 AUTHOR
PROFILE: Michele Lang
Author's Name: Michele Lang
Website: www.michelelang.com
Michele Lang is a multi-published author who writes paranormal
tales set in contemporary, urban settings.
New Release:
Ms. Pendragon
Triskelion Publishing (paperback release), September 2006
She's running out of time...can Gwen stop an ancient curse
from destroying Camelot and New York City?
Gwen Dulak, high-powered Manhattan attorney, is running out of
time -- literally. Time to thwart an ancient curse, repair a legendary
wrong, and prevent an unthinkable future.
Magical nonsense? Not when there's a malevolent being lurking
in her refrigerator, intent on bending her to its will. Not when
Merlin, great mage of Camelot, pops up in the Big Apple and tosses
the fate of the city into her unwilling hands. And especially
not when Gwen finds out that the sexy maniac holding a sword to
her throat is Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot...and her husband.
Gwen is both the Queen and the curse. She's Ms. Pendragon. And
she's the only one who can rescue the past...and the future.
On Writing
Why do I write? The easy answer is that I don’t have a choice…books
come up and grab me. But it goes deeper than that. I believe with
all my heart that we are here for a reason. Part of why I am alive
is to help other people to rev their own creative engines and
get them excited about their own missions in life. As a lawyer,
I helped women to find their way through the legal system and
out of dangerous situations. As a writer, my work is designed
to amuse, inspire, and liberate people from the more deadening
aspects of daily life. All of us deserve pleasure and joy…it’s
our birthright. My books celebrate pleasure and the power of women
to change the world.
I wrote Ms. Pendragon because of a personal gripe. I always thought
King Arthur got a raw deal in the Camelot legends, and I also
had the sense that Queen Guinevere’s story was mangled through
time, like a cosmic game of telephone gone wrong. This novel gave
me a chance to finally give Arthur the “happy ever after”
he deserved. Even better, I got to spring Guinevere from the snare
of her past by giving her the opportunity to become the queen
she was meant to be. And by setting these mythic characters in
both Camelot and New York City, I liberated them and myself. Anything
can happen in the Big Apple…
On Her Writing Process
I’m a dreamy person…a movie of another world plays
in my head through much of my day. Elements of daily life –
a red leaf, a strong cup of coffee, a face on the subway –
will trigger memories, daydreams, and “what if” questions.
Most of these fleeting thoughts are ephemeral, like soap bubbles,
and they float away, no harm done. But once in a while, a big
fish will swim up and swallow me whole. Then I’m in trouble!
I have to write that story or it won’t leave me alone. And
if I don’t get it right the first time, it comes back to
make sure I finish the job to its satisfaction.
I write in the middle of preschooler chaos. My computer lives
inside a corner hutch in my living room…I can close it up
and it looks like an armoire, or open it and I’m ready to
roll. If I need a more peaceful environment (or caffeine) I go
to a local coffeehouse to write.
Like Jo March in Little Women, I write in furious bursts and get
sucked into the writers’ vortex. Once I get down there I
can write pretty quickly, but afterwards I need fallow time to
recover. I need to learn how to work at a more serene, consistent
pace. Or maybe not! My method had gotten me this far with no permanent
damage to date.
On Getting "The Call"
I got an email instead of a call, but that didn't make it any
less magical. I got the email in the morning, and my kids and I
rolled on the floor, laughing and screaming, before I pulled myself
together and called my husband and family with the news.
After the initial euphoria, I freaked out. I wasn't expecting such
a roller coaster ride of emotions after getting my contract...I
thought it would be all floating in the clouds. The clouds can be
a little turbulent! But getting that initial affirmation was pure
heaven. And publishing this first book has been an amazing, fantastic
experience.
Best/Worst Advice Received
Best Advice: "Protect the work." This little gem of
a sentence speaks on so many levels. Protect your energy and don't
stretch yourself too thin. Give yourself time to write the best
work you can, and find the courage to send it out when it's ready.
And make sure you give yourself the time and solitude you need
to get the project done.
Worst Advice: "Write to the market." It *is* important
to track the market and know what trends are building, but if
you write to what's "hot" right now, not only will your
work suffer, you're chasing the tail end of a trend. At best,
you'll publish one book in a sea of look-alikes, at worst you'll
miss the trend entirely and by the time an editor sees it the
publishing world will be hooked on the next flavor of the month.
Be smart about what is going on in your field, but write to your
strengths. Write the book you always wanted to read, but can't
find out there. And you just might create your *own* trend.
On Publishers
My books are published through Triskelion Publishing, which I discovered
through a FTH on-line workshop. I pitched an idea, wrote the partial
and Triskelion sent me a contract, all within a few months. Thank
you FTHRW! FTH is the BEST writer's group!
Triskelion is a new publisher, growing fast, and the writers there
are amazing. The whole outfit contains a ton of energy and excitement...it's
a terrific place to write.
What's Next?
 I
just handed in the sequel to Ms. Pendragon -- Mists of
Manhattan. In Mists, Viv, the High Priestess of New York City,
fights an ancient evil and the dark seductions of her nemesis,
Mordred. Mists is due out in e-book this December, print in July.
My next release is a holiday anthology from Triskelion, This
Magic Moment. It comes out in e-book and print this November.
Any Advice for Aspiring Writers?
For a long time, I was an aspiring writer too, in the sense that
I aspired to write. In retrospect, it was too long a time. I dreamed
of writing, read voraciously, wrote long journal entries *about*
writing. All good, but at some point, you need to stop analyzing
and dreaming, and commit. Embrace the inevitable dreck of your
early efforts. You have no idea how horrible some of my early
fiction was and you never will, because I’ve murdered all
those darlings…
Despite the dreck, believe. Have faith in your ability to improve
and have the humility to admit how much you have to learn. Your
love for words will take you everywhere you need to go. Please
don’t wait any longer.
Haunt the blogs of your favorite authors and learn from them.
But please don’t stop yourself from writing while you learn,
because the best way to learn is to set yourself free and write.
The Last Word
Never give up on your dreams!
Visit Michele online at www.MicheleLang.com
(Interviewed October, 2006)
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