Interview with Michelle Lowe

Author of Legacy (vol.1)

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

I grew up in Peachtree City, Georgia and now live in Orange County, California.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

My husband had gotten laid off at his job in Atlanta, and we moved to Florida for seven months when he got employment at a company called Digital Domain. That company tanked and my husband then got a job at Blizzard Entertainment, which is located in Irvine, CA.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

Simple answer. I love stories. They are the key to unlocking the purity of humanity, meaning stories can touch a person so deeply and profoundly it can reshape their souls. I love stories and wanted to tell my own, so I began writing, and in time I wrote my first real book, The Warning, that published in 2011.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

My books are science fiction/fantasy, steampunk/fantasy. Many of my stories have complex storylines but in fun and surprising ways. I’ve had readers wonder why something in my book happened or why this character was even in the story to begin with only to be blown away later on when they discover that everything has its place. My steampunk/fantasy Legacy series is just like that. In the first book, there are many characters introduced and subplots told throughout the whole series. As each book goes on, everything falls into place bit by bit and it never seems to fail to impress readers.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

The story topics I write are mainly for people who love adventure, and for who, regardless of their age, never really embraced adulthood. My stories are for daydreams and those seeking worlds beyond our own—or worlds within our own.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

That I could actually pull it off! Seriously, I cannot speak for all writers out there, but I assure you most will believe their work is pure garbage, especially in that dreaded first draft stage. I’m the same way, thinking of how no one in the right minds will want to read this slop! Then I go back over it and find out that, although the story still needs a lot of attention, it’s not as BAD as I initially thought. The true test to this, however, is in the opinion of the readers. When positive reviews began trickling in about my books, some readers even thanking me for writing this story, I realized I just might be doing something right with this writing thing. 🙂

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

Stay in college and finish your graphic design degree, but never give up on your passion for storytelling.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

Hundred of thousands! No joke. I mean, the more the merrier, right?

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

One of them was finding the right editor after dealing with a couple of duds. After overcoming that hurdle it basically boils down to exposure and getting more reviews, which considering how opinionated people are, especially on social media, you’d think reviews would come easy. NOPE!

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

a) Coming up with plotlines is usually pretty easy for me because they just seem to pop into my head.
b) Begin able to self-publish has been the freedom that most of us authors have been waiting for. No longer having to hope our stories are good enough to be recognized by the few just so it can be displayed to the masses. I’ve rather enjoyed being able to use both my writing and artistic skills in this adventure, by having the option to design most of my book covers.
c) Marking sucks, but there is one way of promoting I’ve had fun with and that’s doing book signings at steampunk and comic book events where I can meet readers face-to-face. I’ve had a chance to chat with a few fans and also make new ones simply by sitting at a table.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

a) Writing an entire story out of thin air can be challenging. I never get writer’s block, but the actual sitting my butt down and put pen to paper can be grueling.
b) I still wouldn’t mind finding a decent publisher. I had a couple in the past that turned out to be a waste of time. One didn’t having the books edited they took in and lied about it just before publishing the stories raw, and the other didn’t like the idea of promoting their authors, their books, or the company itself. Sorry, but I feel that in order for any company to thrive, you gotta help promote the product as well as put out the best quality of work. But that’s just me. With self-publishing, you are doing all the work regarding promoting and cover designs, so it would be nice to have that added help with a real publisher who cares for the art of storytelling.
C) As I said before, marking sucks. My weakness is I do much more writing and not enough marketing.

When do you think you will write your next book?

I’m working on my next series now. The Age of the Machine, which is the second set of tales after the Legacy series. I’m editing through the first book now and will hopefully be getting into writing the second installment later on in October.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

I did hybrid for a time, but now I’m 100% independent.