Ask Michelle
Here are Michelle’s most recent answers to the questions and messages readers have submitted.
Chronicles of ancient darkness
Milan writes...
Hello Michelle! I read your series "Chronicles of ancient darkness" as a kid and always loved it. I loved the presence of nature in these books and how immersive they were. It has also taught me a lot!
I just learned that you have added three new books to the series and I'm excited about reading them!
French being my first language, I was wondering if a french version of these was planned and will it be out anytime soon.
I can read english but I just wanted to know if it was worth waiting for a french version.
Anyways, thank you for all the good time spent reading your books! Have a nice day!
Michelle Replies...
Dear Milan, I'm delighted that you enjoyed the books as a child - and that you're keen to read the three sequels which I wrote recently, after a gap of several years. I'm afraid Hachette have no plans to publish French translations (that's their decision, in which I have no say) - so if you want to read them, you'll need to do so in English. Their titles are (in order) VIPER'S DAUGHTER, SKIN TAKER, & WOLF BANE. I really hope you enjoy being back with Torak, Renn and Wolf! With best wishes, Michelle
wolf brother
Zaneta writes...
Hi Michelle, I have at last read all nine books of the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness starting with Wolf Brother and Ending with Wolfbane. They are very good, very well written and very exciting to read. I like your understanding of how ancient people lived and what they believed in. I felt so good when i finally read the last book.They appeal to people of all ages, I am actually 70 now. I am very thankful to have these lovely books on my bookcase too,.I read the first 6 in Swedish and the last three in English.
thank you again
best wishes from Zaneta
Michelle Replies...
Dear Zaneta, I'm replying to your lovely message with unusual speed, as I was just about to log off for the evening - but I couldn't without thanking you first! I'm delighted that you have enjoyed all nine of the Wolf Brother books (as people often call them in England), and I want to thank you for taking the trouble to write. I also love the fact that you've read them at all, given that they're marketed more towards children than people of our age; that shows an open and unprejudiced mind. Thanks again. With very best wishes, Michelle
novel no continue
Ezio writes...
Hello my name is Ezio, I am 13 years old and I live in Nice in the south of France. I read your novel (Chronicle of Dark Times) I really loved this book, these adventures are fascinating. I was very disappointed when I learned that the sequel was not released. I would like to know if you were planning to release it. Thank you very much in advance for your response.
Sincerely
Ezio lasbats
Michelle Replies...
Dear Ezio, I'm so pleased that you enjoyed my Wolf Brother books! From what you've said, I'm guessing that you can't get hold of French translations of the final three books, which I wrote some years after the first six. You're not the only French reader who has contacted me, but I'm afraid there are no French translations, because my French publishers decided not to publish them. I'm so sorry, but I can't do anything about this. So your only choice is to order them online in English - IF you feel able to reading them in English! In case you decide to do this, the books are: VIPER'S DAUGHTER, SKIN TAKER, and WOLF BANE. Again, I'm sorry about this. But I hope that you continue to enjoy the books which you can get hold of! With very best wishes, Michelle
Hello, I’m Xián, I’m going to start reading Brother Wolf
Xián writes...
Hello, I'm Xián, I'm from Galicia, Spain, I don't know much English, but I try,
I'm going to start reading Brother Wolf in high school
I wanted to know what inspired you to make Brother Wolf.
Michelle Replies...
Hello, Xian. You can find the full story of what inspired me to write Wolf Brother on wolfbrother.co: go to the Cave, then Why I wrote Wolf Brother. But in short, the story was sparked by my childhood love of wolves and the Stone Age - and then by a very frightening encounter with a large black bear and her two cubs when I was out hiking in a forest in California. I hope that helps - and that you enjoy Wolf Brother, and maybe the rest of the books in the series! With best wishes, Michelle
About your new book
Liam writes...
Just wanted to know when your new book is coming out. I've read ghost story and thin air twice each. Just want more of your work.
Thanks
Michelle Replies...
Glad you like them so much, Liam. It sounds as if you haven't yet read my Gothic novel Wakenhyrst, which came out after Thin Air. That has a ghost as well as other things, so I think you'll like it. As for the one after that, I'm afraid it won't be out till next year. Thanks for getting in touch - and enjoy Wakenhyrst! Regards, Michelle
New books
Aly writes...
Hi Michelle. I have just re read Dark Matter and Thin Air for the third time over the Christmas period. Are you planning on writing anymore books like this? Also Wakenhyrst is another favourite. Anything else along those lines planned?
Happy New Year.
Aly Clarke, Norfolk, England.
Michelle Replies...
Dear Aly, Thanks so much for your message; and what a great time to read - sorry, re-read - my two ghost stories! Yes, I do indeed plan to write more of them, and have several ideas to work on. The next one is set in a rainforest, but I'm afraid I can't tell you more than that right now. As and when there's a publication date, I'll post details on my website. Best wishes, Michelle
More ghost stories?
Rosalyn writes...
Hi Michelle,
I just wanted to write to say how much I love your books Thin Air and Dark Matter. My family and I love ghost stories and your books are by far the best we’ve ever read (although we can’t agree which one out of thin air and dark matter we think is the scariest!). Have you ever considered or been approached to turn your stories into films or tv shows? And are you planning on writing another chilling tale any time soon? Where do you take your inspiration from?
