Michele Shriver Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Stacy EatonStacy Eaton

Welcome to Sunday morning Coffee Chat time!

Today’s guest is Michele Shriver!

SE: Welcome Michele!!! So glad you could join us today!

MS: Hello, Stacy and readers of this blog. I?m very excited to join you this morning to chat about my writing and my upcoming release. Thank you for having me.

SE: I have a very standard first questions, Coffee or Tea?

MS: A cafe mocha, please. I?m a bit of a snob when it comes to my coffee.?

SE: Be all the snog you want! I’m a mocha person myself!? So glad you are here. We just met recently and I’m really excited to learn more about you, so let’s jump right in!? We know you?re an author, but do you work another job when you are not writing?

MS: I do work another job. I?m an attorney specializing mainly in juvenile and child welfare law. I also do some criminal defense work, so I guess that kind of puts us on opposite sides. My real passion is the juvenile work, though.

SE: Ewww… you said the “D” word.? lol.. now worries, I know that people deserve to be represented, especially children. So what what is your favorite thing to do when you aren?t writing or working?

MS: I?m a big sports fan, mainly football and hockey.? I?ll pretty much watch any game on TV. I also enjoy reading other people?s books. And due to some current health issues, I?d have to put sleeping up there as a favorite activity.

SE: Hey, napping should always be on that list!!!? So, what is your favorite color?

MS: Green. I?m not really sure why. Maybe because I like frogs and have collected them since I was about three. Not real ones, but stuffed, ceramic, wooden, you name it. I?ve got frogs in my house.

SE: Oh, my daughter would love to see them! She loves frogs too! What is your favorite season?

MS: Fall, because I love seeing the leaves change. And hoodies, jeans and boots are my favorite attire. And it?s the start of hockey season. Unfortunately, in Iowa it sometimes seems we skip fall and transition straight to winter.

SE: I have a good friend in Iowa, she said the same thing about the weather. Okay, so talking about living, if you could live anyplace on earth, where would it be?

MS: That?s a tough one. I most want to visit Portugal, but not having done that yet, I can?t say if I like it enough to live there. So I?ll go with Austin, TX because my family is there.? Except I can?t handle the heat, so I?d probably still want to spend 3 of 4 seasons where I am. I love Canada too.

SE: I love that so many people I interview love where they live! Other than writing, what do you have a passion for?

MS: Sports, books, food and wine.

SE: Nice! Okay, let’s switch tracks and talk about writing.? How long have your been writing? Was it a dream, a goal or is it just a hobby?

MS: I?ve been writing fiction in some capacity pretty much most of my life. I first caught the bug back in sixth grade with an assignment to write the first chapter of a book. I wanted to write the whole thing! It was mainly just a hobby until about 7 years ago when it became much more of a passion and goal.? Now I can?t stop.

SE: I love hearing that! How many hours a day do you devote to writing?

MS: I try to devote at least an hour or two a day to get some words written, if my job and my health allow. If I?m not actively writing, though, I am pretty much always thinking about it.

SE: Hard not to think about it when we aren’t clicking on our keyboards, isn’t it? Do you have a set routine or do you write when the mood strikes?

MS: I try to follow a routine and do something each day, but I can?t force my writing. Some days the words just aren?t there, so I?ll take a break that day.

SE: That is the best thing to do! Is there some place special you like to be when you write?

MS: Weather permitting, out on my back patio.

SE: Do you listen to music or do you need a quiet place to write?

MS: No music for me. Quiet, or the TV on in the background even though I never really pay much attention to what?s on when I?m immersed in writing.

SE: Very good, so let’s get on to one of your books,? What is the name of it and is it part of a series or a stand alone novel?

MS: The Art of Love. It?s stand alone, but with a spin off novel coming in a couple months.? Chelsea?s mom, Liz, played a big role in this book and kind of demanded a story of her own, so I just finished writing that.

SE; lol… I love demanding characters!? Where did the idea come from?

MS: This story was inspired by the cover. I bought a pre-made cover featuring an artsy scene simply because it caught my eye, and then planned a book about two art students finding love.

SE: Wow, that’s a different kind of inspiration! Cool! What is it about?

MS: Chelsea Matthews has a simple dream?travel the country on the art fair circuit selling her hand-crafted jewelry. When her disapproving father refuses to release her trust fund money to support her ambitions, she takes a part-time job in a campus gallery. While counting the days until she can be free of its stuffy confines, an unexpected temptation comes in the form of a sensitive painter.

For Hayden Shaw, having his paintings displayed in the finest galleries is the true measure of an artist?s success. When the pursuit of his goal puts him in contact with the free-spirited Chelsea, his world is turned upside down.

Can two seemingly opposite artists find middle ground and discover the art of love, or will a gallery curator with an agenda of her own undermine both their dreams?

SE: Sounds great Michele!? What about your other work, do you have any upcoming projects in the works or other books that have been published ? Tell us about them?

MS: I have three published women?s fiction novels, along with two contemporary romance.? More information about all of them is available on my website. My upcoming project is Starting Over, about a fifty-something divorcee getting another chance at love.

SE: That sounds great! I hope some of my readers check it out! Thank you so much for stopping by today! I loved having you and learning more about you!