Friday, May 17, 2013

Our guest today.....NYT bestselling author FERN MICHAELS

Meow!   My guest today is NY Times bestselling author Fern Michaels!

Photo credit: M2IFOTO©2006



FERN MICHAELS is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of the Sisterhood and Godmother series, The Blossom Sisters, Tuesday’s Child, Southern Comfort, Betrayal, Return to Sender and dozens of other novels and novellas. There are over seventy million copies of her books in print. Fern Michaels has built and funded several large day-care centers in her hometown, and is a passionate animal lover who has outfitted police dogs across the country with special bulletproof vests. She shares her home in South Carolina with her four dogs and a resident ghost named Mary Margaret. 
Visit her website HERE
and now....Fern!

R:  Welcome Fern.
F: Glad to be here, Rocco!

R:Tell us a bit about yourself and how you became interested in writing.


F: Kind of simple really, my husband told me to get off my ass and get a job. With no car, that was kind of hard to do. Because I was a heavy reader I thought if I wrote a book I’d make a million dollars right off the bat. There’s a lot to be said about being young, dumb AND stupid.



R: Tell us about your new release, BLOSSOM SISTERS.
F: I think its a great book. I never really did a book from a male point of view so I wanted to try it. It worked for me. I'm partial to grandmothers because my own was such a big part of my life. It was great fun combining the two of them and yet a challenge as well. I love a challenge.


R: Which of your many series was your favorite to write?
F: The Sisterhood
.

R: Do you have a favorite character?
F: I do. Every single character of the Sisterhood. I could never pick just one. I labored over each character until I knew each one inside and outside. Each of them is as near and dear to me as my own family.


R: Do you have an “how I got my agent story you'd like to share? How did you feel when you got the call your first novel had sold?
F: Actually I got my first agent out of the yellow pages. Boy, was she a dud. We parted company at the speed of light. When I got the call that the publisher wanted to buy the book I was representing myself. I was so giddy I thought I was going to pass out. Because . . . the first novel I had submitted came back rejected the day before but I had already mailed out the second one. Had I gotten the rejection sooner that would have been the end of my writing career, I would not have had the guts to mail out the second one.
R: What's a must have for you when you are writing? What aids the creative process?
F: That's kind of hard to answer. I'm dyslexic so I need to focus so that means I pretty much need quiet but with soft music playing in the background. I find that’s soothing and helps me to concentrate. On my desk I have chips, gummy bears, peanut butter M&M's and of course Coca Cola along with my 10 pound Yorkie who sleeps next to the computer. The challenge is to write 5000 words a day and consume all the goodies by quitting time.


R: If you had access to a time machine, which historical moment would you travel to and why?
F: Probably the 1600's. The time when the pirates sailed the seas. Think Errol Flynn as that swashbuckling pirate in the movies. I know that dates me but, hey, it was exciting at the time.


R:  If a movie were to be made of one of your books, which one would you want it to be and who would you pick for the lead?
F: For All Their Lives. George Clooney for the male role and Katheryn Winnick for the female role.


R: What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to know about you?
F: That I'm a junk food addict and sort of a pack rat.

R: What is the craziest thing you've ever done? 
Rode a zip line on my 50th birthday. Scariest moment of my life but I did it.


R: What do you hope readers will most take away from your writing?
F: That you can do whatever you set your mind to. If you persevere, you will prevail.

R: Are you a plotter or a pantser
F:  I am a plotter

R: What are you working on at the moment/next
F:  A Sisterhood book titled, Kiss and Tell; a follow-up Sisterhood book titled, Wild Card

Just for Fun:
Favorite Guilty Pleasure?
Three scoops of pineapple coconut ice cream on a wafer cone
.

Night or Day? .
Day

Dog or Cat? (answer carefully)
Both.

Beach or Pool?
Neither.

Steak or salad?
Salad

Favorite Drink?
Pina Colada

Favorite Book?
Every single book written by Robert Ludlum

Favorite TV Series?
NCIS

Favorite Movie?
Casablanca. I think it is the greatest love story ever.

Favorite Actor:
Matt Damon

Favorite Actress:
Susan Sarandan

Dirty Martini or Pina Colada?
That's easy. Pina Colada

Hawaii or Alaska?
Hawaii

Finish this sentence: If I could meet anyone in the world, past or present, it would be
Harry Truman
___________________
If I had just one wish, it would be_
No need for battered women’s shelters and more animal shelters._________________________
_______________
If I could trade places with anyone in the world, it would be
No one. I like who I am and would never want to be anyone else.___
___

Want to meet Fern in Charleston?

Enter the "Meet Fern Michaels in Charleston" contest: the winner and a freind will receive  an exciting trip to Charleston, SC to have lunch with #1 NYT bestselling author Fern Michaels, tour the historic town, get a Fern Michaels tote bag filled with signed editions and go on a $500 shopping spree!

AND A CHARACTER WILL BE  NAMED FOR THE WINNER IN A FUTURE FERN MICHAELS NOVEL!

to enter:
On Facebook:
Visit @OfficialFernMichaels or @KensingtonPublishing

Online: visit fernmichaels.com or kensingtonbooks.com/Fern

Via Mail:
Download a copy of the entry form at kensingtonbooks.com/Fern

Entries must be postmarked by August 30, 2013!

For prize details and full contest rules, visit www.kensingtonbooks.com/Fern


May 23: Maggie Shayne
May 28:  Linda O. Johnston!

JUNE:
Gena Showalter, Michelle Rowen, Hannah Reed!

MEOW!

ROCCO
INCREDIBLE BLOGGING CAT

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