Q&A with Michelle Lerner – Author Interview

Michelle Lerner is an author whose stories resonate deeply with readers, blending rich characters and captivating plots that leave a lasting impression. In this exclusive Q&A, we take a closer look at her creative process, the inspirations behind her work, and the journey that led to her latest book. Michelle opens up about the challenges of writing and what it takes to bring a story from concept to page, providing valuable insights into the world of a dedicated writer.

In this interview, we also explore the themes and personal experiences that shape Michelle’s writing. Whether you’re a longtime fan or new to her work, this conversation offers a deeper understanding of what drives her storytelling. From overcoming obstacles to the excitement of sharing her work with the world, this Q&A is a must-read for anyone interested in the craft of writing.

About The Author

Tell us more about you

I was a public interest lawyer for 20 years and I run a cat rescue. 

What are the three items you’d take on a deserted island?

Herbs for my Lyme disease, my guitar, and a notebook and pen (is that 4?)

Who is your biggest role model?

Probably depends on the context, but right now I’d say Ta-Nehisi Coates. He writes amazing things that speak truth to power. 

What is your favourite book and who is your favourite author?

I write poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, so it’s hard to pick one. For poetry, I’d say, right now (and it changes!) Mosab Abu-Toha and his book Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear. For fiction, I’d say Banana Yoshimoto and her book Kitchen.  For nonfiction, I’d say Ta-Nehisi Coates and We Were Eight Years in Power. 

Do you prefer e-books, physical books or audiobooks?

Physical books

Is writing your full-time profession or a hobby?

I wouldn’t call it either. It’s not my full-time job, because I’m disabled and haven’t been able to work full-time, or consistently in any way, for the past 9 years. When I did work, I was a public interest lawyer. But I would not call writing a hobby. I’d refer to it as a calling or even an identity, and it’s my primary focus in terms of productivity. Which doesn’t necessarily mean I’m productive on a day-to-day basis. I write in spurts, depending on how I’m feeling and what else I’m working on. 

What social media platform do you like and use the most?

I really dislike social media and avoided it until my novel came out in January. My publisher had accounts set up for me, which I now handle on my own. I try to keep them focused on my writing, but I’m a very political person and that’s difficult for me.  And the Facebook account was set up as a personal page rather than a business page, so of course I connected to friends on it. Of the platforms I’m on, I definitely prefer Bluesky. I might even say I like BlueSky—it’s neither toxic nor overwhelming, and there’s a great community of writers there. 

My social channels are:

Your Writing Process

How do you go about starting a new novel?

I’ve only written one novel so far, and a book of CNF memoir-type essays. I jumped right in for both. I’m now working on a historical novel and I’m planning that one out and doing a lot of research. 

Where do you like to write?

I’ve been most productive at residencies. I’ve done two. At one, they offered me a nice formal office, and instead I closed myself in a storage room and wrote at a table in the corner. It was quiet and out of the way and had no décor or officious feeling to distract me from the tone of what I was writing. At home, I tend to write in bed (because I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) or at my desk. I’d love to write in a café, but I live in a rural area and I’m too fatigued to spend energy or time driving to one. I fantasise about it though!

What do you like most about writing?

It’s therapeutic and helps me figure things out about myself and the world. It also sometimes helps me memorialise people, places, and events.  

What do you find stops you from writing more?

Myself. Objectively, I have limited energy and I spend a lot of that energy on other projects like running a cat rescue. But I also put off writing until I can’t, either because of a deadline or because I’ve thought about it enough that I feel the need get it down on paper (or, if prose, into a Word document).

What genres do you like to write and why?

I’ve always been a poet, since the age of 6, and only recently started writing fiction. As such, I’m drawn to poetry and literary fiction, and lyrical nonfiction. I tend to genre hop—poetry, lit fic, memoir/CNF, and I’m now trying my hand at historical fiction. I’m a bit of an agent’s nightmare in that sense, I guess. But I doubt I’ll ever write mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, romance, or other well-defined commercial genres. I read them sometimes, but they interest me less and I’d have no idea where to start in terms of writing them. I think my background as a poet and lawyer lead me, when I write prose, to write literary fiction and creative nonfiction. 

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to aspiring writers?

Challenge yourself to get a lot of rejections. I think the reason I have a poetry chapbook and novel out, and an agent and a publisher, is that in 2020 I joined the 100 Rejections challenge. I used to send out poetry infrequently; I mostly just published poems when an editor solicited them from me. As a result, if I did send out submissions cold, every rejection I received felt like a big deal. When I took on the challenge of getting 100 rejections in 2020, I had to send out a lot more than 100 times, because things got accepted. And I got bored of sending out the same things, so I had to keep coming up with new things to send out. 

In order to have enough to send out, I put a few chapbooks together and as a result got one published. I also sent the first draft of my novel Ring, which I wasn’t even sure counted as a novel (the first draft was short and experimental), to a bunch of contests as a way of getting enough submissions out—and then it placed in the contests. The people at Pipeline Media, who ran one of those contests, told me to get an agent, so I started querying agents and counting that toward my rejections too, but then I actually got an agent. 

All of these things happened because I was trying to get 100 rejections. And the rejections themselves stopped bothering me. When you send out more than 100 submissions in a year, it’s hard to even remember them much less feel attached to the outcomes. This challenge also expanded where I thought of submitting, because I became so unafraid of rejections and was actually trying to get them, so I submitted to the top literary journals in the country. As a result, an excerpt from my novel was published in one of those top journals. 

So, doing the 100 Rejections challenge changed my life as a writer. It may be why I’m able to consider myself a professional/ full-time (ish) writer at this point. I can’t recommend it enough. 

Showcase your books!

How many books have you written and if more than one, what’s your favourite?

I’ve written 2 books and 2 poetry chapbooks, and one of each is published so far.  The published poetry chapbook is Protection (Poetry Box, 2021). The published book is the novel Ring (Bancroft Press, 2025). Ring is definitely the bigger deal, but it’s hard to compare them. I also like my second full length book, but it’s totally different—a humorous collection of memoir-type CNF essays—so it’s a bit of apples and oranges. But right now Ring feels like my opus. 

How long did Ring take to write?

Oh, that is so hard to say because it was very start and stop. I wrote the first draft in 2019 and 2020, but there were a few months in there that I stopped working on it completely, and even the days that I did work on it, I would write for maybe an hour or two at most. In that way, it might have taken me 8 or 9 months for the first draft. But after I got an agent, I expanded it substantially, and that took another couple of months, working on it more consistently, and then I did a few rounds of edits. So I started it sometime in 2019 and probably stopped editing in mid 2023. 

Lastly, what is your favourite thing about being an author?

Probably getting to know other authors and reading their manuscripts, and reading their published books and then communicating with them about them. Who else gets to read a book and then email or text the author with questions? If I’ve met the author through something writing-related, I can do that, and I love it. 

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