An Interview with Author Michelle Medhat | Between the Beats
Michelle Medhat, author
of “Connected: The Call and The Shift” was kind enough to consent to an
interview for “Between the Beats”. Michelle is as complex as her books;
brilliant and articulate she shares her thoughts freely. To say she is an
interesting woman would be trite. Her motivation for writing her books is not
what you might expect. It is with great pleasure I introduce Michelle Medhat,
one of my favorite Indie Authors.
What is the title of your latest book?
Connected: The Call and Connected: The
Shift. Both books came out within months of each other, and I now I have
Connected: The Call & The Shift (Author’s Cut) out as well, which is
omnibus of the two books with a slightly different edit (hence the Author’s
Cut!). These books are fast-moving, hard-hitting spy thrillers, peppered with thought-provoking
sci-fi all wrapped up in a never-ending love story. They are shocking
(certainly not for the faint hearted), and have more twists and turns than the
average country lane, but if a reader likes a good, heart-pounding thriller,
they won’t be disappointed.
What inspired you to write this book?
The book, Connected: The Call and The
Shift just came at me soon after the second Gulf War. I’d been watching,
waiting and hoping for a peaceful outcome after so much war, suffering and
devastation, although I knew that different agendas had taken over, and my
hoped outcome wasn’t to be. This train of thought got me thinking about the
nature of good and evil, the workings of the world we live in and what happened
if someone was so powerful the finely tuned balance in which the universe
exists was upended. Would this have repercussions? And would we, as a world have
any way out?
The spy story evolved quickly, as
intelligence is something very close to me. In my past, I have known these
types of people. I understand how they operate, the way governments’ play, the
differing agendas at stake, the brinkmanship and the angst of people just
wanting to get a job done without having to maneuver through political
minefields. This aspect is exemplified in both books.
The story is quite unique in that it
blends comfortably a graphic, political spy thriller with a provocative sci-fi story
that could very well be true. What moves it onto a different plane is the
tremendous love that connects Sam and Ellie Noor – despite what happens to them
(and a lot happens to them!) they never lose that connection. They never lose
sight of love nor hope for their future together.
Do you identify with any of your
characters and in what way?
If there was one character I’d identify
with it would be Ellie Noor. She’s a businesswoman, like me; she’s pragmatic,
strong-willed and focused on what needs to be done. She say’s what she thinks,
(swears far too much, unfortunately like me!) and doesn’t suffer fools. But she
also has a deep-seated faith in what is good and right. She’s a firm believer
in hope. It was a love-at-first-sight moment when she met Sam (just like the
circumstances in which I met my husband), and throughout the book you have the
sense that their love is almost supernatural.
Would you like to share a little about
your next project?
I am working on Connected: The Light, it
is last in the Trilogy of the Connected Series. It will be more shocking than
the other two books before it. The elements it will touch on are much darker
and it will go to places a little unnerving for readers. Core themes include
the battle for energy security, creating a movement to bring the world under
one umbrella of peace and flipping the balance of good and evil. It’s a big
piece, and in parts, quite introspective and philosophical, as Ellie will take
the main voice in first person. It will still however be, in true Connected
form, a heart-racing ride of pure exhilaration, and no, I’m not sorry that some
readers will be shocked to the core by what happens within those pages.
Have you been inspired by any other
writers?
I was inspired as a child by the Bronte
sisters, Enid Blyton, Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Dickens and
Alfred Hitchcock. I also loved to read Shakespeare and Chaucer, and deconstruct
what they were really saying in their old English words. When I reached my teens
I was into sci-fi devouring Arthur C Clarke, Douglas Adams, John Wyndham and
Issac Asimov. Around the same time I also started to read espionage novels by
the greats in this genre: Frederick Forsyth, John Le Carre, Ian Fleming, Robert
Ludlum and Tom Clancy. All these writers have in some way inspired me, and
helped me become the writer I am now.
What is your process for writing? Do you
dedicate a certain amount of hours daily? Do you go from beginning to end or
just write in a non-linear fashion?
I wish I had a process for writing. I’d
love that luxury to be honest. I just write in a notebook, whenever and
wherever I can, and then when I have a moment I type what I’ve handwritten.
Before I start any writing, I’ll mind map the entire plot, adding in key
characters across major scenes, and then map the relationships and inter-dependencies.
