We’ve all had celebrity crushes, but what if a celebrity had a crush on you? No wait, two celebrities, who are best friends…who are brothers? Annie Koller’s simple life as a toll collector was suddenly tossed in turmoil in a triangle of love, deception, and a bitter brotherly battle which left her wishing she had never met the famous Sherry brothers.
Will Annie’s life ever be simple again? To see if Annie’s wish comes true, I’ve managed to snag a few minutes to chat with Michele Morrell, author of ‘The Dandelions’. Michele, what led you to delve into the world of celebrity crushes in your novel?
I was working the graveyard shift as a toll collector at the Lincoln Tunnel in NJ and having met several real celebrities I just started writing. There’s something inspiring about an empty toll plaza at 3am.
*Laughs* The things you learn at 3am really are amazing! Were these celebrity inspired events only from what you personally observed?
I did hear stories from other collectors about the strange and sometimes dangerous people that slipped through their lanes every day definitely me helped create The Dandelions.
I’m really curious to find out how you took these stories featuring the weird and wonderful people you met in the wee hours of the morning to form characters that people can actually relate to?
I am not the type of writer who plans ahead with outlines, I write and my muse, who I call Sally, takes me to the places and people in my books. Sometimes my readers ask me if I knew the ending ahead of time, absolutely not…only Sally knows.
Ahh, I didn’t realize that I also needed to invite Sally to chat today, but I’ll have to invite her to share her wisdom next time! Without Sally’s direct wisdom, can you share what was at the top of mind, that’s either your mind or Sally’s when this book was in progress?
I will confess that the brother’s in The Dandelions Series was based on real-life celebrity brothers, but I’ll never reveal which two.
Oh, that’s not fair! I really want to know which brothers now! I guess I’ll have to do a closer reading to see if I can guess who the mystery brothers are. Do you find your time working and writing with Sally energizing or exhausting?
Sometimes both, but mostly energizes me. I love hiding in the world of my words and when others join me there it’s amazing. I am always writing so I never go anywhere without my notebook.
Always writing is the mark of a practised author. How do you feel that your voice as an author has progressed over time as you’ve continued to develop your worlds?
I have found that I am more confident in my writing and anyone who has read all three of my books can vouch for me. I take more chances and my characters are stronger and my writing more grown.
What do you feel that you’ve learnt from taking on the challenge of this book in particular in comparison to the other two?
Edit Edit Edit … This is my debut novel and unfortunately, you will see some not so nice reviews from when it was first released. But I have learned from my mistake and although no one is perfect I believe my next 2 novels in this series shows my growth as a writer.
Tell us a little about the project or projects that you’re currently using to grow your writing skills?
I actually have 2 projects happening now. The conclusion novel (book 4) in The Dandelions series and a book suitable for kids to read. I am a paraprofessional and work with kids in 1st to 8th grade. They asked me to write something that they could read…I’m hoping it will be out by this summer.
That’s a great deadline and I hope that you make it. I don’t want to take away too much time away from you reaching your deadline, but I was hoping that you could leave us with a little spark of humour before you return to your worlds. Let’s spark some fun with the question, what is your favourite word?
My favorite word is “absolutely” but I honestly don’t know why. :)
You might need to ask Sally why it’s a favourite. As someone who loves creating worlds, can you contribute to my author interview world by sharing a quirky question?
If April showers bring May Flowers what does a Mayflower bring?
Pilgrims hahahahaha
*Laughs* Ahhh, those pilgrims! Michele, thanks so much for sharing your adventures in ‘The Dandelions’, and I wish you the best of luck building on your awesome worlds.
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Excited to read the book we discussed today? Find it here on Amazon: ‘The Dandelions ( ASIN: B0174V7J74 )‘.
Want to find out more about Michele Morrell? Connect here!