Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Gable.
Hi Michelle, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Growing up in San Diego, I was the sort of kid who’d check out ten books from the library at a time, and sneak a flashlight and several novels to bed. My parents recognized my passion for words and, on my tenth birthday, gave me a book called SOMEDAY YOU’LL WRITE. From then on, I did exactly that!
I wrote through middle school, and high school, and during sleepovers while my friend’s prank-called boys. I graduated from Torrey Pines and attended college at William and Mary, where I majored in accounting…as most writers do. As much as I liked to write, I liked numbers, too, as well as being able to afford rent and food! Writing, I figured, was something I could do on the side.
After several years in Washington, DC, I dragged my husband back to San Diego, where I continued my finance career and had one daughter, and then a second. Through it all, I wrote—early in the morning, late at night, often by hand. On my thirty-first birthday, I decided to make something of this “hobby.” Eventually, I found a literary agent, and this agent shopped my manuscript to publishers. After many fits and starts, and countless rejections, my “debut” novel launched in 2014, nearly thirty years after my parents gave me that book. A PARIS APARTMENT quickly became a bestseller, and in August 2021 my fifth novel, THE BOOKSELLER’S SECRET, launched.
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?
The road has been far from smooth. I secured my literary agent in January 2008, and she immediately shopped my manuscript to publishers. This first novel didn’t sell, and neither did my second, or a third. So many manuscripts were rejected that not even a writer with an accounting degree can keep track! Nonetheless, I kept writing, certain that one day it’d work out. Finally, my agent sold A PARIS APARTMENT in May 2013, to the only publisher who’d not already turned it down.
I also struggled with my fifth novel, and actually changed publishers in the process. It was a very stressful few years and THE BOOKSELLER’S SECRET was written during the early months of lockdown. That it’s been a national and Canadian bestseller has been immensely gratifying!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I write historical fiction based on real people or real events. The goal is to show readers a relatively unknown piece of history, and hopefully have them googling for hours.
What makes you happy?
Spending time with my family, walking my dog, and reading. Playing tennis can make me happy or unhappy, depending on the day!
Contact Info:
- Email: m.gable@outlook.com
- Website: https://michellegable.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mgablewriter/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MGableWriter
