Interview With Author Michelle Romano
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in Minnesota with my soulmate, Lawrence, a phenomenal baker! I am half Italian American (father) and half German (mother). I love to travel. When I was 14 years old, my family lived in Malaysia for one year and traveled all throughout Southeast Asia – what an experience! I have been a licensed school social worker for the past 26 years – it’s my true calling. I counsel youth who have mental health, grief/loss, crisis and trauma backgrounds.
I wrote my first book, A Connection with Destiny, in high school and later published it in 2003. This book is a wholesome romance about a young woman finding love. It started out as a paper for an English class in high school, and my imagination continued until it turned into a book.
I published my second book, Finding Faith, a Contemporary Romance novel in 2018, and revised it in 2023.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent book is Finding Faith, a Contemporary Romance novel. Many years ago, a relationship suddenly ended, and it was devastating, so I took those emotions and put them into this story.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not unusual, but I tend to write best when I feel emotion.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Here are some:
Nicholas Sparks’ love stories
Her Main Attraction by Rebecca Gannon
Stories about loss, out of body experiences and death
Hafsatu Bebi: A story about identity and loss by Fatima Bala
Let it Love: A Contemporary Romance Novel by Emma Aiseman
My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Mending of Our Bodies and Hearts by Resmaa Menakem
Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom
The Love Dare by Stephen Kendrick and Alex Kendrick
What are you working on now?
I am starting to write a book about grief and loss
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am a newer author and have learned a lot this summer about this exact thing! I’ve been trying a variety of things to promote my most recent book – Finding Faith, like:
Amazon Ads
LinkedIn Author’s Group
Created a Goodreads Author’s Group to support each other and I am in various other author groups through Goodreads
A friend talked about my book on her Youtube channel
A blogger in Australia, interviewed me and put that interview on social media platforms
I received two editorial reviews
I signed up for free book promotions online
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up! Learning about self publishing/marketing is tough.
Following Guru’s like Dave Chessen and reviewing free tutorials about advertising on Amazon and other platforms
Join Goodreads author groups
Research other social media sites to help promote books
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do my research when it comes to promoting and marketing my book.
Publisher Rocket helps me with keywords/categories/etc for marketing.
Reading and leaving reviews is super helpful for authors, especially new ones.
What are you reading now?
Broken: Not a halal love story by Fatima Bala
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m continuing to promote my book, hoping for more reads and reviews. I am starting to write my next book on Grief/Loss.
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?
Present Moment Awareness: A Simple, Step-by-Step Guide to Living in the Now by Shannon Duncan
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
The Haunting of Brynn Wilder: A Novel by Wendy Webb
Author Websites and Profiles
Michelle Romano Amazon Profile
Michelle Romano’s Social Media Links