A Moment With…Michelle Scott

The author of the Lilith Straight series, talks about writing urban fantasy.

I’ve always liked books that take me away from the humdrum of everyday life and into a world of monsters and heroes, demons and angels. My first introduction to these books came in the form of my mother’s old copy of Grimm’s Fairytales. Mind you, these weren’t the sanitized, Disney versions, but the raw, scary tales. There was a murder in nearly every story. Fingers were cut off. Eyes gouged out. People were eaten…

Fun times.

Yes, I was drawn to the scariness of the stories as much as I was the incredible world of fairies and giants and talking animals. I liked to think that one day I might run across something as rare and wonderful as a magic horse or a house made of sweets. I guess, in some ways, I’m still waiting for that day.

As I matured, so did my tastes. As a teenager, I fell in love with Anne Rice’s vampire novels. Instead of dreaming about knights and princes, I started dreaming about the vampire Lestat and his friend Louis. After those books, it was Sunshine by Robin McKinley. And then Mercy Thompson and Sookie Stackhouse.

Years have passed since then, but I’m still as into the supernatural now as I ever was. Of course, I’ve upgraded to werewolves and vampires and demons, but still. The same principles apply. Scary is good and the fantastic is awesome.

When I write, I try to recapture that childish fascination with good and evil, scary and ordinary. I like writing about how regular, everyday people react when they meet with the supernatural. My Lilith Straight series revolves around a single mom who’s struggling to make ends meet while at the same time serving the Devil as a succubus. (It’s all due to a long-time family curse. Apparently, her great-great-great-great-great grandmother made a deal with the Devil in order to escape being hanged as a witch.)

Writing these kinds of stories can be a bit of a challenge, though. I mean, if I run into questions about how to best tame a demon or what Hell really looks like, there aren’t many places I can turn to for information. And I don’t want to borrow from other authors because I want my stories and my worlds to be entirely my own. So imagination is key.

Luckily, I have a lot of inspiration. Living in Detroit has put me eye-to-eye with creepy, industrial landscapes full of abandoned buildings and burned-out cars sitting alongside the road. It’s possible to believe that a vampire lurks around every corner. They’d certainly have plenty of places to hide.

Not that Detroit is all bad! There are plenty of beautiful places as well. I love writing about these familiar jewels. For the first book in my recent vampire series – Stage Fright– I used one of my favorite playhouses as the backdrop. I also ‘borrowed’ a friend’s lovely, historic house for my main character. And for the vampire hunter’s home, I chose a grand, old church with a spire and a set of truly amazing stained-glass windows.

I love writing and will always continue to do it. It gives me a new perspective on the ordinary. When I’m at the store, I can imagine a vampire stalking me. Or when I sit in traffic, I swear I can see a demon in the backseat of the car next to me. It’s all a matter of perspective.

Michelle Scott received her MFA from Wayne State University. Her stories have appeared in such places as “Tales of the Unanticipated”, “All Possible Worlds” and “Realms”. Straight to Hell, the first book in her Lilith Straight urban fantasy series, was released from Carina UK. Michelle lives in southeast Michigan with her husband and three children. To keep up with Lilith and the other members of the Straight to Hell cast, visit Michelle’s blog, Urban Fae. Straight to Hell, the first book in the Lilith Straight series, is available at Amazon and Amazon UK.

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Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.