What
inspired you to become an author?
I have always had an overactive imagination which writing
has provided an outlet for. When I was really young, maybe eight, I used to
exchange letters each week with my oldest brother who was away at college. The
fantasy creatures we made up were mortal enemies, and battled each other in an
imaginary world we crafted together.
The first book I shared with anyone outside of friends and
family was a children’s novella originally written for a class assignment
called The Bat Boy. My teacher was very impressed and recommended that I enter
it in my school’s writing contest. I was one of five lucky students selected to
read our short stories to local grade school children. Of course at the time I
felt anything but lucky—I was so nervous reading in front of forty or so people
that I could barely keep track of what page I was on.
I have to credit my wife with starting me down the path
toward becoming a published author. Knowing I used to love to write—and having
watched me fill every available space in our house with paranormal and urban
fantasy books I consumed faster than I could purchase—she asked me one day why
I wasn’t writing novels of my own. That simple question got me writing again. I
decided to pursue a career as a professional writer almost six years ago, while
writing the first draft of what would ultimately become Dangerous Waters. The
more people I shared sample chapters with, the more encouraged I became that I
was crafting a novel with broad appeal.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I guess I fall
somewhere between the seat of your pants contingent and the micro-planners,
leaning more toward the former. When I get a new idea for a series I first kick
it around in my head for a while, thinking about where I’d take the story, what
some interesting sub plots might be, and adding some detail to the central
characters. If I find that I’m still obsessed with the idea several days later
then I know there’s enough interest on my part to warrant moving forward.
Ideas that make it
past the daydreaming stage are captured in a catch-all word document covering
everything from a skeleton plot arc to explanations of the supernatural powers
that come into play and details on the central characters. This document is
continuously updated throughout the writing process, and serves as an
invaluable reference as the cast grows and elements are further refined.
From there it’s on to
initial research, focusing on the location the book is set in and the defining
characteristics of my protagonist. Is she on the swim team? Does she write
poetry? Does she work as a barista? Are there pantheons or other mystical lore
involved? These defining elements will be referenced throughout the book, and
in order to sound at all credible I need to educate myself up front.
Once I have a good
feel for the protagonist, the defining elements of the story and the high level
plot arc, it’s time to start writing. I start each chapter by putting together
a one page bulleted summary outlining the key events that occur, the chapter’s
purpose in advancing the overall plot, and important character interactions.
This is still very high level, along the lines of knowing I want to get from
Detroit to Buffalo and stop at Niagara Falls along the way. I’ve found I write
far more impactful scenes if I let the story—how I get from Detroit to
Buffalo—come naturally, allowing my characters to take me in totally unexpected
and wonderful directions.
Do you write in different genres?
I enjoy writing in
both the Urban Fantasy and Fantasy genres. I find Urban Fantasy writing to be a
little easier. By being rooted in the “real” world, it provides the author and
reader with an established foundation to tie the magical / supernatural
elements into. If, on the other hand, your world is full of carnivorous
jasperia vines, soul stealing mist clouds and all manner of unique creatures,
you need to get the reader’s head around these elements in addition to
introducing the main plot and your central characters. On the other hand,
Fantasy writing provides a blank canvas for the author which is incredibly
endearing to me. I hold Laini Taylor (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Days of Blood
and Starlight) in high regard as a Fantasy Author and have learned a great deal
from her writing.
Do you title the book first or wait until after it’s
complete?
I come up with a
working title before I start writing but it is subject to change. Dangerous
Waters, the first book in the series, had a working title of Hidden Shadows
until I finished the first draft.
If you had to choose, which writer would you
consider a mentor?
Wow, that’s hard! It
would be a toss-up between Kelley Armstrong (Otherworld series), Richelle Mead
(Bloodlines, Vampire Academy), Laini Taylor (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Days
of Blood and Starlight), and Patrick Rothfuss (Kingkiller Chronicles). I see elements in
my own writing style that I can attribute to each of them.
What books are in your to read pile?
