About J.E. Michel:
J.E. Michel, a San Diego native grew up with a love for books, children, writing and animals. After working in the educational field for over a decade she left to raise her children, they have since grown up and she has now found the time to pursue her dream of reaching children worldwide with her stories.
What inspires you to write?
Since childhood I have had a deep love for writing, children and animals. I worked in the educational system for over a decade before leaving to raise my family. Once my children grew up I found myself with time to focus on my desire to reach children worldwide through my writing. I found inspiration for my "Hunny" series in my pet dog named Hunny, which my family and I adopted when she was 1. She is now about to turn 13 and I felt that this was the perfect way to honor her, the happiness and joy she's brought to our family and also a great way to have her live forever!
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
I have many author's I love to read, in many different genres. I absolutely love Dr. Seuss, Laura Sebastian, Stephanie Meyer, Paulo Coelho, Deborah Harkness, Jose Dispenza, Bruce Lipton
Tell us about your writing process.
I consider myself an "in-between" type of writer. I don't write outlines but I do take some notes, jot some ideas down and then sit at my computer, look over my notes and just start writing! I save several versions of my writing and review them all before finalizing the story. As for my characters, I work closely with my illustrator, I provide him with samples and thoughts of my ideas and what I feel each character should look like and I have to say I am blessed that he can somehow get into my tangled brain and weave through all the gibberish in there and design for me a finished product that is AMAZING!
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I definitely listen very closely to all of my characters, I want to be sure that I understand their way of thinking and how they would react to a certain situation so that I can make sure they are expressed correctly in the book.
What advice would you give other writers?
For children's book writers:
Write from your heart! Children are very open, they see things for what they truly are and are drawn to truth and honesty.
When sitting down to write make sure you're in the right mindset, get out of your adult body, take yourself back to when you were a child and remember what you loved to do, the kind of stories you like to listen to and the feelings you had when you played make-belief!
Then let your fingers move, the ideas will flow and before you know it you'll have an amazing book in front of you!
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I decided to go with a brand new publishing company, I figured that if they were willing to take a chance on a new author then why not do the same for them, take a chance on a new publishing company!
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think things are rapidly changing in this modern world we live in! I don't believe traditional publishing companies will ever go extinct but the self-publishing route is definitely holding its own and will continue to do so as the years go by. The internet has definitely provided an incredibly large platform for independent writers to promote their own work and find success even if they don't have a large publishing company backing them!
What genres do you write?: children's fiction
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
J.E. Michel Home Page Link
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
