Please help me welcome Author Christina Jean Michaels to my blog today!
AUTHOR BIO
Christina Jean Michaels was born in Paradise, California, but she has found the true home of her heart in Eugene, Oregon where she finds plenty of inspiration for storytelling.
When she was young, her mother said she hated words. Now she can't imagine not writing. She became an avid reader when she was thirteen and discovered the world of Sweet Valley High. About a year later she realized she could play God and write about her own characters. She has been writing in some form ever since.
She lives with her husband and their four children—three rambunctious UFC/wrestling-
When she was young, her mother said she hated words. Now she can't imagine not writing. She became an avid reader when she was thirteen and discovered the world of Sweet Valley High. About a year later she realized she could play God and write about her own characters. She has been writing in some form ever since.
She lives with her husband and their four children—three rambunctious UFC/wrestling-
Author Interview:
What
inspired you to write Epiphany?
I'd been playing around with the idea of writing
a novel for years. Actually, I'd written fan fiction for a long time, which was
how I ended up hearing about National Novel Writing Month. I signed up for
NaNoWriMo in 2008, never believing I'd actually write 50,000 words, and I used
anything and everything for inspiration--from the people I saw on Halloween
night to the crazy customers that would come into the convenience store where I
worked. I plotted in my head during downtime and loaded up on 5-Hour energy
shots after work in order to crank out those words. I don't think there's any
one thing that inspired me to write the book, though NaNoWriMo definitely
played a part in helping me to get it going.
How did you come up with the title?
How did you come up with the title?
I have no idea, but I like the different
contextual meanings. She's psychic, and there are a slew of secrets that come
out in the story, so I thought it fit.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Some things in Epiphany are very loosely based on real life. They planted the
seed, but ultimately Epiphany became
its own story entirely. I can relate to Mac when she wakes from a nightmare because
I've had night terrors since I was a child. Thankfully, I don't have the burden
of psychic power to add to it!
What
books have most influenced your life most?
I couldn't get my hands on enough Sweet Valley High books when I was a
teenager. When I switched to adult fiction, I was introduced to Sandra Brown, and
later Nora Roberts. I'm a romance junkie--always have been. I think Roberts is
excellent at romance, and Brown has amazing talent for really twisted plots.
More recently, I've really enjoyed new adult
and even dark erotica. Kitty Thomas is my favorite in the dark erotica genre.
What
book are you reading now?
At the moment, I'm not reading anything as I've
been too busy, but I finished reading Unbreak
Me by Lexi Ryan a couple of weeks ago. That book was AMAZING! Phew! I can't
even describe the level of twisted my insides became at reading it, and I'm
talking twisted in a good way. ;)
What
are your current projects?
Currently, I'm in a writing slump. I have a
dark erotica project I started a few months ago that I plan to publish under my
other pen name, and I also need to begin writing the next book in the Legacy of Payne series. Right now, I'm
spinning ideas in my head, which is my equivalent of early outlining. What I
really need to do is sit down and write, NaNoWriMo style.
If
you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in Epiphany?
There's always going to be something that I
find imperfect, and I do wish I'd found a way to work in one more tiny clue,
but overall, I'm really happy with the way Epiphany
turned out.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
I became an obsessed reader at age 13. My mom
and I were homeless for a while, and I latched on to reading as a means of
escape. About a year later I realized I could play God and write about my own
characters.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
My OCD need to constantly edit. It really gets in the way of
writing rough draft copy. If I could overcome this, I know I could finish
projects a lot sooner. Ridiculously sooner!
Who designed your book cover?
I designed it. Working with digital art is
another passion of mine. When I need a break from writing, I'll switch over to
making book covers and web graphics.
What
was the hardest part of writing your book?
Finishing it. I had a mental block when it came to Epiphany. Looking back now, I can't
believe it took me that long to write the ending.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Take the time to learn from others. I work
shopped Epiphany online, and as a
result I feel my writing is better for it. Epiphany
is a better story for it. I also made some wonderful friends. A good critique
partner is invaluable--I can't stress that enough.
If you could be one
of your characters, who would you chose?
This
is a difficult question, as I like to torture my characters! I'd like to be in
Mac's shoes for one night--or out of them because she'd be naked and between
the sheets with Aidan on that night, lol.
Do
you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thanks
for your interest in Epiphany! I hope
you enjoy the story. I'd also like to extend a thank-you to the bloggers for
hosting me!
