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What inspired you to start writing?
I have always loved reading and dreamed of writing a novel some day. When I was little I would write small stories. My grandmother was a huge influence in my love of reading and writing. She and I would share books back and forth and talk about stories together. I would like to think that she would be proud of the fact that I have written two novels.
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Can you tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is at the publishing company as I do this interview. There are some details to work out as far as the cover art and things, but I will hopefully have a publication date soon. It is a sequel to my first novel, Mia Amata, with the same characters and a few new ones.
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How do you create your characters?
My characters are completely fictional, completely made up. I carry a notebook with me every where I go, because sometimes I will have a random thought like, wouldn't a character that does this or that sound like a good one to interact with this character. If I'm able, I write down all the information that came to mind, then work that character in the book. Same thing happens with ideas for stories.
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What does your typical writing day look like?
I do the majority of my writing in the evenings and weekends. I work a 40-hour a week job, so my writing time is limited. Sometimes when the writing is really going well, I will write on my lunch break. I guess I really don't have a typical writing day, I just write whenever I can find the free time to do so.
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What has been the most rewarding part of being an indie author?
I love the fact that there are so many ways that an author can be published these days. For me, just seeing my book in print with my name on the cover has been the most rewarding thing for me.
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What’s one challenge you’ve faced in your writing journey?
I struggle with promoting and marketing my book on my own. Not only do I not have experience in marketing and promotion - besides a couple of marketing classes way back when - I don't have a lot of free time. Whatever time I have to dedicate to marketing/promoting takes time away from my writing. Finding that balance is my biggest challenge.
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Do you have any favorite writing tools or apps?
I did some research after losing work with the program I had been using, and I found Scrivener. I love this for writing, it is easy to use, not only can I write in this program, but it allows for me to develop my character details, keep my research handy and helps with formatting. It is definitely my favorite writing app. Other than that, I have a desktop, a laptop and even do a lot of my writing in a notebook.
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What advice would you give to new or aspiring indie authors?
Just do it! I wish I had done this years ago. What are you waiting for? If you have a busy life, just carry a notebook with you wherever you go and make notes. Pretty soon you will discover that you have a huge part of the book written already!
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How do you handle book promotion as an indie author?
This is my struggle - for several months I didn't do very much promoting, but I finally realized that I needed to get my book out there more. I created my author Facebook page, hired someone to build a new website for me (www.kelliemickelsen.com) and am working harder to promote my book. I will be doing a give-away soon to hopefully draw more people to my website and discover my books.
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What’s next for you? Are you working on a new book?
I am working on a third novel, which is not related to the first two at all. I'm only on chapter three of it but it is going well. I am also working with the publishing company to get my second novel published and am promoting and marketing my first book. I have a lot on my plates right now and am trying to juggle them all - there is just not enough time in my days to do all that I need to do!
