Sitting down with Julia Michaels

Colleen: This morning we are kicking off a Friday Author Interview series with author Julia Michaels, who has several titles with Passion In Print including a few written with the late Patty Glenn.

Julia: Hi Colleen, it's great to spend time with you today. I'm pleased and excited to talk about my writing efforts and the process that helps ensure my characters come to life for our Passion In Print readers.

Writing romance stories where real life sorts of characters find happiness is challenging in our busy world full of stresses, violence, and a multitude of interruptions. In large part, the team at PIP greatly helps these efforts along.

Colleen:  Hi Julia, I have read just about everything you have written for PIP. I want to say Heartbeat on A Harley is my favorite, but then I remember Firestorm and Where’s There Smoke! All of your characters just spring to life, and each is so different that I have to ask -- where do they come from?

Julia: The characters in my story seem to appear magically on my shoulder during quiet times in my day; late at night or early in the morning when I'm in love with my pillow, when I'm driving a long way with few traffic interruptions, sitting under a shade tree listening to the birds and life itself passing overhead. If I don't write, the people in my head won't leave me alone.

Colleen: Where do you like to write?

Julia: I have a dark, cool, soft place in my basement that I share with my computer and my thoughts.

Colleen: Are you a plotter or pantser?

Julia: I guess I've just described myself as a pantser.

Colleen: Do you listen to music while you write?

Julia: I often listen to New Age music because it seems to fill the empty spaces in my head, letting the story ooze out onto my keyboard.

Colleen: Do your stories require research? Do you travel or go to the library/web to gather your information?

Julia: I use the Internet a lot when writing to understand the things I don't know and to clarify the things that I thought I knew.

Colleen: What is your current story?

Julia: The story I'm currently working on is tentatively called Canine Cupids…a couple meet at a dog park. Corny, but fun.

Colleen: What do you have coming out next with Passion In Print Press?

Julia: My story Fantasy Love Nest is currently scheduled to come out in July.

Thank you for listening to my ramblings. Please try to have a happy, romantic weekend.

Julia Michaels is a published nonfiction writer in the areas of historical research and genealogy. She has several titles with Passion In Print; her most recent is Alien Fangs in Lust, which was released in April. Julia has self-published several books of poetry and two novelty books starring her alter-ego Helium Bob. Julia and her spouse live near Salt Lake City and have two children, two dogs, two cats and a worm farm.