Author Bio:
New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author, Ava K Michaels lives in Bonnie Scotland, spending her time with family, pets, and writing. Always dreaming of the next time she can get away from the dreary weather to some sunshine. She hates rain and snow … which is most days in Scotland … hence her dreaming of her next vacation. When she’s not thinking of flying away on holiday, she’s writing … everything from hot Alpha shifters, to smoking hot Vampires, with Dragons, Angels, and everything else her imagination can come up with.
She has a weakness for chocolate (who hasn’t) and has been known to scavenge for her favorite delights in moments of weakness. Her writing companions, who keep her company every day, are Luna, her German Shepherd, and Jinx, a black Lab. She’d be lost without them at her feet, even if they interrupt her, sometimes at the most inopportune times.
Ava took up writing later in life and is always thinking of the next story to indulge herself in. She loves reading, although doesn’t get a lot of time to do so now, Rosé wine … and those precious trips to the sun. She adores her homeland with a passion, but wishes she could pick it up and place it down somewhere hot!
She writes under A K Michaels and Ava K Michaels and is also CEO of a small publishing company, Hot Box Publishing, in partnership with Bella Roccaforte, which specializes in publication of anthologies.
What inspires you to write?
I've always loved books since I was very small, and they were a way for me to escape … and I never thought for a moment that I'd end up being an author. It's a dream come true for me. I find inspiration all around, from images, from someone's smile, from thoughts inside me, from things that happen that can give me hope or sometimes upset me but then give me ideas for a story. There's just so much around us that can affect an author, but can give us inspiration for a story. A whisper of an idea can soon blossom into something so much larger and it can come from something small that others might not give a second glance to.
Tell us about your writing process.
I used to be a terrible 'panster' and sometimes I still am, however, I try to plot out stories because it helps me get things done better and faster. I use OneNote to do it, and I'll get chapters set out along with the characters I'll be using in the story. If I do that it means I know exactly who's who and where they'll be in the story so there's no mix-ups or plot holes – like 'so and so' doesn't change ages or eye color through the book. For the chapters, I'll put a paragraph or two of what I'd like to happen in that chapter … and so on … so I can see where the story is going and what I want to happen. Now, it doesn't always work out that way when I'm actually writing because the characters can go 'off script' lol! Or my brain can … and things can take a completely left turn when it should've gone right!
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Sometimes I do and it usually involves swear words when they're not doing what they're supposed to! My husband thinks I'm nuts at times (he's probably right). I have this issue when I'm writing and things haven't gone as planned and it affects the story, aka, I've got to change the plot from there on, which is a pain.
Who are your favorite authors?
Gosh, this is hard because I know so many great authors and I don't get so much time to read now as I'd like. For steamy Vampire reads, my go-to author is Elaine Barris, and one of my all-time favorite series is by Monica La Porta. Another fab author is Bella Roccaforte, and another is Tee Ayer. I read the 'biggie' authors when I was much younger, but now I tend to read indies because there is just so much talent there.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I'm more than a little OCD, so I like to have control, over everything. I self-published because I have control over every aspect of my stories, from formatting, to covers, to when I press publish. With trad publishing you don't have that, they tell you when a book is being published, they control covers, they take away a lot of things from you … and I wasn't prepared for that. One of my favorite sayings is 'Never say never.' So, I'm not saying I would never go down the trad route, but it's not been for me up to now.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
That's a huge question … it's hard to answer too. Self-publishing has been a godsend for most authors, who take pride in their work, and produce quality products, however, it's opened the door for others who don't and that's an issue for everyone.
What genres do you write?
Paranormal Romance, Romantic Suspense, Urban Fantasy
What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print, Audiobook
Website(s)
Ava K Michaels Home Page Link
Follow Ava K Michaels On Amazon
Author’s Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
All information is provided by the author and is presented as it was submitted so you the reader get to hear the author’s own “voice” in their interview.
