Michelle Moran Giveaway (CLOSED)

Michelle Moran is the author of Nefertiti, The Heretic Queen, and Cleopatra's Daughter. Her fourth novel, Madame Tussaud, will debut in March 2011.

Michelle was born in the San Fernando Valley, CA. She took an interest in writing from an early age, purchasing Writer's Market and submitting her stories and novellas to publishers from the time she was twelve. When she was accepted into Pomona College she took as many classes as possible in British Literature, particularly Milton, Chaucer, and the Bard. Not surprisingly, she majored in English while she was there. Following a summer in Israel where she worked as a volunteer archaeologist, she earned an MA from the Claremont Graduate University.

She has traveled around the world, from Zimbabwe to India, and her experiences at archaeological sites were what inspired her to write historical fiction. A public high school teacher for six years, Michelle Moran is currently a full-time writer living in California with her husband.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Yes. Some authors come to writing by chance, some after graduating college or working for a while. For me there was never any doubt about what I would do as a career. I think my teachers felt the same way. I can remember being in third grade with the toughest teacher in the world and hearing her voice echo in my mind like a scene from Ferris Bueller's Day Off. "Michelle... Michelle.... Michelle?" Only I wasn't physically absent like Bueller. Just mentally! When I write, the scene unfolds in my mind like a movie, only I'm the director. I can listen to characters' dialogue, then tell them to stop, do it over, say the words differently, or strike a different pose. In an academic setting this can be a problem, because instead of learning Algebra I'm watching a movie, only it's a movie with endless possibilities because I create the scenes.

If you weren't a writer what would you want to be?

A teacher. I taught in a public high school for six years and nothing could be more rewarding than exposing young adults to historical fiction and many other kinds of reading and writing. Many people talk about teaching with an abundance of clichés. You can change lives, you can open doors, you can etc etc. But for me, those clichés were all true.

What prompted you to write a novel about Cleopatra’s daughter?
I do a great deal of traveling both for research and for fun, and most of my destinations are archaeological sites. On a trip to Alexandria in Egypt, I was afforded the amazing opportunity of participating in a dive to see the submerged remains of Cleopatra’s ancient city. More than ten thousand artifacts remain completely preserved underwater: sphinxes, amphorae, even the stones of the ancient palace. Although I'm not a fan of diving, it was an incredible experience, and it changed the way I looked at Cleopatra. I immediately wanted to know more about her life, and it was mere coincidence that my next trip took me to Italy, where her ten year-old children were brought to live after her suicide. While in Rome, I was able to retrace her daughter's steps, and upon seeing where her daughter had lived on the Palatine, I knew I had my next novel.

What resources did you use to write this novel?
I did most of my research on-site (in Rome, Alexandria) and in libraries. In order to describe the Palatine, I went there (not that this was necessary… but it was certainly fun!). To get a feel for life on Capri, my husband and I booked a week there and took several trips into the Blue Grotto (where you can no longer swim). I also used dozens of books and contacted scholars such as D. Roller whose work on the life of Kleopatra Selene was invaluable to me.

If you would like to know more about Michelle Moran and her books, visit her blog or webpage. All of her books are available on Amazon; Barnes & Noble; Borders; IndieBound; Random House and Books-a-Million.

Giveaway!

Michelle will give one hardcover copy of Cleo's Daughter as well as an ancient Roman coin (complete with certificate of authenticity) to the lucky winner!

Rules:
* please make sure to leave separate comment for each entry;

* in your comment, please include an email address so I can reach you;

* winner of the giveaway will be chosen from random.org on Saturday, November 28th;

* winner has 24 hours to answer my email or new winner will be drawn.

Here’s how to enter:
* Mandatory entry: please visit Michelle’s webpage. Have a look at her other books, then return to Made In Canarias and let me know what other book would you like to read and why.

* Extra entries:
- follow my blog (1 entry); if you already follow me you get 2 entries;

- tweet this giveaway (leave your tweet link, use @MadeInCanarias);

- follow @MadeInCanarias on Twitter (1 entry); if you already follow me you get 2 entries;

- post about this giveaway on your blog (leave a link) (2 entries);

- grab my button (2 entries; leave a link);

- 1 extra entry for the people on the top commentators list (look at the left sidebar).

*Remember to leave your email in the comments and leave separate comment for each entry.

Good luck!

Thank you Michelle for great prizes!