Please help me welcome my friend and critique partner, Michele Callahan. Michele is giving away a $5 Starbucks card and a copy of her book Silver Storm to lucky commentors. That means two winners so be sure and leave her a comment.

How did you get started writing?

My mom read fairy tales to me until I was old enough to read them myself. Once you get lost in your first story, you’re never the same again.

What genre(s) do you write in and why?

Thank God for independent publishing. No one would touch my stuff. I had several agents and even more editors ask me, “Which section of the bookstore would your book go on the shelf? I don’t know how to market you.” I don’t fit in a box. My books are a mix of romance, metaphysical, sci-fi, paranormal, and suspense. I entwine science with paranormal and metaphysical phenomenon and then wrap a hot romance around it. In movie terms…I live where Terminator meets Ghost…

Tell us about your current series.

My current series is the Timewalker Chronicles. The Timewalkers are women who have died in their own time and are then taken from Earth in the moment of death by the Archivers. They are genetically enhanced and given special abilities by the Archivers, then sent back in time to prevent major world catastrophes. Of course, it’s never easy, they always run into trouble, and they always fall in love. Red Night’s heroine, Alexa, can make herself invisible and must destroy a deadly virus before it breaks free. Silver Storm’s heroine (Book 2), Sarah, can manipulate energy, and must stop a new, deadly alien weapon from wiping out Chicago. (p.s. You can check out Red Night at Amazon for only $.99 on Kindle.)

What inspired your latest book?

Terminator and Kate & Leopold. I am a huge fan of time travel, especially if there is a love story involved.

What is your favorite part of writing?

Brainstorming. I can come up with some crazy stuff.

What is your least favorite part of writing?

Typing. I hate typing. My dad bought a voice recognition/dictation program for me for Christmas last year and I adored him for it! Yeah, Dad!

What is your next project and when will it be released?

BLUE ABYSS is the third book in the Timewalker Chronicles. It will be out next month. You finally find out who the bad guys really are (you actually see one), who the Archivers are (we get to see their ship), and why they’re all really here. You will meet two new players in the battle for Earth and humanity’s survival. You also get to meet Raiden, a half-immortal hottie who looks a lot like Godfrey Gao (left) – with sexier (Immortal style) hair. Totally hot hero. I’m in love with him right now, but he’s a bit stubborn. Marina, the Timewalker in the story who he falls head-over-heels in love with, can breathe water and has some very interesting friends in the ocean. No cute dolphins for her. I was shocked, then amazed, then totally in awe and adoring of some amazing predators. You can read it as a stand alone, but you’ll have more fun with the characters if you’ve read the other books first.

What is your typical day like?

I am a sprinter, not a plodder. I either work, or I don’t. On working days, I typically put in 16-18 solid hours between the day job, RomCon, and writing. I forget to eat lunch, don’t go to bed until 1-2 am, get up at 6:30 and start again. Off days we call ‘Pajama Days’ at my house. We watch movies, read, make waffles, and order pizza for dinner. I LOVE pajama days. I love to be home relaxing with my family.
How has your experience with self-publishing been? I love it. Total freedom. No rules. There is a lot to learn, but there are people out there blazing the trail and willing to help.

Where do you get the ideas for your stories?

Everywhere. News articles. Dreams. The ether?

What advice do you have for other authors wanting to self-publish?

Don’t rush. Make sure you are publishing the absolute best work you can. Edit it. Format it. Get great cover art. Make it as perfect as you can. Once a reader puts you down, they’re unlikely to pick your books up again. I don’t like to lose a single reader. Every single one of them is important! Self-publishing is a marathon, not a sprint.

What is your favorite dessert/food?

Milk Chocolate and Coca-Cola, preferably together.  (Obviously, I’m a serious health nut.) And make fun of me all you want, but when we go out to eat, I always want to go to Olive Garden, and I always order Chicken Parm. LOL. Exciting, aren’t I?

How likely are people you meet to end up in your next book?

VERY. When I first started writing, I intended to write simple, stand-alone stories. But my twisted brain had other ideas. Especially in the Timewalker series, with all the time loops, you see everyone again. I love it. The characters become like a family and I don’t have to abandon any of them just because their part of the adventure is (mostly) over. They get to help and be involved in the next stories. I love that, because I get so attached to all of them. They become real people in my mind. If I’m not able to spend any time with them, I miss them and wonder what they’re up to. I like to visit them in their Happily-Ever-After.

Was your road to publication fraught with peril or a walk in the park?

I’ve been writing, on and off, for 23 years. In the mean time I got married, had children, went through losing my grandma and then my mom to cancer, and all of the usual life events that wear us out and steal our time. So, I wouldn’t say it’s been either. It’s been a challenge, and an adventure. But even when I was driving carpool, I wasn’t thinking about the day, or what to make for dinner, I was thinking about my stories. They simply refused to die. That’s what makes a writer, in my opinion. No matter what you’re doing, the stories keep spinning. It’s getting them out of your head and onto the page that’s tough. That’s where the published and the unpublished differ. Write. The. Words.

Tell us about your hero. Give us one of his strengths and one of his weaknesses.

Raiden, Half-Immortal Prince who was attacked, betrayed, and left for dead (until the heroine finds him). Strengths – Determination and Honor. Weakness – He doesn’t like to bend…

Tell us about your heroine. Give us one of her strengths and one of her weaknesses.

Marina Lucia Jean-Menette, Grew up in Santa Fe, loves to scuba dive, has nightmares that are more than simple dreams… Sent back in time to save Raiden from certain death. She can breathe water and heal. Strength – Independence and Courage. Weakness – She has walls around her heart and a secret, very personal mission she can’t abandon…even for a prince.

What genres are you drawn to as a reader?

I love to read. Romance. Thrillers. Suspense. Historical. Paranormal. Contemporary. High Fantasy. Urban fantasy. I like smart books and characters that feel real. Don’t read historical fiction or non-fiction much. (Yawn…)
Having achieved your goal to be a published author, what is the most rewarding thing? Re-reading a story I wrote after a long break (so I forget some stuff) and thinking…”Wow! That didn’t suck!”

Are you a member of any writing organizations and, if so, have they helped.

I am very involved in RomCon and their annual romance reader convention. Love it.

What’s next for you?

Hmmm? Not sure, but the bad guys are getting pretty scary. I think I need some Bad Ass Alpha Warriors to kick their you-know-whats… DarkWalkers anyone? (Oh, heck yeah!)

Buy Links:
Red Night: http://www.amazon.com/Night-Book-Timewalker-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B004Z9ADW2/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1

Silver Storm: http://www.amazon.com/Silver-Storm-Timewalker-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B007U0VXLI/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1