Showing posts with label Michelle Ziegler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michelle Ziegler. Show all posts

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Most embarrassing moment with your boyfriend? #Romance #TopTwoList #Giveaway

Tour Schedule

I'm thrilled to have the 5 authors of For the Love of Murphy, a sweet romance antho, stop by today as part of their tour. I wanted to know their top two embarrassing moments with their boyfriend or spouse. 

Here's what they had to say ...

Michelle Ziegler:

              Oh my poor husband.  I don't think he was prepared for being the husband of an author.  Hehe.  Well, here it goes.

               Our first kiss was pretty embarrassing.  It was the classic, he went in for the kiss and I went in for the hug.  I suddenly realized what happened and let out a better-left-unnamed expletive. I swore it was only in my head and later learned it was not.  Anyway, throwing caution to the wind I fixed the situation and turned the biggest blunder into the best first kiss ever. 

            Second embarrassment I blame on pregnancy.  I was on the phone with our cable provider when they couldn’t, even if their lives had depended on it, find us in their system.  I went to spell our last name and literally forgot.  My husband finished it for me, but his look said it all.  It had only been four years of marriage and two years of dating.  But who’s perfect.

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London Saint James:

Topping the charts at number two is: Preparing my first big holiday meal for him and his family.  I’d been up all night, baking, peeling vegetables, doing all the things you do, etc. He came into the kitchen to help, pulled the ham out of the oven and said, “Baby, I think you forgot something.” I stopped whipping the potatoes and turned around to see the ham that I’d taken out of the plastic shrink-wrap that morning, put into a tinfoil pan and covered with honey and brown sugar still encased in a thin, clear, plastic cover that I somehow overlooked. Oops!

And the number one spot goes to: His old pair of police issue handcuffs latched on my wrists. Him with this “Oh Shit” look on his face. The moment I realize he wasn’t joking, he couldn’t locate the key. Our door bell sounding out the arrival of company…

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Lisa A. Adams:

My husband and I have been married for almost eleven years and we actually knew each other several years before that in college. I would have to say that one of my most embarrassing moments was when we had originally started dating. Let's just say I had a wardrobe malfunction in the middle of a Wal-Mart. Luckily, there were several clothes that I could buy there and fix the problem easily. However, it wasn't before half of Morehead City Wal-Mart had seen "the girls" prominently displayed.

The second top embarrassing moment came a few years later when we were actually getting ready to walk down the aisle. My father decided to have one more talk with his new son-in-law. 

Dad -Son, are you sure you know what you're getting yourself into? 'Cause once, you say "I do", there are no returns or exchanges. 
Ray - Yes, Sir.
Dad - Good, because you know I already had to take her back once...
Me - *crushing embarrassment*
Pastor - Okay, so is everyone clear on the service and what will happen?
Dad- I'm good. I mean how many times do you get to give your daughter away... you know except for the first time. *Laughing*
Me - *Almost in tears* Really, dad?
Ray - *Grabs my hand and kisses it* I love you. Are you ready?
Me- *Miraculously, all better*

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Rebecca Hart:

I’d have to say for the most part, I am hard to embarrass, but I’ve had a few adventures with my bohunk, Pete, who is impossible to embarrass, so I guess, at least by comparison, I can come up with two moments over our ten years together.

The first one to come to mind when I read the question was a time at the very beginning of our relationship. We were working together at a golf event for a previous employer and had stopped for gas during some in the car bickering. Things exploded and we ended up having a shouting match/pseudo-brawl on the side of a crowded  Jersey highway. Things worked out, obviously. *grin*

The second embarrassing moment took some thought, but I’ve settled on getting my lower body piercing. Pete had come with me to the appointment, and all I can say is there is nothing more embarrassing than having the virtues and various piercing potentials of your lower half discussed by a complete stranger and the love of your life…as if you aren’t even there. Beyond embarrassing, but I definitely don’t regret doing it. *wink*

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Annabelle Blume:

I think I’m hard to embarrass because it’s really hard for me to recall any seriously embarrassing moments. I mean, there was the one time my ex’s mom walked in on us, which was totally traumatizing and massively embarrassing, but I think that’s a pretty run of the mill experience. I wish I had more, really, because they make such great material for writing. 