Both the Sea Haven and Drake Sister’s series by Christine Feehan, A Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss, Prince
Lestat by Anne Rice and The Black
Prism by Brent Weeks.
What is your current “work in progress” or upcoming projects?
I am currently working on a fantasy romance called
Kerrigan’s Race that features a female Olympic swimmer who is captured and
taken to a foreign world full of mermaids, griffins, fae, elves and other
strange creatures. I will also begin working on book three in the Sisters in Blood series soon.
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
I’d be happy too! The below excerpt from Omnipotent Blood is from one of my
favorite scenes in the book, when Brooke explores the valleys of hell for the
first time atop her sister that she’s transformed into a dragon:
“Rise, Ruby,” I commanded.
Once she’d climbed to her feet, I
dissolved her gown and motioned for her to climb up onto the altar. Having been
told what was to come next, she placed her hands and feet within easy reach of
the iron shackles, allowing me to quickly secure them. Knowing I was about to
make my now-paralyzed sister immortal filled me with such happiness I couldn’t
resist raising her veil and giving her a loving peck on the cheek.
Lilith placed her tri-bladed dagger in
the palm of my hand. The black-vial handle had Mary Antoinette Jewel written
across its face in the same stylish font and striking crimson lettering as mine
had been. I’d never heard her middle name before. While I took a moment to
focus on my target, part of me absently wondered why her parents had chosen it.
With a quick lunge, I plunged the twisted
steel deep into Ruby’s heart. She let out a faint gurgling noise before she
stopped breathing and her heart went silent. Thanks to Hanna, the jeweled
golden candle holder was already sitting next to the altar, ready and waiting
for me. I inserted the ceremonial black candle and whispered the simple
incantation I’d memorized from the grimoire I’d been given. The eerie black
flame hissed to life, rising high above the candle.
The sound of my own voice echoed through
the temple as I began to recite the first chant and dance around my sister’s
prone body. Just as with Aimie, the demonic candle spoke to my spirit, letting
me know when and where to place the wax to help dislodge her soul. My body
moved on its own accord as I wove the enchanting spell, calling to Ruby’s
spirit like a siren leading a ship toward its watery grave. I was so lost in
the ceremony by the time I’d completed the last of the chants Lilith had to
shake me just to bring me back to my own body.
“Someone’s been practicing,” she said
with a beaming smile on her face. “I could not have performed the harvesting
ceremony any better myself. Now hand me your sister’s soul so you can call
forth her ignis demon spirit.”
I eagerly did as she instructed, unsnapping
the vial from the center of the three twisted blades still buried to the hilt
inside Ruby’s chest. Rather than tucking it away to be filed in the vault as I
expected, Lilith raised the small black cylinder to her mouth. Her tongue
sharpened to a needle-like point and penetrated the seal before she tossed her
head back and began to feed. Watching her consume my sister’s soul was
surprisingly difficult for me. I knew she’d be feeding off my own soul soon
enough—if she hadn’t already—and as demons we no longer had any use for them,
anyway, but there was still a startling sense of finality to it. Slowly the
elegant red lettering began to fade, marking the end of her soul’s existence.
By the time Lilith finished feeding, her body was glowing so brightly I had to
avert my eyes to keep from being blinded.
Seeing my sister’s still form lying on
the altar made me quit wondering about what our goddess would be able to do
with her newfound power, and I was able to focus on completing Ruby’s
conversion. I carefully withdrew the dagger from her heart, breathing a huge
sigh of relief when it began to beat again.
The summoning spell for an ignis demon
was far more complex than the spell for a succubus, as it required a greater
concentration of the darkness to form such a powerful spirit. After conducting
a final practice rehearsal inside my mind, I raised my arms high above my head
and began to sing out the lengthy chant. By the time I was halfway through,
sentient black smoke-like tendrils began to seep up from the depths below and
coalesce around my sister’s body. I continued to sing as they forced their way
into her mouth and eyes and between her legs. Fearing I would get distracted, I
turned away when her body began to mutate, choosing to watch the dark tendrils
rise up from the depths of Hell instead. When the last of the smoke disappeared
behind me, a fierce roar bellowed through the temple. I turned to find myself
face to face with a seventy-foot-long dragon.
