Giveaway for Mistletoe backlist book!

To win your choice of one of my Mistletoe series backlist, see my site for giveaway details.

Fall is Here!

The leaves are changing to beautiful red and gold colors, the grass is touched by frost (which should melt off as we head into the 60's later today). It's official, autumn, my favorite season has begun!

So what's your favorite part of the fall?

Exchanging bathing suits for pretty sweates? (Guess which look better on those of us who've had two kids!)

The drop in stifling summer temperatures?

Or the "fall back" time change when, for one magical day, we actually GET that extra hour of sleep we always need? (Or, for those of us on deadline, that extra precious sixty seconds of frantic, wee-hour work on the book?)

Happy autumn everyone!

The Road So Far (to borrow a phrase)

Today I am 35 years old. And I was looking back to see if I'd accomplished what I'd hoped to by now. Not exactly. I have not hit any bestseller lists yet (shameless plug: Mistletoe Hero is in stores the second week of October!), I have not mastered my tendency to procrastinate, I have not managed to get below a size 12, I have not aquired Zen-like patience and calm, I am not as patient with my husband and children as I should be, I have not organized my home office, and I currently only manage to work out about once a week, if that.

However.

I have found the person I want to spend the rest of my life and we've survived everything life has thrown at us for thirteen years. I've given birth to two beautiful, healthy babies and am watching them grow into smart, funny individuals with their own interests, talents and perspectives on the world. I graduated college summa cum laude (over a decade ago) but more importantly than the degree I took with me were the two best friends I made--one of whom I married and the other I am still every bit as close to even though we haven't lived in the same state since the day I got my diploma. I've sold more than 40 books, novellas, and short stories and have been published in countries all over the world--in English, French, Greek, Italian, Polish, Czech, Spanish, German, Korean and a few languages I'm not even entirely sure of. My writing has won national awards. I have a beautiful home that's almost halfway to what my husband and I ultimately envision making it (redecorating and adding on is a slooooowwwww process, but I'm proud of what we've achieved so far).

I have swam with dolphins, seen Niagra falls in the full bloom of summer and iced over in wintry majesty, have sipped wine as I watched an Italian sunset, been awed into the silence by the majesty of an ancient cathedral and have marveled at a meteor shower on a clear night. I've made wonderful friends all over the country who make me laugh and make me think. I have followed through on my committment to give back, volunteering in numerous organizations even though, some days, it would be easier to hoard my time selfishly. I have taught classes to aspiring authors, hopefully sharing whatever useful knowledge of acquired, and according to some of the fan letters I've been blessed enough to receive, I have touched lives of total strangers, even if it was to make them laugh for just a moment during an otherwise crappy day.

Not bad, all in all.

Certainly, despite life's many ups and downs, I have been fortunate and I look forward to seeing what happens in the next 35 years. Maybe by then I'll even manage to get my office clean.

What I'm Reading Now

Stuck on Murder by Lucy Lawrence (a fun "decoupage" mystery)

Rampant by Diana Peterfreund (a YA about killer unicorns)

Dark Legacy by Anna DeStefano (a paranormal romantic thriller)

House Unauthorized: Vasculitis, Clinic Duty, & Bad Bedside Manner (nonfiction collection of critical essays about popular TV show, from BenBella SmartPop)

Bones: DragonSlayer (a graphic novel in the series my son is following)

Anyone in the middle of or recently finished a book they're enjoying? Any upcoming new books from fave authors that you're looking forward to reading?

Mistletoe Hero is an RT Top Pick!

My next book, Mistletoe Hero, is coming out this October and concludes my "Four Seasons in Mistletoe" miniseries (you don't have to read all four books for the individual stories to make sense, but readers have been telling me they like revisiting the town and its characters). I wanted to end the series on a high note, so I was really thrilled to get such a fantastic, four-and-a-half star write up from RT BookReviews!

