Kayden Michaels has a past filled with sex, addiction, and
heartache. A past that he’s avoided sharing with the love of his life, Sophia,
and held close to his core not risking rejection.
heartache. A past that he’s avoided sharing with the love of his life, Sophia,
and held close to his core not risking rejection.
Needing to get his addictions in check and gain control of his
life for the sake of his family, Kayden is forced to confront his past and make
amends for the path he’s walked.
life for the sake of his family, Kayden is forced to confront his past and make
amends for the path he’s walked.
Kayden must recount every
carnal act and the betrayal from those he’s loved to identify the triggers that
spur his addictions and overcome it all to be worthy of Sophia’s love – his
sole reason to exist.
carnal act and the betrayal from those he’s loved to identify the triggers that
spur his addictions and overcome it all to be worthy of Sophia’s love – his
sole reason to exist.
Can you please tell us a little about yourself.
I'm honestly a boring human being. I work full-time and write in my free time (wait, I don't really have any free time). I have a Masters of Education and a Bachelors of History and I work in the education field. I love to travel, read, but I don't have time to do it as much as I used to before I started to write.
What inspired you to write your first book?
The love of my life inspired me to write. He's shown me the passion that I'd previously only been able to read in books. He gave me the courage to put the words on the page and send it out into the world.
What do you wish more people knew about the publishing side of things?
Writing the book is just the beginning. There is so much to know about the business - marketing, production, editing, all the selling platforms. It's exhausting and daunting. It's not something that you can just jump right into. Do research and expect to never sleep right again. I've never been so sleepless and stressed in my life. Be willing to take criticism. When you write the pages are a piece of your heart and you have to be willing to accept heartache to become a better author. Everyone gets bad reviews - it's what you do with them that's important.
How did you come up with your titles?
Titles are the toughest thing for me to come up with. Untangle Me was a process. I had lists and with the help of my author friend Kele Moon I was able to finally pick a title. Kayden: The Past was easy because as the title states, it's about his past. The next book in the series will be about a hot sexy biker and what's better than 'Throttle Me'.
What author(s) has influenced your writing style?
My favorite authors, my go to reads, are Kele Moon, Cj Roberts, and Cherise Sinclair, but there are dozens more. I wouldn't say that anyone has influence my writing style. The best part of being Indie is that you can have your own style. There's no cookie cutter format or rules. I'm the master of my own destiny.
For your first book, how long did it take you to find an agent?
I don't have an agent, I published independently and fully represent myself. I'm in control of all aspects of publishing, marketing, and production.
How important was a "platform" in selling your books?
Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, and Smashwords and extremely important, they are what makes being an Indie author possible. I've never looked for a publishing house or an agent. I'm in charge of my future and I prefer it that way.
Do you have book signings coming up where readers can meet you?
I will be at the NOLA Author Event in New Orleans the first weekend in February. I'm also signing at Down & Dirty in Alabama, Indie Mashup in Tampa and Tennessee Valley Author Event in 2014.
Can you tell us about your upcoming project(s)?
Throttle Me is the next book in the series. It will be the story of Suzy, Sophia's roommate in Untangle Me, and her journey to find 'Love at Last'. Who doesn't like an alpha sexy biker?
What advice do you have to an aspiring author?
Do your research before you start. It's not as easy as writing 80k words and hitting publish. There's so much to know about the industry. There's no magic bullet. Readers need to know about you and your writing, you need to be a salesman, marketer, author, publisher, graphic designer. Hell, don't plan to sleep, EVER - you won't have time. Don't expect to hit it out of the ballpark with the first book. Try, try again.
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