Welcoming Michelle J and The Divide that Binds Us

1. What is the most difficult part of your writing process?
-Trying not to edit as I go through the first draft. I know it’s not going to be polished, but I don’t like the dumpster fire I’m leaving behind because it’s not a true reflection of my writing, and also the thought of having to go back through that draft is TERRIFYING.
2. How long have you been writing or when did you start?
-I’ve been writing since I was 8 years old! On my birthday, I received my first video game, Kingdom Hearts and fell completely in love with storytelling.      3. What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book?
-Don’t worry about all the nitty-gritty details, just get those words from your brain and onto the page! Not everything has to be (or will be) perfect in the first go.
4. What comes first for you — the plot or the characters — and why?
-The characters come first because I’m always imagining these amazing character concepts coming to life. Then I have to figure out a plot and how they fit into which keeps me up at night.
5. What part of the book was the most fun to write?
-Anytime there’s a scene with the twins. I’m almost always cackling the whole time I’m writing!
6. What is a significant way your book has changed since the first draft?
-I had too many characters, so I cut the cast by at least 50% realizing not everyone was relevant to the first book. My grammar sucked, and I info-dumped after every character introduction, pulling people out of the story for the sake of over explaining who someone was. It was awful.
7. What inspired the idea for your book?
-Ever watch the anime, s-CRY-ed? Heavily inspired by that show. It has a manga too.
8.How did you come up with the title for your book?
-I had a vision of where the story would go and initially named it Overdrive for . . . reasons I can’t say! The idea of a title change was exciting, so I brainstormed what major things happened in the first book. The Divide that Binds Us really captures the conflict Alice and Rio are in with the state of the world, and I fell in love with it!
9.Would you and your main character get along?
-I honestly don’t think I could get along with Rio. He’s too much for me and I’d probably punch him within the first five minutes of meeting him.
10.If you could meet your characters, what would you say to them?
-You deserve better than what I did to you.
11.What is your writing process like? Are you more of a plotter or a pantser?
-I’m a plotter. It helps to organize everything in my head and onto the page, which turns into several different documents and excel sheets.
12. What do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?
-Complete. Utter. Silence. I rarely have that, but if I ever want complete focus, that’s what it’ll take! 99% of my writing sessions have music or the TV running.
13. Do you play music while you write — and, if so, what’s your favorite?
-If I want to get minimal writing done, I’ll play music! I have such a kaleidoscope of genres I listen to that I’m constantly changing songs to listen to something else I’m in the mood for, bouncing around playlists and whatnot. Dance pop is probably my favorite though.
14. What do you think is the best way to improve writing skills?
-Read. Read. Read! I cannot stress it enough.
15. At what time of the day do you do most of your writing?
-Late afternoons/early evenings during the weekdays, and mornings/early afternoons during the weekends!
16. When you’re writing an emotional or difficult scene, how do you set the mood?
-I know music is my biggest distraction, but it’s also great for setting the mood. I have to find the saddest song I can think of at the moment and it gets the tears going, the scene setting–whole thing. Then I start acting it out (when my husband isn’t home. It’s really helpful to convey those raw emotions.
17. Who has been the biggest supporter of your writing?
– Jon, my husband. He’s the one who actually encouraged me to keep working on TDTBU after learning I was a writer and shelved the series. He’s looked over my work several times and bounced new ideas with me, telling me what’s working and what’s not working. I could talk for hours about him. 
18. If you had to describe yourself in just three words, what would those be?
-Funny, stubborn, and ambitious.