Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Cameron

Hi Michelle, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?

I’ve always wanted to be a writer – but life all too often got in the way. I was about a third of the way through writing a novel when I joined a writing group and was challenged to say why I couldn’t finish my first draft. My response: a full-time job, mother to two young children, and a husband who needed editorial help while earning advanced degrees – had everyone in the group nodding. Everyone, that is, but the facilitator.

She had two questions for me. The first – after learning I was a morning person – was “how early can you get up?” The second – which resonated powerfully with me – was “how much do you want it?”

That second question has been a kind of motto for me – encouraging me to wake up every morning at 4:30 am to write, to weather disappointments in publishing and continue to persevere, to leaving the security of a full-time job to take a chance on partnering in a company that offers creative writing to everyone from children through teens and adults. I’m extremely proud of the writers I’ve helped along the way and the fact that I have four – soon to be five – published books to my credit.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

It most definitely not been a smooth road. When my first novel was published with Simon & Schuster, I thought I had it made. Nothing could have been further from the truth. In fact, I often comment that I’ve had absolutely no luck with my book launches. My first – The Fruit of Her Hands – came out during a major recession in 2009, and my beloved editor was let go three days before the book launched. That meant I had no advocate in the publishing house, which meant no support. My second novel – Beyond the Ghetto Gates – launched in April 2020, and COVID meant all of the events I’d painstakingly scheduled could not take place. I did pivot to Zoom, but it’s not the same as being in person. And my latest published novel – Babylon: A Novel of Jewish Captivity – came out in September 2023, right before the Israeli/Gaza conflict. In each case, of course, I took my joy from the fact that these books were out in the world, finding their readers, as I worked hard to promote them despite the obstacles. I sincerely hope that my November 2024 launch of Napoleon’s Mirage will change my luck.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

As a novelist of Jewish historical fiction, I write about periods of time few people – including few Jews – know about. I can’t count the many times my readers have commented that they had no idea events like a 26-year old General Bonaparte demolishing the ghetto gates that penned up the Jews of Italy from sundown to sunup each day actually happened. And many have told me that they look up the events I dramatize and are surprised and delighted to find that yes, these things are actually true. I’m proud of the research that I do, but beyond that, proud of my ability to weave the facts into the fiction I write.

An example of the breadth of my research was a recent talk I gave at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The museum had held a magnificent exhibition about Babylon when I was researching that novel, and I was invited to talk about how seeing so many authentic artifacts from the time had colored my work. It was one of the proudest moments of my writing career to talk about my world building in that amazing space.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?

Good luck has paid a significant role in my life and business. When I decided that I wanted to live “the writing life,” I was incredibly lucky to have previously met my soon-to-be business partner, Judith Lindbergh, who had founded The Writers Circle, a NJ-based creative writing organization. We built the company together and succeeded beyond our wildest dreams, literally influencing and in fact changing lives for so many aspiring writers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://michelle-cameron.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michellecameronwriter/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michellecameronauthor/

Image Credits

Beth Forester (headshot)