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For the Love of Murphy

Genre: Romance Anthology (Sweet)
Release Date: March 17, 2014
Keywords: Romance, Anthology, Sweet, Murphy's Law, Short Stories

They say love conquers all, but whoever "they" are, must not have heard of Murphy's Law -- whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.

These five tales of sweet, accidental romance prove Cupid's arrows are a lot tougher than they seem, and sometimes it pays to be unlucky.


No Wrong Turns by Lisa A. Adams

Jessica Brannah is escaping from her last heartbreak with a loaded car and a new address. But, when Murphy's Law finds her stranded in a back country town, she realizes there's no outrunning love.

Falling For You by Michelle Ziegler

Darci’s ready to move on. Too bad the dating pool stinks.  Until, a ghost from her past resurfaces—the man she missed out on in college.
Andrew was the one man she’d always loved, but neither of them ever made a move.  But, old feelings aren’t the only thing resurfacing of late.  Darci’s ex comes crawling back at the most inappropriate time, and with all the testosterone flying, she might not end up with either man.

Coffee and Cufflinks by Annabelle Blume

Fresh out of a failed relationship and exhausted by a constant barrage of fiascos at work, Olivia Johnson doesn’t see the man of her dreams standing right in front of her. She tells herself the morning coffee meet-ups with Daren are nothing but coincidence, but even she can’t deny his unequivocal attractiveness. When a night entertaining clients takes a turn for the worst, and Daren shows up where she least expects him, failure starts to look more like fate.

A Slippery Slope by Rebecca Hart

Anne Montgomery is psyched for her girl’s only weekend, despite her friends’ choice of vacation locale—the snowy slopes of Harris Peak Ski Resort—where someone as notoriously accident prone as she has no business being. When Murphy’s Law finally catches up with her, Anne is forced to consider there may be times when it pays to be unlucky.

The Shamrock Incident by London Saint James

Florist, Marissa Carmichael isn’t usually a klutz, but she’s in a hurry and having a bad day. In her haste, she loses her balance and tumbles from the back room of her shop, arms flailing. Her less than graceful entrance halted by a headfirst crash into a display case chock full of silk flowers.

Trey Cleary didn’t think his day could get any worse, until he finds. himself picking the side view mirror of his BMW up from the ground. On a mission to do something about it, he locates the flower shop matching the name on the back of the van that mangled his ‘baby'. But, his car is forgotten when a beautiful woman bursts into the room like an out of control whirling dervish, and takes one mother of a wipeout into the shop’s counter. Coming to her aid brings out the hero in him like no one he’s ever encountered, and leaves him with a need to know more.

For Marissa and Trey, this just might be the one time it pays to be unlucky.

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Snicker much? I know I did!

What's YOUR most embarrassing moment with your boyfriend or spouse?

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Ever Switch Up Genres? Worked for Michelle Ziegler! #WritersLife #Contemporary #Romance



Welcome to my week-long author spotlight focusing on my fellow 4 authors of the Winter's Sweet Kiss anthology!

Each is going to share a bit about their own scribbling sojourn.

Today, it's the lovely Michelle Ziegler!

Take it away, darlin'!

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Thank you Terri for hosting me on Christmas Eve!  It’s seems like I have so many great milestones around Christmas.  Being born, meeting my husband, and now a book release.  

You asked about my path to publication.  In one word: trying.  Has there ever been an author who said it was easy?  If so, reach out and smack them.  Their life is entirely too blessed.  Honestly though, my experience has been a long learning curve.

I started seriously trying for publication seven years ago.  I had the best ideas and knew everyone would want them.  This was going to be the best job ever!  My plan was to get published and then start having kids.  Hello to reality.

Instead I wrote a hideously long book.  I won’t even say how long, learning curve one. Immediately, I sought out an agent.  Editing anyone? Who edits? Low and behold, I received one form rejection after another. 

