We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michelle Huntstrom a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Michelle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?
As an Educational Assistant in a High School and wife of a teacher, I’ve seen the pros and cons of the school system. Like so many other systems, the school system could do with a major overhaul. There’s too much nuance to boil the school system down to a single sentence but in the spirit of what could be changed, these are my thoughts if money, staffing, legislation, and resources weren’t an obstacle.
Current schools are a place for children and teenagers to become good workers. In my opinion, it should be a place where they are given the foundations of learning in Elementary, then branch into more interest based curriculums in Jr High and High School.
Another issue is the standardized testing. Tests don’t encourage learning, only regurgitation of information, and only for long enough to pass the tests. If students had interest based learning, it would be better if they demonstrated their knowledge through a series of projects.
One example of my experience as an EA, I regularly work with kids who struggle through the core subjects. They struggle to understand the concepts taught because they just don’t care about the subject matter. They don’t comprehend why they need to learn it and often won’t bother to apply themselves. These same students, in a class or unit that peaks their interest, do incredibly well and need very little guidance.
Another example is in the school I work at, I started a creative writing club because I knew there were students who were writing novels but didn’t have time to spend on their own projects. High school writing projects are usually essays with very little room for creative writing. Starting this club has opened the opportunity for students to have a designated time to write as well as learn about the publishing process, with a final project revolving around publishing an anthology. This one project will use aspects of English, group work, accounting, graphic design, business management, formatting, editorial, legal and copyright knowledge, presentations, and much more.
Michelle, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I write under the pen name Michelle Huntstrom and I am a romantic who loves all things sweet, swoony, and sentimental, especially in the books I read and write.
I remember a creative writing project in Grade 5 started it all. The characters and plot came to me so easily. The assignment was my favorite, by far. A few projects later that same year, I first had the thought, “I want to be a published author.” That’s how the dream started. As a young reader in junior high, I first discovered romance novels and in the spare moments between my extracurriculars, I would jot down short romantic scene ideas in a little notebook. A first meeting here, and a dance there. After graduation, I lost the desire to write as I began discovering who I was as a person and how I fit into this great big world. That dream of being a published author never left, but I felt like an impossible thing. Years later, with a toddler and a newborn, a friend told me about NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I had been struggling with my sense of identity with two young children occupying my every moment. This challenge of writing 50,000 words in 30 days was exactly the push I needed to rediscover my love of writing. I only wrote 12,000 words that month but they were the best words as they propelled me back into what I loved. Plot ideas began flowing to me in dreams and while I did the dishes. I had no idea how to write a full novel so I began researching, listening to online conferences while folding laundry. A year later, I discovered a local writer’s group which I still attend weekly and consider the highlight of my week.
As a novelist, I provide a variety of romance books under the subgenres of historical, contemporary and fantasy. Though these are vastly different genres, the uniting factor is that they are all sweet romances, also known as clean and wholesome. More than that, I strive to provide a delightful experience for those readers who crave a romance without explicit bedroom scenes. I want my readers to feel safe each time they turn the page, knowing when they read my stories, they’ll enjoy the journey of a romantic relationship and overcome trials without profanity, explicit love scenes, or excessive violence. I would love for a middle aged woman to feel comfortable recommending my stories to her mother, grandmother, and teenage daughter, knowing that people of all ages would find it a worthwhile read.
I feel the stories I write and publish are set apart from others because of the more explicit content. I understand and respect everyone’s reading preferences when it comes to the details of a love scene, but that’s not what I’m draw to a a reader or a writer. I enjoy a good kissing scene as much as the next person, but I adore those little details throughout a story depicting the growing relationship between two characters even more
I am currently most proud of my debut novel, An Unexpected Arrangement. I co-authored this with my best friend and loved nearly every moment of the process (I could have done without the sleepless nights mulling over ideas). Publishing this book fulfilled a lifetime dream of mine and spurred a new dream to one day be a full time author.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Creativity is in my blood. I grew up in a home where creativity was everywhere. My father built houses, including four of our own. My mother crafted in many varieties, participating in craft shows. Together they created a beautiful and loving home filled with music and artistic endeavors. On top of creating stories, I’ve loved making music, gifts, Halloween costumes, art, decor, theater productions and more. In my down time, I’m trying out my first gem art. I am a happier person if I can consistently do something creative. I am a better person, wife, mother, and friend. If you know you have a creative soul, I’ve learned the hard way that you MUST feed it. I’ve also learned there are so many avenues of creativity, even if it means creating a more streamlined way to accomplish a task at work. Creativity has no limit.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
My creativity is both my biggest superpower and my greatest struggle. Every day, I wish I had extra time to do something artistic even though the responsibilities and expectations of regular life often get in the way. When my life is busy, I feel guilty about neglecting myself and not filling my bucket. But on the other hand, when I am able to carve out time to write or create something, the guilt shifts to the never ending to-do list waiting for me on the other side of the art. It feels like a Catch 22 situation. So how do I not get bogged down by guilt? In the simplest terms, I set an appointment for myself to be creative and I put it in my family’s calendar. Every month, I reassess those blocks of time and figure out if any changes need to be made. I also only leave that time to be used in a creative way. I don’t specify what I’ll create, only that something must be created. A creative soul needs to have an outlet for that creativity, otherwise it’ll eat away at them. If you are a creative or know one, encourage yourself or them to make time to feed that part of them, even if it’s only for 15 minutes. And let them be free to make a mess. Don’t stifle creativity because all the beautiful things in the world come from those moments or years spent in artistic pursuits.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michellehuntstrom_writes/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michellehuntstrom.writes
- Other: Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.ca/stores/Michelle-Huntstrom/author/B09RMP7QS7
Image Credits
Michelle Huntstrom