Playing 20 Questions with Ingrid Michaels!

Today I am joined by the lovely Ingrid Michaels!

EM: Welcome to My World, Ingrid. Thank you so much for stopping by to play twenty questions with me :-)

IM: It's my pleasure, Elizabeth! Thank you for having me.

Before we begin, could you tell us a little about yourself?

I'm a Canadian romance writer. I write in a variety of sub-genres and lengths. So far all of my releases have been novella and short story lengths. I am currently trying to get an agent for my romance and commercial novels. Um… let's see, what else… I love to bike! Last year I rode a total of 3000km (1800 miles). I'm hoping to match that this year. I love to tend to my rose bushes (although I'm not really a gardener) and I enjoy watching hummingbirds feed from my feeder. (It's not as boring as it sounds, people!) LOL.

EM: Are you ready to play 20 questions? *Rubs hands together*

IM: I don’t know if I like the maniacal laughter… but okay!

Which do you find harder to write?

1. First person POV or Third?

I guess it depends on the story and what I'm trying to convey. I'm comfortable with both POVs *laughs* For example, in Giovanna's Dilemma I use both in the same story. Is that weird or what?


EM: It worked though. Giovanna's Dilemma is a beautiful story.

2. As a male or female?

The opposite sex is always harder to write, but by the same token, I feel more creative that way, since I'm not bound by my own expected reactions to certain situations.

3. Beginning, middle or end of the story?

Middle, I guess. I know when the story starts and when it ends, it's the middle that gets confusing. :-)

4. Fight scenes or smex scenes?

You know, so long as there aren't too many characters involved, I'm comfortable with either. They're kind of similar, if you think about it: rising passions, flailing limbs, moans and groans… lol.

5. Synopsis or blurb?

Blurbs, by far, are tougher for me to write. I like to have the luxury of multiple (i.e., infinite) pages to express myself. When I'm confined to a short word count, I get tongue-tied.

As a writer, do you prefer:

6. Writing in the morning, afternoon or evening?

In the non-biking season, I get most of my actual writing done in the mornings and I edit in the afternoons. But once I get the bike out, I go biking early before the heat sets in, so I do the bulk of my writing in the afternoon and evenings.

7. Writing with music, or in peace?

Both. Neither. I'm a pop music junky, so right now everything is being written with Lady Gaga, Rhianna, Katy Perry, and Adele as background soundtrack. Soon, I hope to lose myself in 80s punk, since I'm toying with the idea of writing a punk romance.


EM: Billy Idol!! lol Listen to Billy I am sure his music will help make a fab soundtrack to your new WIP. *Hearts Billy Idol*

8. Planning, or Improvising?

I started out by basically improvising four novels. Once they were complete, I learned about how wonderful beat sheets were and I re-wrote all of the novels. Now every project starts with ideas that I transfer to a beat sheet. This also makes it really easy to write the synopsis, by the way!

  

9. Juggling a few projects, or concentrating on one at a time?

*laughs* A "few"? I have so many projects on the go that I have to constantly update my five-year and my yearly plans! I joke that it's because I have ADD, but this way I can keep going from one project to the next without missing a beat or getting bored. Lots of time might pass between edits, but in writing that's always a good thing.

10. Sticking to one genre, or exploring many?

As many genres as I can possibly try my hand at. My fiction ranges from romance to commercial to literary, from paranormal to contemporary to historical, from short stories to novella to novel-length. I even have a sci-fi time travel novel that's been on my computer for a few years now, so that might be a release for 2013.


EM: Variety is a good thing. Or at least I believe it is. :-D

As a reader, do you prefer:

11. Story being told from female view or male?

That doesn't matter to me. If it is well done and I lose myself in the story, the author's done their job.

12. Good guys or bad boys?

Are there really any "good guys" out there? I prefer antiheroes, to tell you the truth. Someone "real" who knows what is good, but can't always do it. They offer a more complex character, a more layered plot.

13. Feisty females or fragile damsels?

I like my heroines to stand up and fight for themselves, so I have little interest in reading about the fragile damsel type. Having said that, I did enjoy reading the Twilight series, although not as much as The Hunger Games.

14. Stand alone stories or series?

Standalone. For me to begin reading Book One of any series, the author has to have gained my trust with a previous single title.

15. Quick reads or long stories?

Either. I appreciate both at different times. Short, if I'm reading a new author.

16. Romance as a side dish or the main course?

Definitely side dish. I don't actually read many romance novels, but I do like a story that centers on developing relationships.

17. Erotica or soft romance or something in-between?

LOL. Let's go with something in between. Again, there's a place for both, depending on the story.

18. More action or humour?

Humor, if it is well done. But I prefer dark humor, John Irving's World According to Garp dark. 


EM: *high five* I love me some dark humour.

Just for fun:

19. Vampires or Angels?

Gotta go with Vamps, because of my favorite character Jakob Farkas. I do like the idea of angels, but the whole wings-coming-out-of-the-back thing creeps me out a bit.

