Winter Solstice Event: Interview & Giveaway with P.T. Michelle

Don’t miss out on the other author interviews and giveaways that have already gone! You can enter all giveaways until December 19th! Just click here.

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Shera (Book Whispers): In your own words, introduce yourself.

P.T. Michelle: I'm P.T. Michelle, author of the YA series, BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS. When I'm not dreaming up stories, I'm either reading or taking pictures.

BW: What makes you’re series Brightest Kind of Darkness stand out in the Paranormal Young Adult genre?

P.T. Michelle:I think what makes BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS stand out is the fact that it's not a story about vampires or werewolves. My main character Nara has a unique power. She dreams her entire next day when she falls asleep each night. Nara's ability might be unusual, but it's also the kind that makes you stop and think: What would I do if I could see just one day ahead? Would I get involved? Would I change things if I could even if I knew there would be consequences?

BW: Currently you have three books in the series, two out and the third releasing in March 2013, has there been one you have more fun writing?

P.T. Michelle: I've enjoyed writing each story as they unfold. As much as I try to "pre-plan" my books, surprises often pop up that I wasn't expecting. So writing each book feels like I'm reading it too for the first time when I write each scene. Right now I'm really getting into writing ETHAN, a prequel novella that takes place prior to BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS. It's written entirely in Ethan's point of view. This novella will be released in January.

BW: Nara is the lead in the BKoD books, living each day twice. Once by dreaming it and then waking up and living it. How does Nara’s character cope with it?

P.T. Michelle: Nara deals with her ability on both sides of the spectrum. She likes knowing how her day is going to go, but while knowing things ahead of time makes her life easier, it also means she can't ever really be surprised, which can make her life pretty predictable. Nara sometimes wishes to be surprised, but when she gets her wish, she also has to deal with a lot of other issues...like losing her ability completely. :)

BW: When you're in a writing jam, is there a particular author you look to for inspiration? One that makes you ask, "What would ‘insert author's name here’ do?"

P.T. Michelle: I don't really think about how other authors might formulate their stories while I write. How each author structures her story is part of what makes each author's voice unique. However, if you're asking which is my favorite author, then I'd say Karen Marie Moning for her ability to write amazing worlds and characters who leave an impression.

BW: What can readers look forward to from you? Are you writing more books for the Brightest Kind of Darkness series, or completely new concepts?

P.T. Michelle: As I mentioned above, not only is book 3, DESTINY, coming out in March, but I'm also going to be releasing a prequel novella to BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS called ETHAN in January. And yes I do plan more books as P.T. Michelle. Until I'm further into writing BKoD book three, I won't know if there will be a book four or not in the series. We'll see!

BW: The covers are just stunning for this series, since you’re a self-published author what’s your process for picking them out?

P.T. Michelle:Thank you! One of the things that had always bothered me as a traditionally published author (I've been traditionally published under the name Patrice Michelle) was my inability to completely control my cover. With Indie publishing, I can make sure that my cover represents the book, either literally or symbolically, or even better...a bit of both. :) I LOVE that kind of freedom, and I think my readers love that my covers match the stories inside.

Since BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS is a paranormal story with mystery, suspense, horror, and a story that also has light and dark themes, I wanted to convey all of those aspects on the cover. I basically decide what I want the cover concept to be, then I scour stock photo websites looking for just the right photos, even down the background photo. Once I have the photos I want, then I write up how I want everything put together and send it off to the cover artist, who has the talent to pull it all together with the right fonts, layering and colors. I've continued the theme used in BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS on to LUCID and ETHAN's cover all the way up through the upcoming DESTINY cover, even with it's blue "cooler" feel. That change was done on purpose, since the story arc between Ethan and Nara and his world grows darker. Plus, DESTINY takes place in the winter, so the cover represents that aspect as well. Each of my covers pulls in symbolism from the stories behind the covers, which often has more than one meaning.

BW: What are some of your favorite books?

P.T. Michelle: My all time favorites that I remember reading when I was young were Madeleine L'Engle's A WInd in the Door and C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia.

BW: For you personally, not your characters, between a vampire love interest and a werewolf love interest which do you prefer? (What team are you on? Team Vampire or Team Werewolf.)

P.T. Michelle: I've written both types of creatures and find them each interesting in their own uniqueness. While I think the primal intensity of werewolves is attractive, I'd have to say that the dangerous intimacy of the vampire's need for blood adds an intriguing layer as a love interest.

BW: You’re author Bio states that you love taking pictures of landscapes, sunsets and anything beautiful or odd in nature. Mind sharing one of your favorites?

P.T. Michelle: Sure. Here's one I took in Galway, Ireland while on vacation a few years ago.

BW: Go wild! Let us know something funny about you, share something that's on your mind, or anything else that's important about your books.

P.T. Michelle:Here's a writing quirk. When I do edits, I have to use colored pens. It can't be black or blue. The pens have to be colors like purple, green, teal or hot pink. :)

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About the author:

P.T. Michelle is author of the young adult series BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS. When P.T. isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading or taking pictures of landscapes, sunsets and anything beautiful or odd in nature.

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Giveaway:

This is an international giveaway for a eBook copy of Lucid, the second book in the Brightest Kind of Darkness series!  Just feel out the form below.

Also, everyone is a winner! Right now book 1, Brightest Kind of Darkness, is free on Amazon! So go grab a copy.

Lucid (Brightest Kind of Darkness, Book 2) by P.T. Michelle

Once Nara combines her prophetic ability with Ethan’s power to outsmart Fate at his own deadly cat-and-mouse game, she’s more determined than ever to help Ethan learn the meaning behind the raven sword tattoo that suddenly appeared on his back after their confrontation with Fate.

During her quest to uncover the tattoo’s secrets, Nara enlists the help of some new friends and discovers her own surprising connection to Ethan.

While Nara digs deeper into the mystery, her desire for answers leads her down a dangerous path full of powerful and ruthless enemies. Swept into an age-old battle, Nara quickly learns that keeping one’s enemies close can be a necessary evil, making an intangible enemy she can control far more preferable to the human enemies she can’t.