Interview with Katrina Michaels

Welcome Katrina. Thank you for joining us today.

Q: Let’s start out by getting the name of your newest release and what genre/category it falls into

A: My first book, which came out last April, is called Midnight Reflections and it is an urban fantasy mystery. My second book should be out sometime this coming fall and is called Dead Awakening. It’s the sequel to Midnight Reflections.


Q: Can you sum up your book in 2 sentences or less

A. Hmm, difficult but let me give it a try. A serial killer, both man and monster, stalks the streets of Riverside with one newly made vampire and the Preternatural Investigation Agency doing everything they can to stop him before he kills again. Midnight Reflections is a tale of vampires, werewolves, warlocks, and murder.


Q: List three adjectives that can best describe this book
A: Mystery, supernatural, thriller


Q: Can you describe your heroine in 3 words?

A: Stubborn, intelligent, girly


Q: Name one unique trait about your heroine

A: There is one trait of Tara’s that I have in common with her. We both have a bad habit of biting and chewing on her lips when we get nervous or anxious. I have gotten better about it, but I’m not so sure about Tara.


Q: If an actor or actress was to play your heroine who would it be?

A: Hmm, well I have a fondness for the unknown actor/actress, but if I had to name someone to play Tara, it would be Summer Glau. I loved her character, River, on Firefly. And my choice of director would definitely be Joss Whedon. Love that man.


Q: Name the sexiest trait of the main man in your newest book

A: Tom has a bit of the wounded soldier vibe going for him but what makes him sexy to me is his intelligence and his loyalty to his people. Plus, as I say in the book, he looks like Hugh Jackman which doesn’t hurt at all.


Q: What is the strangest source of inspiration you’ve had? Maybe something weird that ended up in one of your books or short stories.

A: Well, I do get inspired by strange things. Sometimes simple conversations about something as mundane as shopping can branch into a very odd idea that I have to find a way to incorporate into one of my books. Unfortunately, most of the best moments of inspiration are for scenes in my future books so I don’t want to say too much just yet. However, I will say that I had a very inspiring conversation with my mom about horrific and creative ways to kill vampires. My mom’s a nurse so she came up with a few very agonizing methods and they will all be featured in Book Five of this series.

Q: Name one thing your main character would never leave home without

A: Hmm, I would say that Tara always has lip gloss or chapstick on hand. There is nothing worse than dry lips. Especially with her bad habit.


Q What about you, what's one thing you never want to leave home without?

A: A hair clip. About halfway through the day, my hair starts to fall across my eyes and drives me insane. I almost always have a hair clip on me somewhere to save my sanity.


Q- Just for fun Lightning Round

Light or dark? Dark

Red or pink? Red

Silence or Noise? Silence

Coke or Pepsi? Pepsi

Coffee or tea? Tea

Abs or buns? Buns

Vampires or Angels? Vampires


Q: If you could offer one tidbit of information for new writers, what would it be?

A: The best advice I can give is to write the story you want to tell and not what you think people expect to read. This is your story and you’re in control. If you write something you are not comfortable or happy with, it will show in your writing. Everyone has a different style and stories to tell, and that is what makes reading so enjoyable.


Q: Do you have a “day job” or do you write full time?

A: Yes, I do have a day job. I work for an environmental consulting company as a research scientist and information specialist. Yeah, I can be a bit of a nerd. After reading very dry scientific articles most of the day, it is a lot of fun to come home and read about magic and mayhem. But between my job and commute, I will admit that it is sometimes hard to find time to write.


Q: Name one thing readers would be surprised to learn about you.

A: Well, I will admit that whenever I watch a gory or very scary horror movie, I usually end up hiding behind my fingers and turning the sound down during the most disgusting or terrifying parts. Even if you’re not watching the scary gross parts, sometimes just hearing it makes it worse. And yet I write about poor people being literally torn limb from limb.


Q: Do you have a favorite book and/or a favorite author?

A: I don’t have one particular favorite book or only one favorite author, but one author that is at the top of my list is Rob Thurman. Her way of incorporating many different mythologies into urban fantasy is wonderful. Another favorite author is Janet Evanovich. I can reread her comedic Stephanie Plum novels many times.


Q: Could you tell us about your current work in progress?

A: Well, I am currently working on the third book in my series, which is called Tainted Blood. But my next book to be released is Dead Awakening and is the second in the series. Dead Awakening focuses on Agent Aidan Montgomery, a warlock and member of the Preternatural Investigation Agency. He is called in to examine a mummy that is supposed to be cursed and declares it to be harmless. To Aidan’s shock, the mummy is soon suspected as the cause when a number of people are murdered. With his reputation in jeopardy, Aidan the PIA investigate to find out who is really behind the murders.


