Q: Who are you? Tell us what makes you tick.
I’ve often described myself as a write-at-home-mom. A forty something mom of seven, that loves to write. I say write in loose terms right now. I’m chasing a two year old who I have nicknamed destructo boy who makes writing almost impossible. I’m learning that good things come from tiny little snippets of free writing time or to tolerate the mess in my office because at least he isn’t trying to launch himself out of a chair to the floor while I work at my computer. What makes me tick? Hmmmm not as easy of an answer as it seemed earlier. I write because of two things. One, I love writing I love the flow of words and how they sound both in my head and out loud. I love how words look as you fill a blank page. Two, I have a very bossy main character named Noble who doesn’t let me forget that I am writing his story. He’s stubborn and incessant but also a good companion.
Q: I've read that you wrote your first 189 page novel in 10th grade. What was it about? Have you gone back and read it?
The monstrosity that is my very first novel is a strange concoction. It was about a rebel member of a “super team” (Think Avengers in the 80’s. Maybe more A-Team. Maybe not.) who struck out on his own leaving the team behind. I’ve gone back and read it a few times feeling thankful that I know how to write now. LOL I still have it, it’s special and marks the beginning of my writing career. When I was writing it long ago I had a cold at one point in time and took some cold medicine with alcohol in it and then wrote a chapter. Um yeah it was weird. In green pen too.
Q: How have you managed the tough schedule of being a mommy writer?
Some days are better than others. Years ago, when my six-year-old was a baby I could do anything I needed to because he was mellow and happy. This new baby is the energizer bunny on steroids. I get very little time to myself and spend most of my time keeping him from killing himself. I covet, protect, and celebrate naptime.
Q: This month is a big month for you. Can you tell us a little more about your novel Emergence? What inspired the story?
Emergence is about, an atheist assassin who is called to be a prophet, and how he deconstructs all while insisting that the “Hell” he’s being dragged through doesn’t exist.
I had a 100K manuscript that I was shopping but kept getting the same type of rejections. I went to my critique partner and asked for some brainstorming help and we started to do the “what if’s”. One of those what if’s was to make the story a “personal triumph” story, so we started to play with it. The next suggestion was to use a different character for his wife, giving him motivation to do what he needed to do in the story. I fought the changes for weeks, to the point I was sick to my stomach and the original wife character protested the idea by walking out of my head. She came back of course but she wasn’t very happy with me.
Q: What do you feed your muse?
I mostly read. I also bake and craft things. Sometimes on the rare occasion I watch a movie or TV, if I watch TV it’s Burn Notice.
Q: Share the most valuable lesson you have learned on your writing journey.
Learn to love revision, rewriting and editing. The only thing they can do is make the story better. While the story skeleton is created in the rough draft stage, the true fleshing comes out in the revisions and polishing of that rough draft.
Q: Where is the one place you would travel if time and money were not an issue?
I’d go to Canberra Australia where Emergence is set. I want to stand on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin where my main character gets shot at. To take pictures of all the places he interacts with in the story. I’d have to stop in Kyoto Japan on the way home too.
Q: Any words of advice for the Mormon Mommy Writers reading today
Never ever, ever, ever, give up!
EMERGENCE:
I’ve often described myself as a write-at-home-mom. A forty something mom of seven, that loves to write. I say write in loose terms right now. I’m chasing a two year old who I have nicknamed destructo boy who makes writing almost impossible. I’m learning that good things come from tiny little snippets of free writing time or to tolerate the mess in my office because at least he isn’t trying to launch himself out of a chair to the floor while I work at my computer. What makes me tick? Hmmmm not as easy of an answer as it seemed earlier. I write because of two things. One, I love writing I love the flow of words and how they sound both in my head and out loud. I love how words look as you fill a blank page. Two, I have a very bossy main character named Noble who doesn’t let me forget that I am writing his story. He’s stubborn and incessant but also a good companion.
Q: I've read that you wrote your first 189 page novel in 10th grade. What was it about? Have you gone back and read it?
