Interview with Michelle Monique

Welcome fellow readers and I hope you're having a great morning! I'm excited to say that today we have a special guest. She's a wonderful photographer, an unimaginably great graphic designer, and she even sews her own costumes! You may recognize some of her art from Jessica Redmerski's book covers since she actually did them. Here is Michelle Monique!

Raschel: Welcome Michelle! Its great to have you here today, I'm glad w were able to grab some of your time away for this interview. 

MM: My pleasure! Thank you for the opportunity to be interviewed in your blog.

Raschel: So, you're a photographer, but that isn't all you are is it? What are all the amazing artistic things you can do with those handy little fingers of yours?

MM: Most people see my pictures and think many of the elements were created digitally. However, this is far from true. Everything in my recent photos has been created in real life by either me or my boyfriend and I just composite everything in photoshop. I think this gives my pictures a sense of reality whereas a lot of photoshopped pictures look like paintings. I also make costumes with my mom if it is too complicated to simply purchase from a store. I would consider myself more of a photographer and craftsman than a true digital artist. You can check out my You-tube videos if you want to see the process!

Raschel: So, you've done some pretty awesome things, and how old are you now? When did you figure out that this was what you wanted to do with your life? Did you take any schooling?

MM: I'm 20. When I started photography it was not a dream of mine to make it a career, I just thought it was fun to dress up with my friends and take pictures. However, my photos kept getting more and more attention and this inspired me to continually improve on my skill. I gradually started getting jobs and realized I might actually be able to make it as a photographer. I took a couple photography classes in high school but honestly everything I learned how to do was from self teaching. I'm in college right now but for marketing, not photography.

Raschel: Did you start this business from scratch without any help or did you have investors help you with purchasing equipment?

MM: At the risk of sounding spoiled my investors would be... my parents! They bought me a camera when I was 16 as a gift for finishing a difficult year of high school. I started by using my dad's old Minolta flashes which worked for a couple years but I needed something better if I wanted to improve. They upgraded my lights and bought me a tablet. I can't thank them enough for supporting me financially as well as with their time. I don't think I would have improved so quickly without their help.

Raschel: Minolta! Oh wow, I actually have one of those..though I got it to go to photography school originally and mine was 35mm. It wasn't exactly in the best of shape when I got it so it usually stays sitting in a bag at home. I've noticed that you have several recognized publishers as clients, want to tell us more on how you got their attention and how that process worked for you?
 

MM: I'm not actually sure where publishers found me, whether it was on my Deviantart or website. I'm just glad that they did. I was quite nervous at first, because I was talking on the phone with the biggest publisher in the world at age 19. I learned the most from them on what it is like to work professionally as an artist, adhere to strict deadlines, and give a client exactly what they are looking for.

Raschel: How long does it take you to start/finish a project if a client knows exactly what they want in a book cover and pays right away?

MM: It really depends on how complicated the concept is. If it's just a model in a simple costume with a simple background I can do it in 2 days. However, I had one client that needed armor built for a character and it took 2 months.

Raschel: Would that by any chance have been Andrea Creamer's latest book Rift which just hit shelves this month? Do you have any special snacks that you require in order to work on the computer for long periods of time? (most authors swear by coffee)
 

MM: Actually, no armor was involved for Rift. It was for a different author but he ended up omitting the armor and just went with a girl in leather.

I don't usually eat while editing but I always have "That 70's show" or "The Cosby show" playing in the background. I need background noise to feel comfortable plus those are the only two shows I can watch over and over again! Old TV shows are the best :)

Raschel: Well Michelle it has been great having you come by and tell us a little more about yourself. Its always fun to dig into the minds of artist and their mediums. (Especially if they have more than one!) Here's hoping you continue to thrive in your business!

MM: Thanks again for the opportunity to introduce myself on your blog. Best wishes for you and your business as well!

Readers, if you're wanting to contact Michelle or even ask for her services just visit her website! There you can see all of the wonderful work she has even done, and even a few videos of her doing what she does best! You can also visit her deviantart and scroll through her many designs, and no matter what, don't forget to stop by and like her on Facebook!

Related Posts:

Rift Launch

Overview:
Chronicling the rise of the Keepers, this is the stunning prequel to Andrea Cremer's internationally bestselling Nightshade trilogy!

Sixteen-year-old Ember Morrow is promised to a group called Conatus after one of their healers saves her mother's life. Once she arrives, Ember finds joy in wielding swords, learning magic, and fighting the encroaching darkness loose in the world. She also finds herself falling in love with her mentor, the dashing, brooding, and powerful Barrow Hess. When the knights realize Eira, one of their leaders, is dabbling in dark magic, Ember and Barrow must choose whether to follow Eira into the nether realm or to pledge their lives to destroying her and her kind.

With action, adventure, magic, and tantalizing sensuality, this book is as fast-paced and breathtaking as the Nightshade novels.

 


That's right everyone! Rift has hit shelves nationwide! So quick run to your nearest book store (or even to your ereader beside you) and pick up while its still hot off the press!

