Q: Hello Michelle, how are you today?

A: I am great, thanks for asking!

Q: Great. Thank you for joining us and sharing a little more about yourself with the Wattpad universe. First off, shall we talk about you and writing? When did you first start writing?

A: I started writing creatively when I was in 3rd grade, so about 10 years old.

Q: What are your writer's best practices – doing character profiles, maps, visualization, tai chi, anything?

A: I do character profiles and lists. Lots and lots of lists. I make lists of things that characters have with them, lists of plot points that have been resolved and unresolved, lists of character relationships...I basically just keep making lists all the time! And once things get more figured out I make rough maps and a plot timeline.

Q: When and in what setting do you write best?

A: Definitely in the evening at my desk! Currently being a college student with a job, the time I get that's finally my own is my most productive time.

Q: Is there anything in particular you find difficult to write about?

A: I love writing action scenes, but I find them difficult. Explain too much, and it doesn't flow properly. Explain too little, and it comes off confusing.

Q: What piece of advice has been most helpful to you since you started?

A: Try to get in the habit of writing every day, and read as often as you can. Everybody says this, but it's true! Like every craft, you need lots of practice. I used to be able to draw pretty well. Now I can't even draw a decent stick figure!

Q: What do you enjoy more – writing or having written?

A: The writing process. I love getting into a scene and imagining it. It's my escape from reality, but I also find that immersing myself into my writing relaxes me and boosts my mood. It slightly beats out the accomplished feeling of having written something, especially because I'm such a perfectionist with my work that I never feel finished.

Q: What genre would you write in, if it wasn't sci-fi?

A: Fantasy. It's what I originally started in when I was young, and I still love the genre.

Q: That's cool! And what about reading? What three genres do you read the most?

A: I would say science fiction, fantasy, and YA/teen fiction. By YA/teen fiction, I mean books about everyday young people going through life and experiencing it.

Q: Is there anything you can think of that you would love to read, only it hasn't been written yet?

A: If there was, I'd want to be the one to write it. So that's a secret ;)

Q: What book could not put down under any circumstances?

A: I remember staying up all night every time I was reading a Pretty Little Liars book. I always had to know what happened next!

Q: And, I know the readers would really appreciate this, tell us what inspired you to write your book on Wattpad? 

A: I watched Alien and from that point on I binged on every science fiction movie I could find. All of a sudden, I wanted to write an alien invasion story more than anything. But I wanted to do it my way.

Q: Can you describe it in three words (and don't be modest!)?

A: Intense, fast, and real.

Q: Which character is the total fan favorite? Why do you think that is?

A: Definitely Tyler. It's time for me to confess that I never expected this. I honestly thought people would hate him and I would have to justify him. My gut told me that people would hate him, yet the fan reaction has been the complete opposite. I tried for a long time to figure out why that could be. But from discussions I've had, he is well liked because he's simply a good guy. He always does the responsible thing, and he keeps Rachel in check. He's protective, smart, and also a little mysterious.

Q: Talking about fans, can you quote the one comment on your book, which you will never forget? Please include *SPOILER* if it contains major revelations from the storyline.

A: It's hard for me to pick just one, but a few people have commented that my characters feel so real. As a reader, they care deeply for them and appreciate that I took the time to give them raw emotions and unique personalities. That meant a lot to me, because it was something I had worked very hard on and wasn't sure if I had managed to accomplish.

Q: What is your favorite thing about being active on Wattpad?

A: I love the community. I never imagined The Divide doing this well, and everyone has been so supportive and kind. I'm very thankful for that.

Q: If you had to mention just one Undiscovered Gem of a story or writer on Wattpad, who would it be and why?

A: At the End's Edge by Rhoda Riley. That girl knows how to write a natural disaster apocalypse better than anyone I know.

Q: How do you work on your writing style and how do you develop it?  

A: I think the only way I work on my style is through continuing to practice writing, but also reading more and watching more movies and TV shows. I find that practice and observation help me develop my style. The first draft of The Divide that's on Wattpad is a two year span of my writing, and to me there is a big improvement from Chapter 1 to Chapter 31 in terms of the way I write.

Q: Is coming up with a title a difficult task?  

A: Coming up with a title is INSANELY difficult for me. I'm not even happy with the ones I have now! I agree that your title will mostly come to you as you write the story. That's how I ended up calling this the Soldiers of the Earth series.

Q: What has been your favorite part of any of your projects to write?  

