Why do you write the genre that you write?
I have loved mysteries since I first read Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, so what better genre to write than what I love to read.

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
Ida Sullivan is Libby Marshall’s, the protagonist, neighbor and frequent customer at the Mariposa Cafe. She’s an ex-rockette and has a little hip trouble so she uses a mobility device. Her white maltese ZsaZsa rides in the basket along with a thermos of margaritas. She’s nosy, opinionated, and fun.

Tell us how you got into writing?
I have a degree in English with a Creative Writing focus. My thesis assignment was 3 interconnected short stories. The characters stayed with me and became the basis for “Murder in Mariposa Beach” – book 1 in the Mariposa Cafe Mystery Series. During the pandemic, I reworked those short stories and published them as the Mariposa Cafe origin stories.

What jobs have you held before, during and/or after you became a writer?
I also have a degree in health information management technology and spent my career working primarily in hospitals but I also spent 9 years working for a healthcare software vendor. I was the Director of Health Information Management at a large Southwest Florida healthcare system until December 2019 when I retired. Writing has become my retirement gig. I was also the Team Manager for US Archery for the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games as well as many other national and international events.

Where do you write?
I have an office in our house.

What is your favorite deadline snack?
Popcorn or something chocolate

What is next for you?
I am working on a new series set in a B&B along the Ohio River, near where I grew up. I am about halfway through draft #1 of “Murder in the Terrace Room.”

What are you reading now?
Karin Slaughter’s new release “Girl Forgotten“

Where can we find you?
I live in Sarasota, FL on the edge of a nature preserve with my husband and two cats. Also on my website at teresamichaelwrites.pubsitepro.com, on Facebook at Teresa Michael – Author.

Now to have some fun . . .

Vanilla or chocolate
Mostly vanilla but I also love a good chocolate sundae

Ice cream or cake
Ice cream

Broccoli or squash
Squash

Pizza, burgers, or pasta
Pizza

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
Lunch

Mountain or beach
Beach, but mountains with it’s too hot in Southwest Florida

City or country
Country close to city amenities

Introvert or extrovert
Mostly introvert

And even more fun . . .

You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
Food to eat; beverages (adult and otherwise), and a few good books.

My bio:
Teresa Michael is the author of the Mariposa Café Mystery Series and enjoys reading, writing, great food and wine, and traveling with friends and family. She has visited 49 states and many foreign countries. She is a member of the Florida Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, Women Fiction Writers Association, Florida Writers Association, and a past president of the FL Gulf Coast Sisters in Crime chapter. Teresa lives in Sarasota, FL with her husband and two cats, is working on a new mystery series, and hopes to someday make it to that 50th state.