MS: Michelle! Thank you so much for joining me today. I’m so excited to talk with you. You have written two military romance books and are working on a book in Corrine Michael’s Salvation Society Series. Plus, you have your own reader group, Michelle’s Moonlighters, aptly named. Thank you for making time to chat with me.
MF: Absolutely Molly. Thank you for having me. I’m so happy to talk with you and share my books with your readers.
MS: You’re welcome, Let’s get started! Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
MF: Everything is an inspiration to me. Television, movies, reruns, the radio, YouTube, Netflix, Passionflix, and even driving to the grocery store. Then I have my husband, kids, friends, and people I run into (like the girl at the grocery store observing my food while she rang it up) that’ll give me an idea. I’ve eavesdropped on people’s conversations and sometimes it will trigger an idea for me. My husband, Paul, and his brother now tell me… “I’ve said it, now put that in your book!” There’s a saying that many writers live by, “Be careful what you say, you may just end up in my book!” That is so true!
MS: What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?
MF: Although I look forward to a break from my J.O.B, my schedule is still the same: up at 5:30 writing, only this time, I’mI have a full-time J.O.B, so I have to work around it. I typically wake up by 5:30 am, dabble in my WIP for about a couple of hours before I take my 16-year-old son to school, then off to work (pre-COVID). After work is done, I’ll write for a few more hours when I get home. And most of the weekend, it’s all about my writing, while squeezing in ‘me-time’ with my husband, kids, and friends. When I take time off from work, most people look forward to relaxing, sleeping in, or going on a getaway. writing ALL DAY.
MS: Do you have a weird writing quirk you abide by, yoga pants, headphones?
MF: My Mac literally is next to my bed and when I wake up at my usual 5:30-ish, I grab it and start writing. I can’t lose the thoughts when they’re fresh in my head. And once I get going, I can’t stop. I swear my Mac is like my cell phone, it’s become a body part (SMH). I have several places I write in my house; in my bed when I wake-up, the breakfast nook, the formal dining room, my Closet/Office turned into a “Cl-office”—walk-in closet modified for an office—but my favorite place is my new “Author’s Oasis.” The AO is my balcony outside my bedroom. Paul got me a bistro set with an umbrella and arrange it so I can write under the sun facing the hills behind our house.
MS: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
MF: I love hanging out with my Paul and my squad-girlfriends, catching up over drinks and food. I love hanging out with my kids, too, but they are grown and do their own thing, but we get together for Sunday dinners and catch up with a mouthful of food. When there are no plans to hang with Paul or my squad, I deep clean my house, rearrange the pantry (I know I’m nuts), or go shopping at Hobby Lobby (it’s like a huge Pinterest store to me).
MS: So, I’ve seen pics of you and your hubby on FB (pretty cute, by the way). What does he think of your writing?
MF: Paul is my biggest fan and #1 supporter. When I first told him the idea, I wanted to write a book and I’m thinking of publishing, he told me to go for it and don’t stop. I talk about my characters so much with him and we have a running joke between us, he’ll ask, “What time is Chloe and Booker coming over for dinner?” (LOL) One time he said, “Dylan better not be coming over!” (I think it’s because I posted a male inspiration on FB of what Dylan looks like to me and he’s super-hot). He’s read book one but not book two yet… I think it’s because Dylan is in that one!
MS: Was writing always a dream of yours or was there something else you wanted to be as a child?
MF: Deep down I’ve always wanted to write and express myself on paper. I’ve been journaling since I was ten and to this day, I still have that diary my aunt gave me. But as I grew up, I wanted to act or model. When I was a little girl, I’d lock myself in my room and pose in front of a mirror with a chock-full of make-up on my face running lines from a movie. I’ve done skits/plays in school and realized I am a horrible actress… Absolutely horrible, so I dropped that dream really quick! Then I started dabbling in art and fashion designing and was accepted in FIDM in Los Angeles—I never got to attend and that’s another story to tell another day.
MS: Thank you so much, Michelle! I appreciate you giving us the opportunity to get to know you. If some of my readers want to find you, how can they do that?
MF: Oh yes -that would be fun! Here are my platforms and how you can find me.
Michelle Fernandez
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Julian “Booker” Cruz, former Navy SEAL, joined an elite security ops agency with one goal in mind: to forget his past. With the overload of work, there’s no time for romance, nor does he want it. His rule—don’t mix business with pleasure. Until one assignment puts that rule to the test. Chloe Channing is not to discover his undercover role as her protective detail from an unknown psychopath. But as their days pass together in tropical paradise, it becomes difficult to keep his desire from compromising everything. Including her safety.
All Chloe wants is to remember, but so much of her memory was lost after her assailant left her unconscious. On a summer trip with friends at her family’s estate in the Bahamas, she yearns for the quiet respite from a previous heartbreak and her tortured nightmares. She never expects a man like Julian to help her find emotional peace and physical healing. But as she falls deeper, her flashbacks slowly come together, and they include glimpses of one handsome, mysterious, yet all-too-familiar face: Julian’s.
Is Chloe’s mind playing tricks on her again… or has she met this man before?
Even if Julian could let go and risk it all, could he ever forgive himself enough to fall in love again?
Picture-perfect Phoebe Powell is anything but. Her ex-fiancé’s betrayal four years ago left her broken inside and now love has no place in her hardened heart. Her greatest burden is a secret that haunts her and keeps men at arm’s length. But in spite of that, Phoebe relishes her work—and she’s damn good at her job. As Reporter of the Year her focus is on her career. Phoebe will do anything to get the promotion that’s waiting in the wings, even if it means putting her life at risk.
Dylan Marshall, former Navy SEAL turned special-ops agent, has had his eye on Phoebe Powell for the last year. She’s sexy, confident, and all-around feisty. His kind of woman. But she’s off-limits. They’re just friends. Dylan isn’t afraid to test boundaries, but this is one line he will not cross. That is, until Phoebe’s life is threatened. Now he’ll do anything to keep her safe, even as their connection draws them closer and their attraction becomes more difficult to deny.
Maybe just one kiss…
Can Dylan scale the walls around her heart and chase Phoebe’s demons away, including the imminent threat closing in on her?
Is Phoebe’s deeply kept secret too disturbing to ever move on from, let alone share it with Dylan?