Tantalizing Tuesday

Welcome Author

Kenzie Michaels!!!

Yes, as some of you may remember, we had Kenzie join us very early on.  If you'd like to check out that interview, click here!

Of course that interview is very different from the one I'm presenting today!  Not because I'm presenting it, but because we've asked her different questions, silly!

Now, as you can see, this is one author who prefers to remain in the background and put all her focus into promoting her book.  As you can see, we do not have an actual photo of her.  Why?  Well, because she didn't give one!  *big toothy grin*

So without further ado, let's get to the interview.  I hope these questions help to paint a better picture of the author for you! Oh, and be sure to stick around for a blurb and excerpt of All She Ever Wanted!

ME: Do you make resolutions for the New Year? Why or why not? If so, please share one or more of them with us!

KENZIE: Last year I resolved to do my edits in a timely fashion and promote the hell out of my e-baby. This year, I’d like to have two releases. I don’t want people to forget about me, or think I’m a ‘One-Hit Wonder’.

ME: Now that the busy holiday time is over, what do you do to recharge?

KENZIE: I’m getting hooked on Law and Order reruns; I watch two or three each night, and it helps me relax. Once the kids get back in school (I’m answering these on New Year’s Eve), it should be easy to slip back into writer-mode.

ME: Do you have any holiday memories from 2009 that you would like to share with us?

KENZIE: One of my older son’s friends delivered her baby boy on Dec 30th. We kept posting her updates on FaceBook, and he is so sweet! Since she calls me Mom and her little sister calls me ‘Aunt Kenzie’, we’ve joked I’ll be ‘Auntie Grandma’.

ME: What area of the country/world are you from? What are the average temperatures where you are? What type of clothing would most residents be wearing today? What tips do you have for people to “survive” the weather where you are?

KENZIE: I’m in the Midwest, but would prefer to be in Florida! The older I get, the less tolerant of the cold I am every year. I’d rather by writing by the beach and wearing shorts than bundled up in three layers of clothing inside my drafty house.

ME: Do you have any favorite outside hobbies? Can you perform any of these hobbies right now? If not, why not, and is weather a factor?

KENZIE: I like to walk and swim. Both of these activities are more enjoyable when the weather hits above sixty or seventy. And since the current temp is struggling to maintain thirty, the only walking I will do willingly is to the car and back!

ME: Do you prefer your hot tub inside the house or outside the house? Why?

KENZIE: I’d have to say inside. I want to use it year-round, and being outside in my swimsuit with snow is not appealing.

ME: If you could be any character/creature, who/what would it be and why?

KENZIE: Princess Leia at the end of the Star Wars saga. She gets to live happily ever after with Han Solo, my dream man!

Now, let’s get to your writing:

ME: Why the erotic romance/erotica genre? What was the draw for you?

KENZIE: I discovered I like writing realistic sex scenes. I’d always been curious about what happens behind closed doors, and since it’s NOT the same for everyone, the books opened my eyes to different possibilities I’d only heard whispered or hinted at.

ME: If you could describe your writing with a word or phrase, what would it be? Please look beyond words like hot, sexy, etc., and delve into the core of your writing to tell us what word or phrase you want readers to take with them when they've finished reading your story.

KENZIE: Loving and sensual. I want to see the natural progression of the relationship, and to know these two characters would walk through fire for each other.

ME: Do the holidays disrupt your writing schedule? If so, how tough is it to get yourself back in writing mode and what have you found that seems to help?

KENZIE: I don’t typically write during the month of December; I’m too busy with family birthday parties, shopping, and wrapping.

ME: Do you prefer hot chocolate with marshmallows or a hot toddy? Does that show through in your writing? If so, how?

KENZIE: I love marshmallow cream on my hot chocolate! Don’t know if that’s shown up in my stories or not; I’ll have to check.

ME: Who decides what characters/creatures you write about, you or your muse? What kind of influence do you have over your story, or is the muse always the one pouring the soap in the Jacuzzi?

KENZIE: My muse is in control. When the characters speak, I go to the computer and write down what they say.

ME: What creature/character did you have the most fun creating and why?

KENZIE: Emma and Brad from Wild At Heart. Both characters were fun to watch as they fought, grew in their friendship, and finally admitted their feelings. This was a romance that caught me totally by surprise; I wasn’t expecting the intensity of their feelings.

ME: If you had the opportunity to meet just one of your characters in real life, who would it be and why? Which of your characters would you never want to meet under any circumstance and why?

KENZIE: I would like to meet Austin from Off The Clock, because he had a rough childhood, yet managed to turn his life around as an adult. Who would I not want to meet? Clint Denton from All She Ever Wanted. His need for control nearly cost his son his true love. I can’t stand parents who try to play God.