"Mistletoe loner and outcast Gabe Sloan meets his match in cheerful extrovert Arianne Waide. A tragedy in his teens caused good-hearted Gabe to live on the outskirts of the Georgia community, but tiny Arianne, attracted to the gorgeous hermit, draws him into participating in the town's annual fall festival. Gabe doesn't quite know what to do about Mistletoe's favorite daughter, but he knows he can't keep his distance unless he leaves Mistletoe. This wonderfully warm and sweet love story with compelling dark undertones proves that opposites can do more than attract -- they can set off an inferno!"

Tales from the First Grade

My first grade daughter took a computerized test meant to assess her reading comprehension; she came home that day to report to her grandmother that she'd scored "one hundred percent" on her first test and her teachers (and mommy!) were proud. My mother congratulated her, then asked what subject the test was in.

"Subject?" pondered my daughter.

"You know, spelling? Math? English?"

"Yeah, English!" my daughter decided. A minute later she added, "All the questions were definitely in English."

Four-Course Author

Admittedly, now that I'm tweeting (as tanya michaels) and face-booking (under Tanya Michna), I don't blog as much (although you can still find me at Deadline Hellions and Supernatural Sisters). However, tonight I am inspired by Top Chef Masters.

The master chefs have, as their finale challenge, to prepare a 4 Course Meal. The first course is based on their earliest food memory. The second is What Made them Want to be a Chef. The third is the first restaurant they opened. And the fourth is where they see themselves in the future. One of the chefs, Michael Chiarello, compared cooking to storytelling, but said that they're telling stories through food.

Well, as you can imagine, that struck a chord with me. I am a story-teller by trade. So what is my earliest story memory? I recall my mom reading "The Princess and the Pea" to my sister and I when we were very young. It was out of a huge fairy tale collection, and I couldn't wait until I was able to read all of the enchanting stories on my own. (My earliest memory of a book I read alone was The Girl With the Silver Eyes, which I have a copy of. It's what would probably now be called a "paranormal" and I'm waiting until my kids are old enough.)

Years later, as a teenager, I knew I wanted to be a writer. Not just any writer, but a romance writer. Why? Because romances, with their flawed but redeemable characters and happy endings, got me through my parents' divorce, my first car crash and several loved ones' battles with cancer. It's a three way tie for the books that made me long to do for others what those books did for me: A Knight In Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux, The Gift by Julie Garwood and Perfect by Judith McNaught.

Now, I never opened a first restaurant. But I did have a first book. The Maid of Dishonor by Tanya Michaels, a romantic comedy that was nominated for a half dozen awards. I recently re-read it while cleaning my office and was still proud of the work I'd done (which is saying something because we're often our own worst critics.)

Which only leaves the 4th course: where we see ourselves in the future. Well, I currently write Harlequin American Romances as well as women's fiction for a Penguin/Putnam imprint (as Tanya Michna). I did just sign a new three-book contract with HAR, but I've also--breaking news!--started working on a paranormal young adult. So who knows what my future will bring?

But I know this. I will always write. And I hope to find new and consistent ways to share my stories with writers around the world.

Happy reading and bon appetit!

Well, I caved

I held out--for many reasons, not the least of which is that saying I "tweet" makes me feel like an idiot--but apparently, it was inevitable. Instead of checking the blog which, let's face it, rarely gets updated these days, you can follow me on Twitter under TanyaMichaels.

Sigh. Why do I feel like I've gone over to the Dark Side?

Gone Fishin'

I hope your summer is going well! I am about to take a much needed vacation--sort of. I'll be traveling to sign books in stores and talk to some bookstore owners (like everyone else, they've had a tough economic year, so if you can get there and buy a book to read buy the pool, it would be much appreciated). But the fun part is that while I'm on the road I'll get to catch up with some dear friends and even spend a little time fishing on the beach with relatives. See you guys again in July, but meanwhile, you can still catch posts from me and other authors at Supernatural Sisters to discuss the CW hit show "Supernatural" and Deadline Hellions to discuss all things book-related!