This week’s installment of Five Questions features Michael Reiland, a poetry, short fiction, and fiction author from Loudoun County, VA.
Michael and his family used to be our neighbors, and I quickly learned how interesting he is. He’s a man of many interests and talents, he’s traveled the world, and he gave me a very valuable tip exactly when I needed it: Scribophile.
Because of Michael, I gained the courage to share my writing online within the Scribophile community and gained incremental confidence from there. I probably would still be spinning my wheels without that nudge.
Thanks for the tip, Michael!
In this week’s Five Questions, Michael shares the stories that have stayed with him, his favorite rituals, and what he’s looking forward to.
Pour a cup of coffee, pull up a chair, and enjoy.
1. What book has stayed with you the longest?
I read a lot as a kid and there are a number of books that inspired me to write my own stories. However, I would say that The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien has stayed with me the longest, after reading it three times when I was about 10. Although not asked, the work of fiction that has the strongest impact on me was The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe. I didn’t read this short story until I was about 15, but it cemented, in me, my passion to be a writer.
2. What observation or experience first sparked the story you felt compelled to write about?
This is a difficult question for me for I honestly don’t know from where my stories come. I can’t say that a solitary observation or experience led to any specific work. That being said, the novel I am currently writing is largely tied to the sudden influence of Artificial Intelligence on the world.
"Inspiration comes to me suddenly and without warning most of the time."
3. What ordinary moment has inspired you lately?
Inspiration comes to me suddenly and without warning most of the time. Yet, I do have to say that watching a particularly well-done movie often inspires me to write more. Most of the time the works that I do write have nothing to do with the work that inspired the writing in terms of genre or storyline.
4. What is your favorite daily ritual?
When I was at the University of Minnesota, I had a writing professor, Kate Green, who once gave us an in-class writing assignment. She asked us to write a poem using as many words as possible from a random list of ten. I still do this almost every day (I always somehow use all ten). Some of my favorite poems I’ve written have come from this exercise.
5. What are you looking forward to?
I am looking forward to sending off the final version of the novel I am writing to the publisher, so that I can focus on two other novels that are nearing final draft stage.
Also on Michael's Nightstand
I just finished The Will of the Many by James Islington and just got started on Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.
About Michael
Michael J Reiland grew up in Fridley, MN, and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor's degree in English creative writing. He has published poetry in an American anthology, a novel (Pursued), and a book of short stories and poetry (Wander through the Darkness). He has lived all over including Minnesota, France, Florida, Virginia, California, and Nevada. Michael enjoys reading many different genres, but his favorites are Fantasy, SciFi, and Mysteries.
Read Along with Michael
Curious about the books Michael mentioned? We've gathered the books mentioned here in one convenient Bookshop.org list.
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Five Questions is a recurring interview series featuring readers, writers, artists, booksellers, entrepreneurs, and members of our little corner of the literary and local communities. Every conversation offers a glimpse into the guest's own reading life, experiences, and perspective.
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