Talking To Myself

Welcome! Please introduce yourself and tell us about your latest release.

My name is Kenzie Michaels and I'm addicted to reading...wait, wrong introduction. This is where I'm supposed to say I'm addicted to writing or my computer, right?

My latest release is all about how the lives of four people can change over the course of six days. Is it Fate? Free Will? You decide:) Wild At Heart is available at www.xoxopublishing.com and on Kindle:)

Have you ever had an idea for a story which scared you after you began writing it?

Hell yes! I'm working on one right now, on and off, which is scarily mirroring a friend's life.

Have you incorporated actual events from your own life into your books?

Hee hee hee...wouldn't you like to know? Actually, I fictionalize Life a great deal. Such as the opening scene in Teacher's Pet. Ahhh, now there was a fantasy! Too bad I couldn't ACT on it!

How much research do you do? Do you research first and then write, or do you write first, then research as needed?

It depends. Sometimes I'll come up with a topic or situation and research first; other times I'll do it on an 'as needed' basis.

Is there any message you want readers to take from reading your work?

No; just fun and relaxation is all I'm happy with. Unless they decide to try out a bedroom scene or two....and let me know if it will or will not work, lol!

Are you a plotter or a pantser? And have you ever had a story take on a life of its own?

I'd have to say up to this point, I've been a pantser. I get an idea and start at the beginning and write til the end. And talk about stories taking on lives of their own....I had no idea Wild At Heart was going to spend half the book in Colorado! Or that a certain plot twist would occur in Teacher's Pet.

How long did it take for you to be published?

I'm embarrassed to reveal it took me only three months for All She Ever Wanted, and with only one rejection notice (see next question). Wild At Heart, however, took three years.

If you could go back and tell yourself anything when you first began your writing career, what would you say?

Per the previous question....READ THE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES! That's why ASEW was rejected the first time. I hadn't followed the rules. Otherwise, I'd maybe be part of the EC Family...

Laptop or pen and ink? What are your ‘must-haves’ when writing?

Either one. I wrote Teacher's Pet with both, when my kids needed the computer for homework. As for must-haves....Iced tea, cookies, or a sandwich for breaks.

Who are your favorite authors? Who would you say influenced you the most?

Check my blog roll for my fave e-authors. Amarinda Jones encouraged me to write something with more 'heat', and TP was the result. I've also been influenced by Danielle Steele in my POV issues. A habit I'm trying to break.

What would your readers be surprised to learn about you?

I don't think there's much they don't already know...I play the drums; I'm a good crisis counselor; I'm also a closet rock-n-roll chick; and my bff was the basketball star when we were in HS. I was a band geek who worked in the library. God only knows how or why we became friends!

For Fun:

What is your favorite love scene to write or read? (ie: First kiss, passion after a fight, reunion)

I'm a sucker for reunion scenes!

What is your favorite Valentine’s Day memory?

Hmmmm....it could be one of three. In the 4th grade, the boy I had a crush on gave me a beautiful homemade Valentine; when I was 20, I received my first ever red rose; and in 1988, I broke up with my boyfriend, but another friend took me out to dinner and presented me with a tiny stuffed bear who sat on the dash of my car for years. That friend later became my spouse.

Sweetest gift ever given to you?

Hahahaha,....'Co-Pilot', the bear:)

Thank you for being here today! Please tell us where we can find your books.

All She Ever Wanted is available at Freya's Bower and Kindle

Wild At Heart is available at XOXO Publishing and Kindle.

Teacher's Pet will also be released soon (I hope!) at Freya's Bower, as soon as edits are approved:)