Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books – The Home of the Romance Novel!
Today we are welcoming Michelle McCleod to the blog! She is the author of Love Potions and is dropping by to share so information about herself as well as her book! Sit back and enjoy! Hopefully this is a book that you might be interested in!
Barb – Tell us a little about yourself.
Michelle – Hi! I’m Michelle McCleod. I saw my first ghost at the age of 4 and have been running scared ever since. I also stole a rock from a real vampire who is probably still looking for me (that story is coming soon to a blog near you). On top of that, any psychic tendencies I have are dyslexic. Basically, the safest thing for me to do is stay indoors and write what I know; paranormal.
Barb – Where would you live if you could live anywhere in the world?
Michelle – California, except without the natural disasters. Or near Stonehenge, which has great energy.
Barb – Tell us about your new release?
Michelle – Love Potions is a novella about a romance-challenged witch and the elf cursed to 
break her heart. I often tackle the idea of magic being unable to solve all of life’s problems in my work and that is true for my heroine, Marion. All she wants to do is learn how to defend herself from her ex, but in order to get to the next level in her training, she has to stop blowing up love potions. She thinks magic is the key to solving her problems, when, in reality, it’s the more mundane act of falling in love.
Barb – Who is your favorite character?
Michelle – I love Aidan’s protective instincts, he doesn’t hesitate to help Marion. Even if it might not help him break the curse he’s under.
“Trust me,” Aidan said.
“That’s asking a lot,” Marion said, frowning.
“I know. I want to give you more back though.”
“Like what?”
“Your life. I want to get rid of Eric for you. I want to love you until you can’t recall a time when you weren’t adored and cherished, until Eric will seem like a bad dream, one you can barely remember.”
I also enjoy Raven’s outspoken sassiness. She says what everyone else is thinking. Readers really seem to enjoy her too, I’ve had some requests for a Raven story.
“He’s cute, Mar. Although I don’t get what he sees in your hobo-purdah look.” Raven did a little spin followed by a hip thrust. “Come on, dance and try to pretend you’re not a walking fashion disaster.”
Barb – Do you have a favorite scene?
Michelle – Yes! Actually more than one, but for the sake of brevity, let’s go with the moment when Dougal, a giant shapeshifter, has to assume Marion’s more petite form in order to act as a decoy for the villain. He then goes on to wear the skimpiest clothing in her closet and parties hard, totally ruining her reputation as a mousy wallflower witch.
Marion reached out and touched Dougal’s cheek, an expression of wonder on her face. “How did you do that?”
“Magic,” Dougal said.
“What kind of magic, exactly? I’ve heard of transformation spells and illusions, but this is something different.” She poked her twin in the arm.
“Fay shape shifters have their own magic.”
“It’s better than anything I’ve seen. Would you mind standing up?”
Dougal did as she asked with a good-natured smile. Marion walked around him, awe turning to clouded disappointment. “Does my ass really look like that?”
Barb – What is the hardest type of scene for you to write?
Michelle – All of them! I do plan ahead, but I’m not one to create a detailed plot outline. So when I show up to write, I never know the details of what’s going to happen. Other than plot logistics, I enjoy every scene I write.
Barb – Did you know the title before you started writing?
Michelle – Yes, simply because the idea of exploding love potions was central to the inspiration for the story. I usually have a title before writing a story, one that relates to the plot and/or central theme. Every so often the title changes. My next release, an urban fantasy, was originally titled Reality Bites, but has changed to Crime Bites as a play on the idiom ‘take a bite out of crime.’
Barb – What do you do when you aren’t writing?
Michelle – Toddler wrangling, Zumba, cooking with a side of pyrotechnics (Marion and I have that in common–I recently detonated hard-boiled eggs all over the kitchen) and working, working, working.
Barb – How can your fans find you?
Michelle – Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michelle-McCleod/266194530069929
Twitter: @MichelleMcCleod
Blog: http://michellemccleod.blogspot.com/
Email is always great too! mccleodwrites AT gmail DOT com
Barb – Where is your work available for purchase?
Michelle – Amazon
Note: The best price is on Amazon.
Barb – Anything else you’d like to add?
Michelle – My next book, as mentioned, will be an urban fantasy entitled Crime Bites. It’s about a psychic FBI agent and the vampire out for her blood. An excerpt of the first three chapters is up on my website.
Based on my bio, I also hope to work on a memoir of my more paranormal experiences. The weird, it likes me. A little too much for my own good.
Thanks for having me!
We’d like to thank Michelle for dropping by and sharing information with us about her book. Drop by Amazon and checking it out!
Oh yay! Interview is up! Thanks for having me!
M