Hello? I'm a Michigan author, that's the main thing that inspired my decision to showcase other Michigan authors all month. It's not like I picked a state out of a hat and decided to showcase it.
So today to wrap up Michigan month I am going to talk a little bit about my experiences living here my entire life and about my books (of course).
I have lived in Michigan my whole life and have alternately loved and hated it.
I love Spring, Fall and Summer here- it is so beautiful.
Autumn in Michigan by rkramer62 flickr CC
I think my favorite time is autumn- the colors are phenomenal and the smell of dying leaves (sounds odd but it's a slightly sweet nature smell) mixed with the clean crisp air and the wafting aroma of bonfires makes me feel so at home and comforted. The variety of leaf colors combined with the greens and blues of the pine trees mixed with the purest blue skies and big fluffy white clouds make Fall in Michigan extraordinary- and if you happen to combine all that with the backdrop of one of our many beautiful lakes- it is truly an exquisite sight.
I couldn't imagine living anywhere else- I've tried. My husband and I have spoken about leaving but Florida and Georgia (his former stomping grounds) are just too hot for a cold blooded Michigan girl like myself. I love Tennessee but driving through the mountains would surely kill me. And I don't mean falling off the mountain either though after I had a panic attack behind the wheel I am sure I would probably end up at the bottom of the mountain. Not good. Plus the bears. No thanks I want to be able to garden and let my kids play outside without worrying about bears rambling through my yard.
I love the magic of New Orleans but I don't want to live there- visiting from time to time is fine.
So I'm stuck in Michigan because I haven't found anyplace else that feels like home. I just wish I could leave for the winters.
Machinac Island at Christmas Time by Mackinca Cowgirl Flickr Creative Commons
I love snow fall on Christmas Eve- there is something truly magical about snowfall on Christmas Eve. Then waking up to a white Christmas day just feels right.
winter scene by rkramer62 Flickr CCAfter that I couldn't care less about the snow. I turn into a grumpy old bear and want to hibernate. All my life in Michigan and I have never been skiing, snowboarding or snowmobiling. My husband, who is from the south, has done all of it- numerous times and he's only lived here for a combined total of maybe 12 years. He even goes ice fishing and hunts. He's taken the kids to do a lot of the outdoor stuff- good thing so they get the experiences. Me, I stay home and huddle under blankets. I have always wished I had a big fireplace to lounge in front of all winter. It would make me happier if I could do winter right. Instead I sulk all winter waiting for spring.
My rosesOnce spring comes I am alive again and ready to dig in the dirt and plant my seeds and plants.
My backyardThen there's summer- gardens, lakes, parks, nature, hiking, camping, going up north...that's all part of a Michigan summer.
Tawas shoreline by Linda N. Flickr CC
When I was a kid my first step dad had a cabin up north and his (adult) son had a big boat up in Tawas- so most of our summers were split up between Harrison and Tawas. Harrison had a lake that I would go swimming in and it had a river flowing through it to go canoeing and tubing. And Tawas...being on the water like that was wonderful. Whenever I get close to one of the Great Lakes and smell that slightly fishy aroma I am transported to my childhood once again. Being at the Great Lakes is like many people going back to the ocean. They are immense and amazing.
I wish I could give my children the up north experiences I had as a child but we don't have a cabin or a large boat like that (hopefully someday). I have sent my son on plenty of boyscout camp outs where they have went up north and to the U.P. (upper peninsula) so he's had the experience plus he goes up north with the hubby for deer hunting every fall.
Now I need to get the other two to see the state.
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A couple of my stories take place in Michigan- Renata and The Questioning Concubine which are in Torrid Teasers Volume 59 available through Whiskey Creek Press Torrid are both set in the beautiful downtown area of Flushing.
Cemetery Seduction is also set in the Flushing area. Cemetery Seduction appears in the Midnight Showcase Dark Tales Digest.
I am currently working on a set of novels based in Flint- featuring vampires and all sorts of Others.
Here are my other books:
Other releases through various publishers
Eternal Desire for your Kindle
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