Interview with Author Jess Michaels

Meet Jess Michaels author of An Affair in Winter.

Jess Michaels writes erotic historical romance set in the Regency period. She lives in Tucson, AZ where she hangs out with her awesome husband and does geeky things in the desert.

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First off, can you tell us a bit about you?

I’m Jess Michaels, I write erotic historical romance set in the Regency period. My 60th book (An Affair in Winter) comes out tomorrow (July 12) and starts a new series called Seasons. Right now I live in Tucson, AZ but my husband and I are going to be moving to Northern Arizona soon (so I’m in the midst of writing and packing and freaking out. I’ve been married to my husband for 20 years in March 2017 and we have no kids, but one cat who acts as our assistant. Well, she whines excessively, which she thinks is the same thing.

Did you always want to be a writer?

I did! I always did write, though during college I got a degree in psychology with the intention of becoming a marriage counselor. But when my husband started working at Microsoft right out of college, that gave me the ability to start writing full time. He retired 5 years ago (at 35) and now he works full time as my business manager. So it’s a family business now.

What kind of writer are you? Panser or Plotter?

I’m a plotter. I do a lot of character work and scene sketching and pre-writing. It helps me stay on track, write clean drafts and not write myself into corners (at least not very often).

Where do your ideas come from?

I think I get ideas from everywhere. Sometimes it’s a character or a scene that pops into my head (the first night Gray and Rosalinde spend together in An Affair in Winter was the catalyst for this new series) and sometimes it’s a series idea (my next series, The 1783 Club was all about the whole series). I don’t know how everyone doesn’t have a billion book ideas, honestly.

A la Twitter style, can you describe your book (or series) in 140 characters or less.

– An Affair in Winter – Stranded in a snowstorm + one stolen night = All kinds of consequences for two families.

What are some of your favorite kinds of stories to read?

I love reunited lovers, friends turned to lovers, marriages of convenience and unexpected heroines. Luckily I get to read and write all of those!

Do you have a favorite book and if so what is it?

Oh gosh, that’s like picking a favorite child. There are books for moods, books that inspired me, books that helped me move forward. I’d probably say Anne of Green Gables was my first favorite book.

What are the scenes that are the hardest for you to write? Why?

It really depends on the book. Sometimes tough conflict scenes are hardest, sometimes action, sometimes love scenes, sometimes it’s transitional scenes. Every book is a little different.

If you could have dinner with any three authors, who would you choose and why?

I’d probably pick three author friends so that I could have a lot of fun and laugh and compare notes. It’s hard to narrow it down but Grace Callaway, Jenn LeBlanc (who both live far away so I don’t get to hang out with them very often) and Vicki Lewis Thompson (who I do get to see and hang out with a couple times a month).

Last question, are you working on anything right now?

I just finished with the second book in the Seasons series, A Spring Deception (September 6) and next week I’ll start writing the third book, One Summer of Surrender (November 8)! So lots on my plate right now.

What is YOUR favorite romance “trope”?

Widow Rosalinde Wilde is on her way to her beloved sister’s wedding when an unexpected storm waylays her at an overcrowded inn. There she meets a tempting stranger who sweeps her into a night of unforgettable passion.

Grayson Danford never expected a night with the irresistible Mrs. Wilde, but she was a welcome distraction from the unpleasant duty of breaking up his brother’s impending nuptials. He’s shocked when he discovers his passionate lover is none other than the sister of his brother's intended.

Now Rosalinde and Gray will butt heads, even as their simmering desire for each other threatens to boil over. Who will win? And who might lose it all?

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