Michelle Monkou is a multi-platform author, spanning 20 years in the business and with over 25 titles. She began her career writing romance for Black Entertainment Television (BET) Arabesque and then with Harlequin Kimani. Michelle is currently writing short fiction, from sweet to steamy, under her pen name Thea Monk, and shortly will launch her other pen name, Aria Bancroft, for epic fantasy and urban fantasy stories. She heads That Joyful Spark, LLC, an author coaching service, along with co-hosting a weekly platform for Prickly Pens Podcast with her daughter, Gabby Samuels and writer-BFF Julia Canchola. The podcast is available on most streaming services. Host Patricia McLinn talks with Michelle, discussing her career, experience with traditional publishing and independent publishing, and exploring new genres. In Michelle’s words: “I see all of those (preview books) as my own workshop into getting better. It’s the best I did at that time and you put it out there… I’m not the same writer I was in 2002.” [17:14] To connect with Michelle Monkou: Aria Bancroft Instagram Thea Monk Instagram Thea Monk Website & Newsletter    Thank you so much for listening. We hope you enjoyed the podcast enough to want to support us for future episodes. You can do that with as little as $1 a month by pledging at Patreon. It’s vital to Authors Love Readers to have your support. Thank you! Another way to contribute is through Buy Me a Coffee, a one-time "tip" with no ongoing obligation. Thank you! Please also consider rating/reviewing the podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks to DialogMusik for the instrumentals that accompany this podcast.