Michelle was born in Wirksworth, Derbyshire at the beginning of December 1964. As the first-born of three children, and the fifth living generation in a local mining family she hit the news early, appearing in the Derbyshire Times for her mother's efforts. In recent times a more stable lifestyle has allowed her to follow jobs better in line with her character. She spent a number of years working as a Door Supervisor at public houses and night clubs, trying out different ways of keeping fit – such as kick boxing and gym work - she likes to do things girls don't normally do and she loves a challenge.

In the last few years she has been writing down ideas for this and other books and after a nine-month spell working at a school decided to take a year off work to finally produce her first book Deadlier... than the Male. A number of years later, a few rejection slips under her belt and as much determination as ever, Deadlier... is joined by Cruel... and Unusual in the Werewolf series. These will be followed by Blood... on the Moon later this year. She lives in the heart of Sherwood Forest.

What genre do you write in?

Horror, Fantasy, Historical, Young Adult, Erotic

What is the address of your official web site?

www.gingernutbooks.co.uk/dmichellegent.html

What are your top five writing and/or publishing tips for budding authors?

1. Never doubt yourself – you are good enough.
2. Don't take no as the definitive answer, there is always an alternative.
3. Ask questions – and ask for help – most people have been in your position and know what a scary place it is.
4. Read as much as you write, you neglect half of your craft if you don't read – borrowed from Stephen King.
5. Ask someone that is at least good at English to read your work and demand that they give an honest review before you send it anywhere.
6. Make certain that your work is as polished as it possibly can be. Unfortunately, Publishers would like to receive work that's as close to the end product as possible.
7. Read it again! You will almost certainly have missed something, be it a typo or error. You will have improved by the end of your project and it can only help if you re-read it and make those alterations.
8. Buy a guide to editing your own work. I recommend Stephen King's On Writing – I use it and it has helped me enormously.