Thank you so much for the stories!
Best wishes,
Rosalyn
Michelle Replies...
Dear Rosalyn, Thank you for your lovely message! I'm delighted that you and your family have enjoyed Thin Air and Dark Matter. Concerning films, Dark Matter has been the subject of a film deal a couple of times, but as with many film deals, it has never got beyond the script stage (if that changes, I'll post the news on my website). As for writing further supernatural tales, I wrote Wakenhyrst a while ago; that's more of a Gothic story than a pure ghost story (although it does feature a haunting); and my next ghost story after that will be set in a rainforest - although that's all I can say about it right now. Where do I get my inspiration from? The short answer is that it comes from somewhere deep in the unconscious. I don't really know more than that, and I'm just glad when I get another idea. Thanks again for getting in touch, and I hope you have a happy and peaceful New Year. Best wishes, Michelle
Wolf Brothers Series Availability in French
Regina writes...
Dear Michelle,
My son loves your books and reads them in English, and he would also love to read them in French language as well (he went to French Immersion school in Canada).
We are trying to find Wolf Brothers series in French all over the web with no luck, no e-book or physical books available any more.
Do you know where and when we could purchase this series in French?
Sincerely,
Regina
Michelle Replies...
Dear Regina, It's great that your son loves my Wolf Brother books, but I'm afraid that I'm in no better position than you about finding copies of the French translations. I'd suggest abe.co, or another similar website for finding secondhand books, if you haven't already looked at them. And I'm sorry to say that the final three books (Viper's Daughter, Skin Taker, and Wolf Bane) haven't been translated into French. Sorry I can't be of help - and good luck in your search! With best wishes, Michelle
Dark Matter
David McBride writes...
Will this novel ever be turned into a movie?
It should be .
Michelle Replies...
Dear David, many thanks for your message. I agree with you that Dark Matter would make a good film (in the right hands). And over the years it's been optioned by a couple of film companies. They've got as far as a script, but then things have petered out. This is far from unusual; in fact it's what normally happens with film deals (I read somewhere that roughly 90% of them don't result in a film). However if things change with Dark Matter, I shall most certainly post the news on my website. Again, thanks for getting in touch - and I hope you have a happy and peaceful New Year. Best wishes, Michelle
Ringraziamento e informazione
Gianluca writes...
Buongiorno,
Vorrei anzitutto ringraziarti per il tuo libro "La magia del lupo", l'ho trovato genuino ed incantevole.
Mi ha fatto tornare bambino, a sognare la magia di vivere nella foresta oltre che di comprenderne il linguaggio della stessa.
Ho 33 anni, quindi non sono proprio un bambino...Eppure sono tornato a sognare, con leggerezza.
GRAZIE!
Mi chiedo se tu conosca qualcuno che possa darmi la possibilità di vedere da vicino i comportamenti di un branco, magari tramite un biologo o un etologo.
E' un'esperienza che desidererei molto.
Non importa quanto tempo e quali siano le condizioni, mi piacerebbe vivere un'esperienza del genere e ho pensato che grazie ai tuoi studi e al tuo percorso per scrivere i romanzi, tu abbia queste informazioni.
Grazie in anticipo per la tua amicizia e gentilezza,
Gianluca
Good morning
First of all I would like to thank you for your book "The Magic of the Wolf", I found it genuine and enchanting.
It made me feel like a child again, dreaming of the magic of living in the forest as well as understanding its language.
I'm 33 years old, so I'm not really a kid... And yet I went back to dreaming, lightly.
THANK YOU!
I wonder if you know anyone who can give me the opportunity to see the behaviors of a herd up close, perhaps through a biologist or an ethologist.
It's an experience I would really like.
No matter how long and what the conditions are, I would love to have such an experience and I thought that thanks to your studies and your path to writing novels, you have this information.
Thank you in advance for your friendship and kindness,
Gianluca
Michelle Replies...
Buongiorno, GianLuca, and I'm delighted that you enjoyed "La Magia del Lupo" so much! If I understand you correctly, you'd love to see a wolf pack close up. I'm afraid it's very hard to observe wolves in the wild, because we've hunted them for so long that they make sure they're not seen - and they're extremely good at that. Of course there are wildlife reserves where w0lf packs aren't hunted, so that would be your best chance of seeing them in the wild - although even there, it is largely a matter of luck. I haven't myself seen pack behaviour in the wild, although I have come across many wolf tracks, and heard them howling, which was magical. My own wolf research was all done at a local wolf conservation charity in England, where the wolves were kept in large, wooded enclosures, and were used to seeing people - although they definitely weren't tame. (For more information on that, see the Author's Note at the back of my books; although I'm afraid that the charity in question has now closed to the public.) There may well be such charities or reserves in Italy or elswhere in Europe; you might be able to find something online. And although it wouldn't be as amazing as seeing them in the wild, you would definitely see lots of wolf interactions and behaviours. In my own research, I found that the more frequently I visited and got to know the individual wolves, the more interesting they became, as I kept seeing odd little habits and behaviours. I'm sorry I can't be more definite, but I hope I've helped a bit, and that you get to see some wolves soon! With best wishes, Michelle