Ask the Author: Paula W. Millet
Answered Questions (5)
Paula W. Millet
The advice is to write what you know, right? Angelique's Storm is inspired by a place I often visited as a child, a pristine barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico called Last Island. I grew up hearing tales of its colorful history when it was a lively resort, one hundred sixty years ago. I always thought of it as a magical place and wanted to write a story of what it might have been like. Creating the head-strong Creole heroine, Angelique, gave me the perfect character to bring that story to life. I feel a kinship with her, although I am not nearly as brave as she is!
Paula W. Millet
Angelique's Storm, my debut novel, was released only four days ago, so I am trying to weave my way through the labyrinth involved in marketing and promotion. Nobody warned me how difficult that would be! But I have started on the sequel, Angelique's War. I am two chapters in at this point, and if I can pull off the idea I have in mind, it is going to be a wild ride for the reader.
I also have another manuscript, a piece of contemporary fiction, that I am currently rewriting. I won't release it until I have completed the Angelique trilogy, since it is so different.
I also have another manuscript, a piece of contemporary fiction, that I am currently rewriting. I won't release it until I have completed the Angelique trilogy, since it is so different.
Paula W. Millet
Writing is work... really hard work... and you must love doing it.... really love it. You write because you have something to say, thoughts to share, not because of fame and fortune, which is elusive (and often an impossible dream). Write every day, if you can: practice will help you develop your craft. Look at the world through creative, inquisitive eyes. When you are a writer, everybody and everything can potentially become a story idea.
Editing is a pain, but a necessary evil. When you think your manuscript is perfect, go through it one more time. I promise, you will find that misspelled word, just as you hit "send" on your final copy. It's Murphy's Law.
Best of all, enjoy the process. You are doing something that so many people only dream of doing.
Editing is a pain, but a necessary evil. When you think your manuscript is perfect, go through it one more time. I promise, you will find that misspelled word, just as you hit "send" on your final copy. It's Murphy's Law.
Best of all, enjoy the process. You are doing something that so many people only dream of doing.
Paula W. Millet
The obvious answer is that writing gives me a creative outlet, a chance to tell a compelling story that only existed in the deep corners of my imagination until I brought it to life. But it is more than that. Writing provides me with a unique opportunity to connect with readers, to offer them an intangible and inexplicable moment that connects us, two strangers, bound only by the fictional characters and plot twists within the pages of a book. That's pretty powerful... and absolutely wonderful!
Paula W. Millet
I wish I could give you some clever response, but quite frankly, my muse takes random vacations, leaving me to stare at a blank computer screen for hours at a time. She's fickle like that. When writer's block happens, I have to simply walk away, put whatever I am writing aside for a day or two (or in the case of Angelique's Storm, three agonizing months), until she returns home, ready to provide me with the necessary motivation. When she is "in residence," she is amazingly creative (and cooperative).
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