I’m so excited to be returning to one of my favorite events this March: the Liberty States Fiction Writers Create Something Magical Conference in New Jersey. It’s a wonderful event that I enjoy each year and highly recommend attending. I am honored this year to be hosting an interview each week with the attending speakers! It begins today and will continue each week leading up to the conference. I hope you enjoy! ~Jillian
Today the Liberty States Create Something Magical Conference Speaker Interview Series continues with author Tere Michaels:
- What made you want to become a writer? How early in life did you start writing?
I was an early self-taught reader (thank you Sesame Street!) and fell headlong into a love affair with words. Around four or five, I made the connection that someone WROTE those words and my brain just went – yeah, that’s what we’re going to do. By early grade school I was making up stories then in third grade we had to write a book and illustrate it. Mine was about two bunnies saving other animals from a forest fire and boom, there you go!
And yes, I still have the book!
- Is there one piece of advice you would give an aspiring writer?
Read everything! Read outside your genre! Fiction, books about writing, memoirs, books about screenwriting. Listen to writers talking about their process. Read books about publishing. The more information you have, the more easily you can navigate both the creative and business sides of things.
- Who is on your bookshelf?
I have a very eclectic set of bookshelves! My autobuys are J.R. Ward and Rachel Caine at the moment but I read a little bit of everything including non-fiction. I love books on writing, books on creativity and inspiration, sociology, history.
- Can you tell us about one of the most memorable moments in your writing career thus far?
I’ve gotten some really incredible emails over the years that I am humbled by; after Duty & Devotion came out, I had a flood of emails around the main character’s (Evan’s) age, about their very similar experiences coming out. The internal struggles, how other people perceive you, how you perceive yourself. Like I said – humbling. And powerful. To know that your fiction can resonate with people like that.
- Tell us about your newest release/current work in progress.
My last release was a paperback version of Groomzilla, with a code called Groomzilla Goes to Vegas. It’s a rom com about a wedding planner, a reality show, a hot producer and the groomzilla of all groomzillas!
Currently I’m working on book 3 in my Vigilante series, about a dystopian NYC and the man battling corruption and drug dealers.
- Tell us a little about your workshop at the Create Something Magical Conference.
I have two workshops this year I’m very excited about. Writing Supporting Characters is an exploration of world-building, plot development and illuminating your main characters through the “village” that surrounds them. It’s one of my most requested – and favorite – workshops to give. My second is Intimacy with my friend Damon Suede. Damon and I enjoy teaching together; despite our different styles we have a similar emotional narrative to our writing.
About Tere:
Tere Michaels unofficially began her writing career at the age of four when she learned – via a Disney magazine subscription – that people got paid to write stories. It seemed the most perfect and logical job in the world and after that, her path was never in question.
Tere’s specialties are snark, angst, and happily ever afters. And not so happily ever afters that eventually work out because she is, after all, a romantic – tempered with realism. She has written fifteen books including her popular Faith, Love & Devotion series and the superhero saga The Vigilante.
She is a member of RWA and Liberty States Fiction Writers
Tere Michaels
https://twitter.com/TereMichaels
shared on all my socials!!
Love your workshops, Tere. Will definitely be attending these as well.