AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Michele Cook

Tell me a about yourself. What got you started in writing?

I have dabbled with writing for most of my life, but have only recently started taking it on as a serious endeavor.  I love putting my thoughts on paper; they are much easier to sort out that way.

How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?

In my day job, I work on a traveling railroad construction gang and am away from home for 8 days, and then home for 6.  I try to schedule at least a few hours of writing in the morning on those 6 days off.  I love the quiet of the morning and the words seem to flow better for me. 

Planning and ideas seem to come better in the evenings and I have been known grab a scrap of paper to jot an idea or random line down.  Thanks to technology I have started keeping all these little scraps in my phone rather than floating around the house somewhere. 

How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or some other method of getting your words down?

I use my laptop.  It travels with me and is easy to take into my “outside office”.  I love to be outside and I write in a lounge chair in the back yard all summer long.

What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?

My favorite part about writing is plotting out a book.  I love letting my thoughts wander and figuring out how I want it all to come together.  Once I have my outline down, I get a big adrenaline rush.

My least favorite part about writing has got to be the marketing.  This kept me from putting anything on the market for a long time, and it is the part I struggle with the most.  I would love to be your stereotypical recluse writer.

How did you come up with your book idea? How long did it take you to write your book?

Get the Book at Amazon

I have been involved with horses since I was a little girl, eventually even training horses and riders in the hunter/jumper industry for about 15 years.  To watch a well matched horse and rider is like watching a fabulous dance routine – it can be a breathtaking experience even for the non-equestrian. 

When the opposite happens, you will still watch, but only because you are waiting for the train to wreck.  I have seen so many people get hurt or scared because they were poorly matched with their first horse or had gotten taken advantage of by an unscrupulous seller.  I wanted to offer clear, actionable advice to anyone looking for their first horse so they could turn out like the former rather than the latter.

What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?

So far, most of my promotion has been on social media.  I am meeting with the marketing teacher at our local technical high school to get a little more help in that area.  I also plan on taking my book to the street and visiting book stores, tack shops and horse shows to get the word out there a little bit more.

What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?

I am currently working on a riding lesson journal to help riders keep track of their progress.  With any luck it will be out by May and I can take that to the streets with this book.

Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

My big back burner project is a dark and twisted mystery novel about a young lady who runs into a lot of trouble on a solo hike in the mountains of West Virginia.  A high class serial killer, a backwoods Pastor who twists the Bible to suit his needs and a tour of the Alleghany trail have me very excited to get this one down on paper. 

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

Write as much and as often as you can and start showing your work to a few select people.  Ask for honest critiques and then try not to get your back up too much when they say something you don’t like. 

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Learn moe about Michele and her book here:  

www.michelemcook.com