Long time no blog… I know, I’ve been bad. Unfortunately, sometimes life gets in the way. But I was thinking about something today in the car and said to myself, “That would be an interesting blog post” so… here I am.

My question on the day is: If you could take 5 books with you to read on a deserted island what would they be and why would you choose them?

Now that I’ve asked the question, I suppose I have to answer and it’s a much harder question than I thought initially because I love books and choosing only one (especially from a  favorite series say) is so difficult. But I’ll try.

First book I take – Dark Lover by JR Ward because anyone who knows me knows I enjoy the BDB books more than I can say and Wrath and I go way back, so he’s the first of my five. I think its a great start to an amazing series but I can only take one… so Dark Lover it is.

Second book I take- One for the Money by Janet Evanovich because she makes me laugh until my sides hurt and heavens knows if I am trapped on some deserted island I will need that. Her characters are so lively, entertaining and Morelli… is another personal favorite of mine. Team CUPCAKE all the way, baby. I think she has a great wit to her writing and enjoy this book more than I can so, so One of the Money is next in the bag and will have me laughing out loud.

Third book I would take – Dark Magic by Christine Feehan. Paranormal romance where she creates an amazing world and huge cast of characters that overlap into other books and pull you into their dark and brooding world. The dynamic between the main characters – Gregory a centuries old Carapathian male and the most powerful healer among them and the young, modern woman who loves her independence and refuses to follow blindly or be bound to someone as unyielding as Gregory. Angst, drama, love.

Fourth Book I would take- Now here is where it gets tricky…. I guess I would take Outlander by Diana Gabaldon because I loved this book the most in the series… and it’s nice and long to keep me occupied. BUT… if you’ve read the series you know at the end of book one, you MUST have book two to read and I don’t know if my heart could take it. Jamie and Claire- their story is epic and makes you happy yet breaks your heart all at the same time. Excellent read I say. I’d just need to find a copy of it with a snippet of book 2 in the back of it

Fifth book- IMPOSSIBLE to choose. I pulled out my Nook and looked through my titles and realized I have no Lori Foster on this list yet, no Gena Showalter, no Kresley Cole, no Sherrilyn Kenyon, no Karen Marie Moning or none of the Circle Trilogy books which I fell in love with this week.

What does this little exercise tell me about myself? First, I’m never going to a deserted island – that goes without saying since I don’t do well in the great outdoors – ask anyone. Second, I’m a romance book junkie. I admit it. And if I’m trapped on an island, I don’t want something depressing to read… I want fun. But I also love mysteries like Mary Higgins Clarke and darker, creepy books like Dean R Koontz but alone in the dark, at night, they might scare me even more than whatever furry little creatures are running around on this island at night, so forget them. Third thing I learned is, I love my Nook because it allows me to take everything including the ‘kitchen sink’ of my books with me in my purse every day.

So the bottom line is, if I was going to a deserted island, it better darn well have a hotel with indoor plumbing, a chef, and electricity so I can charge my Nook and have all my favorite titles at my fingertips, daily.

Hope you’re all catching up on a little summer reading and taking a few minutes out of your busy schedules to relax and have a good read by the pool, on the deck, or curled up on your couch.

Share with the class: what you would take. I love hearing about new books, series and titles that people are passionate about. There’s always room on my To Be Read list for more books

Happy Reading!

Hello everyone! Can you even believe it’s December already??

I was checking my email before I went out to hopefully get the last of my holiday shopping done and I was floored to find a message from Goodreads letting me know I was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award in the category of Best Goodreads Author! Here is the link if you would like to check it out for yourself.

2010 Goodreads Choice Awards Official Nominee: Best Goodreads Author Vote for this book!

I have no idea how this happened, but it is truly an amazing honor to be nominated for something like this and I wanted to take a minute to say thank you to all of you who have supported me for so long. None of this would have been possible without you! Your emails, messages, posts and support of me, as an author, touch me beyond words. Thank you for all the love you have shown me, and my books.

Thank you!!

