything in particular you like to blog about?

Scott Cherney’s Etc. is about movies, TV, theater, show biz…nothing of any importance to anyone but people like me. Sometimes it actually has some substance, but I could be wrong...

Do you have any quirks or special rituals you must do before writing or when completing a story?

Music inspires me so I try to play some specific CD while I’m creating. For Red Asphalt, I played a New Agey album with rain forest sounds. I don’t know why, but it seemed to work. 

If you could be a character from any story who would it be? Why?

Bond, James Bond. I still hold onto that adolescent dream.

What are your thoughts about books that become movies? Do you prefer to read the book first or see the film?

They are two different things. A book is usually the work of one person while a film is a collaborative process which takes many. If a movie is faithful to at least the spirit of the book, then sometimes that’s the most you can hope for. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. The Lovely Bones is a better book than a film, but The Godfather was a classic film and a crappy book. I don’t read most bestsellers so I don’t read something that's going to be made into a movie usually. Depends on what I get to first. Of course, I’d love to see my own work on screen I still have that dream.

Are you currently working on anything right now?

I just finished the second edition of my first book, In the Dark: A Life and Times in a Movie Theater. I updated some key elements that began to look kind of passe’ and  I wanted release it for the first time as an e-book. It’s just been released. I also just put together a long gestating project, my very own website called Written by Scott Cherney, at you guessed it, www.scottcherney.com  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I would just like to thank Mr. Scott Cherney for taking the time to share a bit about himself today.

Scott Cherney is the Author of:

Red Asphalt,  In The Dark,  Please Hold Thumbs,  Now THAT'S Funny! & Song of The Lone Prairie or Poem on the Range.

Visit Scott Cherney @

Scott Cherney's Webpage

Scott Cherney's Blog

Author Page @ Amazon

                    

Spotlight! Jen Wylie - Author of The Forgotten Echo

Today is a very great day! Not only did I have the privilege to read The Forgotten Echo (a short story) by Jen Wylie, but I had the amazing opportunity to interview Jen as well.....

Jennifer Wylie was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. In a cosmic twist of fate she dislikes the snow and cold.

Before settling down to raise a family, she attained a BA from Queens University and worked in retail and sales.

Thanks to her mother she acquired a love of books at an early age and began writing in public school. She constantly has stories floating around in her head, and finds it amazing most people don’t. Jennifer writes various forms of fantasy, both novels and short stories. Sweet light is her debut novel to be published in 2011.

Jennifer resides in rural Ontario, Canada with her husband, two boys, Australian shepherd a flock of birds and a disagreeable amount of wildlife.

Author Interview: Jen Wylie
Fun Random Questions:

Hardcover or Paperback? 

Paperback

Bookmark or Dog ear a page? 

~gasp!~ bookmark of course!

Coffee or Tea? 

Coffee

Pepsi or Coke? 

There is a difference (ducks and runs from the fanatics)

Vanilla or Chocolate? 

Chocolate!

Favorite fictional character? 

Jack Sparrow :)

Favorite scary movie? 

I actually don't watch scary movies, they give me nightmares (seriously)

Favorite Disney Princess? 

Cinderella

Pasta or Pizza? 

Pasta

Vampire, Ghost, Witch or Werewolf? What would you be and why?

Ooh that's a hard one. If I can be an Immortal witch then I'll choose that. A ghost doesn't do much, and I don't want to be hairy. Vampire is a possibility, though I'm not sure on the blood drinking

-sleeping all day sounds good though :D

More Serious Questions:

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? 

I am a stay at home mom of two boys. We live in very rural Ontario, Canada. I hate cold and snow-fate screwed me over there! We also have a dog, and a lot of birds. :)

When did you begin writing? Who or What were your inspirations? 

I started writing in public school. My mother is an avid reader and I took after her with that, writing was just something which I seemed to have a knack for and enjoyed as well.

Do you have a favorite place to write or a favorite time of day? 

I write at my desk in 'my' room. All my craft stuff is down here too, and the fire place (so its the warmest room in the house LOL) Usually I write in the evenings after the kids go to bed.

What made you write The Forgotten Echo? 

It was just one of those stories that popped into my head, and I actually had a chance to write it down before I forgot. My brain is constantly thinking about something story related. I'm surprised it hasn't exploded yet.

What genres do you like to read in your spare time? 

Anything fantasy. Even better if it has at least a hint of romance in it too! I'll also read science fiction but that's about it.

Is writing your full time job, or is it just your super hero persona? 

Good question. Being a mom is rather full time, and I have other things I do as well. I'm rather all over the place really. I love writing very much, though edits rather give me a headache at times LOL

Do you have any quirks or special rituals you must do before writing or when completing a story?

I have a gumball addiction while writing. If i get stuck I move to chocolate, or FunDip, for some extra energy. I'm a rather happy person, so when anything good happens, I write a good scene, finish etc,  I'll do a happy dance or bounce around. :D 

If you could be a character from any of your stories who would it be? Why? 

Hmmm. I don't know that I would want to be any of my main characters. I'm not really nice to any of them. I'm rather glad we'll never meet :) As a writer I like making things difficult, throwing obstacles in their path and I don't always have a happy ending (well I usually do..sometimes..lol)

What are your thoughts about books that become movies? Do you prefer to read the book first or see the film? 

I'd rather see the movie first. If I read the book, I just spend the whole time watching grumbling about what is missing or different. LOL

Are you currently working on anything right now?

Oh yes! I have a short story series for young readers which is keeping me very busy. A new story comes out the first Tuesday of each month (for a total of 6 stories) So I am busy meeting story and editing deadlines for that. My Tales of Ever series is a lot of fun to write. It is a about a young firestarter who gets banished to a place called Ever and has to learn to control her powers, and survive. The first installment, Banished, came out March 1^st. The second will be released April 5^th.

I just want to thank Jen Wylie for stopping by and doing this awesome interview! And don't forget to check out My Review of The Forgotten Echo.

Please Visit Jen @

Jen Wylie's Website

Jen Wylie's Blog