|
Welcome
Sir Michael to Love Romances and More. I look forward to talking about
your latest book, BUTTERFLY PASSIONS and what is coming next from you.
Please tell us
a little about yourself and what you do when not writing.
Well, I grew up in Tulsa, Ok.
And currently live in nearby Owasso with my wife and two beautiful
children, Daniel and Aeriel. I’m currently in nursing school at Rogers
State University in Claremore, Ok. Most of my writing during the school
year consist of case studies. It will be nice when school is out and I can
write something that doesn’t require APA citation.
Can you tell
us a little about how you started writing; was it something you have
always wanted to do?
I have always enjoyed writing.
It wasn’t until about 7 years ago I decided to try and write a full story.
Butterfly Passions started off as a short story. A good friend of mine
read it and told me I had way too much for a short story, and suggested I
make it a novel. 105,000+ words later, Butterfly Passions was complete.
Who or what
has been your biggest influence as a writer?
Without a doubt, my mom. She and
my dad split up when I was very young. She had a tough job in raising me
by herself. But she made sure a stubborn, hard-headed boy did his school
work and learned to read and write- two very basic skills to being a
writer. Thank you mom.
Your work is
very popular with readers and reviewers; how does it feel to have such
positive recognition for your work?
It’s wonderful! It always feels
good to do something then have someone say “Hey, great job!” It really
motivates me to write more and to give it my best effort.
What do you
consider to be the key elements of a great story?
Great characters and a solid
plot.
Could you tell
us a little about how you develop your characters? Who has been your
favorite character to write? The most challenging?
I generally introduce my main
characters, at least the hero and the heroine, in the first few pages. I
try to show their flaws and their attributes fairly quickly. Sometimes it
takes longer though. This was the case with Arne, my most challenging. He
is the hero in my second book, Love’s Redemption. How do you make a
murderous, raiding Viking into a hero the reader can love and root for?
Find out on April 28th when it is released!
If you could
be one of your characters - Who would you be? And why?
Hmmm… I think maybe Bruce from
Red River Romance (still in the works). He’s part of what I am, part of
what I’d like to be. He’s very protective of women and kids.
What's your
favorite genre to read?
Definitely NOT nursing
textbooks… Actually, I enjoy suspense. Tom Clancy is one of my favorite
authors.
Who or what
influences you when you write?
I like to just let my
imagination run wild. I try to think of something out of the ordinary.
I’ve starting writing contemporary now (my first two were historicals). I
like to cast the heroine in non-traditional roles. In Red River Romance,
the hero is a nurse and the heroine is a surgeon. Wait until you see what
I have planned after that……..
What do you do
on a typical writing day?
More like a typical writing
night. I do most of my writing late in the evening after the kids are
in bed. I make some coffee or hot tea, put on some good music (classical
is great for writing) then let my thoughts flow.
In 5 years,
where do you see yourself? - In general and in your writing career.
In general- working in a
hospital as an RN, possibly finishing my master’s degree.
In writing- I’d like to be
published by one of the major NY publishers.
Who is your
perfect hero? And why?
A man who makes his love feel
like a lady and a woman, someone who is respectable and passionate. A man
who has a few flaws, but whose good points outweigh his bad.
What do you do
for inspiration?
Allow myself solitude. I’ve come
up with ideas while taking a walk, mowing the lawn, taking a shower, or
just laying in bed.
In BUTTERFLY PASSIONS, you
introduce the characters, Prince Ivar and Katie to the readers. Is there a
piece of you in these characters? Did you pattern them after anyone?
Actually, there’s a little of me
in both of them. Ivar is Swedish, Katie is Irish, I’m both. My
great-grandmother is from Sweden, the rest of my ancestors are Irish. As
far as personality, I’d say I’m a lot like Ivar. Fair and compassionate,
but not willing to tolerate wrong, especially with regard to someone he
loves. He proves this in the end of Butterfly Passions when he gets
revenge for his brother.
What
makes your characters, Ivar and Katie of
BUTTERFLY PASSIONS, so
vulnerable yet strong? Can you describe them to us? What do you do when
characters stop talking to you when writing?
Simple, they’re human. I think we all have strengths and weaknesses. Ivar
is strong willed and a great leader. But when his first wife dies, he
let’s his grief cloud his judgment, nearly causing him to become a tyrant
rather than a hero. Katie gets his attention from the start. He knows he
could just take her, but chooses not to. He wants to have her love, not
just her body. Katie is equally as strong willed, but fears being hurt.
