Interview with the author of "Legacy: The Reunion" Michelle E. Lowe

Here is our interview with Michelle E. Lowe, author of "Legacy: The Reunion."

• What is your favourite genre to write? Why?
• Generally, I write fiction, and recently I’ve ventured into steampunk. It’s a fun genre to go into and it takes a lot of imagination to succeed at it, too. With fiction, a writer can play around with facts, or discard them completely and create a parallel world. The limit to what can be created is zero, and the imaginative ways to explain how made up things function takes some creative intelligence. You really work your brain coming up with how everything works and make it believable no matter how unbelievable it is!

• Do you model characters after real people?
• Mostly my characters come from my own imagination. There might be some traits of actual people in a few, but all in all, they’re compete creations of my own doing. These characters of mine usual start out as complete strangers to me, too. I’m too lazy to write out character profiles, documenting what they look like, their habits and such. I just write them. A lot of times, even with the protagonists, I have no idea who these individuals are. They’re almost like real people that you have to get to know through the course of time. The more I write about them, the more I understand the kinds of people they truly are.

•  Have you ever felt like quitting writing? If so how did you overcome those feelings?
• Every writer contemplates and/or has given up on writing for a time throughout their career. Myself included. Writers are fragile beings who rely on the approval of our readers. We’ve all gone through the phases of telling ourselves that we’re not good at this writing stuff and that we’re only kidding ourselves, especially when we get a rejection letter from a publisher or agent. For me, it wasn’t a one or two-star review, or negative criticism about any of my novels, for I have learned from them, believe it or not, and worked to improve my skills as a storyteller. No, the things that have gotten me to almost throw in the towel have been two things. One, (and it’s going to sound petty) but lack of sales. Yip. I know some will say storytelling isn’t about making money, but let’s face it, it’s THE DREAM to be paid doing what you love, right?. Making decent revenue so I can focus more on writing and actually build a career isn’t a selfish goal, and it would be fulfilling to know that my stories are something others enjoy. But now I’ve dug in my heels a bit deeper and promoting more and more, working on building a fan base, which is how success begins.
  The second reason I’ve thought about putting down the pen is the nothingness. Countless times I’ve given a copy of my book to people who promise to review it and then hear nothing back. At least with a poor review or rating, a writer at least knows what the reader thought. It’s the NOT knowing whether or not the reader likes it that kills us because we just assume they didn’t like it, but we’ll never know why. And it happens more often than not. As I mentioned before, we rely on the support of the people who read our work, so what gets me through those rough patches is a reader saying he or she actually liked my writing style and enjoyed the story. When I get a great review, it really does perk up my day because those good reviews are telling me that I might actually be doing something right with this writing thing. 
• Do you have favourite characters from your own writing? What made them so special to you?
• Yes! And one of them is Pierce Landcross. He is the protagonist of my fantasy/steampunk series, Legacy. When I decided to write this series, I wanted to not only thread together entertaining adventure stories, but I also wanted to fill them with fun and unique characters. So I came up with a lead character that’s intelligent, charming, clever, and yet a bit of hick. Readers have taken a shine to Pierce, too, which thrills me to no end.  

• What would be your advice for aspiring authors?
• I once read that you can make anything by writing. And it’s true! Writing opens up the mind, introduces new perspectives and brings people into worlds they never knew existed before. Writing is an art form that is beautiful, tragic, complex, stunning and horrifying. My best advice is to develop thick skin, learn from constructive criticism and read! Read! Read! Read! Because when a writer is reading, it’s different from non-writers. We’re not just reading, we’re studying. We’re finding out new ways to describe things, broadening our vocabulary, and learning how these other authors thread their stories together. Whatever genre you write, reading will help significantly when you put your own pen to paper.
• Is there anything you wish you knew before you became an author?
• I do wish I understood beforehand just how hard it would be. Sorry to break it to you aspiring writers. Seriously, writing is hard work and becoming a successful writer is even harder still. If anyone thinks otherwise they’re out of their minds! I was nineteen when I began this journey to be a writer and author. I even dropped out of college to pour all my time and effort into it. I’ve spent years studying how to write, went through an online workshop class, and learned from my mistakes along the way. Honestly, I can see how people turn into full-blown alcoholics trying to do this stuff and achieve at it! And after twenty years of sinking so much of myself into my passion for writing, I’m still climbing that ladder of trying to get noticed, trying to get my work and name out there above the thousands of writers just like me. It’s tough, really tough, and it can cause a mental breakdown. Even so, would I give up telling my stories? Nah!

To Learn more about author Michelle E. Lowe click here.

To purchase "Legacy: The Reunion" click here.

Extract of "The Rain Never Came" by Lachlan Walter

In a thirsty, drought-stricken Australia, the country is well and truly sunburnt. As the Eastern states are evacuated to more appealing climates, a stubborn few resist the forced removal. They hide out in small country towns – somewhere no one would ever bother looking.

Bill Cook and Tobe Cousins are united in their disregard of the law. Aussie larrikins, they pass their hot, monotonous existence drinking at the barely standing pub. 

Without the slightest warning, a raging noise blew in – a roar that tore through the night and shook the earth. The dogs out the front of the pub started howling. Conversations faltered as everyone fell quiet. The noise kept on, steadily growing louder. Tobe and I turned, scanning the sky, seeing nothing. I looked over at him – he was already running for the road, heading for the hill behind the pub.

I followed, unexpectedly clearheaded, taking everything in as if it had been laid out on display.

Everyone ran with us. Sheldon huffed and puffed, cursing his old body. Louise jogged next to me, smiled at me, rapidly overtook me. The Veidts hurried along, somehow making the process look dignified. Max and Maxine moved fast yet made it look like they were taking it easy. Cathy Ng half-limped and half-ran, clutching at her dressing gown, trying not to catch herself in it. The Kumari Kid darted back and forth, circling the crowd, urging everyone to move faster. The First Country captain led his people on, trailing well behind, watchful and wary.

We kept running. We crested the hill. We all stood in silence, raggedly trying to catch our collective breath.

The wind started, furnace-hot. Its screaming whine and the roar that tore through the sky were the only sounds in the world. From the corner of my eye I saw someone lick their finger and hold it up in the air. I heard someone else say: “It’s coming from the west, dickhead.” And then the word rain seemed to be falling from everyone’s lips.

A flash lit up the horizon, staining the sky dull-orange and crimson-red. Someone started yelling: “Light! Light! Light to the west!”

For a moment, it burned too bright, blinding me. It soon faded away, only to then happen repeatedly. I looked around; everyone seemed to have their eyes shut and their fists clenched.

The world shook again.

We waited, all eyes fixed on the horizon, everyone saying the same word over and over: Rain! Rain! Rain! But none came. After a while, people started drifting away and the only sound left was their angry mutterings and disappointed sighs. I turned my back on the horizon as well. Like everyone else, I stared at the ground as I walked. No one wanted to look anyone else in the eye.

To purchase "The Rain Never Came" click here.

To learn more about author Lachlan Walter click here.