Ask the Author: Michele Campbell
Answered Questions (11)
Michele Campbell
I woke to find my little sister sitting on the edge of my bed, leaning over me, as something warm and sticky dripped from her neck onto my cheek. "Daddy killed me," she said in a high, thin voice, as she tried desperately to stanch the flow of blood with her hands, "and now he's coming down the hall."
Michele Campbell
No. The killer changed several times. I worked so hard to make sure that there were lots of plausible suspects that I ended up convincing *myself* of various characters' guilt during the writing process. That's what happened with the the ultimate killer. He/she (no spoilers!) was originally a red herring, but in the end I started believing all the clues I'd planted about them. Hence the twist at the end!
Michele Campbell
That was long ago and far away. But yes!
Michele Campbell
I wanted to write about a frenemy relationship that could lead to murder. I had the idea, but I was in search of just the right setting. I live in an idyllic New England college town full of hallowed halls and ivy-covered walls, and it occurred to me that college was the perfect place for my frenemies to meet. Three very different women could be thrown together as roommates freshman year and form an intense bond -- even if they didn't have much in common, even if they were bad influences on one another. Once I put the idea and the setting together, everything fell into place.
Michele Campbell
Good question. LOL, mostly by deadlines. Other than that? Music. Wine. Occasionally by things I read or events in the real world.
Michele Campbell
My next book. It's the story of two young sisters, a sex scandal and a murder.
Michele Campbell
I read an interview with Paul Simon in which he said that writing music felt like taking dictation. I don't presume to compare myself to him, but I know exactly what he meant. When the writing flows, it feels like the story is telling itself and I'm simply transcribing it. There's a magic to that that's hard to explain. I loved being a lawyer, but I never got that feeling practicing law.
Michele Campbell
Hi Jordan! Great question. They say write what you know. I was living in a small New England college town, and had graduated from an Ivy League college. I'd always wanted to write about those crazy college years, especially the bonds that form when kids from different backgrounds are thrown together far from home in a pressure-cooker environment. It seemed only natural that murder and mayhem might ensue in that situation!
Michele Campbell
Read a lot. In fact, read all the time. Read everything, but especially read books of the type that you want to write. Pay attention to how the authors you admire weave their stories. Don't worry about losing your own voice, because only you can write the book you're meant to write.
Michele Campbell
Butt in the chair. There is no other way.
Michele Campbell
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