While we are on this subject I want to announce that I will be hosting a blog tour for the cover artist of this lovely book, Michelle Monique! She will be touring around a few blogs describing her work for this and other books she has done work for as well as explaining how you too can commission her for your indie book to boost your sales! So stay tuned for more information coming soon!

Bloodrose (book 3) - Andrea Cremer

***SPOILER ALERT***

This is a series book and should not be read unless you have already read Wolfsbane!

Overview:

Calla has always welcomed war.

But now that the final battle is upon her, there’s more at stake than fighting. There’s saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay’s wrath. There’s keeping Ansel safe, even if he’s been branded a traitor. There’s proving herself as the pack’s alpha, facing unnamable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers’ magic once and for all. And then there’s deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes it out alive, that is.
Review:

the last book in the Nightshade trilogy, brings the reader to the edge of suspense and back. Bloodrose picks up almost exactly where Wolfsbane ended, and continues on this adventure. Tensions arise as alliances have been formed and lines drawn in the sand. The Searchers and the Keepers are aware of the looming battle, and unfortunately the Guardians have a clear division between the Nightshade and the Bane pack. With Shay and the pack members that have joined her, they work with the Searchers to find the missing pieces to the Cross. Internal struggles bring Calla into this tug-of-war between Ren and Shay, both alphas in their own right, and both deserving of her love. Calla has grown in the three books, and I think she is the strongest in Bloodrose. She oozes with confidence and finds her wisdom in the darkest of hours.

I am unsure of what I feel in regards to the plot. I felt that there was a steady progression with the story that was leading to an epic battle. I felt that I was on the edge of my seat many, many times. The characters were involved, the scenes engaging, and the writing on point. But I wanted more, as I mostly do with many good stories. I felt that there were things left unsaid or things left undone.

Thanks for listening to my opinions!
 ~Raschel

Wolfsbane (book 2) - Andrea Creamer

***SPOILER ALERT***

This is a series book and should not be read unless you have already read Nightshade!

Overview:
When Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemies, she's certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer, one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack and the man she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.

Review:
In a word, this sequel was slow.  Calla is with the Searchers in their hidden lair, and she learns a lot about them, their history, and how her pack came to be under the leadership of the Keepers.  Unfortunately, this is a solid two-thirds of the book, and not much actually seems to happen. The Keepers were no longer with her to hold her back, and the elder Alphas were not there to push her down.  I wanted her to stop acting like a little naive girl and show some courage.

This review gets four hearts because it didn't have as much pizazz as last time. However it still held a great storyline and kept up with detail oh so very well. i was still panting when Calla was panting.

Thanks for listening to my opinions!
~Raschel

Nightshade - by Andrea Creamer

Overview:  Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she’ll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters’ laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything - including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

Review: I had an intensely physical reaction to Nightshade. I found my heart pounding and my pulse racing more than once during my must-read-it-now sprint. It makes a lot of sense. Andrea Cremer wrote very active, physical characters. They’re always dancing, hunting, running, and fighting. Being inside of Calla’s head, my senses were heightened with hers. She noticed details, scents, postures, sounds. I was, indeed, along for the ride. Or rather, run. Nightshade is a damn good wolf story. I hesitate to call it a werewolf story, as the people who shift control the change. Still, they are not wholly human either. They wear their animal selves close under the skin, bristling and bonding like actual wolves. Cremer definitely did her research because the pack hierarchy and mannerisms felt authentic. Cremer painstakingly created an original mythology and counter-mythology for the Guardians (wolves) and their Keepers (witches/wizards). Having two sides of the story grounds the alternate universe in reality, accurately reflecting the trope “History is written by the victors.” There’s a lot of dark stuff embedded in this story—slavery and murder and abuse—but it’s not heavy-handed. We catch glimpses along with Calla, who experiences the slow realizations of a teenager learning to see beyond what she’s been taught. Calla Tor kicks serious tail—a strong female leader, the alpha of her pack. She can fight and track and kill if she has to. She doesn’t diminish herself in deference of men simply because they are male, nor does she take kindly to those who would mistreat her. Still, Calla is not a pure warrior woman. She wrestles complex feelings, weighing loyalties and struggling to do right by her loved ones. Providing for her packmates is a duty she takes seriously, even when it pits her against her feelings.

Caught in one of the ever-popular YA love triangles, Calla doesn’t lose herself. She can be unsure and excited about two different guys without doubting that she is worth their attention. Here, I’d like to mention how incredibly sexy this book is without any sex. NO SEX HAPPENED, and yet it was sexy. This is hard to do right. Not to say there isn’t a lot of physicality. The Nightshade and Bane packs are full of horny teenagers after all, people who flirt and play and fall in love. However, Calla chooses what to do with her body. Sure, there’s going to be some sex by the end of this trilogy, but it’s going to be on her terms. For that and everything else, I’m excited to stick around and see how it plays out.


Thanks for listening to my opinions!

 

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