A: My favorite part of any of my writing projects is when I get completely invested in a story I have started. It gets to the point where I have laid out all the groundwork, and I'm free to take the story wherever I want it to go. Which leads to a lot of daydreaming (sometimes during the middle of an exam) but I love it.

Q: Where are you from?  

A: I'm from the United States, up north!

Q: Did any of you ever feel like writing just wasn't for you anymore and wanted to stop?  

A: There were times I wondered if I had any talent at all in writing. But I realized it's not about that. I do it because I love it and it makes me happy. I have so much passion for it, and that's all it takes to start writing a story. Whenever I wasn't sure if I could finish a story, though, I remember when I was around 13 and took a creative writing class. We wrote a short story based on a prompt, and when the teacher read mine she actually cried! I kind of freaked out, but she told me that I should never stop writing. Whenever I doubt myself and my ability, I think about that.

Q: What was your hardest chapter to write and why?  

A: My hardest chapter to write (spoilers avoided) was the one with the first character death. I'm never one to just start killing characters off for the sake of a body count, so I knew it had to be done for the story to move forward. Yet I get so attached to my characters that it was really hard for me to let go. When my character deals with the death, I really felt like I was dealing it with her and felt genuine sadness. I had to put on some happy music after I wrote that chapter!

Q: How can you start a story well so that it pulls the reader in and keeps them hooked till the end?  

A: We all have short attention spans, so you need to pull people in quick. It doesn't have to be some crazy action scene on page one, but make it interesting and attention-grabbing. Maybe use some humor or some horror...just find a way to bring their full attention to your story. As for keeping their attention, I find that you need to work on keeping a good pace. It's good to have some slow moments, but always keep the story moving. Even in a relaxed scene, something should be accomplished. And of course, use cliffhangers! Not too many, of course, but everyone has their own definition of too many. I probably use more than I should, but I like it that way.

Q: What is one thing about writing nobody told you about?  

A: Nobody ever told me how complex it actually is to write a book. I have several notebooks full of lists, character profiles, charts, and random lines and ideas. I'm constantly trying to come up with the next chapter, of course, but I'm thinking about so much more at the same time. Character development, plot points, how would each character react to this or that, does this scene move the story forward, am I describing this well enough, am I explaining too much, and so on. It's a lot to think about. And then you finish the first draft....wanting to rewrite the entire thing from scratch...

Q: Is there anything that you wish you could go back in your story and change?  

A: There are some scenes I am not happy with and probably will change. I can definitely say most of the beginning of The Divide will be changed without a doubt. But other than that, I have only debated changing the names. Most of them I am fine with, but sometimes I wonder if by trying to keep the names normal and real, I made them forgettable.

Q: Have you considered publishing paper copies of your books?  

A: I've thought about self-publishing for sure. I don't think I want to go the traditional route, but I may change my mind by the time I finish rewriting The Divide. But yes, someday I want to have paperback copies in my hands, whether I did it myself or through a publisher!

Q: How did you start off your stories? Did they end up turning out to be different from what you originally expected and had in store for them?  

A: This is another thing I have hardly told anyone, you lucky readers! When I originally came up with this story, it was very different. The Divide separated the rich and the poor of an alien controlled society, and Rachel was on the rich side and she sneaks out and meets someone (those of you who have read The Divide will know) on the poor side. That's the basic idea I first had, and it was going to be a romance. But before I even started writing the first chapter, I didn't like that. I was in the time of my life where I had gotten my fill of romance, as much as I enjoyed it in the past. I realized I wanted something different, so I changed gears and have what I have now.

Q: And to finish off, I am going to ask you two more personal questions, but don't worry, I won't dig too deep.

1. If you had to get up and do one of these three things right now, which would you go for?

a. Bungee jumping

b. Singing in front of a thousand people

c. Running a marathon

A: Running a marathon. I used to be a cross country runner and I kind of miss it!

2. If you had to live one year without one of the three things below, which would you pick?

a. Chocolate

b. Ice-Cream

c. Coffee

A: Coffee. I don't mind the taste, but caffeine doesn't usually agree with me.

3. What is your guilty pleasure TV show?

A: My guilty pleasure is The Vampire Diaries! I say guilty pleasure because I hardly talk about it, and I mainly just watch it while I'm eating or working out, but I've seen every episode. As cliche as it gets, it's entertaining without a doubt.

That was fun!

Thanks for being with us and sharing your amazing stories with the world!