I was recently asked in an author interview from Omnific who was my favorite character to write in Trust and it was, hands down, Jade. She was awful, rotten, nasty, unfiltered and delicious. Whenever I knew I had a Jade scene coming up, I couldn’t wait to dig in and see what would happen next. Writing her was fun because she said what she thought, good, bad or ugly, without holding back and for someone like me, who is very cautious with her words (especically when I’m angry) it was an interesting change of pace to get inside the head of someone who would never think to edit her words. Jade would never walk away from a conversation or an argument and think to herself, “Oh, I should have said this or that” because that’s not her style. If she thought it, she said it. She’s the epitome of someone you love to hate – that’s Jade for me. In honor of the twisted supermodel, I made a poll for those of you who have finished the book and I’m really interested to see what the results will be. Feel free to explain your vote in the comments section of this post too or drop me a line if you want to.

Trust in Advertising – available now in Print or ebook and for Kindle!

I received reports on Saturday that copies of Trust in Advertising have started arriving in mailboxes! My mailman was even kind enough to leave me a package. Sounds like the books are on their way and it shouldn’t be much longer now, so keep your eyes open.

For those of you overseas who have ordered it, I understand your books have a much longer trip to make, but at least you know they’ve begun their journey.

I have to admit it’s a very surreal and overwhelming experience to hold a book you have written in your  hand. Even though you’ve spent the last few months going over every letter in the thing, in many ways, it’s like you’re seeing it for the first time because it’s so different when it’s bound and on paper, versus illuminated print on your computer screen. All those small details you worried about, come together to make the book what it is. I mean really, who would believe the book spine or the interior title page of a book could reduce someone to tears?

Thanks to everyone who has tweeted and retweeted about Trust in Advertising or left a review for the book on Goodreads and Amazon! If you review it on your blog, let me know so I can link the post here and people can check out your site.

I can’t believe it’s August already! Where did the summer go? If you’re like me, the next few weeks will be spent getting the kids ready for school – that dreaded back to school shopping. I hope everyone manages to squeeze in some last minute fun and enjoy yourselves and your families!

Have a great day!

It’s me, again.

Trust in Advertising has been on sale for two days and I’m completely overwhelmed by the support and messages from everyone. Some of you are stalking your mailman waiting for your print copy to arrive, some of you were so impatient you ordered ebook and print, Kindles were downloading it, people overseas are patiently awaiting packages, and I heard some of you even stayed up all night reading! I cannot thank you enough for the support and the smiles. It’s impossible to explain the feelings of gratitude I have to all of you for your kindness.

I hope you’ll let me know what you think after you read it. Good, bad, and  everything in between. Who did you love? Who did you hate? What made you laugh? Favorite lines? If you have questions for me, send them to me at victoria@victoriamichaels.net I’d love to hear them.

To order Trust in Advertising in Print or ebook click here.

To order Trust in Advertising for the Kindle click here.

I am thrilled to share the first review for Trust in Advertising.

Huge thanks to Jennie over at Random Chalk Talk for her awesome review on release day!

Jennie says:

I was lucky enough to be an early reader for this fantastic novel and I cannot sing its praises enough. Victoria Michaels has brought us yet another wonderfully written novel that captivates us from the very beginning. As with her other novel, I could not put this one down and was completely captivated by the story of two people who reconnected after so many years and found themselves within each other. Their lives, which were seemingly different from the outside looking in, were beautifully woven together through fantastic writing and fast paced drama, revelations, and a cute little girl who will do anything she can to make her uncle happy.

There are so many things to love about this novel that I can’t begin to list them all, but the fact that the characters are so very well written is key to this novel. Their spit fire dialogue and interaction makes them come alive with every turn of the page. Vincent comes across as an arrogant, selfish man but Lexi will have none of it and gladly calls him it many times. Vincent is dating the supermodel Jade whom you find it easy to hate for many reasons because she is written so well. It is hard to read a novel if the characters are not believable, but Michaels definitely has this craft under her belt and some authors could take a few pointers from her!

To read her full review click here:

And make sure you take some time to check out Random Chalk Talk. It’s full of great books, informative reviews, links and lots of fun!

Thanks again, Jennie!

It’s midnight and Trust in Advertising is ON SALE now.

Click the picture below to go to Omnific’s website:

I’m so incredibly proud of Trust in Advertising and I have to take a minute to thank the amazing people who helped me on this journey.

