Michelle’s Comments (group member since Oct 12, 2010)

Michelle’s comments from the Q&A with Erick Setiawan group.

Erick wrote: "Thank you, Michelle. That's so generous of you to even mention McMurtry!

Ack! I apologize for my remark. I had meant that I wouldn't compare the style of your writing with McMurtry's. However, in terms of character development, I believe the caliber is on the same plane. And I do love well-developed characters, just like everybody else.

What, for you, makes the perfect conditions to write? How long did it take to write the first draft of OF BEES AND MIST? It seems like it would be easy to get caught up in the revision process, to the point where a story ends up far from how it began. How did you know that you could put the manuscript down and let the chips fall where they may?

Congratulations on an impressive debut! I'm reading OF BEES AND MIST for a book club I recently joined.

I'm not crazy enough to compare your work to Larry McMurtry, but one thing you both have in common is a shared empathy toward your characters that results in a pretty vivid story. Would you mind sharing some of your background and telling us how it contributes to your writing? Who are the greatest influences for Meridia's character?