Member Spotlight – M. Loo

We are pleased to spotlight Mikhael Loo

  1. How long have you been a member of the KWG? 1 week
  2. What KWG program did you particularly enjoy? I’ve enjoyed both the workshop on dialog and the first monthly meeting.  It is awesome to see people with a common desire to write.  Seeing the vulnerability of some of the work encourages me to write with that vulnerability as well.
  3. What kind of writing do you do? I’m working on a novel which is mesh of genres.  (SciFi, urban fantasy, erotica, social justice). It has a hidden race of Shapeshifters coming out to modern day society.  It’s currently titled The Courage to Shift.
  4. What is your writing goal? My goal is to write with relevancy in such a way that my art transforms who I am into a better person, that people will know my art when they experience me because I am the product of my art. Sharing my book is also a part of that process.
  5. Awards, prizes, or writer feel-good moments? I’ve shared my writer’s journey with my kids and it fills me with joy to see the time and attention that some of them have begun putting into their writing.
  6. Who inspired you to write?  How did this person inspire you? I’ve had trouble reading novels.  They put me to sleep after a few pages even when I’m really interested.  I think it’s an ADD thing.  But when audio books started opening up the world of novels to me, there were a few authors that stood out to me making me think: “I didn’t know books could be like this. I can do that. I want to do that.” Those inspiring authors were Dan Brown, Ann McCaffrey, and Jim Butcher.
  7. Do you have any writing rituals, favorite snacks or times/places to write? I think theta waves help me the most.  I often generate them by looping a song while I write.  The music helps me tune out distractions too. When I need to go deep, I stick to pen and paper and wrap myself in a queen size quilt kneeling on the floor, behind a couch, half under an end table.  The end table is my special place to write even when chaos is going on everywhere else in my house. It houses a few items of inspiration and other writing essentials like headphones and a scrunchy.
  8. What helps when you get stuck? I try to first mentally visit the emotional places of my story so far. When I relive those emotional moments, I then search my thoughts for things I desperately need to experience in those emotional spaces. Focusing on what’s desperately relevant to my needs in those places is inspirational to me.
  9. What are your favorite excuses for not writing? Spending time with or caring for my family. Getting enough food or sleep. Spending time learning how to write better instead of just doing it.  I heard someone say that mastering the 5 or so basics you probably already know will make you a great author.
  10. What’s the best thing you’ve read lately? In bits and pieces across multiple plane flights and trips, I was able to finish the second Harry Potter book without audio assistance.  I can probably count on my fingers the number of books I was able to read without audio assistance.  I contribute some of that success to JK Rowling’s writing ability.
  11. What is your secret talent? Courage.

Bio
Mikhael Loo and his wife Dena moved to the Knoxville area in 1988, married in 1996 and now live in Powell, TN with their 5 kids, Mikayla, Dakota, Zion, Jordan, and Kori. Mikhael currently works at the University of Tennessee as a software developer. Favorite past times, when time can be found, include writing erotic urban fantasy novels, creating YouTube videos, teaching, and composing music with Digital Audio Workstations.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTmuat67mddDj-lRoqf4-yg