Interview of Donna Michaels

Everyone please welcome Donna Michaels to JBR for a visit today.

We have a contest going on for November What item are you giving away? (Anyone can win the item by going to the rafflecopter on the right hand side of the pg.)

I’ll be giving away a $15 Amazon Gift Card (Just in time for the holidays J )

First why don't you tell us a little about yourself?

I write short to epic, sweet to very hot, and most romance genres, but you’ll find all of my full
length novels are...Romance through the H’s—Hot, Humorous & Heartwarming.

Newest release?












Her Uniform Cowboy. Harland County Series Book Three/Kade  (Releasing early December)

What can we expect from your stories, action, drama, romance, sex, blood and guts?

Yes, all of the above, depending on the sub-genre. My Harland County Series has the romance,
sex, some drama, personal growth, and of course, humor.

Do you have a favorite character in your stories? Who? and Why?

Captain Kade Dalton, Texas National Guard, because he would give his last breath to help
someone. Although he’s just recently become the sheriff of Harland County, he is first and
foremost a National Guardsman, and born and bred a cowboy. A person’s actions towards others
matter to him. He is a problem solver. The one people go to in a crisis. All of the above make
him one sexy cowboy...in uniform. J

How about your least favorite character? What makes them less appealing to you?

In this story, it would be Edward Jayne, Brandi’s former boyfriend because he wasn’t supportive
when she began to gain weight.

Give us an interesting fun fact or a few about your book or series:

In Her Uniform Cowboy my heroine Brandi has Hoshimoto Thyroiditis, a form of
hypothyroidism, because I suffered with the issue and hadn’t realized it for years. It’s an
autoimmune disease that causes goiters, weight gain, hair loss and a long list of symptoms I had
no idea were related. I thought it was because I had four children and was getting older. Nope.
Imagine my surprise when a simple blood test revealed that wasn’t the reason at all. Through
Brandi, I’m hoping to spread awareness of the disease and to show, that with a little discipline,
you can cope, lose the weight and feel healthy again. Put you back in control of you. If you think
you may have hypothyroidism, please check out the symptoms list here: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hashimotos-disease/DS00567/DSECTION=symptoms

Has there been any other authors who have inspired your work or helped you out with
your stories?

Yes, my critique partner JT Schultz. We both write hot and humorous, so if I get off track, she
reels me in right quick.

What can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful?

Spread the word. Recommend on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter...etc. Write a review. Word of
mouth is the most effective tool an author has for reaching prospective readers. A little bit goes a
long way, and is most appreciated.

Do you have any tips for readers or advice for other writers trying to get published?

I don’t have a tip for readers but would like to thank those who have been faithful to my books.
The support is appreciated. To those who haven’t read my work but love a heartwarming story
with hot sex and humor sprinkled throughout, I’d like to encourage you to try me on for size. lol
You may like the fit. J
For aspiring authors, I say do not give up. Ever. Read, read, read the genre you want to write. 
Write, write, write until you’re spent. Then eat and repeat.

Do you have a favorite author? If yes, what draws you to that person’s work?

My favorite author is Jill Shalvis. I can always, always count on her stories to be hot and
humorous with real life complications and issues along the way. Jill’s books are a perfect read
for me and exactly what I aspire to write.

Can you remember one of the first things you wrote? What makes it memorable?

The first thing I ever wrote was a story called Jadbalja about a cougar cub and his trials of life.
I was inspired by the movie Born Free. I wrote on blank paper so I could illustrate in between.
And yes, there were crayons involved. No, it wasn’t last year. (That was a different story. lol) It
was several decades ago. I was about six at the time.

Where do you gather most of the inspiration for your works?

Everyday life. There are eight people living in my house, plus six cats. All I have to do is
open my eyes and there’s inspiration everywhere. My parents moved in with us (thanks to the
economy). Between them, my husband of twenty-seven years, and our four children—oldest
son is twenty-five, twin boys just turned twenty-one, and a seventeen year old daughter, there is
never a dull moment. I’m set for life with writing material.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies, pets or stories you would like to share?

Aside from reading, I also love to draw. As far as pet stories, with six cats in the house I have
too many stories to count and I fear I’d clog the blog, so I’ll just pick one. We have a black and
white cat, a tuxedo named Oreo. He’s the proverbial scardy cat. Just cough, laugh or talk loud
and he’s gone. One time, someone rang the doorbell and Oreo raced down the hall to my room
so he could hide under the bed. The door was closed. Didn’t matter. He charged full force, head
first. He hit it so hard the door opened and he found his sanctuary. I’ve no idea how that didn’t
result in a concussion, but he was happy, and we all had a good chuckle.

Favorite places to travel or visit?

