Author Archives: Anne Michaud

About Anne Michaud

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Author of Dark Tendency

The Lucky Ones, a podcast

COH_006 This is a first for me, having one of my stories told by someone else’s voice. Goldeen Ogawa did a fantastic job reading Jory’s journey through the City of Hell, where the dead are the lucky ones.

Click here for The Lucky Ones podcast

Fair warning: some people found it quite disturbing and advised NOT eating while listening, so beware…


Chatting with… Brown, the border collie

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I’ve been very lucky meeting great friends over the internets, and Julie Campbell is one of them. A truly unique writer, her latest books are about a ghosts hunter who’s also a dog – how cute is that?! So here’s my interview with Brown, ghosts hunter and border collie extraordinaire ♥

 

 

Hey there, boy! *scratches the ears*

Anne, thank you so much for having me here today. I’ve never been interviewed before. It’s almost like I’m famous. Elliott, that’s my human, says dogs can be famous. Wouldn’t that be neat if I were famous too? Thank you for taking the time to help tell people about my ghost adventures.

Why did you choose Elliott: was it destiny that lead you to him or did you know he was a good human at first glance?

I could tell by the way the baby lambs responded to him. They were never afraid of him which made me curious, so I started working with him and decided to make him my own human. Fortunately, the farm owner saw how much I liked him and allowed Elliott to take me with him when he moved away.

Aren’t you ever scared your human will get into so much trouble you two might be separated? And what would you do, if it happened?

We’ve been separated twice and it was the most awful thing both times. Once I thought he was dead because a monster took him and hid him in a cave. I had to defeat the monster, it was a sand dragon, to get him back. The other time he got abducted by Martians… boy were they messing with the wrong dog. I had help, but we got him back and told the Martians a thing or two. I’m more afraid of losing Elliott than I am of ghosts, that’s for sure.

Have you ever seen a dog-ghost and if so, what did you do?

I’ve never seen a dog ghost, but I hope if I ever meet one it’s a nice ghost. I’d hate to have to banish it too. I talked to a ghost once, strange, I know, and it told me that ghosts are spirits that couldn’t leave for whatever reason, and most ghosts are nasty. I can’t imagine a dog wanting to stay around and be mean all the time. Maybe to guard their people?

kira_brown1How long do you plan to hunt ghosts? Are you thinking of retiring soon?

Retire? What’s that? Do you mean stopping working? Why would anyone want to stop working? I get bored when I don’t have something to do, and hunting ghosts is the best, well, besides herding sheep. I’ll hunt ghosts as long as Elliott wants too, which will hopefully be forever.

What’s worst: ghosts or cats?

Squirrels. *Doggy grin* Cats though, definitely cats. I can hunt ghosts and banish them… I have to leave cats alone, and that’s no fun. They’re so arrogant, like they could hunt ghosts better than I can. I’ve never even seen one try.

How old were you when you noticed or interacted with your first ghost?

Umm, I’m not so good with years but it was after we moved out west. Elliott and I were partners for a long time before we finally saw a real ghost.

Favorite Treat?

Steak

What’s more annoying? A dead ghost cat or a live one?

I’ve never met a ghost cat, but I can’t imagine they are any better than live ones, except maybe I’ll be able to chase a ghost cat. Live ones since I can’t chase them.

What do you like to do when you’re not chasing ghosts?

Herd sheep or cows. It’s the best life.

What was the worst ghost you ever had to chase?

The ghost in the saloon was the worst so far. It turned into two ghosts and tried to hurt all of us.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever smelled or the best thing?

The worst thing would be Squirrels, or maybe skunks. The best thing….fresh cow pies.

What do ghosts taste like?

Sort of like they smell, musty and old.

Can other dogs be trained to see ghosts?

Sure. I’ve met several that have helped me hunt ghosts before.

Where did you learn your trade?

Elliott says I’m a natural. I learned sheep herding on the farm and it seems to work on ghosts too.

Detective Katherine Pig wants to know. “What do you find to be the best way to locate a wayward Ghost?”

Follow the sounds of screaming people. They are really afraid of ghosts.

