October's Indie Author of the Month Is...

Well, folks September has come and gone which can only mean one thing…it's time to officially announce October's Indie Author of the Month!

Are you excited? I know I am. This month we will be honoring the lovely and talented…wait for it…wait for it…

*Michelle Muto*

~and the crowd goes wild~

So, who is Michelle Muto exactly? She's penned two of my favorite books, Don't Fear the Reaper and The Book of Lost Souls. If you haven't read them, you must do so right away!

                

Here's a little bit more about Michelle….

Writer of urban fantasy, the paranormal, and all things eerie and curious. 

Michelle has always loved storytelling. When she was a child, her favorite stories were of monsters and things that lurked in the dark. Telling stories often frightened her classmates and got her into a lot of trouble with her teachers. They had no sense of humor.

As an adult, Michelle traded her love of writing for the corporate life where she was an IT professional. Today, she’s doing what she loves best – writing and storytelling.
Michelle grew up in Chicago, but currently lives in NE Georgia with her husband and their two dogs, one of which is a Beezlepup. She loves scary books, funny movies, sports cars, dogs, chocolate, old cemeteries, and changes of season. Michelle even loves photography. 

Michelle writes on a Mac and is a true geek at heart. She agrees with her dogs who think cheese and bacon should be in their own food group. But most of all, she believes everyone should trust their imagination, have a kind heart, and should definitely have a sense of humor.

October will be all about Michelle Muto. Just like before, we will be kicking off Week 1 with an interview with lovely Michelle! Week 2 we will get a peek inside one of Michelle's super amazing books so be sure to tune in for that! If I'm lucky enough Week 3 we will get some one on one time with a super hot demon by the name of Daniel! And finally, Week 4 is Why I Love Michelle Muto week where we all can participate in Sharing the Love with Michelle!

Oh and don't forget each week there will be giveaways consisting of cool swag, Michelle Muto books, and such! And come week 4 one of you lucky ducks will be the recipient of the Super Mega Awesome Grand Prize Giveaway consisting of a $10 B&N/Amazon gift card, more swag, and books by Michelle Muto!!!! Remember you can get your name in the pot for the grand prize giveaway up to four times (must have a valid entry each week) increasing your chances to win. You can find more details under the "Giveaway Rules & Details" tab or shoot me an email.

Now back to the matter at hand! Michelle took the time out of her super busy schedule to answer a few interview questions for me. Are you ready? I am! Let's go!

MN: Michelle, what made you decide to take the self-publishing leap?

MM: When a top agent told me they’d decided they couldn’t rep me because another, more established author turned in a proposal for a similar book after they’d had my manuscript for over a year.

MN: How long have you been a full time writer?

MM: For about almost two years.

MN: What is the last book you read?

MM: M. Leighton’s Down to You.

MN: Amazing book! Loved it! So far what has been your favorite 2012 moment/memory so far?

MM: When The Book of Lost Souls was voted Best YA for 2012 by eFestival of Words.

 

MN: That is so exciting! Major congrats! You definitely deserve it! I can't wait to see Don't Fear the Reaper rake in some awards, too! Looking forward what's next for Michelle Muto? You have a new book on the horizon?

MM:The Haunting Season, late October or early November.

MN: Ahh, I can't wait! So I have do know, who would be your dream fictional character that you’d like to have as a real life bestie?

MM: Hmmm. Probably Hermoine Grainger. Or maybe Ginny Weasley. Of course, they’d have to be a bit older.

MN: How about your dream fictional character love interest?

MM: He’d be a little Damon, a little Dean, a dash of Sam, and another dash of Castiel rolled into one. Maybe I’ll create him for one of my characters one day.

MN: Yes, please do! ;) What would you say is your most prized possession?

MM: My family. But that’s not a possession, is it? So, without getting all weird & writer-like, I’ll choose my dogs.

 

Tasha & Ronan

MN: Look at those puppies! Aren't they the cutest?! Alright, Michelle. It's time for the speed round…respond with the first thing that comes to mind:

Color? Black

Song? Daughtry’s No Surprise

Food? Cheese

Place?  Asheville

Book? The Shining

Season?  Autumn

Holiday? Halloween

Animal? Dog

See, isn't Michelle the perfect pick for October?! Michelle, thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions and hang out a bit! It was a blast!

Now, for this week's giveaway….

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And the Super Mega Awesome Giveaway Winner is...

I didn't have a nice top hat handy or a Hunger Games style fish bowl to hold your entries so instead I had to settle for a Ziploc baggie...glamorous, I know. So, I put all the names in the baggie shook it up and you'll never guess who my very first Super Mega Awesome Grand Prize winner is!