Huge thanks to everyone at Omnific for their support, their encouragement, and all their hard work on Trust. I’m so lucky to be surrounded by such a skilled team. Thank you for everything!

A few shout outs -

To Bev, my editor- I truly cannot thank you enough. You taught me so much, kept me sane, helped me cut things and not panic, and most of all because to helped make Trust something I’m so incredibly proud of that it brings tears to my eyes. (and I hate all that weepy stuff) Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

E- Thank you for giving me the chance to do this all again and believing in me and my writing. I appreciate all you have done for me and I love ya!

Micha- thanks for telling me to get my butt in gear, put myself out there and for telling me I’m not being annoying, even when I think I am

Emma – <3 You’ve been there since this was a little tiny seed in my head… a few words on a page that I sent you. Thank you for your undying friendship.

And Barb, where do I begin?  You are the wind beneath my wings, the song in my heart, the smile on my face. You gave it to me straight, even when it was hard to hear, you pushed me to be the best I could be and you loved this story as much as I did. The cover is amazing, the book layout is perfection. But most of all, your friendship means the world to me and I adore you. Thank you…. a million times, thank you.

To the Thursday night ladies, and you know who you are-  I love ya, thanks for all the laughs and support even way back when!! You rock!

Okay, before I get all weepy or start posting cheesy videos or something, I’ll say goodnight.

I appreciate the support from everyone and I’m truly humbled by the kindness and well wishes.  I’m going to drink an appletini in celebration of tonight’s release and send a giant kiss to all of you!!

MWAH

Thank you everyone!!

<3

V

I can’t wait to hear what you think  of  TiA

I’m so excited to share the Trust in Advertising official book trailer video that OmnificPublishing just posted to their You Tube channel! I think it captures the essence of the book perfectly and I owe that all to the brilliant woman who created the video as well as the cover. She knows the book inside and out and it absolutely shows. Thank you, B, from the bottom of my heart.

Here it is:

I hope you enjoy the trailer and that this leaves you wanting to know more about Vincent and Lexi – two characters who are very near and dear to my heart. I can’t believe we have just less than 24 hours until Trust in Advertising goes on sale!

Click here for the link to TiA at Omnific Publishing:

Thanks to everyone who has signed up for the Trust in Advertising Goodreads Giveaway. Tomorrow is the last day to sign up so please make sure you stop over to Goodreads. Add me as your friend so I can see what you’re reading. I’m always in search of a great book to read!

It’s that time again- time to read a few long distance dedications. These come from a couple of very… unique individuals who I hope are in counseling programs somewhere in their home towns.

The first letter comes to us from a young lady with big plans, and an even bigger ego. Here is her letter…

Casey,

It’s Jade. Yes, the international supermodel Jade, writing into your little radio show. You should feel very special because every radio host across the country would die for a letter from me.  I heard if I write a letter and tell you what I want you to play, you’ll do it, so I want to hear ‘When I Grow Up’ by The Pussycat Dolls.

I know, you’re probably asking yourself why someone like me would want to hear a song about becoming famous when I’m already a household name. Well, my publicist says it would look good if I did something charitable to improve my image – whatever that means. Flip one nun the bird for driving too slow and everyone gets all pissy.

So to help all the young girls out there who dream on becoming… well, me… I decided to do something but rather than waste my time explaining to a bunch of losers how to be famous, this song pretty much sums everything up and then I don’t have to do anything.

Be a doll and play ‘When I Grow Up’ for all your pathetic listeners who have nothing better to do than sit in front of their radio listen to a bunch of sappy sob-stories from total strangers.

Of course no matter what they do, they’ll never be as famous as Jade.

Kisses,

Jade

**

Jade, I’m going to grant your long distance dedication – however I’m only playing it to serve as a lesson for my listeners. Mark my words, ladies, if all you concern yourself with is fame and fortune, you’ll turn out exactly like Jade – and you’ve just seen how repulsive that is.

**

**

**

This next letter comes to us from a young man named David who is interested in a young lady – but is having… trouble expressing himself. Either that or he’s stalking her… I’m not sure yet. But here is his long distance dedication.

