Hello! Today I have an interview with Michelle Murray! I’m so excited to have her here today. Michelle is the author of The Dream Walker Series and a poetry book titled, “Rainbows And Dreams.” Welcome Michelle!

 

Carrigan: What is it about writing that you love?

Michelle: I love the creativity, being able to create something out of an idea in my head. I love being able to shape words into ideas and pictures. I love being able to take ideas from my imagination and giving them tangible format in print. I love being able to connect with people through my writing. I love being able to express myself without judgement, without comment. The paper does not judge. It is always my faithful friend. It is always there, just waiting.

Carrigan: Love it! Why do you write for young adults?

Michelle: I write for young adults because I have always had a passion for children. I have volunteered in schools, and tutored children in high school and college. Their young and curious minds are a delight. I decided to combine my two passions, writing, and children. I wrote a fantasy series that is fairy tale inspired, without any of the adult themes a lot of books seem to have these days.

Carrigan: That does seem to be a trend. What is your favorite quote?

Michelle: My favorite quote, if I had to choose, would be “There’s Always a Rainbow Behind the Rain.”It helps me to remember even when I have a bad day, or things are not going my way, to look for the light, and keep hope in my sights.

Carrigan: That’s beautiful! How many books have you published?

Michelle: I have three in my Dream Walker Series, Dream Walker, Land of Mystica Series Volume One, Dream Walker Returns, Land of Mystica Series Volume Two, and Dream Walker’s Destiny Land of Mystica Series Volume Three. I also have a poetry book out called Rainbows and Dreams.

Carrigan: How do you come up with your characters?

Michelle: I am inspired to create my characters from my own family, people I know, books I’ve read, fairy tales, and just plain imagination. The wizards in my Dream Walker Series came from their names. Each of their characteristics and magic abilities were based on the names I created for them. Miranda, my main character, was created a lot from myself and as the story came along, what I imagined her to be like.

Carrigan: I think a lot of us base some characters from ourselves. What do you like to read?

Michelle: I like to read the classics, fantasy, and mystery. I am quite an ecliptic reader, and will read anything that’s a good story, or strikes my fancy at the time. About the only books I really don’t enjoy are romances and erotica.  For a while, I was getting tired of vampire books as well.

Carrigan:  They are everywhere! What inspired you to be a writer?

Michelle: I’ve always enjoyed writing. In high school and college, several of my poems and short stories were published in anthologies. I was even featured in Who’s Who Among American Poets! When I had my children, I put my writing aside to concentrate on them. Now that my children are older, I decided to pursue this passion of mine once again.

Carrigan: What is your favorite young adult book and why?

Michelle: I love the Tigers Curse trilogy! It has a combination of magic, tigers, history, romance, and parts of it are set in India! What’s not to love? I highly recommend this series!

Carrigan: I’ve not heard of that one. I’ll check it out now! How did you come up with your ideas?

Michelle: Dream Walker was an idea that came based on mists and dreams. I’ve always been fascinated by both. My poetry comes to me from a number of sources. I get a lot of inspiration from nature. I enjoy spending time outside. I also get ideas from songs I’ve heard, phrases I’ve heard or read, or pictures I saw. It could just be about anything!

Carrigan: Are you self-published? How did you decide to become self published?

Michelle: Yes, as of right now, I am self-published. I knew Dream Walker was special when I was writing it, and I really wanted to share it with as many people as possible. Little did I know how much work self-publishing was! Yet, I don’t regret following my dream and publishing Dream Walker.

Carrigan: That’s awesome! Do you have any pets?

Michelle: Currently, we do not have any pets.

Carrigan: What music do you listen to while writing?

Michelle: Typically, I do not listen to music when writing. Though my son has got me into Korean pop. I don’t understand the lyrics, but it has a good beat!

Carrigan: Haha. Was there a moment in your career that you knew this was what you wanted to do all along?

Michelle: The two moments that validated my pursuing my writing was when one of my poems was featured in Who’s Who Among American Poets, and when I won the monster story approved award for Dream Walker. The Monster Story Approved Award is voted on by children in the age group the book was written for. I was so glad the audience I wrote the book for enjoyed it and voted for it to win this award!

Carrigan: Do you like cheese? What is your favorite kind?

Michelle: I like cheese. I like just the regular plain boring American kind.

Carrigan: What’s one fact about yourself that is unique?

Michelle: I guess I would have to say that when I was younger I liked to do adventurous things.  I would go rock climbing, jump off barns, and swim in Lake Michigan with no life jacket. I was always looking for adventure and stories. Now, I make up the stories!

Carrigan: Do you go out of your way to kill bugs? Which ones make you screech and hide?

Michelle: I do not go out of my way to kills bugs, but if I see one, I will kill it. I do not like creepy, crawly things. Though none of them make me screech and hide.

Carrigan: Haha, lucky! Do you have any strange writing habits?

Michelle: I don’t really know if it’s strange, but I write everything by hand. Pen and paper are still my preferred method of penning my tales.

Carrigan: Oh me too! I always start out handwriting, then I type it up. Which book do you wish you had written?

Michelle: I love the classics, so if I had to choose, I would have to go with one of them. Chronicles of Narnia or Alice in Wonderland would be great tales to pen my name to!

Carrigan: If you had a superpower, what would it be?

Michelle: To help my son pass algebra! Seriously, I don’t know if I would want a super power.  It’s a lot of responsibility to use correctly. The temptation would be there to use it for the wrong reasons, especially if someone was messing with my children!

Carrigan: Have you ever gotten in trouble with the police?

Michelle: No, I have never gotten in trouble with the police. I lead a pretty boring normal life.

Carrigan: What’s the biggest lie you ever told?

Michelle: When I was in college, I snuck out and went to visit some friends in the dorms at their college. I told my parents I was spending the night at a friend’s house. I was really in a college dorm with a bunch of friends including boys! I felt so guilty about it, I ended up confessing at a later time!

Carrigan: What are you working on now? Any future releases?

Michelle: I am working on the fourth book in my Dream Walker Series, The Dream Walkers Fight, land of Mystica Series Volume Four and a prequel called Lightning’s Journey about the wizard Lightning before he was turned into stone. I hope to have Dream Walkers Fight done by the end of the year.

Awesome! Thank you so much for taking the time today! I look forward to reading your books and I’m so grateful to have gotten to know you!

Check out Michelle’s books here:

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