Author Override is the place where authors take the reins and take you on a journey into their world. Some may allow you into their private writing dens. Others may take you along with them on research trips or interviews. Whatever the case may be, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride because here youโ€™ll get an in-depth look into an authorโ€™s musings.

Where the hell is TJ Michaels?
Sometimes Iโ€™m not sure of the answer to that question but it does make for fun stories. Most of the time ;D
Iโ€™m a geek *yes, we rule the world, bow before us* on my day job. My background is systems and database analysis and design with some process and business analysis tossed in. My client is a global software firm which means that sometimes I have to travel to get the job done.
This time Iโ€™m in Austria. As a matter of fact Iโ€™m sitting in my hotel room penning this blog post and thinking about all the Swiss chocolate Iโ€™m not eating right now because itโ€™s after 9:00pm. Howeverโ€ฆsince itโ€™s only quarter past noon at home maybe I can get away with claiming that my body is still on Pacific Daylight Time? Yes!
So, I write paranormal, contemporary and sci-fi romance, and I must say I do sometimes get some awesome ideas from globetrotting. But first, letโ€™s get some things straight:
1)ย ย ย ย ย  It ainโ€™t always a place I want to go! As such, I tend to write snark and a bit of attitude into my characters that have to travel for work. However, they do manage to kick ass while theyโ€™re doing their jobs. In fact the opening paragraph of one of my favorite books, Carinianโ€™s Seeker, Vampire Council of Ethics Bk 1, came from a trip to Colorado in the middle of the freakinโ€™ freezinโ€™ winter time *can you tell Iโ€™m still annoyed about that one?*
2)ย ย ย ย ย  I see all kinds of people. Sometimes thatโ€™s awesome. Sometimes itโ€™s not. The result is that my characters tend to be a bit out of the ordinary. On the good side my upcoming novel, Silk Road, Seals of Destiny Bk 1, features a gorgeous Fallen Angel, a not-Fallen angel that loves Elvis, some magic workers and a leprechaun that happens to be bad ass. The leprechaun was inspired by a guy I saw in Belgium โ€“ the man was totally short as all get out, but had a commanding presence, was buffed and gorgeous beyond B.E.L.I.E.F.!!
3)ย ย ย ย ย  The time difference overseas can really mess with me. Sometimes thatโ€™s awesome because a case of jetlag whipped my backside only hours before I wrote this post. And guess what I dreamed? I dreamed that me and the daughter of my book wrangler (a fabulous chicklet affectionately known as CeeCee, CVD and occasionally โ€˜Slave Driverโ€™) got into a bar fight at a bowling alley and kicked ass Charlieโ€™s Angels style! So guess what? Iโ€™m writing it down to put into a book before I forget!
I expect that while we are at the Authors After Dark readers convention in New Orleans in August, Iโ€™ll have even more fodder *tj rubbing hands together with huge evil grin on her face* Mwahahaha!
We are giving away winner’s choice title from Michaels’s backlist. Open to everyone.

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6 Comments

  1. Good Post! I totally think it’s okay to eat the chocolate on your home based timezone and the visiting time zone…lol…Seals of Destiny sounds like a really interesting series! Thanks for the giveaway

  2. Hum, bad ass leprechauns. Gotta check it out! I can’t wait to see how you use New Orleans in a story. That will be good! I love stories based in New Orleans.

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