I want to welcome
Michele Zurlo. First I’d love you to introduce yourself.
I’m Michele Zurlo, author of over 20 romance novels. During
the day, I teach English, and in the evenings, romantic tales flow from my
fingertips.
I’m not half as interesting as my characters. My childhood
dreams tended to stretch no further than the next book in my to-be-read pile,
and I aspired to be a librarian so I could read all day. I’m pretty impulsive
when it comes to big decisions, especially when it’s something I’ve never
done before. Writing is just one in a long line of impulsive decisions that
turned out to showcase my great instincts. Find out more at www.michelezurloauthor.com
or @MZurloAuthor
Tell us about your
latest release.
Re/Defined (Doms
of the FBI 4) is the latest installment in my Amazon best-selling BDSM romantic
suspense series. Here’s the blurb:
Amy Markevich nurses fantasies about dominant agent Jordan
Monaghan, but she knows they’ll never come true. He’s younger, to-die-for
handsome, and so very different from her. She settles for friendship and
dreaming from afar, even when he agrees to show her the platonic side of
submission.
Jordan has always known what he wanted, and as he gets to
know Amy, he’s convinced that she’s the complete package. Her sexy curves and
passionate nature contrast sharply with her childlike innocence and exuberant
joie de vivre. She calls to him—body and soul.
Just as he’s about to reveal that he’s a Daddy Dom and that
he suspects Amy harbors an inner “little” and a submissive side, Amy witnesses
a gruesome murder, and a terrorist organization puts her on top of their
most-wanted list.
As they are forced to run for their lives from this
unexpected enemy, Jordan helps Amy to accept her true nature—as a little—and to
redefine everything she thought she knew about belonging to him.
Warnings: anal play, mini-golf, bondage, sensory play,
suction cups, and laser tag.
Now I have a few
questions for you – I have found readers do like to know fun things about us
writers.
1.) Who is your
favorite villain – it can be from a book (even one of yours), movie or TV show.
And why?
I have to go to Doctor Who and pick River Song. She’s a
villain because she kills the Doctor, but she’s also an antihero because she
was mostly on the side of good. I don’t think you can like a true villain the
way you can like an antihero. I like her because she’s smart, sassy, and sexy.
She doesn’t care how she prevails, just that she does. She bends rules and keep
secrets, and I like a woman with depth.
2.) Who is your
favorite character out of your books? Why?
Choose a favorite? That’s so cruel! I love all my characters
equally. As I write the stories, I fall in love with both of them. I watch them
grow and become stronger, better people, and I love that about them. They make
it possible for me to continue to have faith in humanity. I write strong, sassy
heroines who push their Doms to be the best men they can be. Darcy Markevich
Legato has been with me the longest. She’s had to overcome a lot of grief and
hardship to find happiness, but luckily she had Malcolm to help her through it.
Keith and Katrina, Dustin and Layla, Jordan and Amy, David and Autumn—they’re
all my favorites. Right now I’m working with Tru, Jed, and Liam. She and I are
at odds because she threw a huge wrench into my storyline by insisting on
having two Doms instead of one. I haven’t written ménage in a long, long time.
3.) What do genre do
you write? What made you pick that one?
MZ: I mostly write BDSM Romantic Suspense. That’s the genre
where I’ve found the most success. I have a great series—Doms of the FBI—and
I’ll be launching a spinoff series early in 2017.
4.) What are you
working on now?
MZ: I’m working on edits for Re/Leased (Doms of the FBI 5) and the draft for Re/Viewed (DFBI 6). While that’s going
on, I’m brainstorming the first book in the new series, tentatively titles SAFE Security. I’ll feature characters
introduced in Re/Leased.
5.) What got you to
start writing?
I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but I put that dream on a
shelf and became a teacher. I’m a kickass teacher because one of my students
won a national essay contest sponsored by Major League Baseball. His prize package
brought Sharon Robinson, daughter of the incredible Jackie Robinson, to my
classroom. During our talk, I told her that I’d always wanted to be a writer,
and she told me that it was never too late to follow my dreams. MLB helped out
with a laptop for the teacher (I love contests where teachers get stuff too!)
and I was off. I worked hard and learned a lot, and two years later, my first
novel was published.
6.) Where do you get
your ideas from?
Everywhere. I’m a sponge. I see, read, pay attention to everything.
The information bounces around in my head and mingles with characters and
scenarios. Out of that, I weave stories.
7.) What would people
who read your work be surprised to find out about you?
People are often surprised by things I think are inconsequential,
like the fact that I teach or coach Science Olympiad teams, or that I talk baby
talk to my dog but not my kids.
8.) Do you have any
special talents?
I’m not sure I believe in talent. I believe in hard work,
dedication, and following through on a commitment. I believe that anyone can
learn or accomplish anything they want, myself included.
9.) What was the one
piece of advice you received when you were an aspiring author that has stuck
with you? Why?
Never give up; never surrender.
10.) If you could talk
to any famous figure (present, past or fictional) who would it be and what
would you talk about?
I wouldn’t talk to a famous figure. If I could, I would talk
to my aunt Laurie who passed away several years ago after a long battle with
recurring cancer. She was a dynamic woman who made a huge difference in my
life.
11.) What song would
you say describes your life?
It depends on my mood. Right now I’m mourning Prince, so I
have Starfish and Coffee stuck in my head. It’s about opening your mind to possibilities
you wouldn’t normally consider, and I feel like when I’ve done that, I’ve
become a better person.
12.) If you could come
back as any animal – what would it be?
A cat. I want to be pampered, petted, and treated like
royalty.
Link to the Wonderful World of Michele:
Website: http://www.michelezurloauthor.com/
Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/authormichelezurlo/
Twitter: @MZurloAuthor
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/kCtqn
Amazon Follow: amazon.com/author/michelezurlo
Exquisite Quills: https://exquisitequills.blogspot.com
Private FB Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/499290280156304/