Okay … now what?

After realizing I didn’t have a clue about novel writing, I went to a cheap one day writer’s conference.  The conference itself wasn’t full of crazy inspiration or life changing information, but the networking was invaluable.  I met a woman there who would change my whole outlook on writing.  She not only became an awesome friend, but a great person to bounce ideas off of.  Together we started a critique group, where someone would completely stomp on my dreams.

The good thing about someone raining on your parade is taking the information and learning from it.  Show them you can succeed. The best critiques I ever got were the ones that hurt the most. Learning from where not to start my story, to what massive grammatical mistakes I make, to learning people do steal sometimes.

I know.  I know. I am not perfect.  That's just crazy talk!

I switched genres from paranormal to contemporary - about 4 years in.  Suddenly I had people laughing.  The knowledge that, despite my short comings, someone was enjoying my book gave me confidence.

Next I joined a few online writing communities.  This is where my life changed.  I followed authors on their journeys, blogging. I listened to advice and asked questions.  Finally it dawned on me. Finding an agent is still a great goal.  Getting into one of the BIG publishing houses is still a dream, but there were other missed opportunities. 

<Palm to forehead moment.>

Now I was armed and dangerous.  I found a publisher that had open calls for anthologies. I wrote fast and furious to make the deadlines and submitted.  Despite my short comings – and there were a lot, they accepted me.  I think I cried.  Too bad that was short lived.  Don’t worry though.  Although those two contracts fell through, I eventually ( 1 year and one baby boy later) found a new publisher for a new short story.  Ta da! 

Eye opening experience in my path to publication. Most writers don't make millions.  Close your mouth.  It'll be okay.  I'm very happy. The reason I write is to be happy and share happy.

So if you smile even once during my story, I think the years of stress, doubt, tears, PAINFUL editing, and eventually dreams realized were all worth it. Keep on trucking and sometimes realize in order to get where you want, you might have to take a few unexpected detours. 




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ONE IN A MILLION SNOWFLAKES  

Angela is in love with someone she can’t have. Stranded in the bitter cold after another failed date, Angela is running out of time.  Her company Christmas party is around the corner, and the idea of going with her boss’ nephew is less then appealing. Escaping the cold , Angela jumps into her familiar getaway car to find Nick, her life-long crush, in the driver’s seat.  Strategic planning on his part has them finally giving into years of denied feelings.  Unfortunately, reality always surfaces.  Angela pushes Nick away in fear of losing his sister, her best friend. Breaking Nick’s heart was never part of her plan, and thankfully Nick isn’t going to let her.  His headstrong nature comes out and changes the game despite Angela’s attempts to stay away from him. Angela needs to decide if her best friend is more important than Nick, or if she should just give up and resign herself to a life with someone else.


Excerpt

Angela broke off as she heard a chuckle. A male chuckle. Had she gotten in the wrong car? She released the seatbelt she’d finally managed to grasp, which hit the car door with a loud thwack, and shot a glance at the driver’s seat.

Nick.

Suddenly, she wasn’t cold anymore. 

“Oh my God! When did you get back?” She flung her arms around his neck. Rebecca’s older brother was a Marine who had been on deployment. “I can’t believe you’re here! Becks didn’t tell me. You didn’t even send an email.” Angela was a little hurt.

  “You’re choking me.”

“Oh. Sorry. I’m excited to see you.” Angela let go, happy but embarrassed. She’d spent years squelching her feelings for Nick. She was obviously out of practice.

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About Michelle Ziegler


Michelle’s imagination started spilling out onto paper the second she could scribble.  Her drawing never improved, but her love affair with words continued and evolved as she became infatuated with one story after another.  If life could be written, Michelle would write everyone’s ending as a happily ever after.

Michelle grew up in Chicago and later moved to Colorado. Her husband still makes fun of her Midwest accent. By day she is an engineer, wife, and mother to two kids and two dogs. Her sanity survives on the pages she writes, even if her toddler is trying to drive her to the edge one temper tantrum at a time.



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