Interview with Author Michèle Ann Young

Hi, my name is Michèle Ann Young, I write Regency Romances for Sourcebook Inc’s new Casablanca imprint. I grew up in England and majored in History. I now live in Canada with my husband and two beautiful daughters and a Maltese terrier who likes to sit on me while I write. Author Interview with Michèle Ann Young:

It's rare today to find an author who does nothing but write for a living. Do you have a 'real' job other than writing, and if so, what is it? What are some other jobs you've had in your life?

Michèle Ann Young: Writing is my real job now, but I used to work at a University where I was the chief administrator for a Faculty. It was a fun job, with lots of rewards, but I am enjoying my new career just as much.

What compelled you to write your first book?

Michèle Ann Young: I wrote to entertain myself initially and got hooked. I discovered that I loved writing fiction much better than writing factual reports. I also enjoy meeting other writers and learning the craft of writing. It has been an exciting road to publication and one I would not have missed for the world.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Michèle Ann Young: Strangely enough, no. I never gave it a thought. I just sat down one day and started a book, for fun. I could not believe the satisfaction or the joy it gave me when I finished it. Or, later when I learned a little bit about writing craft, just how bad it was. But I am so glad I did that.

Tell us a little bit about your book/s.

Michèle Ann Young: My first full-length book was published in 2006, called Pistols at Dawn and published by Five Star. It is about a man who believes he doesn’t deserve love and the woman who makes him believe that he does. You will find it in your local library. It will always be a favorite, because it was the first one published. But each book is a favorite as it comes along. I also write novellas for Highland Press. I love writing short stories. So much fun, and so hard. One is in a Christmas Regency Anthology, Holiday in the Heart and the other in a Mail Order Bride series, Brides of the West.

My current novel for Sourcebooks Inc Casablanca line, No Regrets, came out in October 2007.

It is about two friends enter into a marriage of convenience, to solve their financial woes, which stirs up feelings they prefer to ignore. Their path of discovery takes them to London and Paris and throws them into an intrigue designed to tear the flimsy fabric of their arrangement apart.

Caroline Torrington is large, and she wears glasses. She knows she is not the sort of woman to attract one of London's most notorious rakes. But she can’t resist her childhood friend’s request for help.

Lucas, Lord Foxhaven, noted for wild and reckless behavior, is once again in dispute with his father over his financial excesses. Only marriage to Caro will give him access to the money he needs, but once Lucas comes to his senses, can he convince her that he loves her for herself.

So many women, me included, are concerned about whether our figures are perfect, whether we are too fat or too tall, or too short. I wanted to write about a less than perfect heroines in the Regency era who bring with them all of the same insecurities we feel today, for them to discover real women deserve romance too.

Are you currently working on any writing projects our readers should watch for release soon?

Michèle Ann Young: My next book will be out in November 2008 entitled The Lady Flees Her Lord. It continues on the theme of plus-size heroines but with a twist– Running from a husband who abuses her because she is unfashionably tall and big and has failed to produce an heir, Lucinda, Lady Denbigh, rescues a street urchin and poses as a widow with a small daughter. Reclusive ex-soldier Lord Hugo Wanstead is back from the Peninsular Wars with a wound that won't heal and a drinking problem. When he encounters Lucinda, they both feel they've been offered a second chance, but when her husband discovers where she is, her life, her love, and her adopted child could all be destroyed ... The inability to have children often resulted in abuse of a wife in earlier times, and both of these problems plague us today. Lucinda takes matters into her own hands in this story, a very brave thing to do now or then.

Have you ever won any writing awards? If so, what?

Michèle Ann Young: No Regrets received an honorable mention in the ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year Awards 2007 in the Romance Category

How did you feel the day you held the copy of your first book in your hands?

Michèle Ann Young: Astonished, disbelieving. I woke up smiling three days in a row. That first book holds pride of place in my glass cabinet.

What type of music, if any, do you listen to while you write?

Michèle Ann Young: I don’t listen to anything except the voices in my head. And there are lots of them!

What about your family? Has your family been supportive of your writing?

Michèle Ann Young: I am married to a very sexy Englishman. He is wonderfully supportive. I really don’t deserve him. He would probably agree, on the days when I forget to do my share of the chores, because I got carried away with my writing. Although I do try to stick to a schedule, sometimes the muse just has me in its claws and I have to keep going no matter the time of day. I have two daughters, and they encourage me every step of the way as does most of my family, although some I think are a little puzzled about where all this writing stuff came from. lol

The main characters of your stories - do you find that you put a little of yourself into each of them or do you create them to be completely different from you?

Michèle Ann Young: I think I must put something of myself into my characters, particularly my heroines, because I try really hard to understand and portray their emotions and reactions to what is happening to them as the story moves along. I often find myself angry or sad or happy, right along with them. I hope that those emotions come out in the writing for the reader. The odd time I will include an incident from my own life, something funny, or scary. I do think it helps to bring the characters to life, because it feels personal. Not that I was born in the Regency. But there are all kinds of things that we do today, that we could have done then — we just wear different clothes. Like twisting an ankle or being scared at night.

Is there an established writer you admire and emulate in your own writing? Do you have a writing mentor?

Michèle Ann Young: I admire anyone who writes. I think I am awed by Laura Kinsale. I would love to have her talent. Do I emulate her? I don’t think so. I think I try to keep true to my own voice. I don’t have a mentor, but I do have a critique group of 6 wonderful ladies. We have been together for four years and we try to meet once a week. They keep me honest. They are a wonderful resource. Some published and some just about to be. Great women.

When growing up, did you have a favorite author, book series, or book?

Michèle Ann Young: I loved Georgette Heyer, which is probably why I ended up writing Regencies. I read voraciously. I don’t think I ever read a book I didn’t finish. I read Jane Austen, and Dickens. I love anything historical.

How long did it take you to write your most recent (or first) book? When you started writing, did you think it would take that long (or short)?

Michèle Ann Young: The Lady Flees Her Lord took about eight months, but I was still working full-time for part of that time. The book I am working on now, which is a sequel, is at about the five month mark and is due at the end of June. I don’t yet have a title I can share, but I am very pleased with it so far.

Is there any lesson or moral you hope your story might reveal to those who read it?

Michèle Ann Young: I think that No Regrets and The Lady Flees Her Lord, show that body image is not the be all and end all in a relationship. No one should feel inadequate if they are not physically perfect. We are already seeing a backlash to this in health discussions and even department stores refusing to carry minute sizes. While my heroes adore my heroines’ luscious curves and large proportions, that is only one part of them. They are also attracted to their intelligence and wit, or kindness and caring, and sometimes their sheer determination. In other words, it is the whole character of an individual that makes them a person, not just their silhouette and my heroes are men enough to recognize that.

Now, use this space to tell us more about who you. Anything you want your readers to know? Well, as I said earlier, while I live in Canada I am English. I do go back to visit family at regular intervals, which is also when I do my research. I get wonderful ideas poking around large estates and second hand bookshops, not to mention just walking around the English countryside.

I put all of my research up on my blog which I call Regency Rambles, as I do tend to ramble on a bit. You can find it at micheleannyoung.blogspot.com. I also blog regularly with the other authors from my publisher, casablancaauthors.blogspot.com. We have just finished a round robin story. It turned out kind of crazy but lots of fun. I keep my website up-to-date with events and books out at micheleannyoung.com

No Regrets and The Lady Flees Her Lord are to be found in bookstores everywhere, or on Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com.