Episode 20 Conversations over Milk & Cookies - Michelle Abbott

Welcome to Episode 20 of Conversations over Milk & Cookies hosted by Kindle Ninja.

What is this madness, you ask? 

It's my way of supporting members of the RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB. 

We interact with them everyday, directly through tweets, or indirectly through re-tweets, but we don't really know much about them. Their personalities really don't shine through in 140 characters.

All the EPISODES of Conversations over Milk & Cookies can be found HERE.  Or you can just look to your right and you'll find the Quick Links.

In this episode, we feature AUTHOR MICHELLE ABBOTT (@MichelleAbbott4). She's the author of  'JUST STAY'and other books. Check them out here.

Michelle is a Rave Reviews Board Member serving as the club's Spotlight Co-ordinator.

Let's get to know Michelle in more than 140 characters, shall we?

KINDLE NINJA (KN):  Welcome to Conversations over Milk and Cookies. How do you like your cookies? Chewy? Crunchy? Crumbly? Something else?

Thank you for having me, Kindle Ninja. I prefer my cookies to be chewy and to contain plenty of chocolate chips.

I’d assume I’m the person you’d want to drink Milk with, but who’s the person you’d want to have coffee with?

My mum passed away three years ago and I’d love another chance to chat with her over a drink. It would have to be a pot of tea because she never drank coffee.

Writers are very interesting (and sometimes quirky) people with strange rituals. What is your strange writing ritual?

I must have a pot of coffee. I can’t write a word unless I have a mug of coffee beside me. I also change my PC background to a photo of the place where my work in progress is set, which is currently Hemsby in Norfolk.

What would you consider as your 15 mins of fame?

Getting a photo of myself and my son in the local newspaper because he was born on Mother’s Day, and he was also the biggest child born in the hospital on that day. I have the news page in my scrapbook.

How important is the choice of character names in your novel  (or any novel for that matter)

I keep a list of names that I love and they are reserved for my main characters. The names must fit their age and nationality. I could never give my main characters a name I didn’t love!  I keep another list of names which I use for any secondary characters. When it comes to novels written by someone else, I don’t mind so long as I can pronounce the name.

If your novel “Just Stay” would be made into a movie, who do you want to play the main character/s?

Ugh! When I write I always have a clear image of my characters in my mind, but I can never find an actor that even comes close to resembling them. I have found two images for my male character, Trey. You can see those on my Pinterest page for Just Stay http://www.pinterest.com/michelleddiane/just-stay/ 

And who will direct the movie?

Probably not fitting for a romance but I’d choose Christopher Nolan because I’ve loved every movie he’s directed.

How do you feel about doughnuts without holes?

I’ll eat them but I prefer them with holes, just out of the fryer, hot and smothered with sugar.

What’s the book you wished you’d written?

Harry Potter because then I’d be rich like J.K. Rowling!

What’s the book that positively shaped you?

The first few self-published romance novels that I read because after reading them, I realised that I could write and publish my own.

What would you rather be doing now? (instead of answering these questions).

Finishing the first chapter of my current work in progress.

What do you do to decompress?

Pour myself a glass of wine and watch TV with my family, or read a good romance book.

What bizarre food have you eaten?

I’ve never eaten anything bizarre but when I visited Greece I drank their local spirit, Raki. It smelled like paint stripper and made my eyes water. I had to hold my nose in order to drink it!

If you had a tattoo where would it be?

I don’t have any tattoos, although I love them on men! If I did have one, it would be on my shoulder.

What was the last song you heard?

Creep by Radiohead. I’m considering it for my playlist for my work in progress.

Can you sing a line to me?

I’ll wait until you get some ear plugs because I sound like a strangled cat!

On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you about life right now?

Right now, about a 7. I have a feeling this year is going to get better and better.

Nicholas Sparks or Dan Brown?

I haven’t read books by either author but I’ll go with Nicholas Sparks because I prefer emotion over thrills.

J.K. Rowling or Stephenie Meyer?

Once again I haven’t read either but I have seen the Harry Potter movies, so I’ll go with J.K. Rowling.

Ninjas or Teddy Bears?

How about a teddy bear dressed in a Ninja outfit? That would be cute!

KN: good answer lol

Thanks for your time. Hope you enjoyed the Q&A.

Thank you. It was fun.