Meet author Michael Ehret

Michael Ehret is a freelance book editor with my publisher, Scrivenings Press. Mike’s first book, Big Love, just released, and I’m so excited to have him on the blog today!

Mike’s bio:

Michael Ehret loves to play with words, and as the author of Big Love, he is enjoying his current playground. Previous playgrounds include being the Managing Editor of the magazine ACFW Journal and their ezine Afictionado for seven years. He also plays with words as a freelance editor and has edited several nonfiction books, proofedited for Abingdon Press, worked in corporate communications, and reported for The Indianapolis Star. 

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Interview with Michael Ehret

Jen – Hi Mike! It’s so good to have you on my blog today. Tell us a little about yourself!

Mike – I grew up in the tiny little burg of Elkhart, IN. That’s where my faith was formed (by attendance at one of the classic “peace” churches, Church of the Brethren). Other than one out-of-the-ordinary place, I’ve lived either in Elkhart or Indianapolis all my life. For a brief shining moment, we had a three-year sojourn in Colorado Springs. Lovely, lovely place, but not a place I’d want to go back to live in. Visit, yes. Live, no.  

Jen – I’ve never been to Indiana or Colorado! We’d love to know more about your writing – genre you write, books published, and what you’re currently working on.

Mike – I’ve spent my whole life writing, just most of it outside of the concept of “publishing.” Although I was, for 12 years, a reporter for The Indianapolis News and The Indianapolis Star. During those years I wrote a little of everything except Sports, focusing on religion news and education news and general assignment reporting. It was a fun job. 

Other than that I’ve worked in Corporate Marketing and Communications and as the Editor in Chief of the Jerry Jenkins Christian Writers Guild, American Christian Fiction Writer’s magazine, ACFW Journal, and their e-zine, Afictionado. I’ve also been fortunate enough to do some freelance book editing, including some now for Scrivenings Press, which just published my novella, Big Love!  

All about Mike’s novella, Big Love!

Berly Charles remembers the days before her father was a successful business tycoon in Indianapolis. Growing up a razor’s edge from homelessness planted a tiny desire for home in her heart that she now, as the owner of La Petite Maison, LLC, fills for others by building their tiny home ideals. Now she has the opportunity to take her tiny house company big time—is this the chance she’s been waiting for? 

Nathan “Rafe” Rafferty is a writer for the nationally reputed architecture journal who is used to calling his own shots and covering the biggest and the best architectural accomplishments of the modern world. But when his hipster, much younger, editor assigns him to cover a new trend—tiny houses—the assignment stirs unpleasant memories and thoughts of revenge. 

Big Love is a snazzy little RomCom I’ve been told is laugh out loud funny. All I know is I was laughing so hard writing it that I was crying. But it also deals with some serious stuff, the importance of truth and Truth, knowing yourself, homelessness, and the importance of being involved to SOLVE the problems, not to just point them out. At it’s heart, however, it’s a will-love-conquer-all romantic comedy with two leads who both learn a little something about romance. 

I do have two other projects in the works. One is Beyond December, a full-length novel, that’s a bit more serious than Big Love, but still has a lot of humor in it. Beyond December examines what happens to a man who loses the love of his life unexpectedly—but has he really lost her? Because he keeps seeing her all around town, even though she’s dead. (No, she’s not a ghost.) When constant death of loved ones has informed your life from the beginning, how do you move on and not succumb to depression? Also a romantic comedy, but far more serious in places.  

Then, at about a third finished, is Be Still My Soul (working title, likely to change) about walking through a cancer diagnosis with a loved one, preparing to part, the importance of humor, and a turning back to God. Since it’s in process and I’m a pantser, hard to say too much more. Romance and humor, with grief.  

Jen – I am reading Big Love now! It is a lot of fun. I can’t wait for your other books!

Writing and editing with Michael Ehret

Jen – I see you’re a pantser like me. Tell us more about your writing habits.

