We’re interviewing Michelle Rowen today to find out more about her new paranormal romance series, Living In Eden. The first book, The Demon In Me, was released on May 4, 2010. For an early look read the excerpt from The Demon In Me that Michelle has on her website.


The Eclectic Lover: Michelle, before we talk about the book, tell us a bit about yourself, please.

Michelle: Sure… I’m the author of ten published novels in paranormal romance, young adult fantasy, and futuristic (writing as Michelle Maddox). I just won the 2009 RT Reviewers’ Choice award for Best Vampire Romance for Tall, Dark & Fangsome, the fifth and final book in my Immortality Bites series. I live in Southern Ontario and I’m the mother to two needy cats who are not book lovers.

The Eclectic Lover: What do you think is the difference between a reader and a real Book Lover?

Michelle: A reader reads books but a Book Lover devours them.

The Eclectic Lover: I loved your Immortality Bites vampire series. I was sad that it ended, but I’m really looking forward to reading this new series. Please tell us a little about it.

Michelle: Thanks re: Immortality Bites. That was a really fun series and I hope that I might be able to write about those characters again some day. You never know! But I’m excited to have new stuff coming out to keep things fresh.

The way I quickly describe the new Living in Eden series is that it’s a fun, romantic look at demonic possession. LOL. The longer version is that it’s about a psychic who becomes possessed by a cursed demon and she sets about helping him break his curse that keeps him bound to her body every night. In daylight he’s able to take corporeal form. The first book is slightly inspired by Cyrano de Bergerac since Eden agrees to help Darrak when he agrees to internally coach her on how to win the affections of the police detective she’s interested in. Chaos, romance and general hijinks ensue.

The Eclectic Lover: What made you decide to have a demon character in this book?

Michelle: The idea sparked from the heroine being possessed. And it just made sense for her to be possessed by a demon. The twist is, of course, that the demon is the hero instead of an evil entity. I’d already played with having a demonic hero in my ’06 release Angel with Attitude and there’s just something about that “ultimate bad boy” that gets my muse all excited and coming up with new stories.

The Eclectic Lover: Can you tell us more about Eden Riley?

Michelle: She’s a woman having a difficult time finding herself. She’s no nonsense and despite being a little bit psychic she has a hard time accepting supernatural elements in her life until they’re literally standing right in front of her. She’s the kind of woman who has an open mind and is willing not to totally judge someone based on first impressions. She’s funny, but most of the humor in these books actually come from my demonic hero who takes Eden’s regular life and stirs it up for her.

The Eclectic Lover: Darrak is an interesting name. How do you decide what names to use for your characters?

Michelle: I wanted to come up with a complicated demonic name that sounded ancient and exotic—a name that would give another power over that demon (since there is magic in names). Darrak is only the short version of that longer name. I wanted it to sound like a human name, but look different on the page. Most of the time the character’s name simply comes to me, I don’t have to search too hard for it. Darrak’s no exception. For Eden, I’m obviously playing on the Garden of Eden, which is not somewhere a demon would like to be trapped for too long.


The Eclectic Lover: The second Living In Eden book, Something Wicked, is scheduled for release in October. That’s quick. I like not having to wait a year between books but you must have been writing like a demon! How long does it take you to write a book?

Michelle: It typically takes me six weeks to write the first draft and another six weeks to polish it. So three months. I’m currently on a four book per year schedule. This time doesn’t include initial brainstorming or revisions I get from my editor which I fit in usually when I’m in the process of the next book.

The Eclectic Lover: Describe a typical day of writing? Are you a planner or pantser?

Michelle: I’m definitely a planner. I have my outline before I start writing. I usually know how the book will end. However, things may change along the way and I try to stay open-minded when my characters start wandering off in all directions. A “typical” day of writing doesn’t exist for me. I’m a binge writer. When I’m doing a first draft I will stay at the computer for about 12 hours (not all of this is writing, of course). When I’m in between books and brainstorming I will watch a lot of television and read books and randomly stare out of windows.

The Eclectic Lover: What kinds of research did you do for this book?

Michelle: I like to keep my research fairly light, but if there are things I really need to know I will look them up on the Internet. For The Demon in Me I researched exorcists, demonic possession, demon and angel hierarchies, private detectives, Tarot cards, fairies, and witches.

The Eclectic Lover: How many books are planned for this series?

Michelle: No set plan. It all depends on how it connects with readers. I’d love it to go for many books, but that isn’t always a decision that’s left in the writer’s hands.

The Eclectic Lover: Is there anything that you would like at add?

Michelle: Just that readers can check out my website for more information about my books at www.michellerowen.com and please find me on Twitter if you’re on there too www.twitter.com/michellerowen or Facebook at www.facebook.com/michellerowenbooks.

The Eclectic Lover: Thanks so much for taking the time to answer our questions!

Michelle: Thanks for having me! Happy reading!

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