Tuesday Talk with Michele James

Welcome back, Michele! Since Michele has appeared on a Tuesday Talk, she has added two more delightful stories to her Foretold Series. Her books are always a wonderful read and I am thrilled she is joining us again. So here’s Michele in her own words.

What made you sit down and write your first novel? Have you always been a writer? Is it
something you’ve done all your life?
I’ve always been a reader of all genres, but especially romance. I’ve been a writer since I
was young, corresponding with handwritten letters with my grandmother who lived in
Nebraska. I started writing poetry in Junior High school, and won a few poetry contests in
High school. I was also editor of the school newspaper. Then college and raising a family
took over and I didn’t get back into writing until my children were in high school. I started
writing Warrior Mine, the first book I wrote and the fifth to be published, because I read the
Song Of Roland, an epic Frankish poem about the massacre of Roncesvalles. A warrior
character, Talon, formed in my mind, and then a healer, Lara, came to me, and I needed to
write their story.

Why do you write romance novels? Do you read them as well as write them?
I write romance novels because telling a love story is where my brain goes. And I write
historical romance because I love imaging how it would feel to live in another time and
place. I write ancient world and medieval romances because those times in history
fascinate me. And I love learning and writing about the medicines of the times, the
herbal lore. Plus, who doesn’t love a warrior hero?

Where do you get your characters? Are they purely figments of your imagination, or are
they based on real individuals?

My characters are purely figments of my imagination, though as they form in my mind, I
often base their physical characteristics on real people, or more correctly, an amalgam
of real people.

What is your writing process? Are you a ‘plotter’ or a ‘pantser’?
I’m a combination. I start with my characters, and I know where and how they meet,
their main conflict, and where I want them to end up, along with one or two of the main
plot points. Then I pantser write my way into and through their story.

How do you go about researching your work?
Online, in libraries, watching movies. I’m a history nerd, and historical research is one of
my favorite rabbit holes to fall into, even if only a fraction of what I learn makes it into
my books. I tend to do the bulk of my research before I start writing a book, as the
characters and stories percolate in my mind, to put myself and them into their time
frames, then I’ll do it piecemeal as I need to answer particular questions.

7. What do you do when you’re not writing?
I’m a retired veterinary technician, and I’ll still raise a litter of bottle baby kittens or
rehab a raptor when they come my way. I live in a beach town in Southern California,
and love to walk on the beach, especially in winter, or in the local estuary with my dogs.
I garden and cook and practice yoga, though not as regularly as I’d like, lately. And of
course I read, books, magazines, cereal boxes, and watch movies. And while my knees
will no longer allow me to play soccer, I cheer my grandson on at his games.

Do you do any other kind of writing besides romance?
I still have a friend who lives in the Pacific northwest who she and I have been pen pals
for the past forty years. Old fashioned, snail mail letters.

If you could give one piece of advice to a beginning writer, what would it be?
Read as much as you can in your genre. Write as much and as regularly as you can until
it becomes a habit. Having a writing routine keeps the story in your mind and helps keep
you from losing the threads you’re weaving , the “feel” and details of the book. And
learn to respect “the mull” If you’re having trouble with a scene, a character, etc, take a

walk, putter in your garden, read a book, while mulling the issue over. Nine out of ten
times, the answer will come to you.