Hi. Mickey/ Michelle
Thank you for joining us- I’d love you to tell us about your new book series , the titles, release date and how you came to write it.
But first some quick fire questions
Hello Sonia,
Thank you so much for having me.
Late nights or early mornings?
It so depends on what’s occurring in life at the time…
What’s for breakfast?
It can range from a fruit and veg smoothie, to a bacon and egg muffin. Depends how organised I am. 😊
Night out ot Netflix? Netflix.
G &T or Tea/coffee?
Tea all the way…Unless it’s a social celebration, than it’s anything goes!
Perfect weekend?
Me, in the garden with my cats, before friends and family arrive for a game of pool and stimulating conversations and laughter.
Mickey’s new writing space.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Marilyn Munroe or a back up dancer for David Bowie.
What is for dinner tonight? Can you cook? What would you rather be eating?
Chicken Schnitzels and Vegetables. I can cook, but it isn’t a passion of mine. I’d rather be eating my Italian girlfriends, Osso Bucco sauce with pasta.
What brings you joy? Lifts your spirits, chases away a down mood.
Music. Hearing a loved one laugh. Sharing moments with those who are precious to me. Being in my garden, any garden. Writing. Swimming naked. The scent of rain. A thunderstorm. A buzzing Bee…I could go on. Life is such a gift…
Your hero? Everyone who survives after heart break and trauma,who dusts themselves back off, and continues through life with generosity, gratitude and a loving heart.
If you could choose three people to invite for a dinner party, who would they be and why?
My Mother… Because I Miss her dearly. Gordon Ramsey, because he’s hot, and he can cook the dinner for us… and, Alan Rickman, because his voice delights me.
Questions about Writing. You write under the name of Mickey Martin. Why?
Being a twin, I guess it was easier for my mother to call out, Leah and Mickey, instead of Leah and Michelle. I never understood her reasoning, considering Michelle and Mickey have two syllables each. But who’s to question her fabulous thinking. My maiden name is Martin. Although my married name, Weitering, is cool within itself, I am essentially, Mickey Martin.
I am intrigued by your twinness. Does Leah have much input in your writing ? Does she write too?
Funny you should ask about my twin. I had a project in mind, to write,a book with her I shared it with her 2 weeks ago…and she has agreed to co Author a book with me about,our diverse journeys, of how our childhood shaped us, and the oaths,we each too after leaving home. it will be hilarious I’m excited for her. and am hoping thus will encourage her to want to write more.
WOW! Maybe I am psychic after all! What a unique collaboration that will be!
What inspired your new series?
Life and the world we live in.
Do you want to talk about your previous publishing experience or not? ( I knew Micky had a less than happy time with a previous publisher.)
It was dreadful, but certainly a learning curve, and like many authors, it has made me so very grateful for the fabulous publisher and publishing press I am family with now. Thank you MMH PRESS, and Karen Mc Dermott.
Why do you think that stories of failure and redemption resonate so powerfully?
Because as humans, we all experience failure, and we can both learn and grow by other’s stories. Redemption is a part of life…whether you are the one who is saving another, or being saved. It’s all connected.
What time of the day do you usually write?
I’m very fortunate that I have the opportunity to write any time of the day, or night, and do.
What is the most difficult part about writing for you?
I put a lot of pressure on myself, to make what I’m writing as entertaining as possible. But, the most difficult thing for me, is questioning whether a line I write, is going to make sense to the reader. I have my own kind of language, where I say things back to front, and although things make sense in my head, when I say them out loud, it never comes out right. So, it is tricky at times, I can spend 10 minutes reading and re reading, a line that makes sense to me… but maybe not the editor or reader…. I’m lucky my hubby doesn’t mind me interrupting him anytime to say… “Does this line make sense to you…”
What is your work schedule like when you are writing?
I can work a productive 4 hours straight, right through to a 19 hour bender. If I’m on a roll, I have to stop and remind myself I still have a family to feed and children to communicate with. I can totally lose myself in my writing.
What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
Well, I don’t know if it’s interesting, but I’m a bit OCD at times. Everything around me has to be in its place before I can relax and settle into hours of hard writing.
Did you do any research for your current books?
Yes, I researched mental disorders, chemical and biological warfare along with other bits and bobs.
Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions?
No, absolutely not. Writing is feeling. It’s emotion. It’s sharing, influencing, storytelling, healing. Writing, whether you write fiction or nonfiction, taps into powerful emotions and opens a flood gate of feelings.
Best writing advice/ Worst writing advice you ever received?
