It's the last week before school starts so what better time to share an author interview? Michelle Mohrweis is the author of The Trouble With Robots, a new stem middle grade book that releases on September 27. I got an early copy from NetGalley and reviewed the book on this blog a few weeks ago.
When did you decide to become an author?
To be honest, I’m not sure. I know I’ve always enjoyed writing. I would write in my spare time, write during class in the margins of my notes, write during recess, etc... I even remember being a stagehand during a high school drama club production and sitting with a small handheld computer backstage writing while I waited for it to be time to swap out props! Writing has been my favorite thing since before I can remember.
Somewhere in there, I started dreaming about other people reading my writing. I remember being in 5th grade and telling my teacher I’d be published one day. I remember daydreaming about being an author when I’d volunteer at my favorite book festival in college. Being an author was my goal for so long that I honestly can’t say when I first wanted to become one.
Tell us about your journey. How did you get Trouble with Robots published?
My journey was both a long and short one. The Trouble with Robots itself moved fast, and at times felt like a whirlwind. Before that, however, I had a long road of trying, failing and learning from that failure (much like the characters in Robots!) I first finished a novel in college and decided I wanted to get published. I learned that not all traditional publishers let you just send them material, however. You often need a literary agent first.
So, I started querying. And I got many rejections! Eventually, I shelved that story and attempted to write a few other novels. Some I never even tried querying. Others, I tried for years. After years of revising, querying, and failing, I realized I was missing some key ingredients to the process.
I took a break from querying the latest story to learn more about the craft of writing. I joined critique groups, found critique partners, and got active on writing twitter (I had an account for years but never really used it much until then) to learn more about publishing. I worked on a few ideas, from fantasy to SciFi.
Then covid hit. I was stuck at home, bored, and missing my students. So, I tried writing something I never thought about before: middle grade contemporary.
I loved it.
That’s when I wrote The Trouble With Robots. I was so in the zone that it only took me a couple months to have a query-ready version of the story. The timing lined up perfectly with a pitch contest called Pitmad, and during the contest, my agent requested my story. Two days later, she emailed me and wanted to set up a call, and during that call, she offered me representation.
See? It’s both a very short journey and a long one all at once.
I ended up signing with her, and from there we refined the manuscript and went on submission, where she sent it out to editors. This part took longer, but after seven months, Peachtree offered to buy it.
I’m so happy with where The Trouble with Robots ended up, and with everything I learned along the way. Just like Allie and Evelyn must keep trying with their robot, in writing sometimes it’s all about trying, learning from what does and doesn’t work, and trying again!
Was there ever a point when you felt like giving up?
All the time! During those years when I was trying and failing, I often wondered if I was good enough, if I’d ever be good enough. I’d go to book festivals and watch authors speak, and while it was so much fun… it also hurt. I wanted to be on that side of things so badly. Yet I was so scared I’d never make it.
Not to mention when life got busy. Sometimes teaching took all the time I had, and sometimes I wondered if it would be better to stop trying with the writing and just focus on a stable career.
In the end though, I love writing too much to ever stop. That’s what kept me going and what helped me find the dedication to keep trying, keep learning, and keep refining my craft until the day I finally made it.
I loved Trouble with Robots. You wrote it in two points of view and each character goes through a unique emotional journey. How were you able to make each chapter unique and realistic?
For me, having a strong sense of who the characters were helped a lot. Even more than that though: edits. My first drafts tend to be rather flat. My characters in early drafts almost feel like shells of what they will become, and I usually focus more on the plot and descriptions than the characters. To be honest, my first drafts aren’t very good. It’s only as I edit and revise that they start to shine.
With Robots, I focused on the emotions of the characters as I edited. Their traits, their tendencies, the things that drove them, and how that would affect and alter the plot. I thought about what stories I wanted to tell: The determined young engineer who doesn’t quite know how to work with a team, who hates change, and is still reeling from her best friend leaving. The “trouble kid” who has so much more going on than anyone realizes, who is drowning in her grief but doesn’t know how to escape it and lashes out instead. I really thought about who they were, and then focused on how they could eventually become friends and help lift each other up. I think that helped a lot with each chapter.
Though, the other thing that helped was my editor. He was amazing at pushing me to really strengthen both their voices so the chapters stood strong on their own!
Any advice you would give to a writer just starting out?
It’s okay to not be perfect! Writing is like any other skill: it takes practice and time to refine it. Keep writing, keep going, keep learning, and doing your best, and you will reach whatever goals you have for your writing one day.
Is there anything else about you or your books you would like to tell us?
Want a fun fact? I can’t write while sitting still! I do most of my writing while pacing around my room using dictation software, fidgeting at a standing desk, or by doing quick writing sprints at random park benches as I bike around the city.
Thank you so much, Michelle for coming on the blog. You can find more about Michelle here. To pre-order The Trouble with Robots, visit Indiebound, Amazon, B&N, or anywhere books are sold.click hereclick here
