Author Interview–> Michelle Bellon ~Author in the Spotlight
Today I am so happy to have with me Michelle Bellon, the author of Rogue Alliance
Pacific Northwest with her husband and their four children. She loves coffee
and has an addiction to chapstick.
a registered nurse and in her spare time writes novels. She writes in the
genres of romance suspense, young adult, women’s fiction, and literary fiction.
She has won three literary awards.
sentence, what is your book, Rogue Alliance, about?
sides of the law, Shyla and Brennan learn each other’s secrets…that changes
everything.
it come out? Who is the Publisher? Any notable awards or praise for it?
came out last December, published by Pandamoon Publishing. It won a literaryaward from the Wise Bear Book Awards in the suspense category.
Q3. Whatinspired you to write this book?
The idea for this book came to me while I was driving. I tend to think a lot while in the car (I’m a good driver, I swear!) I was thinking over the vampire phenomenon and then suddenly this scene came to me. In that one scene I got a strong sense of the two main characters and what their struggles were, both with themselves and with one another. It was a very intense scene and I desperately wanted to write a story around it but at first I was very hesitant because I wasn’t inclined to write another vampire book. It’s been done. But, as most writers understand, the story was itching to be told so I asked myself how I could write a vampire type of story in a way that has never been done before.
I feel like I achieved that with this book. To quote my last review, “Bellon reinvents the idea of the modern vampire…fantastic novel worth every minute.”
you get your first break as an author?
began writing my first novel. I shocked myself when I actually finished it six
months later. Little did I know, that my work had barely begun. That book went
through about five rewrites and multiple edits, but still, I was proud to have
made it that far. As I started querying agents and receiving rejections I also
started writing another book. During that emotional and draining process, I
also submitted my book to a few small presses. Two offered to publish it and so
I made the decision to sign with a small press in London, of all places. It was
a great experience.
Q5. What has been the biggest surprise or learning experience you’ve seen through the process of seeing your book(s) get published?
Q6. Tell me about a fun moment or proud experience you’ve had with your book and readers since the book got published.
book has come out I’ve been floored by the overwhelming response from readers.
The book has not had a ton of marketing so has not had high exposure but even
so, every single review I’ve had has been so incredible. The feedback has been
everything that I’d hoped it would be and more. Readers love Brennan and Shyla
and are waiting for book 2.
fabulous to receive a great review from Kirkus. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/michelle-bellon/rogue-alliance/
you doing to reach out to readers and book enthusiasts?
I do everything that I possibly can. One thing I’ve learned is that what may work for one author may not work for another, especially from one genre to the next. I work as a registered nurse for my day job so I don’t have as much time to dedicate to marketing as I’d like but I grasp any opportunity that I can and I’m always looking for new venues. I do a lot of interviews, guest posts, and blogtalkradio, as well as participating in giveaways.
Right now, I’m preparing to launch my next book, JADED.
the one thing that you hope readers take away after reading your book?
to walk away from this book feeling as if they truly just read something
completely new and gripping. I want them to think about the characters long
after they’ve laid the book down.
Q9. If someonewere to tell you one thing before you started writing, what do you wish it had
been?
I wish I had known more about the marketing aspect. I’ve had to learn the hard way what it takes to get your book in the hands of readers and I always advise aspiring authors to do their homework on what it will take to market their work. Writing the book is one thing. Marketing it is a whole other beast.
your overall impression of the writing industry? Any advice you would like to
give to the aspiring authors?
want. Never. Give. Up.
the ten things people don’t know about you?
Q12. What’s next up for you, writing-wise?My next book,
JADED, releases July 21st July 2014!
Thanks for taking time out to talk to me, Michelle. I loved and enjoyed getting to know you and am sure readers of this blog will do too. 🙂
Njkinny’s World of Books & Stuff wishes you the very best in all your future endeavors and I hope to read lots more from you.
Connect with Michelle here:
About the Book, Rogue Alliance:Series: The Rogue Saga #1
Print Length: 290 Pages
Publication Date: December 2013
Genre: Romantic Suspense, Thriller, Mystery, Sci
Blurb:
While still a child in Redding, California, Shyla Ericson killed her father to end years of abuse. She’d left town shortly thereafter, changed her name, and started a new life, eventually becoming a highly decorated DEA agent.
But some history doesn’t stay buried.
When Shyla goes undercover to bring down drug kingpin Victor Champlain, the case takes her back to a town that hasn’t forgotten her, and to a past she thought she’d left behind.
Then, she meets Brennan Miles, a genetically altered kidnap victim, who has been turned into a weaponized super-human. Victor helped Brennan escape from a hidden genetics research facility known only as The Institute, where he’d been held and experimented on for years. In return for his freedom, Brennan now works for Victor as his bodyguard.
Shyla is drawn to Brennan’s strength, and to his humanity. Even after she discovers his secret — he must have human blood to survive. Shyla knows she can’t take down Champlain by going through Brennan — he’s too strong — and he’s loyal to Victor.
Excerpt:
He faded in and out of consciousness. Sound, light, and
movement all blended together. Coherent thought was impossible; fragments of
ideas filtered in, then slipped through the sieve of his mind. He was weak,
dehydrated, and starving.
name. Brennan Miles. He had given the name to himself. It was simple, strong,
and normal; qualities that he longed for. He no longer remembered his real
name, just as he no longer remembered anything before he’d arrived at the
institute.
build, and thought he looked plenty strong. He could see it in the way they
looked at him with a mix of awe and fear. But he wasn’t strong in the way that
he wanted to be. Now he wasn’t even physically strong. They’d kept his food and
supplements from him for over seventy-six hours—the longest period to date.
Water was the only offering and even that had been the bare minimum. They
wanted to see how long he could go and how powerful his need would be when
triggered.
drive him to do. All those other times, though, he had been in prime
condition—healthy and agile. In his current state, he doubted he would be able
to lift his head, much less give in to the power of his unnatural instinct. The
doctor would be disappointed.
Brennan heard the swish of the door open and
close. His acute sense of smell recognized the scent of Doctor Shinto and that
of a stranger. Repulsion and hate flowed through his veins. The voices of his
visitors drifted in and out. They spoke about him as if he wasn’t even there.
He was just an object, an experiment. He wanted to lash out and crush the
doctor. He wanted to give in to his need here and now, but with his ankles shackled
and his wrists bound he could do no such thing.
| Kindle Ebook
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