Brown’s Blog Tour Schedule:
Intro – June 11th – J. A. Campbell
Part 1- June 12th – Sam Knight
Part 2 – June 13th – Bea’s Book Nook
Part 3 – June 14th – Amaleen Ison
Part 4 – June 15th – Jen Wylie 
Part 5 – June 16th – David Riley 
Interview with Brown – June 17th – Anne Michaud

The Brown Contest:
Follow the link to enter a contest to win a copy of Science Fiction Trails 10 in which Brown battles Martians. US only I’ll send the winner a signed copy, the rest of the world, you have to take an unsigned copy, sorry. You gotta be willing to give me your address though. Alternately the winner can chose a Kindle copy. Contest runs from June 11th through June 30th. I’ll pick three winners.
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IMG_2020Bios:
Brown – Brown is a Border Collie who hunts ghosts, and other things as it turns out, with her human, Elliott Gyles. You can find out more about her adventures here: https://writerjacampbell.wordpress.com/eye-of-the-dog/

Julie’s Facebook

Julie’s Twitter


Chatting with… Michelle Birbeck ♥

Another great twitter-friend with a book!! Who is Michelle Birbeck? Let’s find out, shall we?

Me: What got you into the world of the paranormal?

MB: My first taste of anything vampire was when I was fifteen. My friends and I started reading the Nightworld Series by LJ Smith, and I was hooked. From the first book I wanted more, and when there were no more, I wanted other books. I devoured everything I cold get my hands on. From there I found Anne Rice and loved her; I still go back to her books on occasion and my favourite has to be Pandora. These days my favourites are the Black Dagger Brotherhood books, but I still have a huge soft spot for the Nightworld series, even though it has never been officially finished.

Me: In such a saturated market of vampire books, how does yours stand out??

TheLastKeeper_Cover (2)MB: Because it isn’t about vampires. The Keepers’ Chronicles aren’t your typical human girl falls in love with vampire and wants to be turned into the undead. It is nothing like that, in fact! Sure, there’s love in the books, and there are plenty of vampires, but what it’s really about, the whole series, is the Keepers.

They’re what make The Keepers’ Chronicles stand out, because they’re new. All these vampires, all these takes on the mythology, they all have one thing in common: Vampires are supernatural creatures with the strength and ability to wipe up poor humans from the face of the planet.

So why don’t they? Power corrupts, that saying is older than I know, and it stands as true now as when it was first uttered. The vampires of the Keepers’ Chronicles are no exception, and what is stopping them is the Keepers. Immortal beings with the power to influence the mind, to keep the immortal races hidden in the shadows. But they have a weakness at the start of the series: when they meet their partners, their mortal lives become theirs. Kill a Keepers’ partner and the Keeper dies.

So for those looking for a twist on the vampire genre, a new take on the myth of the undead, the Keepers’ Chronicles has just that. Love, danger, vampires, wars, and everything in between.

Me: You’ve written 3 books for that series, will you stop after those are out or will this be an ongoing saga??

MB: Two books and a short story, yes! And it is not stopping there! The initial series is four novels long: The Last Keeper, Last Chance, Exposure, and Revelations. Then after that there are a couple of other characters who speak loud enough in my head to want their own books, but instead of being sequential, they will be tie ins with the series. The short stories came about because there are some ‘missing years’ in book one, The Last Keeper, and I got a number of requests to write what happened in that time. However, given the circumstances, it wouldn’t make a very happy book, so I decided to write A Glimpse Into Darkness. This is a short story set in those missing years, 1064’s U.S.S.R, to be exact, and it follows some of Serenity’s life during that time. There will be more short stories in the coming years as the series progresses, but I don’t know what they are yet!

Me: With all those subplots demanding their own spotlights and all the books coming out, do you think you’ll ever write something else than the Keepers series?

MB: Oh, absolutely! I am in the process of looking at publishing a young adult novel called The Stars Are Falling, and I am actively publishing short horror stories. the next one out will be The Phantom Hour due on October 26th. I have a whole folder dedicated to ideas and plots, though, so I have plenty to keep me going for years to come!

Me: Famous last words?

MB: If you want to be a serial killer, try being a literary one: less mess, less jail time!

BUY THE KEEPERS!!

owlMichelle has been reading and writing her whole life. Her earliest memory of books was when she was five and decided to try and teach her fish how to read, by putting her Beatrix Potter books in the fish tank with them. Since then her love of books has grown, and now she is writing her own and looking forward to seeing them on her shelves, though they won’t be going anywhere near the fish tank.
She blogs and Tweets @michellebirbeck !!

Girls & Ghosts, an inspiration

Here’s one of my not-so-secret secrets:
I have tons of journals filled with ideas and a bunch of half-written
stories dispersed in my computer. Oh no sir, I’m not the type of
writer who leaves projects unfinished, but it happens that after
starting a plot, its complexity or direction isn’t working for me. So
I let go more than abandon, because one day, I’ll come back to it –
and I always do.

Not this time, folks. Only fresh ideas
for this new collection of ghostly stories where girls confront their
deepest fears… and I’m actually scared. Of course I’ve been
thinking about this project for a while, so ideas are slowly growing
into creepy plots, but there’s nothing already written on my plate
like my past collections of novellas, and it makes me jittery.

