Poisoned Rationality Special  Edition

Welcome to another Poisoned Rationality Special Edition! Today we have Michelle K. Pickett, author of the recently released Concilium from MuseItUpPublishing answering some questions!  Stay tuned for the contest at the end to win a copy or an Amazon GC!

Synopsis:  A tale of deadly creatures and forbidden romance...

Leslee hit a strange animal with her car. Now she’s marked for death.

It was a simple car accident – the animal didn’t even die – but it drew the attention of the Cruor Imbibo. Driven by their insatiable need to feed, the secret society of Imbibo has devoured the dregs of civilization for centuries. Afraid Leslee will expose them, and put an end to their meal ticket, the Imbibo want her dead.

The Concilium is Leslee's only protection. Guardian of the ancient secret and the protector of humans, the Concilium fights to control the Imbibo and end their feeding frenzy. Miller works for the Concilium. Keeping Leslee alive is his next assignment.

Now Leslee is on the run, and the only thing between her flesh and the snapping jaws of the Imbibo is Miller. He and Leslee quickly form a bond, but will falling in love make Miller’s job more difficult? Because if he fails, Leslee will be next on the Imbibo menu.

The Cruor Imbibo are coming, and they're coming for Leslee.

Welcome Michelle to Poisoned Rationality!  I'm doubly pleased to have you on board today as your recent release Concilium has been thoroughly enjoyable so far and your future to be published novel PODs looks to be just as exciting!

Thank you so much for having me.  I’m very excited to be here!

First things first, tells us about Concilium and the world it inhabits; what can a person expect if they accidentally run over that strange animal on the back country roads?

The Concilium inhabits our world, just not the part of the world we see. So in a lot of ways their world and ours are very similar, except for the Imbibo, of course.

Generally, you’d be safe if you ran over the animal.  It’s the things in the forest that may be watching you that you have to worry about.  The Concilium tries to keep them under control, but one or two slip by and...has a snack or two. :)  That’s what we have to be careful of.  We don’t want to become their midnight snack.

What has it been like working with both a digital publisher (MuseItUp) and a print publisher (Spencer Hill) for your first novels?

First I have to say that I am very blessed to be able to work with the publishing houses that I do.  Both MuseItUp and Spencer Hill Press are wonderful to deal with.  The people are fantastic.  I can’t say enough good things about them.

As far as the books are concerned, in many ways it hasn’t been all that different between the two houses. Editing and cover art selection were handled the same.  The lead time for a paperback is a little longer than for a digital copy. I imagine the differences will become more apparent when I actually hold a paper book in my hand.

How did the idea for Concilium come to you?  Which is to say, its not autobiographical right? :D

No, it isn’t autobiographical. :)   I wish I had a really great answer to this question.  Stephenie Meyer of Twilight fame had her idea come to her in a dream...oh, if only it were that easy for the rest of us.  I honestly can’t remember exactly how Concilium first came to me.  I do remember that I was cleaning out some files on my computer when I found some notes and partial chapters I’d written months, if not years, before.  I thought about deleting them, but filed them away in my “junk” file instead.  Well, I couldn’t stop thinking about the story.  My mind kept rolling the idea over and over and I started playing the “what if” game.  What if this happened...then this...then this could happen...and what if he did this....and she did that...and before I knew it I had an idea so I started writing.

Who have been your main influences?  Any writers to recommend for your readers you think they may enjoy?

My main influence was my grandmother.  She instilled my love for reading in me.  I don’t think I’d be the reader I am today if she hadn’t taken me to the library every weekend when I’d spend the night with her.  And I know I wouldn’t be an author.

Oh, there are so many authors to chose from.  I just read a book by Meradeth Houston called “Colors Like Memories” that I enjoyed very much.  Emily White and Ednah Walters are both published through Spencer Hill and they are extremely talented.  Dan Cohen is also pubbed through Spencer Hill.  His book “Masters of the Veil” is a great book for boys.  I also enjoy reading Lisa Jackson, Wendy Corsi-Staub, Sandra Brown, and, of course, I’d recommend my book.  lol!

Any advice on how to avoid the Imbibo? Any chance we can get our own Miller to :ahem: safeguard us?

Chances are you’ll be fine when it comes to the Imbibo.  It’s a rarity that humans stumble across them.  As for Miller...sigh...I want one, too.  He’s almost the perfect man. Tall, dark and handsome with piercing green eyes and...well, he’s hot, I’ll just say that.  But he’s also a pain in the rear and has an attitude that would drive most people insane.

We learn a little about his past and what has happened that causes his unbearable demeanor in Concilium, but we really learn about him and his story in the sequel, Concilium: The Departure, which releases in November from MuseItUp.

And of course the hardest question you will ever have to answer so take this as seriously as you can: cake or pie?

LOL! I was gearing myself up for something ground-breaking when I read the first part of the sentence.  Now I can’t stop laughing because all I can think of is the movie American Pie and there is no way I can take that seriously!  So considering what happened to the pie in the movie, my answer is going to be cake.  Definitely, cake.