JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Michelle Gordon, author of The Doorway to PAM
(The Amethyst Angel)

It is only when a soul feels utterly lost, spent, alone, drained, sad, and full of darkness, that they find the doorway to PAM.

Out of nowhere, a building appears to those who have hit rock bottom. When they enter the building, they actually enter an alternate dimension. In this dimension, they find the answer they are looking for, to turn their lives around.

The story follows Natalie, a girl who has lost everything, and doesn’t realise that by entering PAM’s Tearooms, her life will change in the most amazing ways.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write The Doorway to PAM?

Michelle Gordon: The original idea for The Doorway to PAM came to me as a short scene where a girl who has lost everything, finds an amazing place in the woods where people go when they need answers. That beginning scene became the beginning of the book. I don’t plot my books; I had no idea where it was going to go. Some of the characters and events in the book are based on people I’ve met or things that have happened to me.

Bizarrely, just before the launch of The Doorway to PAM, I had my own ‘PAM’ moment. I hit rock bottom and had nowhere to go. The people I met as a result of that have become very good friends of mine. I learnt that I should be careful what I write about, because it may come true!

JP: What sets The Doorway to PAM apart from other books in the same genre?

MG: The genres of Spiritual and Visionary Fiction have only been growing more recently, and I think that The Doorway to PAM is different in that it’s accessible to everyone. You don’t need to have any particular knowledge, or even any particular faith, to read and enjoy the story. It’s a universal tale that applies to anyone who has ever experienced that ‘dark night of the soul’.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that led to The Doorway to PAM getting out to the public?

MG: Most of my sales success has come from people recommending my books to their friends. Though I have found that connections I have made with people on Twitter have been beneficial too.

My most successful moments, as an author, in my own opinion, are when I get feedback from people who have read and loved my books, and who have taken something meaningful from them.

My favourite feedback so far is from a lady whose mother had never read a book in her life, but at the age of 84, she read my short novella, Heaven Dot Com, and loved it.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take you to start and finish The Doorway to PAM?

MG: I write Nanowrimo style, which means that I write 50,000 words in a month. Sometimes I do it as an official participant of Nanowrimo, and sometimes I just do it in a month that suits me. I find that writing books so quickly makes me focus and keeps me in the ‘zone’ I need to be in for the words to flow.

I usually listen to music while I write, often the same song on repeat. I try to listen to songs that have the same tone and feeling as the subjects I am writing about.

JP: What’s next for Michelle Gordon?

MG: At the moment I am writing my next novel, titled The Elphite, which I plan to publish in December. But I also have some ideas for a children’s series based on my Earth Angel books. Aside from marketing my books and writing new ones, I’m working on building my business – Purple Self-Publishing Services.

http://www.michellegordon.co.uk/

http://eata.wordpress.com/

http://www.purplesps.com/

http://facebook.com/pages/Michelle-Gordon/108378079243033

http://twitter.com/themiraclemuse

Feedback is gratefully received! Please send me a message if you’ve enjoyed this interview or if you have read my books.

And thank you, Joey, for this interview opportunity!

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