It’s really weird as when I start I literally see the whole of the book laid
out in my mind. It runs continuously like a movie in my head when I’m working
on the scenes, and it’s always very explicit. That’s why I write as if it’s a
movie and reviewers consider the work to be rather visceral and graphic.
What is your favorite book and why?
Strange that I have read so many books,
and one of my favorites is a short story! It is by John Wyndham and is found in
his short story collection Seeds of Time. The story is called Pawley’s
Peepholes. It is a strange little story that I read when I was in my mid-teens
and I was so amazed by it, and I still remember it to this day. I think because
I could have experienced real time-travel once, the story evokes in me that
sense of true wonder. The premise of the story is that people from the future
decide to use the past (our present) as a playground attraction for them to
have fun and do with whatever they like. It addresses all kinds of issues
technological, theological as well as societal. What would you do if you were
in the shower and a group people from the future just barged through your
bathroom! It is a real case of ‘what if…’ as Wyndham put it. The solution to
the future visitants was ingeniously simple, and one which was streets ahead of
the technological contraptions built to rid them of the visitors. The solution
was simply to reverse engineer, and turn the future visitants into a modern day
attraction and make them the spectacle instead. They soon hightailed it back to
their own century after that! The story showed me, whatever techno-wizardry we
develop, our future is built on the understanding and empathy of each other,
and a need to try to see the world through another’s eyes, rather than impose
the view seen through our own. It is vital that we appreciate the motivations
of others, and comprehend that the story played out before our eyes may not be
in full wide screen. There is always more. We’ve been given intelligence, and
it is up to us to perceive and interpret the parts we don’t see.
If you could make one of your books into
a movie, which one would you choose and who would portray the main characters?
Both books are screaming to be made into
films. Many reviewers have made the same comment: “this needs to be a film”,
“could be a blockbuster” etc. As The Call is part one and The Shift is part
two, you couldn’t make one without the other. Sam Noor is handsome and fiercely
intelligent; but he’s also quite dark and incredibly strong. Actor Jim Caviezel
(currently playing the role of another shadowy guy John Reese in Person of
Interest) would be a perfect match to nail Sam’s intense attitude and ability
to do whatever it takes to get the results needed. Ellie Noor is a real
knockout beauty, brave and smart and I can think of no one better than Charlize
Theron to take the role. She is ideal, with her stunning eyes and beautiful
blond locks she would be as captivating on the screen, as she is between the
pages of the books.
What is the most difficult part in
writing a book?
The most difficult part in writing a
book is avoiding continuity errors, and by that I mean not changing the name of
a minor character half-way through (it happens), or having the character do
something that actually doesn’t make sense at all. Developing a good logic flow
and a mind map is essential in plotting scenes, chapters and characterization.
My books are quite sizable and holding all the different cross- genre elements
together, making the logic and time flow work and ensuring that story is carried
through is the most demanding part of writing the book.
Do you read your reviews and how do they
affect you?
Yes I do read my reviews, but I don’t
get too affected by them unless they are deliberately attacking for no reason.
Someone gave me one star, claimed they didn’t even read the book, and said
they’d given me a one star as they thought all the other reviews including
editorial ones were fake!!! It’s insane. But you can’t let these things get to
you. When you write something, you have to have conviction in it, and stand by
it. Being a writer, you also have to be hard-skinned. You write something and
then put it out for the world to see and judge it. Not surprising that we’re
often classed as masochists. It’s a liberating but self-deprecating act. I do
enjoy seeing good reviews, when readers have been so moved to write a review,
it means so much. It gives you that little frisson, when know your book has
been read by someone somewhere, and for a little while it formed a part of
their life. A literary transplant if you will. It’s immensely gratifying when
you see a reader has enjoyed your toil, and validates your existence as a
writer.
Do you have any special steps or
superstitions you follow when writing?
I always keep a small piece of rosemary
on my keyboard; it is a very lucky herb.
What makes a good book?
A good book has a very simple but potent
mix of ingredients. The first is that it must transport you, so that you do not
recognise what is around you. Total immersion in the moment, visually encapsulating
and visceral stimulation. The second ingredient is the characterization of
primary and secondary characters must be believable and well-balanced. The last
element making the magic is that the book must have a solid, breath-taking plot
line that captures you and doesn’t let go. Keeping you up bleary eyed till the
early hours, and forcing you to give excuses for not making that meeting in the
morning.