Mike – I’m a pantser for sure. If I try to plot, it kills the idea every single time. Now about this word “habits” … I’m not sure I know what you mean. It sounds like you’re expecting me to have a set time I write every day, butt in chair, etc. That has never worked for me. I grab minutes and hours and, rarely, days wherever I can and try to make the most of them.  

Jen – I think we have the same “habits!” Routines don’t seem to work well for me. Can you share more about the editing you do?

Mike – I’ve done editing for some friends, and I’ve done editing for Scrivenings Press. Most of my editing has been in the corporate world and/or the magazine/ezine world. If you’re a Star Trek fan, you know about the Prime Directive, is a guiding principle of Starfleet that prohibits its members from interfering with the natural development of alien civilizations.  

I have a Prime Directive in my editing: Do everything possible to NOT change the authorial voice. I don’t want to edit your book so that it sounds like it was written by me. Or anyone else. I want your book to be authentically you—as well as, as grammatically and stylistically correct as possible.  

Mike’s goals

Jen – As an author, I appreciate that. I love having a great editor who understands my voice and wants to keep it. Can you tell me about your goals in your writing – why do you write?

Mike – I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. Why do I write? I think I write mostly for self-therapy, to tell the truth. When I started Be Still My Soul, neither my mom or my sister had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Now both have died from it within a year of each other. In a real sense, I think me starting that book when I did was God preparing me for what was coming. Did not make it any easier, but it did help me focus on what was important: Spending time and saying the words that need to be said.  

When I get further into the book, I’m sure my experience with grief and watching two people I love die from cancer will make the experience more real for the reader and, hopefully, where my character finds unexpected solace will be helpful. Jug, the main character in that book, mistakenly believes his “lack of faith” as a child caused the death of someone he loved and now his father is dying of cancer, he doesn’t believe, and he sees penalty and pain, rather than redemption. 

Jen – Grief and loss are something we need to talk about more, I think. It’s part of life, and we can share hope with others through our writing like you’re doing. I love that. What kind of books do you like to read?

Mike – When it comes to fiction, my favorite authors are Stephen King, Dean Koontz (especially his Odd Thomas series), and Stephen R. Lawhead. But I do not write stories that fit into their genres. However, all three are excellent, natural writers, and that’s what I enjoy in them and what I hope I’m picking up as I read. In Christian fiction, it doesn’t get better – for me – than Terrie Todd and Deborah Raney. 

Nonfiction, I’m interested in the intersection of race and religion and why things are so separate in those arenas. 

Jen – I enjoy Stephen King’s newer books. He’s an amazingly creative writer. I also recommend his On Writing memoir of the craft.

More with Mike

Jen – Tell us about your platform.

Mike – I find focusing on platform tiring. When I do it, it drains every bit of creativity out of me and leaves me wondering why in the world I wanted to write. I really need to hire a publicist. I miss the old days when the publisher handled much of that for the writer. I am on Facebook, that’s it. I’m considering starting a newsletter, but I keep getting bogged down in the “what would I write about” discussion. Oh, I do have a website/blog, Writing on the Fine Line, that I’ve been trying to get more intentional about.

Jen – I understand. It is very time-consuming to be on social media. Will you share some fun facts with us?

Mike – Coffee, no tea. Dogs, no cats. (But fish would be a nice addition.) I have two favorite verses; both are in my writing in every nook and cranny. First, Romans 12:2 (Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.) and Song of Songs 8:6 (and verse 7 is also good): Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. 

Jen – Thank you, Michael Ehret, for being on my blog!

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Hi, I’m Jen! I’ve been married for over 37 years, have 5 amazing kids and 3 adorable grandkids. I homeschooled our three youngest children, and I used to blog about homeschooling. I also taught Oral Communication as an adjunct instructor for over 5 years.

Jen Dodrill Writes is born of a passion of mine – to write a novel! My first cozy mystery – Birds Alive! – released Feb. 27, 2024!

When I’m not working, you’ll find me writing, spending time with my family, or curled up on the couch reading and drinking a mug of dark roast coffee. (Don’t forget to check out my mug shop – JDMugs!)