Author Interview with Michelle Sutton

Today, I'm hosting Desert Breeze author, Michelle Sutton here on the blog. She's here to talk to us about her writing and her latest release, "First Impressions."

Welcome Michelle!

Let's get to the questions:

How did you get the inspiration for "First Impressions?" Did you have to research the Army and it's ranks for Sammie's character?


I have a lot of friends in the Army because I live near Fort Huachuca, which is the largest military intelligence training base for the Army in the US. Most of my friends are officers who are in Intelligence, but some are with Signal and some other Marines, Air Force, etc. I also live not far from Tombstone (my son goes to high school there) and we visit there often. I thought it would be fun to write about the life of a couple who pose as characters from the wild west while on their off time.


Steph: Very cool. I was stationed at Ft. Irwin near Barstow, CA in the mid 1990's. I never had a chance to visit Ft. Huachuca though.


Do you cast your characters? If so, who is Sammie? Jimmy?

Yes, if this were to be made into a film I'd have Jessica Simpson portray Sammie as she looks like her with her enhanced breasts and pretty brown eyes. The guy who would play Jimmy would be Chace Crawford.

STEPH: I'm such a sucker for Chace Crawford. Sigh... Nice visuals. It helps me to picture the characters.

Do you have a book trailer you can share?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5qq1n0LfKI

I don't know too much about the plot of "First Impressions." What can you tell me ?

Sammie meets Jimmy her first day portraying a saloon girl as a Tombstone actress. Sammie and Jimmy both dress up and stroll around town on their days off (for fun) and enjoy flirting each other within their western roles, though they are both a bit shy and inexperienced, though neither believes that about the other (given the roles they play). Sammie and Jimmy knew each other way back as young teens, but they both looked very different, Sammie was twiggy thin with no shape, had buck teeth and glasses and Jimmy was overweight and short (late bloomer) so neither looked much like they did when they were younger. Plus back then she went by Sam and he went by James, and they never each others last names as they were summer sweethearts for a very short time and on vacation. Sammie figured out who Jimmy was early on, but like a typical guy, he is very slow to catch on and it was making her crazy. Jimmy had always been a wholesome guy who would do the right thing in any situation. But his attraction to Sammie is out of control. She doesn't share his faith, which starts slipping the more time they spend together. The big issue between them is that she doesn't tell him that her real job is as active duty Captain. He thinks she is a contract employee on Fort Huachuca. He does not want to fall for someone in the military because his parents were divorced over his father's many absences growing up, etc. The romantic tension between these two characters is impressive!

STEPH: I like the conflict between the characters. I'm really looking forward to reading this!


Do you have an ebook reader? Which one? Do you have a tip for using it?
I have an ebook reader on my cell phone. It's a Palm Treo and I have docs to go which reads PDF files.

STEPH: PDF files are great, but depending on the ebook reader, hard to read. Glad you found one that works!

What was the last movie you saw in a movie theatre?

A Christmas Carol. I didn't like the 3D version. It was kinda creepy.

Who are your favorite authors?

I have a ton. If I had to pick a favorite book of all time I'd pick Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers.

I see that you live in Arizona. Tell me something about Arizona which you love about it.

Sunsets, skies, lack of snow and mostly sunny weather. Warmer in winter. Wildlife and desert plants. Beautiful mountains where you can see for a very long way. There is a lot to love about the state I live in.


STEPH: Thanks so much for doing this interview, Michelle and good luck with your latest release!