Ruby lowered her enormous head so I could
rub the scaly red skin between her nostrils. Grayish horns protruded from the
top of her skull, but the rest of her countless bony growths—including the
spikes that ran the length of her spine down to the tip of her tail—were blood
red like her body. Her striking brown eyes were the same color as when she was
in her human form, allowing me to see a bit of my sister within the beast.
Unfortunately there wasn’t room inside the temple for her to extend her
majestic wings. The confined space seemed to be upsetting her.
Feeling a little suicidal, I leaned
forward and placed a soft kiss on her snout. “You are so beautiful, Ruby. Can
you understand me?”
She nodded, inadvertently knocking me onto my
rear. I laughed as I climbed back to my feet. “Easy with the gestures there,
sis. I’d say you’re like a bull in a china shop, but you could eat a bull in
one gulp.”
She let out a little snort that I took
for her version of a laugh. When she opened her enormous mouth to reveal her
six foot fangs I couldn’t help taking a step back from her. It was like looking
down the throat of a lion, only a thousand times scarier.
I couldn’t figure out what she was trying
to tell me by holding her mouth open until Lilith spoke up. “She wants you to
climb inside, my young general. To prove you still trust her.”
The are-you-nuts, wide-eyed look I shot
back made her and Hanna both laugh. “Look at the bright side. Even if she eats
you, I’ll be able to piece your body back together once you come out the other
end. No harm done.”
“How comforting,” I growled back at her.
Being remade from a steaming pile of dragon poop. There’s an image I’d never
get out of my head. Still, if my sister wanted to eat me, she could have done
it by now.
I slowly walked forward, stepping over
the two-foot-tall teeth in her lower jaw to climb inside her mouth. When she
lifted the base of her forked black tongue toward my butt, I figured she wanted
me to sit and eased myself down onto the sandpaper-like skin. She carefully
closed her jaws until I was cocooned inside in complete darkness. Suddenly her
tongue shot forward. I let out a scream as she knocked my legs out from under
me, sending me sprawling onto my back. The sides of her tongue rolled around my
body, wrapping me up like a burrito before my sister was on the move. I could
hear stone breaking apart as she lunged forward on her powerful lizard-like
legs. Soon the ground dropped out from under us.
The thunderous flapping of her powerful
wings shook her entire body almost like the gallop of a horse. After the
initial nausea from my tilt-a-whirl ride, I began to enjoy the feeling of us
being airborne and wished I could see where we were going. “Can you fly with
your mouth open a bit without dropping me?” I yelled out, hoping she could hear
me above the noise. The scorching air I was somehow growing accustomed to came
whistling through her teeth as her mouth cracked apart just wide enough for me
to peer through.
We were flying above a vast ocean of
bright orange magma. Off in the distance I began to make out what looked like
the ruins of a sprawling coastal city. Giant granite statues of my god and his
daughter stood like sentinels on the high cliffs above the port. Skeletons of
mile-wide castles and long-abandoned arenas littered the ground we passed
above, as did the foundations of thousands of homes. Further inland, the tracks
of ground were sectioned off and plowed in neat rows. Farms had once spanned
from one horizon to the other. Now all that was left was an endless stretch of
charred, lifeless soil. It was like looking at a post-apocalyptic earth. If I
didn’t utterly despise our enemies before seeing such indisputable evidence of
the genocide they’d committed, I certainly did now. Soon the angels would pay
for what they’d done to our homeland. They’d all pay.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging
in your writing?
