Spotlight on Michele Dunaway
Our PAN Spotlight for this month is Michele Dunaway. Thank you Michele for your contribution!
Q: How long have you been writing?
Michele: 8 years
Q: How long did it take you to publish?
Michele: I joined RWA in 1998 and sold as a result of an editor appointment at the 1999 convention.
Q: How many manuscripts do you have hidden away/under the bed/in storage?:
Michele: a few
Q: Do you have a writing schedule and if so, what is it?:
Michele: No. I write whenever I get a chance. On deadline that’s all I’ll do.
Q: Do you have a critique group? If yes, how many are in the group?
Michele: No. I plot and write every book alone. I did have one for the first 3 books, but that was ages ago.
Q: When developing an idea for a new story, which comes first – the plot or the title or the characters?
Michele: The title to me is irrelevant. I just slap something on it for the contract. Once the book is sold and the editor and marketing get involved, the title comes to life then. So I don’t worry about that. The characters usually come first for me and then I develop the plot around them. Those are the items core to the story.
Q: How do you handle new story ideas that pop up when you’re in the middle of a project? (ex: notebook by the bed/separate word file/ etc?)
Michele: I keep a notebook, but usually I just make some chicken scratches. I try to keep the WIP at the forefront or I won’t want to work on it–the new thing always sounds much more exciting.
Q: Have you ever gotten to the middle of a project and got bored or lost your momentum? If so, how did you handle it?
Michele: I hate the middle of every book I write. That’s the part where it’s like being in the dentist chair getting my teeth drilled–I don’t want to be there. So I’ve learned to write in thirds. I write the first third, go back and revise. The next third, go back and revise only that, and then the last third, and then revise the whole thing.
Q: Finish this sentence: If I could write anything I wanted and knew it would sell, it would be….
Michele: single title suspense in the guise of Mary Higgins Clark or those juicy 80s Sydney Sheldon books like Master of the Game
Q: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received in regards to your writing career?
Michele: Listen to your own voice. Too many cooks can spoil the broth so really, the only person who can tell your story is you.
Q: What is the worst?
Michele: I have to admit, I haven’t read too many books on writing. The minute I do, I want to try everything. I think writers can get bogged down with the mechanics of getting the story on paper. To me, just tell the story and then figure out what needs to be fixed on it.
Q: What is your favorite part of the writing process?
Michele: The creation of the work. I love writing and telling stories. Some just get started and never go anywhere, but I still have to put those words down
Q: What is you least favorite?
Michele: Revisions
Q: Which came first for you – the editor or the agent?
Michele: The editor. I got my agent after I’d already sold 14 on my own.
Q: How many contests did you enter before you sold? How many did you final in?
Michele: Let me be an inspiration for all those who don’t final. I placed 26th in a 3 – way tie out of 30. Do that math, that means pretty much dead last in the ONLY contest I ever entered. I didn’t get discouraged, fixed the book, pitched it, and made my first sale. And yes, it was that simple. I thank God for how lucky I was.
Q: How do your promote your books?
Michele: I try to get a lot of press. I don’t do many book signings anymore. I do the occasional Romance Sells ad. But I’ve never done magnets or those giveaway items.
Q: Free form – your chance to tell us anything you’d like – tidbits, advice, funny stories, pet peeves, hopes, dreams, etc:
Michele: I love the West Houston chapter. I never really lived in Houston but joined when my (now ex) husband moved there before me as part of our family relocation. I was to follow in May 2001, but ended up staying in Missouri and filing for divorce. But the chapter has it so together and I love all the people and the links so I stayed. I hope to get down there a lot more, especially since the ex is in Alabama now!
