See How She Runs by Michelle Graves-Interview, Blog Tour and Giveaway

See How She Runs
The Chronicles of Izzy #1
by Michelle Graves
Release Date: July 2013

TRC: Hi Michelle and welcome to The Reading Café.

Michelle: Thanks for having me.

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TRC: We would like to start with some background information, please tell us something about yourself?

Michelle: I love to travel. I have spent most of my life moving from place to place. First as the daughter of an Army man, and now as the wife of one. I get restless if I am in one place for too long. With that said, I am a southern girl through and through. I love the heat of the south. I desperately miss it when I am not there. There is just something about the south that soothes my soul. Maybe it is the southern hospitality, or the fried food, maybe even the weather. Who knows? Whatever the reason, that is where I feel most at home.

As to the rest of my life, well I am married to the most amazing man that ever lived and we have a gorgeous daughter we call Squish. They are my reason for breathing. Without my husband’s support, I never would have published my first book. I think he may be my biggest cheerleaders. (Or maybe he is just hoping I get uber famous and he can retire).

TRC: SEE HOW SHE RUNS is your July 2013 release. Would you please tell us something about the premise?

Click HERE for our review of SEE HOW SHE RUNS

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Michelle: It is about a girl named Izzy whose life completely changed with one delivery. Up until that point, she thought she was an absolutely normal girl. Through a series of twists and turns, she finds out nothing she believed was really true. She is actually a Seer, a person meant to protect the world from events that aren’t meant to be. Her best friend isn’t who she thought he was. Heck, even her family history isn’t what she remembers it to be. Then, throw on top of all of that, a Corporation is after her. They want to use her abilities in twisted ways so that they can gain profits off of disasters.

TRC: How many books do you have planned for the series?

Michelle: As of right now, there will definitely be four. Izzy lets me know how much she has planned when I sit down to write. I never intended for this to be a series initially, but she had other plans. I can’t definitively say how many there will be in the end. For now, all I can safely say is that I will write until Izzy no longer has a story to tell.

TRC: What or who was the inspiration behind the story?

Michelle: This sounds a bit cheesy, but really it all started based on my relationship with my husband. Izzy and Kennan’s relationship mirrors ours in a lot of ways. Heck, those characters mirror our personalities in a lot of ways as well. The rest of the story, well I wanted something different. I am really interested in Druids and ancient magic. This series draws a lot of its world-building from there.

TRC: If you could virtually cast the leading characters of SEE HOW SHE RUNS, which models or actor would best fit your ideal image?

Michelle: I have a whole board dedicated to them on Pinterest. Unfortunately, I don’t know their names. I just know their faces.

TRC: What difficulties or challenges did you face on the road to publication?

Michelle: I was really blessed to have all of the pieces fall into place relatively easily. I knew going in that I wanted to go the self-publication route. I like having the final say on what my end product is. It is entirely up to me whether it fails or succeeds, which is scary and exhilarating. I have to admit, I spent a lot of hours picking the brains of fellow indie authors. They provided me with a ton of helpful information that made the process simple and easy.

TRC: How do you keep the plot unpredictable without sacrificing content and believability?

Michelle: I always try to give my stories a concrete sense of realism. I want the route of the problems to be based on real human emotions. Whether it be greed, betrayal, or love, I want them to be relatable. I am often surprised by the turns my stories take. I don’t ever sit down and map out the intricate details of the story. I suppose I am what most people consider a pantser. I just sit down and write.

TRC: Are you a plotter or a panster (write by the ‘seat of your pants’)?

Michelle: Ha ha. I am a Pantser. All the way. I only plot out the main story arc. The overall problem in the story is the only thing I know going in. The small issues that come my character’s way are never planned out. The twists and turns, the betrayals, the big reveals are often unexpected. Even to me!

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writers fail in this endeavor?

Michelle: For myself, I feel the emotions of my characters. I experience their highs and lows right along with them. I think that being an emotional person myself really helps me with this. I want the readers to be able to experience the genuine emotions of my characters. Whether it be triumph or failure. I try to never overwrite emotions or overplay them. I want them to be as realistic as possible.

I don’t want to speak for other writers failing in the endeavor, rather I will say that emotions are more genuine when they are relatable. If it is a reaction that a normal person would have, it is easier to understand.

TRC: Do you direct the characters or do the characters direct the storyline as you write?

Michelle: Oh, the characters totally direct the storyline. I am just their mouthpiece. There are things happening in the story that I never would have put them through. I have said numerous times that I feel like I am possessed by Izzy when I start writing her story. My characters have things to say and aren’t shy about it.

TRC: If you could select one reality TV show to be a contestant, which show would your chose and why?

Michelle: Face Off. I would go home on the first day, but I think that show is just amazing. The amount of talent and creativity bottled up in each one of those contestants is unreal.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Michelle: I am editing See How She Fights right now before shipping it off to my editor. Then I will start on See How She Falls.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Michelle: Hmmm, just that I love interacting with my readers. Getting messages from people telling me how much they enjoyed my book means the world to me. I love being able to chat with people and find out what they liked or didn’t like about my book.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food
Pizza

Favorite Dessert
Chocolate

Favorite TV Show
Doctor Who

Last Movie you saw
City of Bones

Dark or Milk Chocolate
Milk Chocolate

Favorite Flower
Mums

Last Vacation Destination
Olympic Peninsula

Secret Celebrity Crush
Brian Williams the news anchor

Pet Peeve
Bullying. I will never understand why people want to hurt others. I would rather spend my life building other people up. I hope that the footprint I leave on this world is a positive one.

TRC: Thank you Michelle for taking the time to answer our questions. We wish you all the best.

Michelle: Thank you so much for having me! I really appreciate it.

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See How She Runs
The Chronicles of Izzy #1
by Michelle Graves
Release Date: July 2013

.99cent ebook special: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble /

One delivery changed her whole life.

Izzy was a normal girl living in Chicago as a bike messenger before that fateful day. She delivered one package and set into action a chain of events she never could have expected.

Now she is running for her life from the Corporation, her best friend is not at all who he seemed, and to top it all off she keeps having visions.

Will she survive to navigate the waters as a Seer? Will her feelings for Kennan be her very downfall? Find out in See How She Runs.

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Click HERE for the complete blog tour schedule

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Michelle Graves is giving away the following prizes at the end of her tour:
GRAND PRIZE: $25 Amazon Giftcard
RUNNERS-UP: THREE (3) runners-up will each receive an eBook of SEE HOW SHE RUNS

NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway. If you have any questions, please contact the tour promoter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway