LRC Featured Author interview with Michelle Gregory (Eldala)

Thank you Michelle for agreeing to participate and offering Eldala for giveaway.
If you review Eldala this month, you will get extra entries for the giveaway. Make sure you are signed up! Loving the Reviews Challenge and Huge Giveaway!

About Michelle (from her site)

"My name is Michelle Gregory. I am a wife, mom, homemaker, reader, homeschooler, and writer. Five years ago, I found out I loved to write. I ignored the desire until I couldn't stand it anymore. The words started to pour out of me like an Arizona flashflood during monsoon season. They've been gushing ever since."

And here is our interview:

--The Twitter version: tell us about your book in 140 characters or less.

A blacksmith finds out he’s a king. 

--How did you get the idea for the story?

I tried to put the things I love about stories into my story—mystery, fantasy, a villain to defeat, allegory, someone who discovers they’re more than they thought they were, true love—and to make it a story my then pre-teen boys would enjoy. When it didn’t go the way I wanted, I asked for their help and it morphed into Eldala. They came up with character names, place names, and plot ideas. My oldest son even drew a map of Teleria for me.

--Which character would you most/least like to have dinner with?

Kieran and Jessa would be my first choices, but I also like a secondary character named Sahbél. He mentors Kieran along the way. I want nothing to do with Ciara and Rahnak (the two villains). I don’t like their daughter much either.  

--What are some of your favorite books? Do you still have much time to read?

I’m addicted to romance novels – inspirational, historical, and sometimes contemporary. It’s too hard to pick a favorite book, so I’ll pick favorite authors—Mary Connealy, Teresa Medeiros, and Kaki Warner.

I make time to read. It’s a great vacation for my brain when I’m drafting and can’t get a scene to work. I can read all day and forget to eat. 

--If a fairy godmother told you your life could be like a favorite book for 24 hours, which book would you pick and why?

The Magician’s Nephew by C. S. Lewis. I’d love to be there to see Aslan sing Narnia into being. 

--Do you need anything to write (music, coffee, etc)? Are there any songs on your book’s playlist-" songs that inspired you or that were playing while you wrote?

When I was first drafting Eldala, I listened to the soundtracks from Last of the Mohicans, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Open Range, Last Samurai, and Eragon. When I had to write a grieving scene, I listened to music from Sapphira’s “death” scene from Eragon and the Beast’s death scene in Beauty and the Beast. A song/scene from Last Samurai inspired a scene between Kieran and Jessa.  

Now I find that I can’t listen to music when I write, but I still use songs to inspire a mood or a certain scene. I’m finding scenes and music from the newest Robin Hood movie to be very inspiring as I write my sequel.

--Can you give us any teasers from the sequel? Is there a  publication date?

All I can say is that Teleria is in danger. Kieran and Jessa’s daughter, and Jessa’s mother Tiana, will both play a part. For more teasers, I’ve posted excerpts from the second draft on my blog: Black Heart teasers 

Link - http://michellegregory.blogspot.com/search/label/Black%20Heart

I’m currently at the beginning of my third draft and I’d hoped to have it published this year, but circumstances keep getting in the way, so now I have no idea when it will be out.

--If you could have any superpower what would you choose?

The ability to function on fewer hours of sleep, and the ability to split myself into several parts so I could do housework, home school, spend time with my kids, and write.

--Besides writing, what do you like to do in your free time?

I read, blog, and spend way too much time on Facebook.

--Is there anything else you want to add or say to your readers?

Don’t give up on your dreams because you never know where they’ll take you. When I started this journey to write one novel for myself and my family five years ago, I had no idea I would meet so many incredible people or have an impact on their lives. Thank you for allowing me to reach a few more with Kieran and Jessa’s story of courage and sacrifice.  

Michelle's sites

Website – www.michelledgregory.com

Blog – www.michellegregory.blogspot.com

Eldala’s blog – www.eldala.blogspot.com

Eldala is available in paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon –

Also at Smashwords in multiple digital formats - http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/32570

And on Nook -