Author Interview with Michele Hope April 22 - 27

Congratulations to Honey; Winner of ARC giveaway - Vantage Points by Michele Hope!

 This week the very sexy and talented Michele Hope chats with us from her dock on a Louisiana bayou. Michele is sharing a bit about her latest release "Vantage Points" and how a southern boy swept her off feet and plunked her down in gator country.

Now while we sit here drinking cold, sweet ice tea with Michele, we may see a few of them gators or snakes. We have the citronella candles burning to keep away the skeeters and some all natural bug repellent if anyone wants to spray on their exposed skin. If your skin is exposed, you may want to add sunscreen too. LOL Ummm

There's Michele sitting in her chair waiting for us. She's fishing!

Naughty Reader’s: Michele thank you for inviting us to you beautiful place! Tell us a bit about yourself  that our readers might not know.

Michele: I'm just a girl born to mid-western winters and German stock, once committed to high rise business complexes. I loved the sound of designer high-heels clacking on concrete. My world evolved around shoes and nicely fitted pencil skirts. And more shoes and more shoes. I spent a life in cool bistros and cigar bars. Then one day I met this southern boy, born of the alluvial soil, possessed of good looks and entirely too much charm.  He spoke and honey dripped. My gentleman swept me away from northern environs and "carried" me down South where I now reside on my very own Blissful Bayou. 

This place of live oak, voodoo and alligators does not force itself on the soul, but rather imprints. A primordial place that compels the body and spirit to slow down, to breathe in its honeysuckle fragrance. I gaze out my windows across a spacious veranda to the water, always the water and contentedly watch beaver swim and great herons feed. It's really quite special to walk out your own back door and go fishin' with an enormous black dog, the "water bus," my defender and protector. Did I say "fishin'?"  Oh my, how this place works its wonders.

Naughty Reader’s: What made you want to become a writer?

Michele: Oh I don't know. I think in this case, I am compelled as any writer might be.

Naughty Reader’s: Please share a bit about your new release Vantage Points without giving away any spoilers.

Michele: Here's the blurb we've been using: As stars glitter above the Ozarks and a grand old hotel, opportunities can avail in the least expected of places. Yet for the skilled and gifted, so much can be made from a graceful bend at the waist, a suggestive touch or an alluring smile. The ghost of Al Capone haunts floors of grandeur and our handsome escapees from a tropical storm ply their skills to an unsuspecting young lifeguard. And does he ever . . . become the fortunate beneficiary of lace, rum and a midnight dip.

Naughty Reader’s: Oh, a dip in the moonlight sounds delicious but not in this bayou! *Brenda and Tonya glance toward the water and notices a gator swimming by* Do you write under a pen name?

Michele: *laughs* I'm used to the creatures here. Yes. It's a combination of my husband's name and my own.

Naughty Reader’s: What types of hero or heroine do you like best?

Michele: We like the strong, clever types, hero and heroine. Our characters have an instinctive understanding of each, use subtly, humor and coercion. They take no prisoners.

Naughty Reader’s: Tell us about a typical day in your life as a writer.

Michele: Actually, writing comes in furious spurts. I might write nearly non-stop for several days and not pick it up again for a week. There are lots of distractions around here, especially if you like to fish.  And I do!  Like to fish.  And catch 'em. I have a world class guide who takes me places I've never been. *winks at Brenda & Tonya*

Naughty Reader’s: Do your books have a common theme or are they all different?

Michele: Our settings are all down South. This green-gold (I stole that from Walker Percy) banana republique is so rich in history and culture. It's at every turn in every day.  Should your imagination fail you, and it happens to us all, then go walking or boat up the bayou. If that doesn't provide some inspiration then maybe writing isn't for you. My favorite writers are from this part of the world, though I don't any of them write naughty stories! HAA!

Naughty Reader’s: How long does it take you to write and then edit a story?

Michele: That varies on length and just how furious and committed I am at the time. Did I mention . . . I HAVE to fish?

Naughty Reader’s: Do you have to be alone to write?

Michele: Yes! A glass of wine and some good jazz will assist most the time too. And it needs to be at night or maybe a stormy day when being inside is mo' better than being outside. We bring our animals in at night, they settle in and the house is quiet. Except for all those spooky noises outside!

Naughty Reader’s: How do you go about naming characters?

