I am a small woman of moderate consequence who writes many, many epic fantasy books involving giants, romance, and chocolate. I'm a rather boring woman in life, but that only gives me permission to be more interesting on the page. I'm meant to be read and not seen anyway. I am also excessively sarcastic, but never serious, and I do my utmost to be as quiet and polite as possible when being forced to leave the commons. I adore people, but am not fond of the public. Such is an author's burden: to be a hermit and a crone, blessed with all the joys of unquietness.
I have been writing since grade 4. The very first story I wrote was about cat people and it was rather atrocious, but from there I moved on to writing novels. I wrote my first novel in grade 7, which was a historical fantasy about Irish immigrants coming to Ellis Island. It was also quite horrid, but here is where I began to understand the discipline of writing every day. I wrote in class, out of class, at home, while I was supposed to be studying, on my washroom floor, in the attic, etc. Eventually, I won some prestigious old thing for best story and then won four literary awards in my county. I then decided to study creative writing in university only to realize that the best way to learn about writing is to write. I began writing a series called "The Arustan Series", which was all about the Eastern Continent. I wrote about ten books in the series, all of which were never completed due to the endless blockades of classes and three jobs, and published a few fantasy short stories with The.Gloaming Magazine.
Holiday season 2009/2010 the recession hit Canada and I, like many others, was laid off. My editor and friend Mila said to me, "You cannot look for work now anyhow. So, why don't you use this time to write something new?" By then, I hadn't written anything in six months, the longest period I have ever gone without writing. I decided to write short stories about a woman farmer turned commander and a giant. Everything has always been giants with me. Within six months, I had written over 700 stories and five books worth of material. I knew I had something, even though I had little idea what, and I began querying agents and publishers to see what they thought of what I began calling "The Haanta Series". The reviews were generally positive and decided that I was going to have this series published. Six months later, I had rewritten "The Commander and the Den Asaan Rautu", book one in the series, and sent it out for publishing. A few publishers accepted the series, but I went with a small press that was willing to let me have my own editor and artist, and that was willing to publish a book every two months.
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| Photo by Nicole of NGP |
I write excessively fast, mostly because my mind never rests and partly because I have difficulty sleeping. I compose about six to ten thousand words a a 10-16 hour period. Many ask me how I write so much in a day, and my answer is invariably, "I don't know." It doesn't seem like much until I have finished another two or three books. Writing is the most natural thing in the world to me and is possibly the only thing at which I'm tolerably skilled. Perhaps this is why I write as much as I do, because I cannot do anything else.
Many people ask me about my writing style and for advice. My writing has a more classical feel -or so I'm told- because most of the books I read were published before 1940. I have an abominable time with recent literature, and therefore my style might reflect the style of the authors I enjoy most, like Jane Austen, T.H. White, and David Eddings (I would argue that the Belgariad is a classic). As for advice, I should never wish to give any. Every writer is different, and what works for one person may not work for another. I write books out of order and write at least two to three books at once. This is what does for me, whereas writing in linear format does for other authors very well. I write the books that I would most enjoy reading. There are various obstacles authors must overcome that are part of the process, such as rejection, in my case dyslexia, ridicule, time spent on book promotion, developing schizophrenia, being forced to go outside, but tenacity, the willingness to learn and rewrite, and unshakable passion have done well for me as I hope they might do well for others.
KhantaraBy Michelle Franklin
Blurb:
Khantara tells the story of the Den Asaan Rautu's mother and father.
Khantara is a Haanta conquerer, meant to wage war and rule over the enemy nation of Thellis, but after vanquishing Thellis and occupying a construction of a Haanta outpost, he meets Anelta, a woman enslaved by her own people bearing a brand of servitude on her neck. Khantara contrives to save her from a cruel home and bring her to the refuge his people can provide, but how can he do so successfully when the eyes of Thellis are upon him?
Advance praise from Avery's Book Nook:
"After having read only a few pages of this book, I recalled how exceptional Michelle is not only at her world building, but also her character development- talents which completely draw the reader in, making them impervious to everything going on around them. I don't think it possible for the reader to not fall in love with Khantara and Anelta."
Author Bio: Michelle Franklin is a woman of moderate consequence who writes many books about giants, romance and chocolate.
Twitter: @MrsDenAsaan
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