Bailey & Friends: A.K. Michaels

Today, I’m joined by the ever awesome A.K Michaels. Author of Sabrina’s Vampire series, The Witch, The Wolf and the Vampire series and many others. Meeting Ava on the KUF, she has been continuously kind, helpful and a joy to talk to. We are current working on our second collaboration together.

1. So Ava, what has drawn you to Vampires? 

Power and sex! My Vamps are all powerful beings who are not affected by daylight and are Hot! My stories are not for youngsters, I write for adults and have some very hot and steamy scenes and some battle scenes. No sparkly Vamps in my books lol.  But they are all Alphas with sex appeal and pretty darn good fighters, so there’s action as well as some suspense and love.

2. Though you made a public statement about NOT being an actual Vampire yourself, rumor has it that you went on and threatened to bite someone, care to comment? 

Ha ha! Hmmmm maybe not! Comment that is! I may incriminate myself and that would never do! I would possibly have to get one of my Vamps to come to my rescue and I’m pretty sure you wouldn't like that!

3. What made you decide to become a writer?

This is something that I’m not ashamed to tell folks. I have severe OCD/Anxiety issues and I would tell my therapist bout all these words and stories running through my head. She said I should try and write them out but I was very reluctant. However, she encouraged me again and again so I thought ‘Why not? It’s not as if anyone is going to see them.’ So I bought an old second hand laptop and sat down to type – and haven’t stopped since!

4. Do you have any advice for any writers wanting to give self-publishing a try? 

Go for it. Honestly, just sit down and write/type, check out the wonderful pages on FB for things like Beta readers and then get a good editor. I know it’s an expense most worry about but, trust me, a good editor is worth the money. I, like many other indies, made the mistake of trying to publish without one but when got some reviews slating punctuation etc I soon realized my mistake and got one pronto. In fact I now have two, one in UK and one in US.

5. Some people enjoy biting their partners in sessions of passion. Why do you think that is?

Oh I think that’s a throwback to when humans were much more primal and the evidence of bites indicated someone was ‘taken’. Kinda like a wedding ring nowadays.  Or, it may just be lust taking over, heck, I don’t know lol.

6. You’ve obviously become quite successful and it’s well earned. What made you go from simply writing a book, to giving it your all?

That’s kinda hard, I’ve never really done anything by halves (OCD comes into play here lol), so when I decided to type out the stories in my head I tried to make them the best they could be. Although at that time I had no intention of publishing. It took a lot of prodding from my daughter and sister to even think about doing something with what I had written. Once I decided though, I then started to work my little socks off to make a go of things and I’ve now got lovely folks who come and chat to me on FB and tell me what they liked (or not) about my stories. I’ve also got a group of girls who help me, an online team, and they do so much to help get the word out about my stories. They work so hard and I am extremely grateful to each and every one of them, especially Charmaine and Carolyn, and also Becca and Angel who now do my covers for my books. They are so talented and make an idea of mine into a work of art. I’m not sure how things have progressed as they have, all I know is I am having a ball and love that folks like the stories my weird brain comes up with.

7. What did you want to be when you grew up?

Oh this is easy! I wanted to be a Police Dog Handler. However, I'm only just over 5ft and at that time there was still the height restriction for joining the force.  So I couldn't do it, but, until recently, we've always had dogs, mostly German Shepherds, and they were trained very well by moi! The last dog we had we rescued in Cyprus when we stayed there and brought back to UK with us when we decided to return to Scotland. Most of her commands were in Greek lol and all were taught to only bark on command.

8. If you and your husband were having a nice romantic meal, what song would be playing in the backdrop?

Oh shoot, this is a question for him, he’s great with music and I’m rubbish!  I do love I don’t Wanna Miss a Thing by Aerosmith. If I had to pick a song that was ‘our’ song it would be Simply The Best by Tina Turner

9. If you decided to host a dinner party; but you only had three seats left, which three authors would you invite to join?

