Wednesday, August 14, 2013

40 for 40 - Michelle Reid

Does anyone really need to be introduced to today's special guest?  If you haven't read a Michelle Reid book, then you really should sample one.   I know because her books reached me  and went on to my 'must buy' list  before I met Michelle in person.

But then  at one  Harlequin Mills & Boon  Author Day - the very first author day - I met Michelle in person for the first time. I struck lucky that day - I not only met one of my favourite authors, but I made a very special friend  for life.  As Michelle herself mentions in her post - we've been friends now for a long time. We've seen each other through a lot of writerly moans - the 'I'm stuck' -  or 'This is rubbish' - or 'I just can't make this hero behave'  - moans. The things only another writer can really understand.   Our phones calls are legendary - I think we keep the phone companies afloat all on our own.

It wouldn't be a celebration of any sort without Michelle being here  - so I'm  truly happy to have her here to join in this special celebration.


Welcome Michelle!



From Michelle:

I’ve decided that there must be a gene in my family DNA that makes us pick out our life partner very young.  Most of my (numerous) siblings met and married their life partners quite young. I was just 17 when I met mine, we married when I was 20 and we are still here going strong 45 years on with never a cross word spoken between us (what a big lie!) In fact I think the occasional spat helps to refresh our relationship - me being the fiery one and the DH being the stubborn one, we need a good spat now and then to clear the air. And talking about stubborn, my eldest daughter met her husband when she was 14 and no matter how anyone tried to advise them to live a little before they committed to each other, they did not listen, and are about to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary. So yes, I’ve decided it’s definitely in the family genes.

Many - many congratulations to Kate and Steve for reaching their 40th. I would not have wanted to miss celebrating here with two of the most caring and loving people I know.


And Kate, Steve, on a personal note, our 20 year friendship is worthy of note. We’ve seen each other through some great times and some tough times over those 20 years and like both our marriages, our friendship has stayed strong and true. Thank you for yours and Steve’s wonderful support through my recent tough time, it would have been so much tougher without you.

 

Do any of you have a special friendship that you cannot imagine being without?

For a giveaway I have a copy of my Hot Blooded Husband Series, newly released and very nicely  
packaged in one volume.

 

24 comments:

Unknown said...

I have read Kate Walker and Michelle Reid books as long as you have been publishing them. Love both of your writing. Friendship like yours is hard to find and you are blessed you have held on to it. My husband and I have one just like that with my brother and his wife. Regardless how long it goes between talking to them or seeing them, we pick up the conversations as if we just stepped out of the room. We married one Saturday at ages 18 and 21 and my brother married the following Saturday at ages 17 and 17. All four of us just celebrated our 44th anniversaries this summer. Maybe it is in our DNA too. You are two terrific writers. Happy writing!

Eli Yanti said...

My friendship is with my book club friend. We met at fb and now we are very close and planning to go travel to singapore on oct'13 :y

Michelle Reid said...

Shirley, you’ve confirmed it for me, DNA definitely counts for our youthful yet strong marriages! I know you must cherish such a special friendship with your brother and his wife, as I know my husband and I do with Kate and Steve. And isn’t it uncanny how weeks can go by without us talking but we can still pick up conversations without even a pause??

Glad you love my and Kate’s books too, and lovely of you to tell us so.

Warm regards

Michelle.

Michelle Reid said...

Eli, what a wonderful way to meet a close friend!

Enjoy Singapore together,

Warm wishes

Michelle

Laney4 said...