Michele: Ah hell, Brenda, I just make stuff up! Michael shoots from the hip. He's a natural at it and likely on target. Southern boy that he is, he's a born storyteller!

Naughty Reader’s: Is it easier to write about the characters if you find pictures of them before you write or do you write then find character pictures?

Michele: I think we see setting and work characters into a storyline.  Even though our protagonists have remained consistent through out (what will be our 5th story which releases in May),  I try to make it all as easy on myself as possible.  In Louisiana, making it easy seems . . . well easy.   Having established characters in different settings with different scenarios makes it fun developing the secondary characters, those unsuspecting and fortunate victims.  And, I think our two main actors have become stronger and more complex in identity with each new book.  Least I hope they have!

Naughty Reader’s: How do you pick locations for your stories?

Michele: I've mentioned to others that Michael and I love staying in old hotels like the Peabody in Memphis or the Arlington in Hot Springs. New Orleans, Mobile, Natchez, they all have extraordinary places to stay and dine. Breaks my heart the Bentley in Alexandria closed some years ago.  Historic bed & breakfast are favorites too. Again, there are so many truly romantic places so close by, all the ante bellum, they simply seem natural for us to set stories in.

Naughty Reader's: We understand Michael is making these really cool handmade leather journals? Please tell the readers about them.

Michele: Well, you'd be right! And they are super cool. And functional. Forever keepsakes to make your own and maybe give to someone someday. We'll be going public with them soon even though Michael is placing them nearly as fast as he can produce them. He DOES have to guide me up and down this bayou you know? I thoughtfully help to keep his priorities aligned! His Facebook link is: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000474424226  Check 'em out!

Naughty Reader's: What beautiful work he does! Michele, this week is going to be fun! Thank you again for visiting with us.

Readers: you can find Michele on Facebook and her books on the following links. And Michele is going to give away an ARC (advanced reviewer copy) in PDF to one lucky commenter!

Vantage Points - Amazon 
Robusto - Amazon 
She with the Most...Wins - Amazon 
Service Rendered - Amazon 

All books on B&N 

Excerpt: 

      As we stand waist deep in the pool's middle, a relaxed demeanor among us permits easy bantering. The clouds race above in an uncontested advance from the Gulf. In their hurry, they remain ambivalent to the hands placed on my hips, a proffered kiss to the back my shoulder. Experience tells me my man's eyes are cut to Eric, who stands directly in front of us, merely feet away. I feel those strong hands then the unmistakable caress I'm so familiar with. One hand traces slowly to my waist, the other gathering my hair from my shoulders. More kisses follow, delicacies to my nape. In accord, another hand moves from my waist to just beneath my breast, cupping me softly. Now, both palms are moving uniformly around the volume of my curves, lingering moments in full but soft clutch. My nipples tauten, the aching ever so pleasant. I feel them strain against the bikini's light fabric. Before closing my eyes, I see my lifeguard watching the unlikely stagecraft playing out in his presence.

       Bliss is unaccounted for in time. Realizing I've lost myself for a moment, my eyes open and I look directly into Eric's. Unlike the clouds, he is observant and very still, mesmerized by this improbable, slow-motion scene. My husband's hands move with practiced expertise to the straps, slowly releasing them from my shoulders. I feel them surrender, falling to my arms. The down on neck rises as the little fastener in back is freed and my top tumbles gently away, fully revealing nipples that point skyward, stiffened and drawing even tighter. Oh the agony! Full of drama, I feel the weight of my breasts settle and at the same instant, I feel the compelling and defining bulge of my husband from behind.

       I look at Eric, incredulous and indulge the moment, allowing for his full consumption before taking a deep breath to hold. I glide straight downward into the shallows depths, the fleeting touch of my husband's fingertips following on the backs of my arms. I imagine the bikini top floating on the surface in a vortex of tangled hair. With smooth precision and elegance of movement, I extend my hand backward in the submersion, finding the considerable authority beneath my husband's Bahaman shorts. Springing from the concrete bottom, I jettison across the pool, never surfacing until I reach the side. Then rising above the water's level, I discover no indication of a wake, my getaway so flawless. I bring my hands up and push water from my face, clearing my eyes. My breasts are buoyant just above the water line, floating, freed of restraint and gravity. From across the pool, I become witness to my admirers, one possessed of extreme confidence, the other, stunned like a goat! I hear but one voice, influence in its strength as it is calming in its certainty. "Perfect isn't she?"