Thanks so much for having me on your blog, lovely.
Normally I would ask if you are a coffee or tea drinker and if the latter, what is your preferred brew. However, as there are other drinking options on offer in your book - what would you prefer? A merlot, maybe?
Haha, you can't beat a great merlot, and I love a coffee first thing in the morning too, but I'm also a tea lover. My two favourite teas are the Green Rose and the Red, Green and Dreamy blends from T2.
Ohhh! I am such a fan of those two blends. Just a bit on your writing background as I see you love writing short stories and was shortlisted for the 2021 Banjo Prize. How did these (if at all) help make you into the author that you are today?
I love writing short stories and always enter the Furious Fiction short story competition with the Australian Writers Centre. There is something so rewarding about writing a short story over 55 hours and then sending it out into the world. I get to explore writing in different genres and get to create fabulous new characters and worlds. What I also like about writing short stories is that once the deadline hits, there's no more editing. It is what it is - my story is complete. In comparison, writing a novel takes months and years to finish, so writing short stories gives me the satisfaction of completing a story in just a few days and then letting it go.
Entering Terms of Inheritance into The Banjo Prize in 2021 was one of the best decisions I ever made. My manuscript was read by the fabulous publishing team at HarperCollins Australia, and two weeks after I got the call to say it had been shortlisted, they said they loved it so much they wanted to publish it. Oh, my word, I've been pinching myself ever since!
Working with my publisher Roberta Ivers has been an incredible experience. Her passion for the Turner women in Terms of Inheritance makes my heart burst. Getting to work with Bert and some of the best editors in the publishing world has made me a better writer and has been a dream come true.
Was this the book you always wanted to write? Did you have some cathartic feelings - I know I did - as you so eloquently captured aspects of what many women go through in the various stages of their life?
As soon as I had the premise for this novel, I couldn't wait to start writing it. Not only was there a lot of fun and games to be had, but there's so much of me in these characters too. I drew so much from what I have learnt over the years, from the mental and physical challenge of running a marathon when my daughter was sixteen months old to losing my dad to cancer when he was only fifty-nine. Writing Terms of Inheritance was a way for me to put down on paper what I've learnt over my life and was a chance to reflect on how I've grown and changed.
Michelle, you provide some wonderful words of wisdom that could be appreciated at any age. What is one of your favourite things about this family's journey and do you have a favourite sister?
I love that the Turner women each have their own journey to go on and all have very different challenges to overcome both externally (their allocated task) and internally. This was so rewarding to write.
Picking a favourite sister is like picking a favourite child – I love them all. Mel was such a blast to write as she would say the funniest things, and I loved contrasting Jacki and Isla's lifestyle (they're both multi-millionaires) with the rest of the Turner women (who have regular-paying day jobs). Isla's spiritual journey is close to my heart as I went on my own journey (which I'm still on) after my dad passed away. My life changed, and I strongly believe this is a gift he left for me.
I believe there are a number of themes and issues in this book, everything from sisterly relationships to discovering the true and important things in life. How would you sum up the main takeaway for those reading Terms of Inheritance?
I could go on and on about all the themes and issues, but I think some of the key takeaways are families are complicated. They can be the most effortless relationships but also the most challenging. Also, the greatest changes happen within us when we step out of our comfort zone, which is annoying because comfort zones feel so good. And then there's the importance of letting go, so we're not held back from the life we're supposed to live.
I would like to congratulate you on perfectly combining heartfelt emotions laced at times with humour and real laugh out loud moments. No easy feat one would imagine. Was it a challenge to exact such opposites?
Wow! Thank you so much, Helen. When I realised Terms of Inheritance was going to have lots of humour, I thought can I write funny? And my response was, well, there's only one way to find out. So, to hear you say that you laughed out loud means so much to me. Thank you. My natural response when I write is to go deep, so that came naturally, and when it came to the humour side of it, it all came from the characters. Their personalities, matched with the situations they
When you are not writing Michelle, how do you enjoy passing the time? Can you tell us some of your favourite authors or recommended reading?
I love hanging out with my kids and husband when I'm not writing. I love to walk, and of course, I looove to read. I pretty much read across all genres. I've been binge-reading Taylor Jenkins Reid this year, and I loved The Maid by Nita Prose. Some of my favourite novels include All Our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, More Than This by Patrick Ness, Pillars of The Earth by Ken Follet, and Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. I loved the Banjo Prize winners' novels The Torrent by Dinuka McKenzie and The Whispering by Veronica Lando. Honestly, I could go on and on. Oh, and Finding Me by Viola Davis is a must-read, and my absolute life-changing non-fiction read is A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle and The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer.
Thank you for your time today, a lovely tea break and chat Michelle. Congratulations on the release of your new book -it would make the perfect gift this Christmas - and I can't wait to see what you offer your readers next.
Thank you so much for having me, Helen. It's been so much fun!
XXX
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