I had the pleasure of working with Michael last year on his very first book, The Voyeur Next Door.

Michael and I first worked together quite a few years ago, in another life. We have kept in contact over the years. Last year (2021), Michael approached me with some questions regarding writing and publishing a novel. He had seen my career change a few years previously and knew I could help. I hadn’t known that Michael enjoyed writing poetry and that he had decided to write a novel after receiving encouragement from his family. I was interested to hear what his first novel would be about.

When Michael first contacted me, he hadn’t finished writing his rough draft yet. He explained the basic storyline of his novel, and to be honest, I was curious as to how he would bring it all together and make it work.

Michael’s story was about a man who had lost his family and was just living out his days quietly. That was until he got a new neighbour. Marc becomes intrigued after catching more than a few glimpses of Stacy through her window. Things change as Marc gets to know his neighbour, but the question is, can Stacy help Marc move on from his past?

I felt honoured when he asked me to work with him on getting his story to the publishing stage, and this allowed me to see exactly how Michael was planning to craft his story and bring all the elements together. Michael’s vision for this story became clear.

To be honest, as I always am, I wasn’t prepared to feel what I did for the main character Marc. Michael was able to bring a great depth to this character, and I felt understanding and sympathy for the hand Marc had been dealt.

If you enjoy contemporary romances that don’t follow the standard fairytale script – I think you’ll enjoy this.

This is a fantastic first novel by Michael, and the way he handled such an interesting ‘meet-cute’ between the main characters shows huge promise for his future endeavours. I can’t wait to read Michael’s next novel.

Where to buy Michael Cabretti’s debut novel:

The Voyeur Next Door by Michael Cabretti @ Amazon

The Voyeur Next Door by Michael Cabretti @ Google Play

About Michael: ‘Michael was born the youngest of four children many moons ago and after years of writing poetry, took up writing stories to show if you never try, you will never succeed. He now resides in Adelaide with his wife and daughter, and several cats.’