Skip to main content

Friday Interview: Author Michelle Rene

Happy weekend! Today I invited Michelle Rene to speak with us. Ms. Rene writes books, created a video game, and dances at events like Renaissance Fairs (and you thought you had a cool resume). Her novel, Hour Glass, won Chanticleer Review's 2018 Best Book of the Year award. I am honored to have her here on the blog. 


Author Interview: Michelle Rene 

Hi, Michelle! To start, can you tell us about your creative ventures? How many books do you have and by what means were they published? 

I’ve had about ten pieces published throughout the years if you count shorter works like novelettes and novellas. Four novels in total. Most of them have been published by smaller independent publishers. A few I self published for the fun of it. One of my novelettes I wrote did get turned into a video game.



Your book Manufactured Witches is like fantasy meets the Dust Bowl, something I found totally original. Did anything in particular inspire it? 

I am a huge history buff. In fact, most of [my] work is historical. The Dust Bowl is a fascinating time to me. Why not tackle it with a little magic and some LGBT+ characters. I adore challenging people’s perspective on historical eras, and if I can invent a little mythology that wasn’t there before, even better. 

Your website calls you a creative advocate. How do you bring creativity into your everyday life? 

Well, my formal education is in art. I have my BFA from the Ringling College of Art and Design. Creativity has been my life forever in one form or another. I whole-heartedly believe that without creatives, we as a species would whither. Being creative is telling a story. Whether you use a brush or a pen, you are sharing a story. And the world will always need stories.

How has being a parent made you value creativity? 

I’ve always valued my creativity, but parenting double that. You rediscover a lot of magic when you have a child that you forgot ages before. Kids bring the fantastical forward. Plus, you have a little piece of you looking up to like, “Okay, what do you have next? I’m watching you.” You can’t let them down.

What are five movies you really like? 

Oh that’s a tough one. I’d say Frida, Amelie, Delovely, Sin City, The Princess Bride.

Thank you, Michelle, for coming on the blog and sharing a bit of your story! 


Thanks for the interview!!!!


For more information, about Michelle Rene, visit her website here. 

Find her on Instagram! 



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review of The Christmas Train

Last night I finally realized why I dislike Hallmark movies. It's because I've seen commercials with more artistic merit than a two-hour Hallmark film. No seriously, I have. Watch this one. Really, watch it. This is a commercial.  Or this one. This will do something to your stone-cold heart.  Or for that matter, the commercials they show during each Olympics. They tell a whole story in such a short amount of time.  But nevertheless, I am nothing if not open-minded. There is a handful of Hallmark movies I have genuinely enjoyed. So last night, I sat down to watch The Christmas Train, wondering if this would be added to the prestigious handful.  We start off with a generic white male, our main character. A moment later we see a generic white female. The two are not together yet, but it is already obvious to the viewers (in this case, me) that they will be married before the credits roll. This ain't my first Hallmark rodeo. Anyway, Main Guy is a journ

Book Review: Etania's Worth by M.H. Elrich

Etania's Worth by M.H. Elrich  I don’t read Biblical fantasy or really any Biblical-based books, so this was new for me. M.H. Elrich and I did a book review trade and I always welcome the opportunity to read something new.  For starters, there are many characters, races, and places in this book. It got hard for me to keep up with. Then I got to the end of the ebook and realized there was a glossary all along. If I had read the book in print, I would have seen it earlier and wouldn’t have had a problem. So I recommend reading this book in print. The glossary is well-organized and helpful, and I wish I could have utilized it.  Many of the descriptions are well-done as is the climax. The climax is the strongest point of the book as you really feel all the events of the story connecting and reaching a peak. Etania does not drive the story as much as other characters do, but she still has some likable traits. I liked Keyel but my favorite character was Tala. I found her

Author Interview: Kelsey Bryant

 Having enjoyed the Six Cousins series over the holidays, I asked author Kelsey Bryant to join me on the blog for an interview. She kindly said yes! Below, she answers all my questions regarding the series, and also gave me some new books for my TBR list.  Author Interview: Kelsey Bryant Can you tell us what books you’ve written? Any that you’re working on? I’ve written … Family Reunion and England Adventure , books one and two in my Six Cousins series; Suit and Suitability , a 1930s retelling of Sense and Sensibility (one of my favorite books ever!) and part of the Vintage Jane Austen series; The Road to Bremen , a children’s chapter book that is an expanded retelling of the fairy tale “The Bremen Town Musicians”; and The Promise of Acorns , a contemporary story inspired by Jane Eyre that was published in A Very Bookish Thanksgiving novella collection and will soon be published as a standalone.   I’m currently working on a novella for another holiday novella collect