Book & Author Details:
Epiphany by Christina Jean Michaels
Publication date: July, 2013
Genre: NA/17+ Romantic Suspense
Publication date: July, 2013
Genre: NA/17+ Romantic Suspense
Synopsis:
“I had my first psychic dream when I was nine. Psychic implied power, and powerful wasn’t a word I’d use to describe myself. I couldn’t foretell the future or conjure visions at will, but I couldn’t think of a more fitting word to describe what I sometimes saw in my dreams.”
For 23-year-old Mackenzie Hill, tossing her life down the garbage disposal is easy after a painful incident shatters her life. Her heart is bleeding, and moving to Watcher’s Point is a chance to start anew, only she isn’t prepared for the guy who walks out of her dreams and into the flesh. Literally . . . because she’s been dreaming about this sexy stranger for years.
Mackenzie is even less prepared to face the dark nature of her dreams. They’ve turned disturbingly gruesome, full of blood and murder, and when they begin to coincide with the media’s headlines, she and Aidan realize her visions might be the key to stopping a madman from killing again.
Only Aidan has painful secrets of his own, and perhaps the biggest danger of all is falling for him.
For 23-year-old Mackenzie Hill, tossing her life down the garbage disposal is easy after a painful incident shatters her life. Her heart is bleeding, and moving to Watcher’s Point is a chance to start anew, only she isn’t prepared for the guy who walks out of her dreams and into the flesh. Literally . . . because she’s been dreaming about this sexy stranger for years.
Mackenzie is even less prepared to face the dark nature of her dreams. They’ve turned disturbingly gruesome, full of blood and murder, and when they begin to coincide with the media’s headlines, she and Aidan realize her visions might be the key to stopping a madman from killing again.
Only Aidan has painful secrets of his own, and perhaps the biggest danger of all is falling for him.
Excerpt:
Something inside me cracked right along
with Aidan’s expression. Everything he’d been hiding spilled from his eyes.
“Aidan . . .”
“I need a drink.” He strode away, leaving
me glued to the spot where he’d trapped me. A crash resounded from the kitchen,
followed by splintering glass. I willed my feet to move, ignoring the little
voice of reason pointing out that maybe I should leave him be for now.
He was sweeping broken glass into a
dustpan when I walked in. “Are you okay?” Instantly, I wished I could cast a
net and pull back the stupid, inconsiderate question. Of course he wasn’t okay.
“I’m sorry. I know you’re not . . . okay.”
“Don’t worry about it. I know what you
meant.” He emptied the dustpan into the trashcan and then opened a bottle of
Jack Daniel’s, all the while refusing to meet my eyes.
“Mind sharing?” I asked. If there was ever
a time for drinking, it was now.
“I thought you were beyond corruptible.”
I recalled how he’d said something similar
on Halloween. “You remember more about that night than you let on, don’t you?”
He pulled two tumblers from a dark cherry
wood cabinet. “I remember you.” Amber liquid sloshed into both glasses as he
poured, and a moment later he closed the distance between us. “Straight up?”
The question sounded like a challenge.
“Sure.” I gulped down the whiskey and
ignored the burn as it slid down my throat. Heat ignited low in my belly,
though whether from the alcohol or Aidan’s scrutiny, I wasn’t sure.
He leaned against the kitchen sink and
finished off his own drink before pouring another. “I’m sorry I blew up on you.
I didn’t come here to make friends . . . to complicate things.”
“I’m a complication?”
His laughter was empty, cold as a morgue.
“You’re about as complicated as they come.”
I stared at the bottom of my glass. “Why’s
that?”
“You look at me as if you see right
through me. It’s unsettling.”
“I don’t mean to unsettle you.”
“Consider me unsettled. Problem is, I
think you’re using more than eyesight.”
Playlist:
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Grand Prize Giveaway
25$ Amazon GC + a signed copy of Epiphany (INTL)
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LINKS:
Purchase link not available yet but will be found here: http://www.amazon.com/s/
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Let's all thank Christina for joining us today! Check out her links, playlist and giveaway! Don't forget the book too!
Keep Writing!
Jodie Pierce
Great interview and this book sounds really interesting!
ReplyDeleteLeti,
ReplyDeleteYou have won the book. Keep checking your email for your copy. Congrats!