Action Pulp!

February 2, 2026

By Adam Messer

Michele Kwasniewski is a theater kid, television and film production manager who manifested her experiences in Hollywood into writing her award winning YA series The Rise And Fall of Dani Truehart.

Please introduce yourself.

Hi! My name is Michele Kwasniewski and I’m the author of the award-winning Young Adult trilogy, The Rise And Fall of Dani Truehart. After graduating from Loyola Marymount University with a BA in Technical Theater, I decided I didn’t want to move to New York to pursue a career in theater. Instead, I spent the next fifteen years in film and television production. Starting out as a film set assistant on movies such as Independence Day, Face/Off, Primal Fear, and Evita, I eventually switched to the small screen and worked my way up the ladder to production manager, gaining experience on television shows such as Big Brother, Adoption Stories, Extra Yardage and Meet The Pandas. I am still a proud member of the Producers Guild of America. My colorful experiences in the industry inspired me to write my series which has won over twenty-seven awards since it was published. 

What genres do you write and why?

My trilogy is Young Adult, and it is a genre that I love to write as well as read. Being a teenager is such a stressful time as they find their voice, discover who they are, exert their independence from their parents as they juggle high school and peer pressure all while their constantly changing body is barraged with hormone surges.

Now imagine dealing with all of that in front of millions of people.

I know I had to deal with a lot of pressure during my career in Hollywood. I had to say no to things that didn’t agree with my morals or stand-up for myself when I was in a situation that wasn’t good for me and that was a challenge even though I was an adult. In this series, I wanted to explore the effects of a high-pressure career in entertainment would have on a teen, who doesn’t have a firm grasp on who they are yet, and doesn’t have the support of adults to protect them and guide them responsibly.  Once you’re famous, you have to keep producing, keep pushing the envelope so you keep your audience’s interest. With social media, it’s so easy to become famous today and I don’t think a lot of people think about what it takes to get into the spotlight and what you have to do to stay in the spotlight.

What is your earliest memory of reading?

My earliest reading memory is being around four years old and listening to my Mickey Mouse record of Winnie the Pooh and The Blustery Day and trying to read along even though I couldn’t read. I couldn’t wait to learn how to read.

When did you know you wanted to write? How did it happen?

I always dreamed of writing books, but I also dreamed of being a marine biologist and a police detective. I never thought I could be a writer because I almost failed English grammar in seventh grade. For far too long, I thought you had to be good with grammar in order to write and it kept me from writing for a long time. It wasn’t until I’d had our son and I wasn’t working that I decided to give it a try. Used to working long hours in entertainment, I needed something I could do from home while the baby slept, so I decided to write. I didn’t want to have to do a bunch of research because it’s difficult to take a baby to a library, so I decided to write a story about a teen in the entertainment business. It took be seven years to write the first book in the trilogy, Rising Star, because I hadn’t really committed to the idea of being a writer. I never told anyone I was working on it for the first few years. But once I decided to see if I could do it, I started telling people as a way to keep myself accountable. I finished the book about two years and then I decided to see if I could get an agent. Once I got an agent, I wasn’t sure it would get picked up but then it did.

What’s one of your favorite scenes in one of your books?

I love Dani’s first concert scene in Rising Star. I wanted to capture Dani’s stage fright as she steps onto the darkened stage moments before the show begins; the glare of the lights, the pulsing energy of the crowd in a packed arena and the joy of performing that finally pushes Dani to execute a flawless show. I researched live stage set ups, watched concert documentaries and listened to concert recordings to make sure I got the vibe exactly right. 

What makes a good character? A bad one?

A good character is believable, nuanced, defined. I don’t have to like the character’s actions or choice to think it is a good character. But their actions, decisions and thoughts have to make sense for them. I can tell when I’m writing if my character needs work because my writing gets stuck. If I find I am unable to write, it usually means my characters are doing things that aren’t inherently true for them or the story has taken a non-plausible twist. Not to say a story can’t take a wild turn, but a situation that doesn’t ring true to the story line will impede me from writing until I fix it.

To me, a bad character is not fleshed out; it lacks depth and layers. I don’t want to be told a character is shy, I want to see it in the way he refuses to meet her eyes, speaks too softly to be heard, or worries his left wrist with his thumb to the point of leaving a red mark.

What moves the story for you?

I love to see the emotional progress of the character – can they overcome their internal flaw/thinking? The story action is almost secondary to me. I love to know why characters think/act the way they do, does that help/hurt them in their quest of the story and are they able to achieve their objectives because of or in spite of their thinking/ideals.

What is your favorite book and why?

Like potato chips, I can’t have just one favorite book. My favorite book is every changing and really is more of a collection of books. Stephen King, Kazo Ishiguro, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, John Ajvide Lindqvist, Laura Purcell, Liane Moriarty, Chuck Wendig, Ruth Ware – are some of my favorite writers. I recently read The Guest by Emma Cline and I was captivated by her writing and how the story unfolded.

What do you want to say to your audience?

Thank you for buying, reading and reviewing my books! I cannot say this enough. Being a writer is filled with self-doubt – can I write a story people will want to read? Will anyone buy my books? Are my books any good? Readers support is everything to a writer. Whether you borrow my books from a library or purchase them, it means something. Each review helps because readers who don’t know my series might consider reading it based on Goodreads or Amazon reviews. Since I’ve become an author, I review every book I read because I understand just how important it is to a writer trying to make a name for themselves.

What advice do you have for new writers?

Keep writing. I believe anyone can write a book if they just stick with it long enough.  You can hire an editor if you need help or you can self-publish, if you can’t find an agent. But you can’t sell a book that you haven’t written. Just write the story you want to write. No one will tell a story in the exact same way as you, so don’t worry if there are other books in similar topics. Your vision and words will make it special. Trusted beta readers will help you know if your story is coming across how you want it to. Be open to notes given by your trusted readers because they will let you know if the story you want to tell is in the pages they read.

Do you have anything else you would like to add?

If you like an indie author, ask you library to carry their books, leave a review on Goodreads or Amazon (it can just be a star rating or something like “great book”) or post about them on your social media and tag them. You have no idea how validating this is for an unknown author who might feel that no one notices or cares about their work. Thanks for this interview and for shining a spotlight on my work!

Website: https://michelekwasniewski.com/

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