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Interview with Leanda Michelle


She is an author, dreamer, visionary, and sound harmonizer. She has authored 4 memoirs about love and belonging and 1 philosophical cross-genre, has been a ghostwriter for 1 autobiography and writerly guide for another, and has short stories and poems published in anthologies, as well as newspaper and magazine bylines.


Q.1 Tell us a little about yourself that not many people know?
A.
I am passionate about words and the vibrations they emit. I love networking and bringing people together for the common good. Currently, I’m developing a community garden in my local seaside town as a way to promote community, organic growing practices, and healthy eating. 

Through my storytelling and intention to live meaningfully, I model how to be in harmony with nature. And when I’m not writing, meandering in nature, or toiling in the garden, you will find me creating in the kitchen, as this is my happy place to be.

Q.2 When should we expect your next book? What will it be about?
A.
My next book is set to become my 5th memoir and is centered around balancing all things needed in life so that we can live peacefully together on our planet. It draws on metaphysical aspects woven into the reality of what Earth has been and is now transforming into. This work in progress will likely be published in 2025. We’ll see!

Q.3 What made you write the Love and Belonging series?
A.
The Love and Belonging series was not intentional and morphed into a series after I’d published the 4th memoir, Boundless. The common thread through each book was writing to understand the world I lived in. 

Each book helped me get through great difficulties: an impending divorce and then ultimately losing my soulmate to raise three sons on my own, and later being scammed of my life savings. Relationships were the cornerstone of knowing myself and where I did or didn’t fit in society. The love I knew deep inside that existed I couldn’t see in the external world, which made me question, ‘Where do I belong?’

Q.4 What was the most challenging part of writing this series?
A. Each book was fraught with at least one challenging aspect: the fear of writing about family and what they might say, sharing personal details, and facing opposing opinions or judgments; there was much at stake. 

Most commonly, what people have said is that my courage to express my vulnerabilities and honesty shines through each book, which has given the reader the motivation to keep going themselves.

Q.5 Many authors typically pen a single memoir centered around their own experiences. What motivated your choice to craft a four-part series instead?
A.
As I mentioned, the four-part series - soon to be five - was not intentional. Life evolves, and for me the writing process has, and still is, a cathartic process. I then share my stories to complete the healing, so to speak. I guess, too, that my life has been rich in experiences, and it’s those experiences that I have wanted to share so that others don’t feel alone in their own experiences.

Q.6 Tell us something about your recent release, Knightsbridge: Crossing the Bridge from the Old Ways to the New?
A. Knightsbridge
was written between the hours of midnight and 3am daily until it was complete, and it was a creative time during COVID when I lived alone and was isolated from my family and friends… all I had was the intimacy of a story to keep me company.

Q.7 How many books have you written? Which one is your favorite so far?
A.
While I have published 5, I have written 7 and am working on my 8th. I don’t know that I really have a favorite… they all have their unique qualities, but if I had to choose, it would be In Light of the Truth because it’s lighter, more playful, and maybe more innocent than the others.

Q.8 Were there any specific themes or messages you wanted to convey through your memoirs?
A.
Yes, Write to Heal had the theme of water and the four directions, In Light of the Truth had musical notes relative to our body as an instrument of light and sound waves, intrepid SOUL has the theme of nature and the seasons, Boundless has the theme of dreams and their influences in our life, and the Knightsbridge theme is of our multidimensionality.

Q.9 Did you have a target audience in mind while writing, or did you write with a broader readership in mind?
A. I wrote with a broader readership in mind, initially to share the effectiveness of writing itself and the power of words, and next will be the frequency from which they are expressed.

Q.10 Were there any specific authors or memoirs that influenced your writing style or approach?
A.
Not specifically. While undertaking my Diploma in Professional Writing and Editing, I read Joan Didion, Elisabeth Kubler Ross, Elizabeth Gilbert, and others. However, for me, writing was always going to be about finding my own voice… and I did once I stopped reading other authors' books.

Q.11 Outside of your family members, name one entity that supported your commitment to become a published author?
A.
Nobody comes to mind.

Q.12 Do you believe in writer’s block? If yes, how do you deal with it?
A.
No, writer’s block is a state of mind.

Q.13 What were the most surprising things you learned while writing your memoir?
A.
I learned that even in the depth of despair and uncertainty, writing can reveal untapped humor and poetry… this aspect is an eternal joy.

Q.14 Do you have any unique and quirky writing habits?
A.
None that come to mind.

Q.15 Imagine a future where you no longer write. What would you do?
A.
A future where I no longer wrote would likely mean I am no longer here in the physical. But hypothetically, if I were still here, I would be planting a vegetable, herb, and fruit trees garden and living in awe of nature and its abundant beauty.

Q.16 How do you hope your readers will connect with or be impacted by your memoirs?
A. I hope readers will resonate with the human experience, know they are not alone, and never give up, no matter how tough life gets.

Q.17 What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
A.
Write simply for you… to be in the joy of the act of writing itself.

Q.18 Which famous person, living or dead, would you like to meet and why?
A.
After selling my family home to keep writing and giving away my savings to a scam, I would appreciate meeting J.K. Rowling as I feel a conversation with her would be most meaningful. I mean, how did she discern what to do with the profits from her books? What has been her most meaningful act of giving, and how has that contributed to or affected humanity and herself?

Q.19 Who designed your book covers? How did you select them?
A.
My first cover for Write to Heal was created by Elisandra Sevenstar in Germany… I loved her work on social media and reached out to connect. My second cover was created by Giusy D’Anna, and I connected with her using a competition platform called 99 Designs. I then contracted Giusy to create all of my covers because she listens and intuits precisely what I’m looking for.

Q.20 Share the experience of your writing journey so far?
A.
It took 14 years to publish my first book, and I rewrote it from start to finish three times, in the first person, then the third person, and back to the first person, which resulted in undertaking the Diploma and eventually finding my voice. To fully appreciate the experience of my writing journey, one would need to read my books. 

In a nutshell, my writing experience has seen me better understand myself and others, in so much as we have all been influenced by the same program, and thankfully, that is no longer functional… finally, every person can heal and be their true self.


Share your social account links -
Facebook -
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086204160064
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leandamichelle/
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13603587.Leanda_Michelle
Copperbooks - https://copperbooks.com/app/profile/6647e28e-a709-4a52-8978-e1f272165451


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