Drumroll, please.

And the winner of the Tiffany King Indie Author of the Month SUPER MEGA AWESOME GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY IS....

ERIN!!!

Woo hoo! Erin is having a really lucky month! It just so happens she won also won the week 1 giveaway! Hooray, Erin! So, what does Erin win? She wins the following:

1. An Unlikely Allies Magnet from Tiffany King
2. A $10 Amazon/Barnes & Noble Gift Card
3. A cute purple Indie Reader reusable shopping bag
4. Tiffany King e-book

Be sure to tell Erin congrats! Also, if you see April Etheridge around send her my way! I have her week 3 winnings hanging around!

Erin, shoot me another email at your convenience so you can properly collect your winnings!!!!

Thank you so much to everyone who participated! I had a total of 39 entries and 31 different participants! So amazing! If you didn't win this go around don't fret, October is a new month filled with yet another Super Mega Awesome Grand Prize Giveaway along with other fun weekly swag giveaways! Stay tuned to see who will receive the honor of Indie Author of the Month next!

And don't forget to Share the Love! <3
 

Why I love Tiffany King! (SuperMegaAwesomeGrandPrizeGiveawayWeek)

Well, friends September is quickly coming to a close which means two things:

#1~Someone is about to be the winner of my very first super mega awesome grand prize giveaway  #2~My time honoring the fantabulous Tiffany King is about to come to a close.

Sad I know, but have no fear next month we will be honoring yet another lovely indie. And just because September is over doesn't mean the Tiffany King love has to end! She deserves appreciation everyday so be sure to share the love whenever you can! :) Also, be sure to click on the Unlikely Allies Blog Hop button and see what other awesomeness she has going on this week. It's that big purple thing right over there---->

Back to the matter at hand, to wrap up my very first Indie Author of the Month feature, I thought it would only be fitting to share with you Why I Love Tiffany King.

Tiffany’s books always have such an uplifting message and positive tone, even in the face of darkness the sunshine always seems to poke back through, which I believe is a pure reflection of her…she is definitely a ray of sunshine.

I'm always amazed how her writing flows so effortlessly and in no time you’ve fallen into her world of words. With my favorite authors, there is always a stand out moment in their books where it just hits home for me…something that sticks with you and you find yourself coming back to the feelings in that moment, that story, that happy place.

The one scene that comes to mind with Tiffany is from book one of Saving Angels Series - Meant To Be. The moment when Krista first sees Mark, that punch in the gut feeling of complete awareness, that “love at first sight” moment. Knowing that you are meant for each other without ever even speaking a single word… it's magical, unexplainable, and completely beautiful.

When I sat down to write this piece I realized why that moment in Meant to Be continues to stick so closely to my heart…I felt that moment when I was sixteen years old. It was such an indescribable feeling the first time I saw him and the sense of knowing that enveloped me. I knew unequivocally, undeniably standing there, the handsome blue eyed man staring back at me would one day be my husband. Turns out I was right and I am proud to be his Mrs.  ;D

The point of my little story is this. Great authors, like Tiffany King have a special way of touching our hearts and leaving us with happy moments to help us through our bad days and that my friends is Why I Love Tiffany King. 

Why do YOU love, Tiffany King?

Leave your responses in the comment section below in order to earn a fourth and final possible entry for the SUPER MEGA AWESOME GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY!

Good luck! And let's Share the Love for Tiffany! <3

Mason from Unlikely Allies is HERE ;) *Updated Winner Announced*

***Big congrats to this week's winner, April Etheridge! Please email me at MichelleNicoleWrites@gmail.com to receive your winnings! And don't forget all of you Week 3 participants have earned an entry towards the Super Mega Awesome Grand Prize Giveaway!***

Hi, friends!

Well, I have the great honor of speaking with Mason from Unlikely Allies today. That's right THE Mason! He so graciously agreed to trade a day in the Rockies for a visit to the Appalachians and I'm so excited. For those of you who have yet to meet Mason, prepare yourself, he is one heck of a blond hottie with muscles and brains to boot. 

Are you ready? Here we go….

We settle in on my front porch enjoying the beautiful crisp Fall day…

Mason, I just want to thank you for being here today. I'm still new at this interview business so please bear with me. ~deep breath~ Okay, first question, what did you think when you learned that Rick had a daughter?

I was shocked. Rick was devastated. I mean, think about it. You find out that you have a 17 year old daughter that you never knew existed. How do you deal with that? I had never seen him (Rick) cry before that and I just wanted to be there for him the way he has always been for me.