20. Werewolves or Demons?

I'm not a fan of Weres or any other type of shape-shifter, so I have to go with Demons. I also like the fact that demons can be more amorphous, nebulous, like the ones we read about in Lovecraft.

What are you currently working on?

Besides my continuing Diagnosis Love novella series, I am working on a literary story centered on art and a romantic triangle between a young artist, his agent, and an art critic. I am also editing a romantic novel with the working title: Her Father's Sins. It is the novel that originally had Bahdria as the prologue. It deals with a woman who inherits her father's pharmaceutical company and in the process learns what an SOB the industrialist really was. She wants to make reparations to business people he duped, and in the process meets a wonderful man named Gabriel who lost his research company to her father.

Do you have any current release?

Funny you should ask! Noble Romance Publishing just released my sweet, contemporary/historical romance novella Giovanna's Dilemma. It tells the tale of Giovanna and her betrothed Arnolfini. Most people know her as the pregnant-looking woman in Jan van Eyck's masterpiece The Arnolfini Portrait.

Blurb:

When JP takes Karen out to celebrate their four-month dating anniversary, he wines and dines her at Jean Q's, London's best restaurant. After a wonderful meal, he has another surprise for her: his prepared lecture at the National Gallery, where he presents Karen with a unique and entertaining interpretation of the love story between feisty Giovanna Cenami and Pieter Baes, Jan van Eyck's young assistant at the time van Eyck painted the famous Arnolfini Betrothal Portrait.

Purchase link: https://www.nobleromance.com/Books?author=178

Excerpt:

"Ooh. I get to see my man at work! I love it. Come on, big guy, let's hear this amazing lecture. Educate me." I wrapped my hands around his neck and whispered seductively.

JP stared at me, his face turning shades of red. He was so much fun! I could do this forever. I kissed his cheek and released him.

"I hope you like it. It's a special lecture. I wrote it with you in mind. In fact, wrote it for you."

"Aw . . . that's so sweet! But keep the technical details down to a minimum, would you? Unlike you, I haven't been studying Art History for the last sixteen years."

"Great!" JP turned me around, and we walked to an empty bench set against the back wall.

He sat down beside me. At a distance of some twenty-odd feet, van Eyck's work looked completely different than when I stood up close.

"I thought we could start from back here and then move up, you know, to change our perspective."

"Of course, because perspective is everything in life, isn't it, sweetie?" I patted his hand encouragingly.

Slipping into lecture mode, JP took my hand, much in the same way the fur-coated man held the preggo's hand in the painting; I was touched to see how nervous he was. This sweet, passionate man, who researched and lectured on art for a living!

He cleared his throat. "This is one of van Eyck's most famous masterpieces. It tells a very romantic story."

"Really? That stodgy guy doesn't look like much of a romantic," I said.

JP chuckled. "Oh, no. This painting doesn't merely depict a romance between Giovanna Cenami and Giovanni Arnolfini."

I thought about this while I studied the painting. "Well, the only other thing is that little terrier standing guard between the couple. And this is a portrait painting. I know that much from having dated you these past months."

"Ah . . . the lady doth listen."

I teased him. "Of course the lady listens! Just because she doesn't care doesn't mean she doesn't listen. So, tell me then, oh learned one, where is the romance in this painting, if it isn't between the old man and the young woman whose hand he's holding?"

"Allow me to show you." With a wry smile, he launched into the love story of Pieter Baes and Giovanna Cenami.

Any upcoming releases?

Yes! Noble Romance Publishing is releasing Retrograde – Diagnosis Love II on June 25^th.  Lovers of paranormal romances with kick-ass heroines and smexy vamps will absolutely love Retrograde! It is part two of the projected Diagnosis Love five-part novella series.

Blurb:

Newlyweds Jakob and Melanie lead an active social life: they party late into the night in after-hours dance clubs, devour tasty amuse bouche, and travel the world seeking fun and adventure. Life is good, until one day when Melanie starts throwing up. Not a life-threatening event, unless you're a vampire. When Melanie's illness spreads to Jakob, and then threatens an entire lineage of vampires, the couple is summoned to old Quebec City to meet with Jakob's maker. Melanie is introduced to Dieudonnée de Lourdes and quickly finds herself caught between a lethal illness and a jealous, vicious vampire.

Purchase link: https://www.nobleromance.com/Books?author=178

EM: I love that book cover. It is so beautiful. Fiona Jayde is amazing!

Where can readers find you on the Internet?

My blog - http://ingridmichaelsromance.blogspot.ca

Twitter – https://twitter.com/#!/IngridMichaels

Face Book – http://www.facebook.com/IngridMichaels

Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/author/ingridmichaels

I'm also on Goodreads, Pinterest, and pretty much everywhere! :-)

EM: Thank you so much for joining me, Ingrid!

IM: Thank you, Elizabeth. You sure have a way of getting people to open up to you and your readers! I had a great time today.