Really, I can have anyone I want? I assume these can cover both alive and not so alive!  Oh gosh, let me see. As Enid Blyton was the one that introduced me to words and stories then that would be one. Next would be author of one of my favourite TV series – Game of Thrones – George R R Martin. Now, who to pick for the third? Heck, I've read his stories for soooooooo long it would have to be Stephen King. Or, wait, nope – Robert B Parker! Jeez I LOVE his Spenser series and if he could bring Hawk along with him I would be very, very happy! (Edit: Interviewer expected to be included :p)

10. How do you feel about books like Twilight turning Vampires into a limp affair of teenage angst?

This is difficult to answer because they were targeted for teenagers and so I don’t compare them to anything I write. I like tough, strong men, not ‘pretty boys’ and my Vamps could definitely not be compared to sparklies lol. Saying that, if I had even a tiny portion of that success I would be ecstatic lol.

11. You’re moving slightly away from Vampires in your latest book; care to tell us a bit about it?

Am I? Still lots of Vamps, Wolves and Witches BUT I am introducing a new being – a Dragon – and she’s a kick-ass female who’ll give any of the Vamps a run for their money. In this one we have Ronan, who we've met briefly in Witch, Wolf, Vamp and Sabrina #3, and he is Director of the Supernatural Enforcement Bureau (SEB) and he’s on a mission to locate and keep safe a Dragon that very well might be the last of their kind. As he has always thought they were a myth it’s more than a little surprising for him to find out they are real and his Sire, Josef, orders him to find and help the Dragon and Ronan does not like taking orders, from anyone.

12. You’re on a desert island, the air is cold and the night is long. You have a copy of The Great 
Gatsby and a copy of Maybe, Misery. Which one do you burn and which one do you read?

Oh gosh! Well, I have to admit I’ve never read The Great Gatsby and I have read Maybe, Misery so, I’m sorry, but I’d have to keep Gatsby! (Edit: Interviewer expresses shock and sadness.)

13. After speaking to you many times, it’s quite obvious you’re a wonderful woman. How far do you believe that being an author changes your attitude towards others? 

Firstly, shush, don’t tell folks that lol. Secondly, I don’t think I've changed any. My gran brought me up for first ten years of my life and she told me every day ‘It’s nice to be nice’ and even though I have grumpy days like everyone else, I try to live by those words. She was an amazing human being, strong, kind and thoughtful of others and I miss her every single day.

14. Your book is being made into a movie, who do you imagine would play the main character? And would you have a cameo?

Oh heck! I’ve thought on this for Witch, Wolf, Vamp and Josef would be Ian Somerhalder, Gabe would be Theo James, probably,  and I’d have to have drastic plastic surgery and a time machine so I could play Peri!!!!!

15. And last but not least. If we all had one day left on Earth, what ONE crazy thing would you do?

Sorry, didn't you see part bout me being crazy with OCD lol? Most days I do crazy stuff, well it’s not crazy to me though. Okay what would I do? Okay, gotta make this a clean one. Crazy for me would be hugging strangers! I don’t do the whole invading my space thing but if it was my last day I may just go around hugging everyone I came into contact with and getting hold of Ian Somerhalder’s phone number and leaving him a message telling him how HOT he is!

Here's a blurb from Supernatural Enforcement Bureau, The Dragon and The Vampire: Book 1

As Director of the Supernatural Enforcement Bureau, powerful Vampire Ronan, thought he had seen it all...until he discovers that Dragons actually exist. Can he help the Dragon being hunted on his patch? He certainly has the means at his disposal...if they can find it first...before the dark magic-wielding Witches and their Vampire cohorts.

After seeing the magnificent beast with his own eyes he can't turn from the task, even if he wanted to. Especially as his Sire, Josef, gives him a direct command to find the Dragon and keep it safe. No matter the cost.

With rogue Vampires and Witches on its trail, it's only a matter of time before they capture it. That's not something Ronan will allow...not on his watch! He will do whatever it takes to find and save the Dragon, using every powerful being at his disposal, including the dark and dangerous Creed.

You can get Ava's book here:

Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MQQMWXO
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00MQQMWXO?https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00MQQMWXO
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00MQQMWXO?