Kenzie Michaels Talks About Her Inspirations
~ A Writer Unleashed ~
Kenzie Michaels is a prolific author of romances of all genres. From sci-fi and romantic suspense to small town romance, she has a book for you.
Welcome Kenzie…
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Greetings! I’m Kenzie Michaels, the ‘wild child’ of author Molly Daniels. I write spicy, adult contemporary and science fiction romance, and occasionally, try to take over Molly’s brain when she’s trying to write a sweeter story, ha ha.
I love to sing karaoke, go out to eat, and binge-watch my favorite shows on either the DVR or Netflix. I have two adult children (26 and 23), a teenager (14), and a granddaughter (6), courtesy of my daughter. There are other numerous young adults who claim me as ‘Mom’…in short, any of my kids’ friends who feel they need another mom, ha ha.
What do you do when you are not writing?
When I’m not writing, I can be found curled up in front of my Kindle, either watching Netflix (currently on Season 3 of Friends) or reading (currently making my way through Sandy Sullivan’s Cowboy Dreamin’ series); doing needlepoint; or working in our other house.
When we bought our property two years ago, it came with two empty houses which needed cleaned out. One is nearly ready to be torn down, and I decided to turn the other one into my writing space/library. I’m still probably a year away from seeing that reality though.
What interesting jobs have you had? How have those jobs affected your writing?
I held several different jobs while in college: Waitress at a country club, a small mom-and-pop steakhouse, and a major chain. I temped at three factories and a parking lot, and after college, drove eleven small children to and from preschool.
I also spent a year as a Developmental Skills Technician at a facility for mentally and physically challenged children and adults. I began seriously devoting myself to writing after I married, when a high-risk pregnancy forced me on bed rest for seven months.
My experiences in the work force show up in some form or another. For instance, I have three characters who work at country clubs (All She Ever Wanted, Off The Clock, and Appetite For Desire), and one of Molly’s characters spends her summer working in a truck factory (Balancing Act). You just never know what aspect of your life experience is going to suddenly show up in a story.
Do your travels influence your writing?
Oh definitely! My family has traveled to Colorado many times, and when I wrote Wild At Heart, I had no idea one character was suddenly going to go there and have his own ‘wild encounter’. We returned to Estes Park in 2013 for my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, and now there’s a sequel in the works.
When did you first start writing, and when did you finish your first book?
I discovered the concept of Creative Writing in the 5th grade, and it really unleashed something in me. I think I was the only one excited in the 9th grade, when our teacher announced we would write creatively every other Friday. I actually wrote my first story that day in Study Hall, ha ha!
Then later that month, I decided to write my own ending to Star Wars. Completely botched it, by the way.
But in college, I went on a blind date with an Air Force officer, who was on leave, and we really hit it off. Fast-forward three months, and when my family flew to Florida, the plane was overbooked, and they offered a free round-trip ticket to anywhere in the Continental US to anyone willing to get off the plane. I wanted to offer, but my mom nixed it. That idea churned around in my brain and later became the book I worked on all through my college years: What if I had gotten off that plane and used that ticket to go see my AF officer? That book later spawned thirteen more books, half of which are written and published under the Molly Daniels pen name.
How did you choose the genre you write in?
It pretty much chose me, lol! Remember that failed attempt at Star Wars? I focused on rescuing Han Solo and reuniting him with Princess Leia. When I first found out about erotic romance, I literally locked myself in my room and tried to write the smuttiest thing I had ever written. Things were going well; my heroine and hero had hooked up and spent the night, until he woke up the next morning and decided to tell her he was not exactly from Earth. I stopped writing and put the thing away for ten years.
In 2007, I began networking with other authors and reading their work, as well as writing again. Six years later, after all my other completed works were published, I found this little story in a drawer and decided to see where it was going. Brock and Trisha ended up spawning more books, and I am currently at work on the 5th one in the series.
Can you tell us about any other upcoming books, series, or writing plans?
LIFE hit me upside the head a few years ago, when I had to home school my youngest. Then we decided to buy a house, as well as my husband being forced to retire after a detached retina took away the sight in his left eye.
I’ve managed to write a few short stories for anthology projects, and last year I even veered away from the romance genre entirely by writing about rogue fairies, and a ghost who’s haunting his ex-girlfriend. Those two stories should be published this fall.
More recently, a weird time-travel story took a hold of me in February, and nineteen thousand words poured out of me in six days. I don’t know what I’m going to do with it yet, but ‘Uncle Charles’, one of the central figures, keeps nagging me about another one.
I’ve also revisited the fairy realm, after being stuck in traffic with my mother, and we decided to be the voices of two swooping vultures. Chapter 3 is currently being written.
So yes, I have several projects to keep my busy; now I just need some uninterrupted time to actually write. Summer is usually our busiest time, so I joke that I get ‘my life back’ when they go back to school in August.
Thanks for having me today, Zara!
Kira’s Slice of Pizza by Kenzie Michaels
Leaving TriJupe to escape scandal after the death of her Bond Mate, KiRah exiles herself on Earth and takes refuge in an abandoned house to paint and mourn her loss. But when a stranger brings upheaval to her new life, will KiRah discover it’s possible to love again?
Duffy Switzer never thought he’d be interested in an artist. Kira’s quiet demeanor proves refreshing after a string of self-centered women, and having someone who makes no demands leads him to believe he’s found the perfect woman. But as he’s drawn deeper into Kira’s life, he learns she is no ordinary human. When the truth is revealed, will he turn his back on her?
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This interview has so many parallels to my own story… I love how succinct and adventurous and good it sounds when you write it!
This interview has given me a whole new perspective. Thanks for hosting it Zara, and writing it, Kenzie.
Thank you Christa:) It’s funny how writing is such a solitary thing, and we think we’re the ‘only ones’….then when you share your stories, people say, “OMG! That happened to me too!”
NEVER give up on your dreams. That’s the one message I hope to spread.
You can’t go wrong with Molly/Kenzie’s books. She’s fantastic to meet in person at book events. Great interview!
Aaawwwweeeee…..thank you Stephen! You’re a pretty awesome person yourself, and I’m happy to be your comic relief when it comes to my swag, ha ha!
You are too sweet, Holly:) So honored I’ve gotten to know you in the past year:)
*waving hello* What a fun interview to read, Molly/Kenzie 🙂
Hi Dana:) Thanks for stopping by! I try to be entertaining, lol:)
I love both Molly and Kenzie and it is pure genius how you can write while being in either mode. You are an inspiration and give us closet writers a push to bring out the voices in our heads. Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life they say. Keep rocking girlfriend!
Thanks for hosting me today Zara:)
Great having you here!