Today is a very special day, as I get to interview an amazing Indie Author! I am extremely honored to have Michelle Muto, author of “Don’t Fear the Reaper” and “The Book of Lost Souls” with us today! She is a writer of urban fantasy, the paranormal, and to quote Michelle, “all things eerie and curious.” So without further ado…sit back, relax and let’s get to know more about Michelle and her books!

INTERVIEW WITH MICHELLE MUTO, AUTHOR OF “DON’T FEAR THE REAPER” AND “BOOK OF LOST SOULS”

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m married, have two dogs, and am a total geek. Oh, and I’m a chocoholic.

What do you do when you are not writing?

Spend time with the dogs and hubby, learn new geeky things, watch Supernatural or Vampire Diaries, do a little herb gardening, and of course, reading. Sleep is overrated.

Is there anyone who has influenced/encouraged you to write? Who and how/why?

My mother, who passed away almost 11 years ago. She loved to read and took me to the library as a kid. It’s still one of my favorite memories.

Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?

Plenty. Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe, Dean Koontz, Rod Serling, Shirly Jackson, Alfred Hitchcock, and J.K. Rowling.

Can you give a brief synopsis of your journey to publication with your first piece of
fiction?

The Book of Lost Souls was originally with a top agency – but in the end, they declined. From there I read about indie publishing and thought I’d give it a try. I’ve never looked back.

How did you choose the genre you write in?

I’ve always loved anything to do with the supernatural. The rest just sort of fell into place after reading books like Harry Potter and The Wicked Lovely.

Do you work with an outline, or just write?

I outline, but that outline is subject to change as I write. It’s meant primarily to keep me on course for the main story line.

If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting
it published that you would change?

I would have gone indie sooner.

How did you come up with the title for your current novel?

The most current novel, Don’t Fear the Reaper is from the iconic Blue Oyster Cult song from the same name. I’ve always loved the song.

Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or
idea you’d love to work with?

When I’m working on a book, it seems I’m always coming up with ideas and notes for the book I’m not writing, LOL!  Right now, I’m anxious to write the sequel to Don’t Fear the Reaper.

Have you ever considered writing a book in first person with a male lead character?

Not the entire book – at least, I haven’t yet come up with a story line entirely from a YA male’s perspective. I will say that the current book, as well as the sequels to The Book of Lost Souls and Don’t Fear the Reaper will have chapters from the male POV.

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been
the best compliment?

Toughest? That I should get a real job. The best? There are several reviews on Amazon for Don’t Fear the Reaper that I love, and three agents had said that the opening of Reaper was one of the best they’d read – this, despite that they didn’t think they could sell the book.

Can you tell us about your upcoming project/book?

It’s a stand-alone YA horror that takes place in Savannah Georgia. It will be out late this summer, possibly as well as a formerly trunked cross-over novel.

Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?

Believe in yourself and your dreams. Keep the faith. Keep writing.

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AUTHOR MICHELLE MUTO, IN HER OWN WORDS

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. One day, maybe she’ll upload a better photo – one that wasn’t taken in late afternoon with Photobooth. Or, maybe not.

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.

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ABOUT MICHELLE’S BOOKS

THE BOOK OF LOST SOULS

When teen witch Ivy MacTavish changes a lizard into her date for a Halloween dance, everything turns to chaos. And when no one is powerful enough to transform him back except Ivy, it sparks the rumor: Like father, like daughter. Ivy has heard it all before – that her father, who left when she was seven – was involved with the darkest of magic.

Making the rumors worse, someone uses an evil spell book to bring back two of history’s most nefarious killers. Ivy’s got a simple plan to set things right: find the real dark spell caster, steal the book, and reverse the spell. No problem! But she’ll have to deal with something more dangerous than murderous spirits that want her and her friends dead: the school’s resident bad boy and hotter-than-brimstone demon, Nick Marcelli. Nick’s offering Ivy more than his help with recovering the missing book – he’s offering her a way to ditch her scaly reputation as a lizard-lover. Demons are about as hard to handle as black magic, and as Ivy soon discovers, it’s going to take more than a lot of luck and a little charm if she wants to survive long enough to clear her status as a dark witch, get a warm-blooded boyfriend, and have her former date back to eating meal worms before the week’s end.

Haunted by memories of her murdered twin, Keely Morrison is convinced suicide is her only ticket to eternal peace. But in death, she discovers the afterlife is nothing like she expected. Instead of peaceful oblivion or a joyful reunion with her sister, Keely is trapped in a netherworld on Earth with only a bounty-hunting reaper and a sarcastic demon to show her the ropes.

When the demon offers Keely her ultimate temptation–revenge on her sister’s killer–she must determine who she can trust. Because, as Keely soon learns, the reaper and demon have been keeping secrets and she fears the worst is true–that her every decision changes how, and with whom, she spends eternity.