Good Morning, Booklovers!
I hope everyone is having a terrific holiday season. Thank you for taking time to visit us for book talk with romantic suspense author Sharon Michalove.
Welcome, Sharon! How do you take your coffee?
SM: At home, strong with a tiny bit of cream. In Europe I like a macchiato.
Ally: Since we’re in the US Midwest, I’ll pour it strong with just a touch of cream. While I fix our mugs, please introduce yourself to readers.
I hope everyone is having a terrific holiday season. Thank you for taking time to visit us for book talk with romantic suspense author Sharon Michalove.
Welcome, Sharon! How do you take your coffee?
SM: At home, strong with a tiny bit of cream. In Europe I like a macchiato.
Ally: Since we’re in the US Midwest, I’ll pour it strong with just a touch of cream. While I fix our mugs, please introduce yourself to readers.
Bio:
Sharon Michalove grew up in suburban Chicago. She received four degrees from the University of Illinois because she didn’t have the gumption to go anywhere else, and spent most of her career at the university. In graduate school, she met and married the love of her life. They shared a love of music, theater, travel and cats. He died in 2013.After spending most of her life in a medium-sized university town she moved back to Chicago in 2017.
Something unique/unusual that isn’t in your regular bio: “My husband and I led a tour to Istanbul and Venice for 23 members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2012.”
Author contact links:
Website: https://www.sharonmichalove.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sdmlove22
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sdmichaloveauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sdmichalove
Amazon author page: http://amazon.com/author/sdm_romance_and_more
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2128144.Sharon_D_Michalove?from_search=true&from_srp=true
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sharon-michalove
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sharonmichalove/
Sharon Michalove grew up in suburban Chicago. She received four degrees from the University of Illinois because she didn’t have the gumption to go anywhere else, and spent most of her career at the university. In graduate school, she met and married the love of her life. They shared a love of music, theater, travel and cats. He died in 2013.After spending most of her life in a medium-sized university town she moved back to Chicago in 2017.
Something unique/unusual that isn’t in your regular bio: “My husband and I led a tour to Istanbul and Venice for 23 members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2012.”
Author contact links:
Website: https://www.sharonmichalove.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sdmlove22
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sdmichaloveauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sdmichalove
Amazon author page: http://amazon.com/author/sdm_romance_and_more
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2128144.Sharon_D_Michalove?from_search=true&from_srp=true
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sharon-michalove
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sharonmichalove/
INTERVIEW:
Ally: Are you self-published or traditionally published? How did you make the decision?
SM: I’m self-published. Many of my traditionally published friends are getting their rights back and moving to self-publishing so they have been a great resource. I decided that I wanted control over the process. I’m also impatient. Getting a book traditionally published can take a long time from getting an agent to finding a publisher to the year or so it takes to get the book released.
Ally: What would you say is the hardest part of writing?
SM: Not dumping in huge amounts of backstory. As a historian, I always want to give the reader all the facts and all the context. I’ve been learning to be more sparing, but it is a constant struggle. I just put it in and then pare it down in the editing process.
Ally: Tell us about your reading habits. Current favorite books?
SM: I read mystery and romance as well as some history and craft books since I’m always learning as a writer. These days I don’t read as much as I did when I wasn’t writing. Currently I would say favorites include Deborah Harkness’ All Souls Series, Dorothy Dunnett’s House of Niccolo books, The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves, Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers, and anything by Amy Harmon, Julie Moffett, Julie Mulhern, April White, Penny Reid, and Aven Ellis. I’ve also been revisiting Agatha Christie and Jane Austen.
Ally: Let us fantasize you’re thrown into a different time period—either past or future—what book hero would you want with you?
SM: Nicholas Fleury from Dorothy Dunnett’s wonderful series The House of Niccolo. Nicholas, for all his faults, is clever, resourceful, and loyal. He could get me out of any sticky situations and make me laugh while doing it.
Ally: Are you self-published or traditionally published? How did you make the decision?
SM: I’m self-published. Many of my traditionally published friends are getting their rights back and moving to self-publishing so they have been a great resource. I decided that I wanted control over the process. I’m also impatient. Getting a book traditionally published can take a long time from getting an agent to finding a publisher to the year or so it takes to get the book released.
Ally: What would you say is the hardest part of writing?
SM: Not dumping in huge amounts of backstory. As a historian, I always want to give the reader all the facts and all the context. I’ve been learning to be more sparing, but it is a constant struggle. I just put it in and then pare it down in the editing process.
