Michaela Miles Day 2

Interview with Michaela Miles

First why don't you tell us a little about yourself?
By day I'm a mild-mannered copywriter and web designer, but by night I'm consumed by the
characters in my head and write to set them free.
In my spare time, I'm primary carer and chief wrangler for a husband and three children, the big
boss at my web design company and photography studio, and am completing a Bachelor of English
Literature.

Newest release?
My latest publication is a short story called Keep Calm and Eat Chocolate (in the Love Least Expected Anthology). It was inspired by the fans I had already collected - they used to ask where they could buy the "book" named in my profile image, so I decided to write a story around the title!

What can we expect from your stories, action, drama, romance, sex, blood and guts?
In this story, there is mainly romance (as it's a romance anthology!), but in my planned releases for
2015 there will be a little drama, and little sex, and maybe a crime or two!

Do you have a favorite character in your stories? Who? and Why?
That's a really tough question - it's like asking someone to choose a favourite child! Having said that,
there's a character in a massive trilogy that I'm currently reworking who I'd have to say is very close
to my heart. But you'll have to wait a while to meet her. I have other projects to finish first :-)

What authors, or books have influenced you?
As a prolific reader in my school years, this is a hard list to narrow down. The first would be Bryce
Courtenay. His books surround you and immerse you in another time and place right from the first
page. The second would be Anne McCaffrey. I've read countless science fiction/fantasy books, but
for some reason Killashandra's stories stayed with me. And the third is a bit of a nod to the geeky
Browncoat side of me - Richard Castle. Not only do I love reading the books, but I love the meta-ness
of it all. A TV show about a bestselling author which spawns the exact same series of books that he's
written in the show to be sold in the real world. What's not to love about that?

What can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful?
If readers really love any book, it's greatly appreciated and immensely helpful to write a review. It
could be an essay or just a few lines, but letting people know what you think about a book (good or
not so good), not only helps the author, but helps other people decide if they would like to read that
book too. You can also share a link, recommend the book to a friend, or come and connect with the
author on social media, or in person at author events.

Do you have any tips for readers or advice for other writers trying to get published?
My main piece of advice for aspiring authors is to just keep writing. You can’t begin to edit, or share
your work with anyone if you haven’t written “the end”. Keep writing, reading, and learning from
other authors. A lot of successful authors write about writing, so take it all on board, but remember
that the only one who can tell your story is you. Don’t get too lost in the technical side of writing and
all the rules (that’s what beta readers and editors are for). Just write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
This is a tough question. I have different favourite pieces of advice for different situations. If I have
to choose one, it would be, "Things are only impossible until they're not." - Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

What are you reading now?
I always have several books on the go at the same time. Currently I'm reading Bryce Courtenay's Jack of Diamonds, Bonkers by Jennifer Saunders, another DCI Jones Casebook by Kerry J Donovan, books by my fellow anthology authors, and several beta reading projects.

Where do you gather most of the inspiration for your work?
I'd have to say my dreams. Usually a new story starts with a character who comes to me in a dream
and bugs me until I write about them. But how that character is formed comes from at lot of
different places - news stories, snippets of conversations, people watching, all those everyday things
are absorbed and every few days, my dreams blend them all together and spit out a new character
and a new story idea.

Favorite places to travel or visit?
Unfortunately I'm very poorly travelled - it's near the top of my to-do list though, and I have a long
list of places I want to visit.

And now, before you go, how about a snippet from your book that is meant to intrigue and tantalize
us:( Include links to where we can find your work)
Excerpt from Keep Calm and Eat Chocolate:
Keep calm and eat chocolate.
 It used to be my favourite motto, and the slogan of our family empire—an empire I was next in
line to control until certain family members staged a coup. Now they’re sitting pretty in my house
and my company. They spend my money and live it up, while I holiday in this amazing white palace
where the lights never go out, and padded rooms is an exaggeration.
 I know everyone in here says this, but I’m not crazy.
 My family, if you could call them that, spent a long time trying to make it look like I am. It worked,
or I wouldn’t have questioned myself and sought counselling, and they wouldn’t have put me in this
place. I read the regulations once a few months ago: involuntary commitment order under section
something of the blah-blah act of some year that’s not as archaic as I imagined.
 Translation: bullshit.
 How can it be legal to institutional someone for refusing medical treatment for a mental illness
they don’t bloody well have?
At least the place reflect the current century. State of the art facilities, comfortable rooms, decent
food, and the ability to purchase luxuries if you have the means. Actual money isn’t allowed, of
course. If you follow the logic that I’m crazy, then a credit card is a lethal weapon. Everything must
been done by fingerprint: access to rooms, our private locker, meds, the lot.
 My day consists of set meal times, menus, exercise, recreation, activity times, therapy sessions,
and medications. Not much of a change to my real life actually. Gym session, breakfast with my PA
to review my calendar, meetings, correspondence, more meetings, often a function for dinner with a
nice piece of man-candy on my arm, a run or a swim, sleep. Repeat.
Now, though, I don’t have a choice to blow off a meeting or grab a takeaway on my way home from
a late night event.
 The only upside to the place I now call home is the gardens. Not only do they obscure the fences,
giving an illusion of freedom, but they are quiet and usually unoccupied. Most of the other residents
have unnatural phobias involving open spaces, insects, or plants. In Henry’s case it’s the colour
green. So I often have an hour or more to myself to focus on taking my real life back.
I’ve considered everything. I could jump the fence, drug the night staff, cause a riot, start a fire, even
hire a helicopter to fly in and pick me up. Anything except participate in the program. I won’t admit
to being crazy, and prove the bastards who put me here right.
 That’s never going to happen.
 Instead, I watch and listen. The staff assumes the residents either can’t understand or don’t care,
so they talk freely. I know who has money problems, husbands with a bit on the side, naggy ex-
wives, and the ones I could bribe to get out— if I had access to my damn money.
 Arseholes. I still can’t believe the people I trusted had me snatched up in the middle of night and
committed to this psychiatric facility, especially when they've seen what a vindictive bitch I can be. I
bet they think I’m a problem solved. I also bet they haven’t planned on my use of the phone here to
retain a new lawyer.
 It’s the only task I’ve spent my time on; the only one I’ve thought about.
 Until the day Christopher Tailor arrived.


You can buy the anthology from any of the following retailers:
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00PMOM9NA
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-least-expected-meredith-bond/1120790265?
ean=2940046296808
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/love-least-expected
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/love-least-expected/id942101190?mt=11&uo=4
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Meredith_Bond_Love_Least_Expected?
id=CT9pBQAAQBAJ&hl=en
All Romance Books: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-loveleastexpected-1681062-
166.html

And you can connect with me pretty much anywhere!
http://www.michaelamiles.com
http://www.facebook.com/michaela.miles.author
http://www.twitter.com/_MichaelaMiles
https://plus.google.com/+MichaelamilesAuthorMM/posts
http://www.goodreads.com/michaela_miles
http://www.pinterest.com/michaelamilesau
http://www.au.linkedin.com/in/michaelamilesauthor
http://www.amazon.com/author/michaelamiles