Interview with Michelle Izmaylov

Today I have an interview with Michelle Izmaylov. Her new book, Ricochet, just came out. (We had a bit of a mix up and my questions were lost, but whoever asked these ones did a good job, too.) ;)


What’s the hardest part of writing and publishing a book?
The most challenging aspect is two-fold. First, procrastination and getting easily distracted while writing is a major issue (especially with how readily available the Internet is these days). Second, and more seriously, is the issue of revision. It’s one thing to write a first draft. It’s an entirely different story to have the perseverance in editing your own work, going over and over until you iron out problems that may have cropped up along the way. It’s even harder to get halfway through a novel and realize you didn’t actually write what you wanted to write. At that point it’s important to step back and understand when it’s better to start over, not to mention having the willpower to do so.

To what do you attribute your success?
There’s a general rule of thumb that says it takes 10,000 hours of practice to get good at any given thing. I’m still nowhere near as good as I hope to be another five or ten years down the road, but I’ve spend a good amount of time working on various writing projects over the years that have helped refine my abilities. I also feel like it’s important to be more than just “an author.” Writing is for me a hobby, not a job. It’s something I turn to when I have inspiration rather than something I force out of myself.

What’s the single best piece of advice you’ve received?
One of the things that’s always stuck with me is put your nose to the grindstone and work hard. Fairy tales can come true, but not from wishing. You have to work hard every single day to make them reality, which is what I’ve tried to do these past years of my life.


Konstantin opens his door to the frantic calls for help by a young man carrying his bleeding and badly beaten granddaughter, Sophia. The old man's long-suppressed hatred of Germans boils to the surface. Soldiers of the Third Reich murdered Sophia's father during World War II, leaving an unresolved wound in his heart. Seeing Sophia, his only reason for living, crumpled in the arms of a German man triggers a seething demand for vengeance long denied. Sophia's grandfather draws on his wealth of military knowledge to target the boy whose only crime is his blood heritage. Seen uniquely though the eyes of the irrational man, we experience the violence of a vigilante blinded by hatred. Can he find peace? Will revenge destroy the innocent, including the granddaughter he so loves?

You can find Ricochet on Goodreads and Amazon.