Member Spotlight: Michelle M. Pillow

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world?
I feel privileged to be an author, to be able to do a job I love, and that readers are willing to give my books a chance. Writing is such a personal experience, and to be able to share an emotional journey with others is amazing.

For the world, books are a favorite pastime that can provide entertainment, teach us things, and take us on fantastic journeys. Reading lets us absorb thoughts and ideas that we might not have otherwise considered. Maybe most profound is the way, during hard times like this current pandemic, fiction can give a much needed form of escapism.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block?
I try to use my time productively. If I’m feeling blocked, I either switch the genre of book I’m working on, or I’ll shift gears and do administrative work instead. As a working author, there is always something that needs to be done, and changing tasks is often all it takes to clear the head.

If I’m not on a hard deadline, I might need to get out of the house and away from the computer. Sometimes, the muse needs a day off too.

What is your favorite time to write?
Anytime of the day, in anyplace. I keep a very prolific schedule. I’ve learned to write anywhere and everywhere. There have been many deadlines met while riding in a car, airports, hotels, parking lots, coffee shops, waiting rooms, my couch… Strangely, I’m rarely in my office. If I can bring a laptop, I’m working.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers?
Focus on writing the best book you can. Without the book, there is no reason to worry about all the other professional details.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age?
I love the instant feedback and reader interactions that happen online, but also being able to hear their stories as they share pieces of themselves with me. When you hear work you created has helped someone through a tough moment, or given them hope, made them laugh or cry, there is no compliment like it.

On a practical side, being accessible to fans who are invested in what you do gives invaluable insight on the books and series from the readers point of view. You get to hear what resonates with them in real time.

Michelle M. Pillow’s The Fourth Power is out now with The Raven Books.