BLURB:  All She Ever Wanted

When Amber Johnson agrees to fill in as a last-minute chef of a dinner party, she is surprised to learn the client is none other than her ex-boyfriend, Marc Denton. The kitchen sizzles with their unfinished business; will the flames of love reignite, or will Marc's scheming father succeed in keeping them apart?

Marc and Amber are furious when they discover lies that have kept them apart for three years. With Amber by his side again, will Marc find the courage to stand up to his father and hold on to his true love?

EXCERPT:  All She Ever Wanted

“That bastard stole my spice rack!”

“No, I didn’t.” Marc had entered the kitchen and followed her into the pantry.

“The hell you say!” Amber launched herself at him, clipping him on the chin with her knuckles. “I looked all over for that rack when you sent me my stuff, but it was gone.”

“Ow!” Marc dodged her other fist and caught her wrists easily. “You left it in my apartment. And I never packed your things; you did that yourself.”

“No, I didn’t,” Amber insisted, trying to free herself. “You sent them in a huge box, all tossed in together, with a note saying we were through. And every time I called, you were in a meeting, or on a business trip. Let me go!” She finally succeeded in getting free and leaned against the stove, glaring at him.

“What business trip? Dad had me in meeting after meeting. He’s the one who told me you’d cleaned out the apartment without so much as a goodbye; the only thing you’d left was the brooch that used to belong to my grandmother.” Marc faced her, his arms crossed.

“I threw that at your father when he tried to buy me off!” Amber blazed at him, chest heaving with every breath. “When I couldn’t get you to take my calls, I went to the apartment and he was there. He offered me ten thousand dollars to stay away from you; I told him to go f--- himself and then remembered the brooch you had given me. You know I always wore it; I thought you might like the family heirloom back, so I threw it at your dad and stormed off.”

“He…what? He offered you money?” Marc shook his head in disbelief. “Dad wouldn’t have done that.”

“Oh, wake up, Marcus,” Amber cried. “After he caught us making love in the club’s locker room, do you honestly think he was going to just give us his blessing? He kept trying to foist that prig Marion whatever-the-hell-her-name-was on you, because her daddy did business with your daddy!” She clamped her mouth shut, biting her tongue a little too late. Calming herself, she said quietly,

“Don’t tell me you married her….”

“Give me some credit,” he snorted, loosening his tie. “I need a drink. Want to join me?” He walked to the swinging doors and waited.

“What about your guests?” she reminded him.

“Dad’s got them in the sitting room. Come on.”

“No, Marc. It…it wouldn’t be right. Bring me whatever you’re having.” Amber drummed her fingers on the stove absently and was surprised when he returned with a glass of Zinfandel.

“Thank you. I thought you were bringing me a whiskey.”

“If memory serves, you can’t stand the stuff.” Marc sipped his whiskey on the rocks. “You’re not the only one with the long memory.”

“When did you buy this place?” She traced a finger around the rim of the glass.

“Last year.” Marc laid his tumbler on the counter and removed his suit jacket. He rolled up his sleeves slightly and loosened his tie. “Ahh, that’s better.” He picked up his drink and laid the jacket on the island. “Dinner was good.”

“Just good?” She couldn’t resist teasing him a bit.

“Delicious. Best I ever ate. You really should open your own restaurant.”

Amber cleared her throat. “Actually, I have. AJ’s Café, down on Washington Avenue? It’s small, but so far the clients rave about the food.”

He smiled, lines crinkling at the corners of his eyes. “That’s great, Amber! How long have you been open?”

“Less than a year. My specialty is the chicken dish I used to make you eat all the time. Derek, my manager, keeps telling me to expect Bobby Flay for a throw down.” She sipped her wine. “So if any television cameras show up, I know to keep my eyes open!” She smiled back at him. “How’s the company doing?”

Marc swirled the liquid in his glass. “Doing fairly well. These damn gas prices are driving our shipping costs up, but we’re right where we want to be, financially.”

“That’s great.” Amber sipped her wine and watched him. Whiskey always mellowed Marc out. She was wondering where the conversation was going next when he suddenly looked up, pain reflected in his eyes.

“Where did we go wrong, Am?” he asked quietly. “One day we were fine and the next, ‘Poof!’ You were gone.”

“Wait a minute. Back up, Denton. First of all, I got hauled into the manager’s office for being in the men’s locker room, and fraternizing with a member. Next, I get a lovely choice: Quit or be fired.” Amber set her half-empty wineglass on the stove and ticked her fingers. “Third, I go to your apartment and get told by your father that you’ve decided to move forward with your plans to replace him as CEO, and that I’m not ‘suitable companionship’ anymore. Suddenly, you don’t return my phone calls, and then the box arrives. Finally, another scene with your father offering me money to never see you again. So don’t stand there and ask me where we went wrong!”

“Yeah, and we’ve also established that he lied to both of us.” Marc downed the rest of his drink in one gulp and set the empty crystal glass on the granite island. “F--- him.”