Years earlier, her sister was raped by the Norsemen, she fears the same
will now happen to her. When the characters stop talking, I stop writing.
Sometimes it’s better to take a break and wait for the ideas to start
flowing on their own, not try to force it.
What about the heroines for these strong determined heroes? What makes
them equal to the heroes and capture the heart of one of these alpha
males?
I think a real alpha male wants a woman as strong willed as he is. If he
wants someone that will take orders and do his bidding, he can buy a dog.
If he wants someone he can love and respect, he finds a strong willed,
spirited woman like himself. He likes to take charge in the bedroom, but
at the same time is secure enough in his manhood to allow the woman to
take charge sometimes too. In Butterfly Passions, Ivar let’s Katie take
charge of him one night in their bedroom. A man doesn’t have to abuse a
woman to prove his manhood, there are much better ways to do that. Males
that abuse women or kids are not men. Again in Butterfly Passions, there
is a small group of men who have done this. When Ivar takes over and
discovers their crimes, they pay…dearly.
Is there a genre of book you would like to write but haven't yet?
I’d like to write a suspense or drama type novel sometime. But for now,
I’m having fun writing romance.
What kind of research do you do for your books? Do you enjoy the
research process?
I try to keep my books essentially factual. Of course I take some license
with some aspects, but for the most part, keeping the major facts in line
strengthens the plot and adds credibility. I do most of my research on the
internet, but I try to stay with reputable sources. University web sites
are good sources.
Do deadlines help or hinder your muse?
Hinder without a doubt. I don’t even use deadlines when I’m working on
something new. I only write when I have something in mind I want to put
down. If I forced myself to sit down and write, say 200 words a day, I
would end up writing junk. If I wait until I have a good, solid idea in
mind I can do much better.
When did you first decide to submit your work? Please, tell us what or
who encouraged you to take this big step.
I decided to submit it right after I finished it. I let some friends read
it and got very positive feedback. They all encouraged me to submit it.
Your book, BUTTERFLY PASSIONS, is soon to be coming to print at a
bookstore near you. What is the feeling you get when you will soon see it
on the shelves at bookstores and on Amazon?
It’s going to be incredible. I can’t wait to be in the mall and see it in
a book store. I’m hoping to do a book signing in May. That will be really
neat to have people come out to meet me and ask for my autograph
Do you belong to a critique group? If so, how does this help or hinder
you?
Not a group per se. I have a few select friends; mostly other authors who
I let read the rough drafts and give me their feedback. Harvey, a man I’ve
known since I was 6 years old, was my first beta reader. I would give him
my manuscript. He would call me a couple of weeks later and tell me to
“come get this pile of confetti off my floor that used to be your
manuscript.” He is always honest with his comments and has been a
tremendous help to me as a writer.
Please tell us about the projects you are currently working on; what
can readers expect to see in the coming months?
Well, I have Love’s Redemption being released by Mardi Gras Publishing on
April 28th.
I have two short stories, Masked Temptation and Thunder’s Passion under
contract with Mardi Gras. I have another manuscript, Red River Romance,
that is pretty close to ready to submit. I’ll get that one wrapped up and
submitted in May. On top of that, I have another novel and a novella I’m
working on. I hope to have those done in June. Then there’s one more I
have the basic idea for, but haven’t started on.
Which author(s) is your favorite? And who has most influenced you work?
I guess I’d still have to say Tom Clancy. Even though his books and mine
are completely different, the one thing I have taken from him is keep the
action moving, don’t let the reader get bored.
Do you feel your writing is character driven or plot driven? How do you
balance these two elements?
Yes to both. The plot makes the book, but the characters make the plot.
It’s sort of like a cherry pie. The cherries and flour and shortening and
such make the pie and the pie makes dessert. Take out any one of the
ingredients and you have no pie, therefore no dessert
Where can readers find out what's new and how can they contact you?
They can visit my website www.sir-michael.com and they can email me at
sir_Michael1962@yahoo.com (underscore _ between sir and Michael). I always
welcome emails from my readers and answer each of them.
Thank you, Sir Michael, for talking to us about BUTTERFLY PASSIONS and
what is coming next from you. Please tell your readers anything else you
want to add!
I would just like to thank everyone for their support and look forward to
bringing you new and exciting stories in the future.
|
