CP Interview:Heather Michelle

Heather Michelle is an inspiring example of what women can accomplish today. It's a bit like juggling grenades, but Heather has an enviable fearlessness. She is successful because she takes strength from the past and always looks to the future. My thanks to her for being so willing to share her story.

What is the most important thing for you, personally, to express via your writing?
I think what any writer aspires to do is to share part of themselves with the reader. I feel that I accomplish this through adding my own life into the articles I write for AC, adding that personal spin to them.

How much influence does where you live, or other places you've lived, affect your writing? How?
It doesn't. It is more how I have lived that affects my writing. While it is not apparent in my writing, my young childhood was much less than ideal. My mother worked very hard to escape the life we were in. I have been lucky enough to marry and have children in a safe environment, so a lot of my writing has to do with parenting. Being a parent is the most important job there is.

How disciplined are you about writing? Do you follow the "every day" mandate or write when the spirit strikes? Why?
I am very undisciplined. I tend to write in spurts. I was writing a lot over the past several months, but right now I am in my first trimester of pregnancy and it is kicking my butt. This baby is less than an inch in length and yet requires all of my energy. Add that to the almost two-year-old who never stops moving, and I am lucky to find the time to brush my teeth. I hope to start writing more soon. I have a lot of ideas, most relate to pregnancy, and I am feeling the need to get the words out.

What was your first real writing piece/story in school (elementary school counts too) and how did you feel about it? What feedback did you get? Do you still have it?
In the seventh grade, Mrs. O'Connell had our class write our autobiography. Throughout elementary school, I was praised for my writing, but it was this teacher who really made me feel great about it. I think it is because she was so hard on us all. I was in the honors class and she expected so much. She told me I had a true talent and I believed her. Yes, I still have it and I am ashamed to admit that I did not meet my goals of going to Harvard and becoming a pediatrician.

You're a mom and use what you know about that for your writing. Please take a moment and brag about your child/children....personality traits, accomplishments, etc. Or retell one significant story about your child's development that demonstrates his/her personality or possible destiny.
My daughter, Hailey, is the most amazing little person on this earth. She is sweet, intelligent, funny, and beautiful. Everywhere we go people point at her and smile. And she smiles right back. When she sets her mind to do something, she just does it. She was thirteen months old and everyone was commenting on the fact that she was not walking yet. I tried telling them that the average age a child walks is thirteen to fifteen months, but nobody would listen. At thirteen months and one day, she just got up and started walking. By the end of the day she was running. There was never any falling. She just got up and did it. She makes me proud every day.

Who was the most influential teacher you have ever had - for writing or any other subject?
I will have to go back to Mrs. O'Connell for this answer. She was amazing. She taught my aunt when she was in the seventh grade, and my aunt is ten years older than I am. Mrs. O'Connell also taught my little brother who is twelve years younger than I am. She was influential to all three of us and that really means something. At my brother's eighth grade graduation, I made it a point to go talk to her and she hugged me and we talked. She retired that year and I cried. She was an excellent teacher, hard but fair. That was the year I learned all about grammar and it has stuck with me. That's a good thing now that I write!

You strike me as fearless person with a strong sense of self, and a self-assigned edict to help other women. Who were/are your role models in life?
I don't have any role models. What has made me the person that I am is having been kicked down and had to pull myself up. I am fat and so I am often stared at and ridiculed. People often assume I am lazy and stupid. I have this deep respect for people until they give me a reason not to respect them, and this is how I want to raise my daughter. I discovered too late that I have PCOS and so my weight was already way out of control. It is estimated that ten percent of women have PCOS and so many of them either do not know about it or are not treated for it properly because too many doctors know little to nothing about the condition. When I first realized something was wrong, it was due to an unbelievable pain in my lower left ovary. This pain kept me from living because I was afraid to be out of the house when it struck. It took months before I convinced the doctor to do an exploratory laparoscopy. Unfortunately, this is the standard that we face when we go to the doctor. They give us what seems to them to be the most obvious diagnosis and don't listen when we tell them otherwise. I was lucky that it took only a few months. I know women who have gone years without the proper diagnosis and treatment. That is why I feel it is so important, because as women we need to stand up for ourselves.

Why are you going after a degree in Accounting instead of Writing or Journalism?
This is tough for me to answer. I chose Accounting because it is easy. I have a head for numbers and a great memory. Plus, Accounting would allow me to make a steady income and work from home and raise my children. Even still, I don't feel as if my writing is all that great. I realize it is a complex that many people have when they are putting themselves out there to the public. I always wanted to write. I was writing novels when I was a pre-teen. They weren't very good, but I had fun. I have received a lot of positive feedback and I may pursue a real writing career someday, but until then I need to be able to contribute substantial money to my household funds.

Although some progress has been made, I often feel that women's health issues do not get the serious attention they deserve. It may be because of the male-driven medical establishment, it may be that women do not advocate enough for themselves, it may be for other reasons. What do you think?
I think that women today are very focused on their goals. This could be anything from career, spouse, kids, school or any other number of important goals. These goals help us to define who we are. In this fast paced world, we are pushed to being too busy and feel the need to do everything perfectly. We are already stretched too thin. Then we become ill and are forced to see the doctor. There is no time to take out of our lives to focus on an illness and so we agree with whatever the doctor says and take whatever pills are prescribed so we can get back to our lives. Women need to realize that if they are not healthy, then everything they do suffers and they cannot be their best no matter how hard they try or how driven they are.

What piece have you written for AC or another outlet that brought you the most personal satisfaction?
"Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom" was a recent piece that was very well received. It was meant to be truthful and humorous and I think I succeeded. It spent several weeks on the AC Movers and Shakers List and I received a lot of positive feedback. It is piece that is all about me and my life and to have it become so popular maked me feel good about who I am. Plus, I have been able to connect with other stay at home moms who feel the same way. It is great when you write a piece that so many people can relate to and it feels great.

What would you rather read: an old classic, something new from an established author or something from a brand new author?
All of the above. My tastes vary. I began reading Shakespeare when I was nine. When I was ten I started on Stephen King. Later I discovered Poe. In college I discovered a love of Greek literature. There is also something to be said for a new author who can bring new ideas into the established literary world. Look at J.K Rowling - her Harry Potter books are fantastic. The classics will always be classics, and new authors will write books that will become classics. I hope to read them all.