Ally: Tell us about your reading habits. Current favorite books?
SM: I read mystery and romance as well as some history and craft books since I’m always learning as a writer. These days I don’t read as much as I did when I wasn’t writing. Currently I would say favorites include Deborah Harkness’ All Souls Series, Dorothy Dunnett’s House of Niccolo books, The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves, Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers, and anything by Amy Harmon, Julie Moffett, Julie Mulhern, April White, Penny Reid, and Aven Ellis. I’ve also been revisiting Agatha Christie and Jane Austen.
Ally: Let us fantasize you’re thrown into a different time period—either past or future—what book hero would you want with you?
SM: Nicholas Fleury from Dorothy Dunnett’s wonderful series The House of Niccolo. Nicholas, for all his faults, is clever, resourceful, and loyal. He could get me out of any sticky situations and make me laugh while doing it.
Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
SM: My next book is At the Crossroads. The second in the Global Security Unlimited series continues Max and Cress story.
Max Grant finally has the girl of his dreams but his past roars back with a vengeance. when he is tagged by a Turkish terrorist seeking revenge for an event ten years ago.
SM: My next book is At the Crossroads. The second in the Global Security Unlimited series continues Max and Cress story.
Max Grant finally has the girl of his dreams but his past roars back with a vengeance. when he is tagged by a Turkish terrorist seeking revenge for an event ten years ago.
Max finds his past roaring into the present when a terrorist escapes from a Turkish prison, vowing revenge. Working with an old rival from his days in MI6, Max seeks for his elusive foe. From London, to the Scottish highlands, Paris, and Istanbul, a deadly game of cat and mouse may keep the lovers apart—permanently.
The book is scheduled to be published in May 2022.
Ally: Which of the trivia questions did you choose?
SM:
- Memorable book you’ve read: The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves
- Book you’re currently reading: Code of Ethics by April White
- Author (living or dead) you’d love to take to lunch: April White
- Favorite comfort food: stuffed cabbage and mashed potatoes
- Best place you’ve ever visited: Rosslyn Chapel, Scotland
Ally: Thanks for spending time with us at such a busy time of year, Sharon. I wish you the best of the holiday season. Before you go, please show us your featured book.
At First Sight (Global Security Unlimited #1)
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating: PG-13
Oxford, England 1993. An awkward American grad student runs into a gorgeous English undergrad with her bicycle. She’s embarrassed. He’s intrigued. They go their separate ways, but neither forgets.
Chicago, Illinois 2013. When Cress Taylor starts receiving anonymous threats, the successful novelist feels her world crashing down. Max Grant turns up at a book signing and wants to renew their fleeting acquaintance. Is the timing coincidental or suspicious? Should she fall into his arms or run like hell? Then the plagiarism accusations start.
A former spy now working for a global security company, Max Grant has always steered clear of relationships—until now. When he sees Cress in a TV interview, his curiosity ignites. Will the spark he felt twenty years ago burst into flame? Cress is a magnet he can’t resist. As threats escalate to physical danger, Max feels driven to protect Cress. They must learn to work together if they want to stop her nemesis and find their happy ending.
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating: PG-13
Oxford, England 1993. An awkward American grad student runs into a gorgeous English undergrad with her bicycle. She’s embarrassed. He’s intrigued. They go their separate ways, but neither forgets.
Chicago, Illinois 2013. When Cress Taylor starts receiving anonymous threats, the successful novelist feels her world crashing down. Max Grant turns up at a book signing and wants to renew their fleeting acquaintance. Is the timing coincidental or suspicious? Should she fall into his arms or run like hell? Then the plagiarism accusations start.
A former spy now working for a global security company, Max Grant has always steered clear of relationships—until now. When he sees Cress in a TV interview, his curiosity ignites. Will the spark he felt twenty years ago burst into flame? Cress is a magnet he can’t resist. As threats escalate to physical danger, Max feels driven to protect Cress. They must learn to work together if they want to stop her nemesis and find their happy ending.
Buy Links:
At First Sight (ebook):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B097CJDZ9Q/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0
At First Sight (paperback, Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/At-First-Sight-Security-Unlimited/dp/1736918702/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
At First Sight (paperback, Barnes and Noble):
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/at-first-sight-sharon-d-michalove/1140047370?ean=9781736918708