Anywhere warm and tropical. Hawaii is heaven. Just sayin’. I went there many moons ago,
on my honeymoon in fact, and boy did I fall in love with the warm, lush, tropical atmosphere.
We went to Oahu and Maui. I plan to someday go back and visit Kauai and the big island, you
know...to research the islands, so I can use the settings in a few books. Yeah, that’s my story and
I’m stickin’ to it!

And now, before you go, how about a snippet from your book that is meant to intrigue and
tantalize us:( Include links to where we can find your work)

Here’s an unedited snippet from Her Uniform Cowboy, releasing early December:
Still somewhat cool, the early June morning air felt good on his heated skin. Kade closed his
eyes and inhaled while he worked to get his mind out of Afghanistan and rejoin his body back in
the states. The scent of dirt and manure mixed with the fragrance of roses from a nearby trellis.
 Home.
Another deep breath rushed through his lungs. He was home where he belonged. In Harland
County Texas. On Shadow Rock Ranch. His Guard family—minus one—was home where
they belonged. He had people here who depended on him. Animals that depended on him. A
community that depended on him.
Every morning he told himself this. Every morning he got out of bed and went to work.
Every morning he felt like screaming.
And that pissed.
Him.
Off.
He wasn’t weak. Hated being weak. Almost as much as he hated being on edge. And he was
on edge. Ever since that damn day.
Gravel groaned a muffled protest under his two-hundred pound stride. Keeping busy was the
key. So, he helped out around the ranch. Worked with the horses. Went to auctions discerning
which would make good stock horses. And being on edge was the main reason he’d agree to take
over the Sheriff’s position when the former one had approached him with the offer to finish out
the man’s term.
Harland County Sheriff?
Not something Kade had ever aspired to be. No. He liked horses and ranching and giving
up one weekend a month and two and half weeks a year to Uncle Sam in the Guard. Never,
had Kade ever thought about being a Sheriff. Yet, here he was, decked out in the tan uniform,
weapons belt, badge and hat. Been that way for the past month. Harland County was fairly quiet,
mostly rural, not much crime going on. Still, the extra job helped with his edginess.
So did sex, but his mutually agreed upon one-nighters had ceased once he’d accepted the
badge. Didn’t seem right. And looking for a relationship was out of the question. He wasn’t
about to stick some poor woman with his sorry ass. Hell no. Not until he got through some
issues. Besides, relationships involved sharing more than a body, and his heart was off limits.
Closed off. Locked up tight. In fact, no woman had ever reached his heart in over two decades.
If it wasn’t for the way he felt about his family and friends, Kade would question if he even
possessed one.
Bypassing his truck, he headed for the stable on the far right. The quiet stable. The one
which housed the abused and abandoned horses. Currently, there were only two. Thank God.
That meant most of his fellow Texans were taking their ownership responsibilities of the
magnificent creatures seriously. Horses weren’t toys you could ride whenever you felt like it.
They weren’t pets you paid attention to occasionally. They required work, maintenance, human
touch…and son-of-a-bitch, he was edgy again. Nothing pissed him off more than a neglected or
abused animal.
Stepping inside, he sucked in air heavy with the smell of more dirt and manure, but this time
laced with the sweet scent of hay. The combination instantly calmed, took off some of that damn
edge and he headed to the first of two stalls.
For several years now, he enjoyed working with the local vet to nurse the horses in this
stable back to health. He’d made it Shadow Rock’s practice to volunteer the stable to the humane
society. It was a project of his, one he hoped to expand in the future. Now that he was more than
likely home permanently, he needed to draw up plans to…
Sweet mercy and Texas, that is a beautiful sight to behold.
He stopped dead at the stall.
Bent over, lightly rubbing down one of the horse’s legs was a local designer. God, she
was curvy and hot and he wondered if she felt as soft as she looked. Something he would’ve
discovered within the three months he’d known the woman if it weren’t for two things. One,
Brandy Wyne was not a one night stand, and two…she had an aversion to the military. The fact
she was the only woman to spark part of him to life with just her mere presence didn’t sit well
with Kade. Hell no. So you’d think he’d be able to order his legs to slowly back out of the stall
before being seen by the sexy woman with big brown eyes and golden streaks in her caramel-
colored hair. No. He stepped forward instead.
Seems his legs took orders from a body part due south of his brain.
Keep an eye out at the links below for Her Uniform Cowboy, Book Three in my Harland
County Series, releasing in early December. And as always, thanks for reading!
Website: http://www.donnamichaelsauthor.com/
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Donna-Michaels/e/B008J24XR2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Thanks for visiting us here on JBR! We wish you great success!

Julie Ramsey
ADM JBR