We are honoured to work with as many authors as we do at Pegasus Publishers – each with their own stories to tell. Their worlds are singular, their characters are relatable, and their creativity truly knows no bounds.

This is Author Life, a feature on the Pegasus Blog, that opens the door to each of our author’s creative process and previous literary experience, offering you – the reader – an opportunity to learn a little about the mind behind the novel.

This is Author Life with Michelle Miller, author of ‘The Theory of Immortality’.

What are the three most important things you have accomplished, aside from publishing a book?

Earning my doctorate, learning to ignore my impostor syndrome, and hiking Kilimanjaro. Okay, I didn't really do that last one, but I have a fantastic cohort of friends who constantly amaze me with their support, and one of them is trying to convince me that Kilimanjaro is our next big achievement.

In your own life, what influences and inspires you to write?

Everything! I think it's the curse of the writer to go about everyday tasks and have one idea after another pop into your head. I've had plot revelations from overheard conversations, from the way the sun reflects off an object, from a line in a book I'm reading, or from a challenging situation at work. Writing is a transformation of an author's life experiences into words and allegory, which is to say, it's constantly taking place in my head.

Which book or author has had the biggest impact on you, and why?

This is such a challenging question for me. I don't know that I can pin a single book or author. Every time I pick up a book, I'm changed in some way.

How would you summarise your book in as few words as possible?

A skeptical scientist discovers she has magical powers and has to fight for her place in a secret society of immortals while trying to find a cure for aging diseases.

What were your first experiences with writing?

I have been writing stories as long as I can remember, but one important experience occurred when I was 15. I had a lovely creative writing teacher who took me more seriously than I thought I deserved. She encouraged me and helped me to grow as a writer. She even nominated me for an incredible summer program that focused on writing and literature. Teachers can have such a remarkable impact, and I've been fortunate to have so many exceptional ones in my life!

In your opinion, what are the key ingredients for a good story or novel?

My favorite (and oddly specific) story elements: diverse characters that I connect with, conflict or tension that drives the action, interesting relationship dynamics, character growth during the story, and genre blending under the speculative fiction umbrella.

How long do you spend writing every day?

Well, let me start by saying that I spend at least 75% of my day thinking about writing, but the time actually doing it can vary greatly. I work full-time as a scientist and I am a parent to a young child, so I may only get thirty minutes in the evenings on weekdays. If I'm on holiday or it's the weekend, I can type for hours. Ideally, I'd like to get three to four hours a day.

What was the most challenging part of writing this book, and what did you learn from writing it?

EDITING.

I learned that I have a shocking number of high frequency words in my vocabulary, that fresh eyes are critical to the process, and that you aren't ready to publish until you are absolutely sick of reading through your own story. And you really do need to "kill your darlings" despite the pain it inflicts on your heart.

What did you find most helpful when writing your book?

Extensive note taking, character back-stories, and plot tracking documents. When I first started, I was vibing my way through the plot and let me tell you, that gets messy very quickly. I am normally a very organized person so once I started applying my project management skills, the manuscript became 10,000x better.

What writing advice would you offer to your younger self?

I know it doesn't feel this way but all these disappointments are actually setting you up for a pretty awesome future. Oh, and we're really going to get published one day!!!

The Theory of Immortality is available now in Paperback and Hardback