Hello everybody! Today I am very happy to welcome transgressive fiction writer S.S. Michaels to Coffee and a Keyboard. Her most recent book is “Idols and Cons.” Thank you so much for being here!

Thank you for having me.
When and why did you begin writing?

I began writing when I was a teenager, inspired by the works of Peter Straub and Stephen King. One of my first jobs was writing for a local newspaper, and, of course, I wrote for the school newspaper and the yearbook. After high school, I took a very long hiatus, becoming an accountant and Hollywood drone. In graduate school, I picked up the pen once again and began writing screenplays. A few years ago, after reading a Stephen King novel (I had taken a long hiatus from reading his work as well), I was inspired by a line in that book – “I will holler you home.” And that’s what writing was for me, a kind of homecoming.
What inspired you to write your latest book?

By my latest book, I’m assuming you mean IDOLS & CONS, though I’ve written others and have a couple in the works. IDOLS & CONS was inspired by my days in Hollywood, where I worked on television award shows. A couple of our acts were boy bands and the notion of being stuck in one just struck me as something unpleasant (not that the acts were unpleasant or seemed unhappy – quite the contrary, they were very pleasant and seemed thrilled). That thought just stuck in my brain and morphed into something kind of ugly.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

A message… Hm. That’s really up to the reader, I think.

What books have most influenced your life most?

Most definitely Peter Straub & Stephen King’s The Talisman. Others would be everything by Chuck Palahniuk, stuff by Hubert Selby, Jr., and maybe a little Oscar Wilde.

What book are you reading now?

Right now, I am re-reading Stephen King’s IT.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Re-writing it.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

None, other than to keep writing, but, then, only if you love it.

What do you do when  you’re not writing?

I’m a mom, so I do a lot of mom stuff.

Where can we find more information about you and your current projects?

You can get the latest info at http://slushpilehero.wordpress.com/

And of course, last but not least…do you have a favorite brand, flavor, type of coffee?

Any that is not made by me.