AP Author Spotlight: Stephanie Michels

Stephanie Michels

 

Website: StephanieMichelsAuthor.com

Blog: same
Twitter ID: @SMichelsAuthor
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/7133902.Stephanie_Michels?from_search=true
Facebook: www.facebook.com/StephanieMichelsAuthor

 

Describe yourself in three words:

Crazy shoe addict!

 

Tell us a little about your latest release:

The Friendship Star Quilt
Stitching Post Romance: Book Two
co-authored by Patricia Kiyono and Stephanie Michels

The Friendship Star Quilt is the second romance in the Stitching Post romance series. The books are about different women who shop there and bond over their love for quilting. Like all quilt shops, this one in Grandville, Michigan, has customers of every age and marital status. We wrote the stories to show different facets of love and romance in today's world. 

The first book was about a long-married couple who are nearing retirement age and suddenly realize their dreams are no longer on the same page.

This second book is about a young woman who fled from an abusive situation and sought a safe haven in Grandville. Here's a little about it:  

Anne Brown loves her job at The Stitching Post Quilt Shop in Grandville, Michigan, but she keeps a suitcase packed and ready so she can flee at a moment's notice. Living under the radar, she longs for a normal life but settles for listening to the family stories told by the friendly ladies who meet at the shop on Tuesday evenings to quilt. When she meets Brad, the handsome band director of an area high school and his adorable daughter, Anne begins to hope for a happily ever after of her own. But someone has far different plans.

Brad Carmichael is juggling the demands of his job as a high school band director with trying to be a better father to his daughter, Jennie. When Brad is late picking her up from a birthday party, the pretty young clerk from the local quilt shop comes to the rescue. Kind-hearted and talented, Anne becomes a vital part of his and Jennie’s lives. Until her past threatens to destroy their relationship.

Excerpt:

He’d hit her. Not open-handed like in the past. This time, he’d used his fists, beating her until she’d been too weak to struggle and had fallen, broken, to the floor. He’d cursed at her, kicked her then dragged her to her feet so he could punch her some more. Finally, he’d tossed her in his fancy convertible and raced through the darkness, driving much too fast for the country roads. At least he’d stop hitting her.

The squeal of the tires nearly drowned out his angry tirade. Maybe he’d realized how bad she was hurt. Maybe he was taking her somewhere for help. She cried out as the car reached a stretch of rutted, gravel road, and her lungs burned as she gasped for air. Where were they? This wasn’t the way to the hospital. She tried to ask but her lips were swollen, her mouth too dry to form the words. She sank against the seat as he raced through the night, still travelling way too fast.

The car swerved, and she suddenly felt a rush of air as the door opened beside her.

"Die!" he hissed then shoved her from the moving car.

***

"Can you tell us what happened? Who did this to you?"

A shadowy figure leaned over her and blocked the brightness. A kindly face wavered into view. Another figure leaned over her from the opposite side.

Who were they, and where was she? She heard the sound of distant traffic and crickets chirping somewhere closer. So many questions flitted through her head. But her pain made it too hard to focus on them. She tried to look around to get her bearings but something pressed against her forehead, preventing her from turning. She tensed, feeling more restraints on her arms and legs.

"It’s all right, miss," the first shadowy figure reassured in a soft voice. "We had to immobilize you, so we could lift you without injuring you more. We’re going to carry you up the hill and take you to the hospital now."

Hospital? The word triggered a panicked reaction until one thought bubbled up through her confusion and pain.

What about my baby?

 

 

What is your earliest memory?

I remember visiting a relative of my parents, who lived on a high, grassy hill above one of the Great Lakes. It was a beautiful summer day and my two older sisters, and I were wearing matching, yellow cotton sundresses. We had an absolute ball giggling and rolling down the grassy hill over and over.

I later shared the memory with my Mom and she was amazed I remembered as I was 2-1/2 years old at the time. But the memory is crystal clear and I can still recall the pattern on our sundresses. (I wonder how long it took Mom to scrub the grass stains from our dresses since this was long before the invention of permanent press and stain-resistant fabrics.

 

What would you consider the greatest moment in your life?

I was with my daughter and son-in-law when my first grandchild was born, and it was the most incredibly moving moment of my life. My daughter is my oldest child, and her birth was pretty special, but to see the circle of life continue is indescribable -- and I'm a writer, for Pete's sake!

 

What’s the hardest thing in in life you’ve done?

Do you mean besides stepping on the scale in the doctor's office? I mean, what on earth does weight have to do with going in to see her for a broken thumb? :)

 

What have you learned in life so far?

That it's never too late to go after your dream, that the only true limits in life are the ones we put on ourselves, and that there is always something new to see or experience or do.