When did you first realize you wanted to
be a writer?
I think the first inkling of my writing
ambitions came when, in lieu of any paper, I wrote on the walls and lampshade
with crayons. I was, I might add three years of age, and passionate then about
writing. A year later, at the tender of age of four, following the passing of
my grandfather, I wrote a poem that still shocks and stirs people today.
Beautiful Sleep
When
I sleep my beautiful sleep
I see and hear things in my dreams
Of
voices I no longer hear
And
faces I no longer see
In
my sweet beautiful sleep
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had
a pen in my hand and wanted to write. When I was only a small child, I think
seven or eight, I sat in Charles Dickens’ chair in Bleak House in Broadstairs,
Kent UK, and declared to all within earshot, that one day I would be as great a
writer as Dickens. Oh well we live in hope!
Over the years, I have written short
stories, poems, plays, pantomimes, and even music lyrics. For my work, I’ve
written articles for papers, magazines, and periodicals.
If you could describe your writing style
in one sentence what would you say?
Short, sharp and very fast moving –
rather like being blasted from a canon!
What
is the last book you read and why did you choose to read it?
I’m currently reading The Zebra Affaire
by Mark Fine. I have to say that I know very little about South Africa of
1970s, as I was a child then and more interested in cartoons than current
affairs. The story fascinates and abhors me. That we as humans could behave in
this way is unimaginable. A history steeped in shame.
If you could choose any person living or
dead to read and review one of your books who would you choose, which book
would you choose, and why?
Alfred Hitchcock. As a school kid I
adored him. I dreamed of meeting him. And in a way I did, but very briefly.
Although my family thought I was dreaming. It was April 29, 1980. I was eleven,
and heading back home from school. I stopped at a roadside corner, waiting for
a massive black Rolls Royce to pass. It paused in front of me, the window
rolled down, and Hitchcock smiled at me. I was so stunned, I said nothing, and
by the time I could react, the monstrosity of a car slid past into the next
road and zoomed off. I remember telling my Mom when I arrived home, but they
didn’t believe me. Soon after we heard that Hitchcock had died that day at 9.17
am. So very weird!
I watched all his movies, read all his
books, especially the ‘Three Investigators’ series, as well as all the horror
stories and thrillers. He was the ultimate critic. And I can think of no one
better to have reviewed my books.
In Ray Bradbury’s Farenheit 451 the
characters memorize books to “save” them when all books are being burned. They
are known as Book People. If you were a book which one would you be and why?
I would definitely be 2001 Space Odyssey.
It is such an extraordinary book, giving a glimpse of what could be, a world of
possibilities, but somehow, all connected with a smoothness that has had me
reading that book so many times over. I just loved the philosophical, the
spiritual and the technological messages weaved in. It certainly inspired my
love of all things sci-fi, especially sci-fi that is genuinely
thought-provoking.
http://www.amazon.com/Connected-Call-Shift-AUTHORS-CUT-ebook/dp/B00TCOAOCY/
http://elizabethnnewton.com/2015/03/20/connected-the-call-by-michelle-medhat/
“Sam Noor is mightily pissed off with
his employers; the terrorist outfit Al Nadir (a group so diabolical they make
ISIS look like the Teletubbies) have stolen the latest in quantum nuke
technology and SOMETHING is up with Sam's lovely wife Ellie - Tune in for more
spills and thrills!” Charlie Flowers, Best Selling Author of Hard Kill
and other Riz Sabir Mysteries
“Michelle Medhat takes on and pulls
off a Herculean feat by seamlessly merging Espionage, Science Fiction and
Thriller genres.” Garrard Hayes, best selling Author of Bourbon and
Blood
Editorial Reviews
“If you are looking for a well thought out story, from a writer that is showing
great early promise, you could do a lot worse than get Connected to this
supernatural, spy-thriller.” Paul
Martin, Self Publisher’s Showcase
“I did enjoy it and for all of those who love syfy or want to get into syfy
this is the book for you. Well written and easy to follow unlike some syfy
books.” Heather Austin, Kindle
Book Reviews
“Violence, short chapters and a large cast of characters works in this
thriller. A well written page-turner, with characters that are developed and
contradictory enough to carry all the action and jargon, without being
swallowed completely, which is a big achievement.” Georgina Parfitt, Towerbabel