So what is a girl to do? I’m trying to
grasp as much information as I can, about things we don’t fully
understand with the little evidence out there. Like a junkie, I’m
watching all these ghost hunters shows where people go willingly to
haunted places to poke at spirits and gather EVPs, images of shadow
figures and responsive communication – if any. Sceptic or not, it’s
beginning to form in my mind: girls who are scared, girls who don’t
believe, girls who are trying to help, girls who see dead people, and
girls who won’t confront the truth. And very slowly, they tell me
their stories and how they deal with the fact that in the end we all
die, and that we might become ghosts ourselves.
And then some miracle happens and someone captures such inspiring pictures,
I completely lost my breath – and I’m still trying to catch it. Neil Gaiman posted this
abandoned amusement park on Tumblr

Haunted, much? Seriously, look at the
fog and the plants invading the structures – you can almost hear
the screams of glee as the roller coaster rides down the rusty rails.
But it’s only an echo, because like many other places in New Orleans,
it never got over the catastrophic disaster and it’s slowly dying
after being deserted and forgotten.
I can’t forget, though – a bit like those ghosts who can’t let go of what
they knew and who they loved and how they used to be. So that will be
my inspiration, an homage to
people who are gone, places that are falling apart, and things we
used to believe in.

Wish me luck? I need it, embarking on this Girls & Ghosts quest to give a voice to those who don’t have any. One thing for sure: dark it will be, I
promise.
***
Want an autographed softcover of Girls & Monsters? Giveaway ends June 28th, don’t miss out ♥

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Win an Autographed Girls & Monsters Softcover

Spooks loving folks and creepy craving peeps rejoyce: Girls & Monsters is finally here and you can win an autographed softcover ♥

a Rafflecopter giveaway

In other news, I’ve joined the ADR3NALIN3 super team of talented writers, so join in the fun on every other Thursdays here.


So now what?

keepcalmIt’s been a crazay year so far with Girls & Monsters coming out, the extensive blog tour and the begging and pleading for reviews… so now what? I’ve been working on Girls & Aliens (a soft sci-fi collection of very dark YA novellas) and I’m planning my novel Killer Girl (a creeptastic thriller for YA), but now that the book is launched, doing nothing about promotion leaves me empty…

So I’ll be doing another blog tour. *throws confetti in the air* *pops open champagne bottle* *swallows two Xanax*

Insane? Indeed. This time, reviews and/or interviews only, and an autographed softcover giveaway thrown into the mix. Keep your eyes opened for the schedule, coming out next week!

Wait, what is that you’re saying? You want to buy Girls & Monsters?? Go here. Wait, no, I misunderstood, you want to be part of the tour? Tweet me @annecmichaud and we’ll arrange a little something-something.

Keep spook ♥


Girls & Monsters, the Release Party !!

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Well, the time has come for my dark young adult novella collection to come out – are you guys ready? I sure am, after this crazy 5 weeks blog tour, the interview questions and guest posts, the pimping and exposure… At last, my girls and my monsters are unleashed. So this week, only two stops:

Monday, April 29th I am a Reader Not a Writer

Tuesday, April 30th, 9 PM (east) DARKFUSE LIVE CHAT

The Monster Collection SkelliesYou good people still have a few hours left to try to snag my international giveaway of a Girls & Monsters softcover and The Monster Collection of Skellies, including 5 pieces handcrafted by moi. The winner will be drawn randomly and announced during the live chat on Tuesday night  – come fun, come all!!

Girls & Monsters is on sale on AMAZON

I would like to thank to all the bloggers, reviewers, writers and friends who participated to my blog tour – this has been exhausting but so much fun ♥


Girls & Monsters Blog Tour – Week 5

LIVE CHAT WITH ME ON APRIL 30th AT 9PM (east) OVER AT DARKFUSE!!!!!!!

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Come on over and visit these wonderful blogs where you’ll discover something new about me, my book, and everything in between…

Monday, 22th of April: Victoria Griesdoorn

Tuesday, 23rd of April: Gothic Angel

Wednesday, 24th of April: Marianne Su

Thursday, 25th of April: Lisa Forget

Friday, 26th of April: Aheila

The Monster Collection SkelliesWanna win a Girls & Monsters softcover with The Monster Collection Skellies of 5 pieces, handcrafted by me? Click HERE. The winner will be announced during my DarkFuse LIVE CHAT on release day, April 30th at 9PM (east) – don’t be shy, I do love challenging questions ♥