With Brooke being under the influence of very dark forces
for a large portion of the book (and not just in a “tranced” robot, can’t
control my body sort of way), it made it challenging to write from her very
altered and sometimes disturbing point of view while providing readers with
enough signs that there is a piece of her deep down that is still fighting to
give them hope. She goes through
hell—literally—before ultimately finding her salvation. She wrestles with her
sexuality and her faith as well, and is thrust into a leadership position she
isn’t at all prepared for, waging a demon-on-demon war (featuring dragons,
minotaurs and all kinds of other fantastic creatures) with the fate of mankind
at stake. There are so many aspects of her character that are developed in this
book. She truly is not the same person by the end.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
The best advice I
could give anyone thinking about writing a book is to not worry about getting
published up front. Let yourself enjoy the unbound creativity that comes with
crafting your very own world. Invest time up front to put together a plot arc
and a rough story outline. Think about each of your main characters. What’s
different about them? How do they dress, talk, act? What role do they play in
the central plot arc? What challenges will they face? What are their personal
shortcomings? What mistakes will they make along the way? The better you
understand your characters, and the more clearly you can define your storyline,
the easier the entire process will be. Above all else, commit to finishing what
you start and making time to write each day.
Do you have a song or playlist (book soundtrack) that
you think represents this book?
Of course J Music plays a key
role in getting me in the right frame of mind to write. The playlist for
Omnipotent Blood included all of the below, but by my “go to” song was Dressed
in Black by Sia.
- Radioactive Imagine
Dragons
- Yellow Flicker Beat Lorde
- Chandelier Sia
- Run Boy Run Woodkid
- Sail Awolnation
- Animals Martin Garrix
- My songs know what
you did in the dark Fall
Out Boy
- Dead in the Water Ellie
Goulding
- Dressed in Black Sia
- Elastic Heart Sia
- Fancy Iggy
Azalea
- Good for You Selena
Gomez
- Dark Horse Katy Perry
If you could have one paranormal ability, what would
it be?
Immortality, if for no
other reason than to satisfy my curiosity. I’d love to be able to sit back and
watch the world evolve over tens of thousands of years, bearing witness to all
that is to come.
If you could keep a mythical/ paranormal creature as
a pet, what would you have?
I’d love to be married
to a werewolf and have her turn me so we could run through the woods together,
frolicking in our canine forms J
Sisters in Blood
Book Two
CM Michaels
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Freya’s Bower
Date of Publication: October 6, 2015
ISBN: 978-1617981654
ASIN: B015S1FTPG
Number of pages: 294
Word Count: 117,529
Cover Artist: LLPix Design
Book Description:
Having survived the attack inside the Natick Mall, Brooke dreads the thought of spending decades in exile while she waits for the media firestorm from the superhuman brawl to run its course. But soon after fleeing Boston, she discovers the battle caught the eye of forces far more lethal than humans. Captured by the dark Goddess Lilith, Brooke has her soul stripped away, becoming a greater demon tasked with leading Hell's forces to war.
But not even Lilith could have anticipated the powerful bond Brooke has formed with her family. Or the unlikely alliances they'd forge in an attempt to save her. Her love for Sienna and her sisters prevents her from fully embracing the darkness, but the demon spirit inside her is claiming more control of her mind with each passing day.
C.M Michaels grew up in a small town in northern Michigan as the youngest child of a close-knit family of seven. He met his wife, Teresa, while attending Saginaw Valley State University. Together they’ve provided a loving home for several four-legged “kids”, including Sophie, their eternally young at heart, hopelessly spoiled Spaniel.
He has always enjoyed writing, and still has fond memories of reading his first book, a children’s novella, to local grade schools when he was 14. C.M. is currently working on the third book in the Sisters in Blood series along with a Fantasy romance called Kerrigan’s Race.
An avid reader since discovering Jim Kjelgaard novels in early childhood, his favorite authors include Kelley Armstrong, Peter V. Brett, Richelle Mead, Rachel Caine and Laini Taylor. When he’s not writing, C.M. can be found curled up with a good book, watching movies or hitting the hiking trails with his wife.
C.M. currently resides in Louisville, Kentucky.
Website: http://cmmichaels.com/
1 comments:
Thank you so much for hosting me today and giving me the opportunity to tell your wonderful readers about my new release, Omnipotent Blood :)
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