Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Maxine Sarr and I’m a former criminal defence lawyer from Manchester. I now teach English as a second language in Ecuador and I’m a newly published author!
Criminal defence law was my passion but it sucked the marrow from me. It overtook my life and I was unable to stop working, even when I wasn’t working. I worked 18 hour days 7 days a week and eventually I got to the stage when I realised I needed to leave for my health and sanity. The biggest decision I’ve ever made in my life – walking away from something that I’ve always wanted to do, to be.
I like teaching but I’m not passionate about it. When I left England I said I wanted to teach to keep a roof over my head but eventually I wanted to be a writer.
Moral Justice is the first book in a trilogy under my pen name Catherine Michael. I’ve started a short humourous story under my own name which I hope to self-publish next month.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first and therefore my latest is Moral Justice.
There were days in Manchester, after work, after a particuarly gruesome case we would end up at the nearest pub and attempt to drink away the angst. Moral Justice came from a throwaway comment made by a colleague that stuck in my mind.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so. I tend to get up at about 4.00 a.m. to write. This is because it’s an hour before the chickens who live above my apartment. I figure if I get an hour’s worth of writing with the only sound being the river running next to my apartment before the chickens start calling out to each other (which is usually about 5) I will be in the zone. It works.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
In my 20s to 40s all I read was crime and law books, fiction and non-fiction. I was obsessed and very picky. Stephen King and John Grisham being at the top of my list then. I also loved to read the classics – A Tale of Two Cities is one I still re-read, so is The Portrait of Dorian Gray.
When I left the law in 2006 it opened my eyes to the real world and different genres. A book that kept me awake all night until I finished was Rohinton Mistry: A Fine Balance; very powerful book.
Now that I’m no longer working full time it’s given me the opportunity to read books I wouldn’t have the opportunity to if I still lived in England. Fingerprints of the Gods by Graham Hancock, all the books of Khalil Gibran and Rumi and a man, much like myself in spirit, Henry David Thoreau.
What are you working on now?
I’m writing a short humourous story called A Day in the Life of An Extra. This is based on something that actually did happen to me after I left law. I had the opportunity to work as an extra at The Opera House in Manchester and the whole experience still makes me smile today.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have no idea I self-published two days ago and for one of those days I slept!
I’m trying to connect with all types of websites, youtube, facebook groups, Twitter (but for the life of me I cannot get to grips with that particular website), Pinterest. I’ve got my own website but I’m still learning the process. Before I started writing I only had a facebook account that I logged onto every three or four months to let people know that I’m still alive.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
No, I’d like some.
I think that it’s easy to get caught up in the software tools and “help” for a fee that’s out there that it takes discipline to just put your head down, write and believe in yourself.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write and believe in yourself.
What are you reading now?
I’ve started to re-read (for the fourth time) Rust and Bone by Craig Davidson.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I will publish A Day in the Life of an Extra next month. I want to do a lot of research for the second book of the Moral Justice trilogy. It has some dark subject matter and I want to do it justice.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Rohinton Mistry – A Fine Balance
Oscar Wilde – The Portrait of Dorian Gray (when did it change to Picture of Dorian Gray!!)
Khalil Gibran – A Tear and a Smile
Henry David Thoreau – Walden
Author Websites and Profiles
Catherine Michael Website
Catherine Michael’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account