The monstrosity that is my very first novel is a strange concoction. It was about a rebel member of a “super team” (Think Avengers in the 80’s. Maybe more A-Team. Maybe not.) who struck out on his own leaving the team behind. I’ve gone back and read it a few times feeling thankful that I know how to write now. LOL I still have it, it’s special and marks the beginning of my writing career. When I was writing it long ago I had a cold at one point in time and took some cold medicine with alcohol in it and then wrote a chapter. Um yeah it was weird. In green pen too.
Q: How have you managed the tough schedule of being a mommy writer?
Some days are better than others. Years ago, when my six-year-old was a baby I could do anything I needed to because he was mellow and happy. This new baby is the energizer bunny on steroids. I get very little time to myself and spend most of my time keeping him from killing himself. I covet, protect, and celebrate naptime.
Q: This month is a big month for you. Can you tell us a little more about your novel Emergence? What inspired the story?
Emergence is about, an atheist assassin who is called to be a prophet, and how he deconstructs all while insisting that the “Hell” he’s being dragged through doesn’t exist.
I had a 100K manuscript that I was shopping but kept getting the same type of rejections. I went to my critique partner and asked for some brainstorming help and we started to do the “what if’s”. One of those what if’s was to make the story a “personal triumph” story, so we started to play with it. The next suggestion was to use a different character for his wife, giving him motivation to do what he needed to do in the story. I fought the changes for weeks, to the point I was sick to my stomach and the original wife character protested the idea by walking out of my head. She came back of course but she wasn’t very happy with me.
Q: What do you feed your muse?
I mostly read. I also bake and craft things. Sometimes on the rare occasion I watch a movie or TV, if I watch TV it’s Burn Notice.
Q: Share the most valuable lesson you have learned on your writing journey.
Learn to love revision, rewriting and editing. The only thing they can do is make the story better. While the story skeleton is created in the rough draft stage, the true fleshing comes out in the revisions and polishing of that rough draft.
Q: Where is the one place you would travel if time and money were not an issue?
I’d go to Canberra Australia where Emergence is set. I want to stand on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin where my main character gets shot at. To take pictures of all the places he interacts with in the story. I’d have to stop in Kyoto Japan on the way home too.
Q: Any words of advice for the Mormon Mommy Writers reading today
Never ever, ever, ever, give up!
Hit man, Antony Danic, has never killed an
innocent man. At least, the corporation he works for has never given him a
reason to think otherwise—until now. Reeling from a series of
complications and troubled assignments, the assassin is desperate for some
downtime. As he sits on a white sandy beach in Tahiti watching his wife play in
the waves, he can almost feel the ten-day vacation start to ease his tired
muscles and calm his racing thoughts—until a messenger from his employer
delivers a death threat. In a matter of
seconds, the hunter has become the hunted. As he scrambles to find a way out of
his “till death do us part” contract, he’s faced with the decision of a
lifetime. Continue with business as
usual and kill another innocent man—or do what’s right, even if it puts his
family in jeopardy.
More About the Author
C. Michelle Jefferies practically grew up in a library, and she spent
her early years reading books with her mother. When Michelle was ten, she
realized she wanted to write stories instead of just reading them. In high
school, she met another writer, who inspired her to write a full-length book
instead of just short stories. Michelle finished that 189-page handwritten
novel the summer of her junior year. She married her best friend and put her
writing on the back burner while she focused on raising her seven children and
volunteering as a breastfeeding counselor in her community. When her children
were old enough for her to spend a few hours on the computer without them
burning the house down, Michelle returned to writing and hasn’t stopped since.
She can often be found writing or editing with a child in her arms or under her
feet. With a passion for secret agents and all things Asian, she writes technical
suspense and futuristic thrillers about bad boys turned good, all while beating
herself up in karate class as she works toward her black belt in tang soo do.
Contact Information
Website: cmichellejefferies.com
Blog: cmichellejefferies.blogspot.com
Facebook: C Michelle Jefferies – Author
Twitter: cmjefferies
Hope you all have a Happy Halloween. And if there are any other authors/writers who would enjoy being under the Mormon Mommy Writer's microscope, contact us at mormonmommywriters@gmail.com to set up an interview.
Great interview! Good luck with the little destructor boy. I can't wait to,read your book!
ReplyDeleteI am proud to call her my mum!! :D
ReplyDelete