And did your feelings change once Kimberly arrived?

Rick wasn't the same for days, even after the initial shock wore off. Seeing how hurt he was affected me also. When we found out Kimberly was coming, all I could think was that I wouldn't let Rick get hurt again. I guess I was bound and determined to hate her, to show her that she didn't belong, but then seeing her threw me way off.

Really? ~smiling widely~ So, what was the first thing that went through your mind when you saw Kimberly?

I wasn't expecting her to be so damn beautiful.

So, sweet. 

Now, I have to know. Were you purposely showing off swinging that ax?

Ha, that's the funny part. I had this whole speech worked out in my head. I was really going to let her have it, but when she walked up I forgot everything I was going to say. I swear at that moment, I panicked. I thought about running, but that would have looked strange, but I also didn't want to stand there staring like an idiot, so I just started chopping wood.

I think that mode of action seemed to work in your favor, at least according to Kimberly's reaction.

Now at one point, Kimberly describes you and I quote “Mason was definitely an ass with a capital A.” What do you have to say about that? I mean it is no secret you were definitely majorly rude to her for a while.

I can't argue that. As a matter of fact, she probably could have called me a lot worse. You have to understand though, and I'm not trying to find an excuse, but even when she got there Rick and I would talk at night and he was so worried about how to act around her, what to say, things like that. So, I kept thinking I had to somehow punish her for that, even though none of it was her fault. But then I would get around her again and have different feelings. It was conflicting as hell. I was a mess.

Poor boy. Talk about a conundrum. ~looks at notes~

Mason, did you know that Amy diagnosed you as having AMS (Arrogant Male Syndrome)?

Ha, that's just Amy. She's a sweet girl, but definitely tells it like it is. We've known each other for a long time though, so it's all good. I still love her.

So, when you were paired up with Kimberly for CPR training did kissing her cross your mind? Because it certainly seemed to have been a moment for you both.

Moment is putting it lightly. That was so freaking tough. There she was right underneath me, but with everyone watching. Can I say that kissing wasn't the only thing on my mind? Is that allowed in this interview?

Ha! I think we can let that slide. ~winks~

Now moving on to more serious matters what was going through your mind after your horrendous fall?

Ouch.

Well put. 

What were you thinking when Kimberly found you after the fall?

I was glad she was okay, but I also felt bad because I knew how hurt I was and that I wouldn't be able to help us. At that moment, I knew we were in trouble.

No doubt. 

Thinking back, what motivated you to demand Kimberly go out with you on the trails that rainy night?

Looking back, I have to admit, that was stupid and selfish. Finding Lyssa should have been priority one, but I let my emotions get involved. Quite frankly, I thought we would find Lyssa quickly and then I could have some time alone to talk to Kimberly. Bad plan.

~shrugs~ Accidents happen. 

 Okay, finally it's time for the speed round. Respond with the first thing that comes to mind.

Color?

Red

Song?

"Learning to Fly" by Pearl Jam. I have a thing for 90's Grunge Rock.

Food?

Pizza. I could eat it every day.

Place?

I'm an outdoors guy. I would love to see someplace like the Australian Outback.

Book?

Right now I'm reading "Inescapable" by Amy Bartol. Rick got me into these damn paranormal books.

Season?

Probably Summer because I like to get outside.

Holiday?

See, this makes the last question tough too. I love Halloween. I think it would be awesome to turn Camp Unlikely Allies into a haunted camp at Halloween.

Oh, that sounds super fun! Maybe you need to make that happen. Final speed round question.

Girl?

Is this a trick question? I'm team Kimberly.

  

Of course, you are! You two are meant for each other. Mason, I just want to thank you again for making the trip. I hope you have a little time to enjoy my neck of the woods. It has been a pleasure. Be sure to tell Kimberly we all say "Hello!" Safe travels home!

 ~~~

Let the record show, that I was able to contain myself throughout this interview. Although I will openly admit that my inner 13 year old girl has now made a full appearance and I cannot contain my giddiness! ~bouncing in my chair~

This was so much fun! A major THANK YOU again to the amazing Tiffany King for making this interview possible.  If you want to spend more time with Mason be sure to grab a copy of Unlikely Allies over at Amazon or Barnes&Noble. You won't regret it! ;)

Now, for this week's giveaway....

Name the book and author that Mason is currently reading.

Leave your response in the comments below. Correct answers will be entered into this week's giveaway AND count as an additional entry for the Super Mega Awesome Grand Prize Giveaway coming next week!!!

Good luck! And be sure to Share the Love! <3