 

Everyone’s favourite question: if you could invite five people for dinner, who would it be?

Margaret Mitchell (my first literary hero), Princess Diana (I admired her courage and grace), Pope Francis (he is a genuinely humble and beautiful spirit, I'd just love to bask in his presence for a bit), JRR Tolkien (he gave my kids and me countless hours of of bedtime reading together),  and Sean Connery (because I'm a woman and he's soooooo nice to look at).

 

 

Chance for our readers - what else would you like to know about Stephanie Michels?

My Town in three Photos - Grand Rapids

 

by Stephanie Michels

 

 

 

Grand Rapids, Michigan is a beautiful old town, settled in the 1850's. I'm not a Grand Rapids native, but I moved here when my children were small and fell in love with the town and the people.

Here are my three photos:

The first is a picture of the bridges spanning the Grand River. Shortly after it was settled, the river was rerouted around the rapids that gave the town its name to make navigation easier for trade and shipping.

Now, we have dozens of bridges that are illuminated each night over the river to show our pride in our town, which has been named Best American City and also the Beer Making Capital of America..

 

The next picture is of my favorite sculpture called "The American Horse." It is one of two casting's of the
sculpture Leonardo DaVinci designed for the Duke of Milan in the 15th century but was never able to complete. My old boss, the late Frederick Meijer, was a patron of the arts and championed the effort to bring DaVinci's dream to life, and he personally underwrote much of the project's multi-million dollar cost. The horse was finally cast by famed animal sculptor Nina Akamu in 1999. Two copies of the sculpture were made. One was donated to the city of Milan, and the other is here in the highly acclaimed Frederick Meijer Botanical Gardens and Sculpture Park.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last picture was hard to choose as Grand Rapids has so much to offer. We have the Gerald Ford Presidential Library and Museum, beaches, the International Art-Prize competition, countless ethnic festivals, colleges, a billion dollar Medical Mile, wonderful modern architecture as well as grand, heritage homes from the Lumber Baron days, etc. But I love Grand Rapids because of the enthusiastic people. Whether they are supporting the River Bank Run; walking to Stamp out Stigmas, Breast Cancer; or MS; standing outside in sub zero weather to listen to bands and rock in the New Year; volunteering to work Laugh Fest; turning out for a Flash Mob; or joining in an attempt to break the Guiness record for Swing Dancing (which is the picture I chose), Grand Rapids people are simply amazing, dedicated, and fun!

Why I Write for Astraea Press: Stephanie Michels

I first became acquainted with Astraea Press two years ago when my critique partner (and later co-author), Patricia Kiyono, told me AP was doing a fund raiser to support Tsunami Relief for Japan. At the time, Patty was thinking about writing a story for them since she has relatives in Japan, and the topic was very dear to her. I immediately went to the AP website http://www.astraeapress.com to check them out and discovered Astraea was a very new publishing house. Since I'm a business person, I knew the first few years for any company is pretty much of a struggle. So, I was very impressed that AP would donate their profits to such a worthy cause.

What really sold me on Astraea Press, however, is its fundamental principles. At a time when most of the biggest ePublishers were publishing erotic titles, Astraea's owner, Stephanie Taylor, set a much different standard for her company.  AP prides itself on good, clean, and wholesome stories. There is plenty of romance and sexual tension, but no actual sex shown.  Hallelujah! I have a good imagination -- I don't need every Tab A and Slot B spelled out for me.  

Since I'm also a grandmother, I don't like picking up some supposedly YA title one of the teenagers is reading to find sex scenes that are far too explicit and adult in it. Since I found Astraea Press, I've been able to share their titles with the kids.  Clean romances and YA books where men and women treat each other respectfully, and the only stalkers and abusers are the bad guys.  Books where actions have consequences, too!  There's something for almost everyone: great romances, contemporary, historical, paranormal, Regency, suspense, YA, etc., And the stories have believable heroes and heroines of all ages and walks in life. Heartwarming proof that romance can happen to anyone. Books you hate to have end.

So, when it came time to look for a publisher for our Stitching Post series, Patty and I both had Astraea Press on the top of our list. We like the people -- anyone who has ever met Stephanie, Kim, Elaina, and others will say the same -- and AP has a reputation for the kind of books we admire and want to be known for. There's nothing on their site or in their back lists that would make me feel uncomfortable about sharing it with my friends from church or my women's groups.    

I'm grateful to Astraea Press for taking a chance on an unknown author like me.  Management is fun and the other authors are friendly and supportive. Behind their notes of welcome, I can almost hear them saying: C'mon in a sit for awhile!  I hope it will be a good long visit.

Sincerely,

Stephanie Michels