Hi Michaela, welcome to Tinasbookreviews, please tell us about yourself.

My name is Michaela Debelius. I’m an indie author who writes paranormal romance that, depending on the reader’s definition, borders on science fiction. I’m originally from New England, but I currently live in Arizona with my husband and two furry children.

What inspired you to write Decoy?

Decoy itself came to existence in a very normal fashion, though the road to get there was quite the learning experience. When I decided I wanted to write a novel length piece, I thought about all the aspects that, for me, comprise a really great, fun book. I’ve always enjoyed all things paranormal. With my insatiable love for zombie and apocalypse movies, I’m pretty sure I’d thrive in an Armageddon situation. I’d do just about anything to have a conversation with Dean Koontz, a mastermind in my opinion. So when I asked myself what I’d like to read if I were the reader, I knew I wanted to create a book that was plot-driven and dark, but had just enough salacious details to satisfy a good romance craving.

Indie Publishing.....good experience or hard road?

Both! Without hesitation I say both. Indie publishing is great because you get to do what you set out to accomplish: have someone read your book. I wanted someone to enjoy it, even if it was just one person, and I wasn’t getting there with traditional publishing. It’s an extraordinarily tough market and without a previously published work or a degree, it’s almost impossible to get someone to pay attention. The beauty of living in the technology age is the wonderful invention of e-readers. With e-readers the consumer gets to decide what’s good and what’s not. We no longer have to let someone else make that decision for us. But, and this is a big but, there is a lot of work that goes into self-publishing. Between formatting, which takes days if you’ve never done it before, and spending hours every week contacting blogs to request a book review, you really have to have strict discipline to work in some time for writing. You spend half your time promoting your last book while struggling to turn out pages for your next. But if you’re self-motivated, you can set and meet deadlines, and you’re willing to pound some virtual pavement in order to get your work outside of your immediate family, it’s worth it. I’ve never done anything the “routine” way so no one was shocked when I announced I was self-publishing.

If you could pick a song that encapsulated Decoy what would it be and why?

There are two songs that I used to help me get into the mindset for Decoy. The first is “Breath” by Breaking Benjamin. There’s a dark passion in that song, a longing for a wicked and destructing temptation, and that quality is felt by both Noel and Killian towards each other.