Q:What are some of your hobbies besides writing?

A: Well, it’s not really a hobby, but the majority of my free time is spent with my horse. He’s a beautiful Tennessee Walker and a pure joy to ride. He also has a lot of personality since he’s a bit neurotic. I’ve been riding horses since I was eight, so I would say that it’s more of a passion than hobby.


Q: Finish the following sentence:

A: The best thing about being an author is getting that package in the mail and seeing your book in print for the first time.


Q: In closing, tell us a bit about your latest release. Feel free to share a blurb or an excerpt.

A: As Midnight Reflections is my book that is currently out, so I will talk about that one. It’s available through Amazon, barnesandnoble.com, and www.bookdepository.com.

Midnight Reflections introduces to a society where vampires, werewolves, warlocks, and witches freely roam amongst the ordinary humans. One such human, Tara Daston, only wanted a fun night out dancing with her boyfriend. Getting killed was certainly the last thing she ever expected and waking up three days later as a vampire was the last thing she ever wanted. As Tara struggles with her death and new unlife, she also becomes involved in a hunt for a vicious serial killer. During her own investigation into the killings, she meets Tom Duncan, fellow vampire and lead agent of the Preternatural Investigation Agency, who is not at all amused at what he considers to be her interference. However, the serial killer soon takes notice of Tara and is intrigued, forcing her to work together with Tom and the rest of the agency to stop the murders.

For your reading pleasure, I’ve included the first part of Chapter One.

Lyle Brooks liked jogging late at night when everyone else was home watching TV or getting ready for bed. It was so much quieter than during the day and he found it peaceful. Tonight, the only sound to break the silence was the rhythmic noise of his feet pounding on the stone path. The air seemed fresher, crisper in the darkness, and it always relaxed him. Even after the most stressful of days, jogging still managed to clear his head and let him breathe. He was jogging through the park near his home and so far, he had passed only two other people on the outer trail. It was during the week, so the park was fairly empty, exactly the way he liked it. His friends always warned him that it was dangerous, but he was a large man and he carried his cell phone, so he felt safe. Nothing had ever happened.

Lyle smiled as he jogged, still feeling the euphoric buzz of being responsible for winning a new soft drink advertising campaign for his company. If it had been Friday night and not Wednesday, he would have been enjoying many celebratory drinks at Logan’s Grill, but it was still the middle of the week so he settled for a run. He was surprised that the park wasn’t more crowded because it was a beautiful night. The sky was so perfectly clear that in areas where there weren’t as many streetlights, the stars and constellations were bright and shining. Lyle glanced up as he entered a darkened part of the park and grinned when he remembered his old astronomy lessons and found the Big Dipper and Orion. “This has been a good day,” Lyle said softly to himself.

Jogging near a grouping of trees, Lyle heard a slight rustling of the leaves just off the path. Slowing slightly, he listened more carefully but didn’t hear anything. “Squirrels,” he muttered and picked his pace back up.

He was just passing the trees, when the sound came again, louder and closer. His curiosity overruling everything else, Lyle stopped and moved closer to the growth surrounding the trees to take a look. As Lyle bent down to push a low branch aside, something large and gray leapt out of the brush and knocked him to the ground. Searing pain erupted in his side and shoulder and the first thought that came to his mind was that he had been stabbed. Then his vision cleared and he saw that it wasn’t a person on top of him and it wasn’t a knife piercing his side. It was claws.

The creature was very large and slightly resembled a wolf, but the image was wrong somehow. The face was more of a gargoyle than a wolf and the eyes were yellow. Lyle raised his unwounded arm and tried to hit the creature, hoping desperately to knock it off of him. It snarled and reacted by grabbing his arm in its teeth and biting cleanly through with a vicious crack as the bone severed. Lyle recoiled and then stared in shock at what was left of his right arm. His hand was gone and he could see the splintered edges of the bone jutting out a few inches above where his wrist should have been. Dimly, his horrified mind tried to catch up with what was happening, but he could only think how strange it was that his arm didn’t hurt. His arm was torn in half and bleeding freely, he was pretty sure that should hurt, but it didn’t. His mind just couldn’t grasp the concept. It was so very wrong.

A low growling drew his attention back to the creature waiting almost patiently for him to react. When he saw his unmarred hand still dangling out of the creature’s mouth, it was then that he began to feel the agonizing pain. Opening his mouth, he started to scream but the creature acted instantly, swiping its claws and cutting his throat. The scream died off to a strangled gurgling noise as Lyle gasped for breath drowning as his own blood filled his throat.



Thank you Roxanne for the interview!