Our interview today is with author Michelle Scott (see all her books) as she discusses her book Straight to Hell. One reviewer describes Straight to Hell as “a bit of chic-lit, a bit paranormal, and a whole lot of heart”. Before we get to the interview, here is a brief description of her book: The moment Lilith Straight dies, the Devil appears to claim her soul and cash in on a longtime family curse. Now, Lilith has no choice but to work for him. The job is bad, the boss is worse, and she can’t imagine how she’ll explain her new reincarnation to her eight-year-old daughter. But then an arrogant, yet oh so yummy, incubus shows up…and hell heats up just a little more.
Interview with Michelle Scott:
1. How do characters change or evolve throughout the course of the story? What events trigger such changes?
The heroine, Lilith Straight, is a single mom who’s struggling to care for her eight-year-old daughter and her wayward eleven-year-old niece. At the start of the story, Lilith is hit by a car and sent to hell where she discovers that her great-great-great-great-great grandmother made a deal with the Devil in order to escape being hanged as a witch. As a result, Lilith must now serve the Devil as a temptress (which, in most cases, means getting a human to do something that the Devil wants him or her to do). Life as a single mom is hard enough without having this added to the mix! Throughout the story, Lilith struggles with the problem of teaching her girls to do what’s right while she herself keeps doing wrong. What she comes to realize is that her family comes first. Always. And she’ll do everything in her power to keep them safe.
I certainly hope so! I think that there is a lot of gray area in life, and all of us are forced to make tough decisions. Well, maybe not the kinds of decisions that Lilith is forced to make, but still, we’ve all had some hard choices. I feel strongly that although we need to be self-reliant we would be nothing without the support of our friends and family.
3. Did certain parts of the book make you uncomfortable? If so, why did you feel that way? Did this lead to a new understanding or awareness of some aspect of your life you might not have thought about before?
I’ve gotten some feedback from readers saying that they squirmed in a few places while reading the book because Lilith is forced to make some very hard decisions, and some of her choices are not always the best ones. Even though she has good heart and always wants to do what’s right, it isn’t always possible for her to do that. What I’ve wondered about over and over again is whether or not I would do the same things she did if I was in her position. I’m not sure that I could do anything differently. I can only hope that my own ancestor did not make the deal with the Devil like Lilith’s did!
4. What is your method for writing a book? A certain amount of hours every day? A certain routine? Are you character/story builder or an outliner or some other method?
I write every morning as soon as the kids leave for school. I try not to be obsessive about how many words I put on a page; however, I aim for a few thousand at least. I don’t outline, but I do take a lot of notes so that, later on, I won’t forget what I had in mind for a certain character or scene. I love my characters, and I tend to focus on them more than anything else. I pretty much put everyone into the story and then step back and see how they react.
Visit her website: www.mscottfiction.com
Follow Michelle on Twitter: @mscottwriter
Michelle Scott’s bio: Michelle Scott received her MFA from Wayne State University. Her stories have appeared in such places as Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, All Possible Worlds and Realms. Her fantasy novel, The Dragons of Hazlett was nominated for a 2009 EPPIE Award. Michelle’s YA novels include the vampire romance, Blood Sisters, and the fantasy Uncommon Magic. Her latest fantasy novel, An Anthem for the Battle Lands, was recently released from Mundania Press, LLC. Michelle lives in southeast Michigan with her husband and three children.
No comments:
Post a Comment