Best advice: The world needs to hear this.
Worst: Can’t recall…must have blocked it out 😊
Best money you have spent as a writer?
Investing in my Authorship, and going on a writers retreat to Crom Castle, Ireland.
Do you have a favourite author and why?
Nora Roberts. She is my favourite author, because it was her books, and characters, that inspired me to write.
What are you reading now? What books or authors have most influenced your writing?
Right now, for a break in between projects, I am reading, In His Protection, by P.L Harris. Authors that have influenced my writing would be, Nora Roberts, LaVyrle Spencer, Carolyn Wren and Sandra Brown.
Favourite quotes Expect Nothing, Appreciate Everything.
The World Needs More Healers, Helpers and Lovers. If You Can’t Find One. Be One.
Favourite book/story you have read as an adult?
Twilight series/Mr Darcy Takes A Wife/Chesapeake Shores/The Haunting Of Sunshine Girl/Zara
Favourite book/story you have read as a child?
The Folk In The Faraway Tree/Bazz The Dog/Snow White and Rose Red
My soon to be released, The Guardian, was recently emailed off to my publisher at MMH PRESS! So, feeling pretty excited about that. My latest series is, The Given Trilogy. Book one, The Given. Book two, Dark Angel, and the third book of the Trilogy, The Guardian, which is launching October 2nd, 2020.
How did I come to write this series? I’m a very empathetic person, and even as a child, often felt confused with how the world seemed filled with such injustice. Like us all, throughout the stages of life, we witness human beings constantly making the wrong decisions.
From the bully in the school yard or workplace, cruelty to animals, repeat offenders getting another chance as our legal system failed the innocent. Corruption sweeping through our government, churches, and so on. (Sorry… trying not to get too dark here… 🙂
I wrote The Given Trilogy, to yes, of course, entertain and enthral the reader, giving them an escape from the real world, but, I also hoped to empower the reader by giving them a different world to think about, and consider that, every action they take, in the here and now, can help to make our world a better place.
The last book The Guardian releases on October 2nd 2020
Can you tell us a little about it?
The Guardian.
After spending a decade within the walls of her safe haven, The Given, Lilliana Night must flee her home at the facility and re-enter the outside world once again in her fight for justice and to protect the one she loves.
Lilliana has no choice but to leave behind all she knows—and the man she loves—in order to do her part to eradicate one of the world’s most vilest of criminals.
Will her self-sacrifice for the greater good allow her to return home to her loved ones? Or will the evil that still walks the Earth be her ultimate undoing?
Decency dances on a dangerous stage with depravity and the results will be explosive.
I think you began the series before your non-fiction Thirteen and Underwater.
Yes, I had written both The Given and Dark Angel during a heart breaking time in my young family’s life. My eldest son, who was turning thirteen, began showing signs of severe social anxiety when school refusal began, and I stopped writing the Given trilogy. Throughout the months of our ordeal, in understanding and coming to terms with my sons disorder, I knew as a writer, it was my responsibility to share our story, in order to support other parents and careers who felt alone or isolated. And it was a chance to help educate and enlighten those that didn’t understand how debilitating living with someone with mental illness, can be, and how it impacts the entire family.
Can I include how Thirteen is supporting mental health?
Yes, absolutely! I feel so blessed that Thirteen and Underwater has assisted with raising funds for Headspace, and is also being used as a resource tool for teachers and counsellors. Thirteen and Underwater, has even taken a trip across to Ireland’s, Inspire. (Similar to our Australian Beyond Blue)
“Thirteen and Underwater is the incredible story of one boy’s harrowing journey through the paralysing forces of anxiety and mental illness that wreaks havoc on a suburban family. Lovingly told through the eyes of his mother, Weitering takes us into her family, exposing the good, the bad and the ugly of this increasingly prevalent disease and shines an all-important light on mental illness in all its debilitating forms. Deftly written, Weitering whispers to the emotional soul of motherhood and the unbreakable bond between mother and child, the fragility of the self and the resilience of the human spirit that lies deep within us all to never, ever give up – no matter what life throws at you.”
I am sure that Mickey has more exciting projects ahead. Thank you so much for talking to us.
Here are the links for Mickey’s books
https://www.mmhpressgroup.com/product-page/the-guardian
https://www.mmhpressgroup.com/product-page/dark-angel
https://www.mmhpressgroup.com/product-page/the-given
https://www.mmhpressgroup.com/product-page/thirteen-and-underwater
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Sonia Bellhouse- Author. 