Dear Mr. Kasem,

My name is David and I have a problem I’m hoping you can help me with. There’s this woman I’m interested in and I’ve done everything I can think of to entice her into my web and yet she still manages to resist my obvious charms. I’ve offered her a job, offered her dinner, sent her flowers, invited her to dance. When she still rejected me, I decided to drive by her apartment a few times and might even have borrowed my nephew’s binoculars and spied in her window on more than one occasion. I know that sounds creepy and I admit it is, but I’m desperate to make her mine and I thought if I knew every little detail about her and her life I might be able to learn the way to get her attention.

Unfortunately, her nosey neighbors threatened to call the police if they found me standing on the sidewalk outside her apartment again so I’m desperate. Could you please play “One Way or Another” by Blondie and just let her know I’m thinking of her…again?

Desperately David

Desperately David, I’ll play the song but more as a warning to this young lady than anything else.  I hope she knows what’s going on and has contacted the local authorities or at the very least, bought a taser. I know someone who teaches self-defense as well, if you need the number…

**

**
**
That’s it for the long distance dedications for tonight. These last two are probably going to give me nightmares. My advice for the night is to stay safe, lock your doors and be nice.

Thanks for listening and as always, keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.

~~~~~

I hope you enjoyed the silliness and maybe it gave you a little more insight into the characters you will be meeting in Trust in Advertising in a few more days. Have a great weekend!

V

Tonight, I thought I’d date myself as an old woman and do a little old-school Casey Kasem, American Top 4o style post. For those of you who don’t know who or what long distance dedications with Casey Kasem are – you make me feel ancient, but I love you anyway. Of course as a dear friend of mine pointed out today, when I was younger – there were no remote controls, internet, email or cell phones. We used to tape songs off the radio as the DJ talked over the beginning of the song and we answered the phone at our own risk, without caller ID. So yes – I grew up right around the Stone Age. (just ask my kids)

Anyhoo, regardless of age, I hope you enjoy this little bit of fun in honor of Trust in Advertising!

**

Good evening everyone, this is Casey Kasem and this is the Top 40 countdown. Once again, it’s time to reach into the mail bag and take a few listener dedications. This one comes from a young lady named Lexi, who is at a crossroads in her life and getting ready to take her first big step in a new direction. Here’s her letter…

Dear Casey,

My name is Lexi White, and I’m a long time listener, but this is my first time making a request. The reason I’m writing is because I’ve been missing a very special person in my life, my dad.  Henry died three months ago, and I miss him very much. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in my second year of college. When I got the news, I immediately dropped out of NYU and came home to care for him. It’s a decision I will never regret. We spent the last few years of his life together, just he and I. I was blessed with the time to tell him how much I loved him and he reminded me every day of what a gift he thought I was.

I will treasure those memories always.

With him gone, I need a change of scenery, so I find myself moving from our little town to the bright lights of San Francisco to embark on what I hope will be… the adventure of a lifetime.

As I pack up the last few things in the house and say a final goodbye to my dad, will you please play “I’ll Remember ” by Madonna and dedicate it to my father who I will always carry in my heart, no matter where I travel.

Lexi

Lexi, here is your long distance dedication:

**

This next letter comes to us from a young man who was so excited to write in, he apparently forgot to sign his name. I assume he goes by the initials VD and it sounds like he has a whole set of struggles of his own.

Mr. Kasem,

Why must I be surrounded by idiots? I know that sounds harsh and I guess it is, but a lot of things in my life aren’t going the way I planned. From the outside looking in, my life would look picture perfect, but from the inside… things aren’t always what they appear. I’m really a simple man, I work hard and I expect those around me to work as hard- is that really too much to ask? Assistants are supposed to lessen you workload not increase it with their incompetence, right?  But I digress…

I was wondering if you would play (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction for me, so I can turn it up as loud as possible in my office and send the latest, useless, waste of space who calls herself my assistant to scurry away in hiding. (probably near the vending machines since she is endlessly consuming sticky snack cakes until the machine runs empty instead of doing her work) That would definitely make me smile.

Sincerely yours,

VD

VD, here is your most bizzare, and not really long distance dedication:

**

These next two letters, I’m not sure I should even share… this first one I might need to pass onto the authorities. The other is just plain rude.  Due to the late hour, I’ll save those until tomorrow. Tune in then for a few more long distance dedications.

Remember to keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars… this is Casey Kasem saying- Goodnight.