#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Zoey Michaels
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I’d like to welcome Zoey Michaels to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!
Hardest thing about being a writer: Focusing on just one story at a time. Some
struggle with finding ideas but I have a whole notebook full of ideas and several outlines
of stories I plan to write because I fear losing the idea behind the story by the time I am
able to make time to focus on that one story.
Easiest thing about being a writer: For me, it’s the inspiration /ideas because I live in
a world of ideas. Sometimes inspiration comes from a song lyric I’ve heard hundreds of
times and it intersects with something else I was thinking about. Other times, it’s a
seemingly random situation or conversation that sticks with me.
Words that describe you: Curious, Reflective, Independent-Minded. I like to always be
sure that my thoughts are my own. Thoughtful in the sense of someone who does a lot
of thinking and research to solve personal issues.
Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Overthinker, Anxious/Sensitive
in sense of being affected deeply by others which affects how well I interact with them.
Overwhelmed/easily distracted: this is especially true when someone starts spelling
their name at me without my requesting them to do so. As they automatically start spelling, internally I’m singing M-I-C-K-E-Y. M-O-U-S-E.
Favorite music or song: I love songs that tell stories and a a wide number of genres but if I have to point to one specific song I would choose The River Lady by Roger Whittaker.
Music that drives you crazy: I’m not really sure about music that drives me crazy but there are a handful of songs that I simply detest. Offhand, I would say anything by Tracy Chapman. Obviously, she is talented and many love her music. I’m just not one of them.
The last thing you ordered online: A herding ball for my dog.
The last thing you regret buying: The jury is still out, but I think it may be the herding ball for my dog.
Things you’d walk a mile for: a really great meal, a walk along a coastline which I find soothing to the soul, spending time with a good friend on a mile long walk, or walking a mile to visit a good friend, walking a mile if it’s something that benefits a friend.
Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: a really, really loud speaking voice. My ears are sensitive and there are people whose natural volume actually hurts my ears.
Favorite places you’ve been: Visiting New Zealand was surprisingly one of the best places I’ve been. It was part of a vacation package immediately after covid that made it exceptionally affordable and the trip combined a stay with Tahiti which I expected to enjoy more because I love tropical beaches and usually travel to the Caribbean. New Zealand was a pleasant surprise.
Places you never want to go to again: That’s difficult to say. Just about everywhere
I’ve been has had something good about it. Not visiting again is more about not having
the time or money to return. Except climbing a mountain. On further thought (seeing one
of the other questions) it would be climbing Sleeping Beauty Mountain in Oregon. It’s beautiful, but mountain trails are not my friend.
Favorite things to do: Swimming/treading water, going to the opera, doing
unexpected things for friends to see them smile
Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: climbing a
mountain. I have been talked into doing that more than once. I am not athletic - at all.
Yes, the view is beautiful and I would happily hop onto a helicopter or use some other method to get to the top but actually walking/climbing the path feels like a punishment.
It’s the one mile I would not do - maybe the one place I would never want to go again.
Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: I’ve painted pictures and written lyrics. Painting took me by surprise because based on experiences in school, I thought it was something I was really bad at. Turns out the people at Painting with a Twist are better instructors than the art teacher from school. While everyone else
was busy doing exactly what our instructor demonstrated, I chose to make
embellishments and came out with a picture that went beyond what everyone else finished.
A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: Yeah. That would be a description for my life. Almost everything I start turns out differently than I envisioned -but I think that’s okay. One of my favorite sayings, found on a sign in the Caribbean:
“When things don’t go right, go left!” The main thing is that unless you are moving forward, taking action, nothing good is going to happen. Being in motion, things are going to happen and it’s not the something you hoped for, it’s easier to change direction if you are in motion. The Titanic comes to mind. I read once that if the Titanic had not
dropped its speed but had kept the same speed as it attempted its turn that the ship might have avoided the iceberg or at least torn a smaller part of the hull, allowing it to stay afloat. I think that life and writing can be a bit like that. The thing is to get moving,
keep moving and change direction as needed.
My favorite book as a child: I loved pretty much everything written by Beverly Cleary.
The Ramona books, the books about Ralph S. Mouse were among my favorites.
A book I’ve read more than once: I usually only purchase a book that I love and will read/listen to multiple times. Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella is among my recent favorites. I also find great pleasure in classics like The Count of Monte Cristo and David Copperfield.
Your favorite movie as a child: Pete’s Dragon and/or The Apple Dumpling Gang.
A TV show or movie that kept you awake at night as a kid (or as an adult): The Day After - a television movie from the eighties.
About Zoey:
Zoey Michaels is an author, storyteller, and host of The Molten Truth podcast. Drawn to the hidden corners of the human experience, she writes thought-provoking fiction that explores identity, memory, truth and the choices that shape our lives. Her novels, The Echoed Mind and Fracture Shadows, blend psychological depth with emotional storytelling, inviting readers to question what is real, what is remembered, and what remains hidden beneath the surface.
Whether through fiction or conversation, Zoey is fascinated by the forces that transform people – loss and healing, deception and discovery, fear and hope. Her work challenges readers to look beyond appearances and uncover the truths that echo through every life.
Let’s Be Social:
Website: www.zoeymichaels.com
Instagram: zoeymichaelsbooks