I started being friends with a girl in high school but we lost touch for close to 10 yrs after that, during which time she and I both wed and started families. We reconnected more than 20 yrs ago and got together at one of our homes, depending on what our kids were doing at the time, each summer and exchanged Christmas cards and notes. Ten years ago was a changing point, though. Our kids were almost grown up and both of us were no longer working outside the home. We got together for my GF's birthday and I reconnected with her high-school best friend. From then on, the three of us email each other almost daily, we get together at our homes (with GF 1.5 hrs away, and her best bud a further 1 hr away for me) once a year at each of our homes, and we laugh laugh laugh. WE ARE THERE FOR EACH OTHER, through good times and bad, and we truly value each other, as well as those around us. We've supported each other when cutting back on negative influences/"friends" in our lives, complimented each other when we've done things so supportive of others, and encouraged each other to try to right our perceived wrongs. We also share our "freebies" with one another (magazines, books, coupons), with lots going to a local women's shelter (supplies from our dentists, hotel rooms, time shares, etc.) I don't want to imagine life without them in it....

Caroline said...

Hi Michelle , great to see you here. I have a best friend Kath, who I met on the 1st day of college. 30 years later we are still as thick as thieves!Xxx

bn100 said...

not really

Michelle Reid said...

Laney4, you said, WE ARE THERE FOR EACH OTHER, through good times and bad. Yes, yes, yes, that’s it exactly what makes a strong friendship so special. I’m so happy for you that you reconnected with your high school friend.

Warmest regards

Michelle

Michelle Reid said...

Hi Caroline, it’s lovely to be here!

And here’s to you and your friend clocking up another 30 years!

Best wishes

Michelle

lidia said...

Oh -- very upset! I just wrote a long message and it disappeared. I hate when that happens!!!!!!

lidia said...

Trying again --
Michelle, I am very happy to see you posting here and doing so well. I hope that you are still writing.

You have a very special friendship with Kate and her husband and I am glad to see that it has continued through the years.

During life we have childhood friends, friends from work and friends because of our children.

I have a special friend that I met in elementary school. We parted ways during high school and college but reconnected later. Now in addition to her, I still have a number of friends that I've known since elementary school. We live in different states but still manage on see each at least a few times every year.

You can't choose your family but you can choose your friends. When your friends become "family" it shows just how special and meaningful your friendships are.

On a separate note, I met my husband when I was 17 and he was 18. This year we celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary.

Mary Preston said...

My parents met when my Mother was 14 and my Father 16. My Father declared he was going to marry her when she grew up and stopped being such a brat. Fast forward ten years and one World War and they did marry. They were married for 66 years.

I have one friend in particular that I couldn't be without. We have a very honest relationship which works very well for us. We both like to vent & we know that confidences will always be kept.

Michelle Reid said...

Lidia, it so nice to see you here too. Thinking about it, our cyber friendship through Harlequin Presents books has to go back as far as the birth of the Harlequin website and their fantastic forums. What’s the count on that do you reckon, about 20 years??

You were so right when you said, you can’t choose your family but you can choose friends, and I think Kate will agree here that some of our most enduring friendships with regards our books have been made via the internet. So, thank you for being one of those people.

And congratulations on celebrating your 40th wedding anniversary too!

Warm wishes

Michelle

Michelle Reid said...

Mary, that is a beautiful story about your parents. 66 years! Oh my goodness, Kate and I (with our spouses of course) have a lot of catching up to do to match that.

And here’s wishing your relationship with your friend last as long.

All the very best to you

Michelle

Jo's Daughter said...

My mom is my best friend & I cannot imagine us not being able to spend loads of quality time together. She's always supported me & encouraged me, a true friend in every way.

Kaelee said...

My husband and I are friends with another couple who we met the first year we were married. It was also their first year of marriage. We are Godparents to their son. We don't see them on a regular basis but whenever we do manage to get together it's like we have never been apart.

lidia said...

Michelle, I don't remember when harlequin.com began but it does seem like forever.

Much as there are pluses and minuses to everything, I really do cherish the ability to "chat" with my favorite authors online. When I began romance books that was unheard of -- there was no internet, not email, etc...

I do recognize the fact that authors can get overwhelmed with fan mail, criticisms, etc... but I still get excited knowing that I've "talked" to my favorite authors. There is nothing that can beat that.

Michelle -- sending many cyber CHEERS your way. I am very happy to see you looking so well. Even if you never write another book, you have a lifetime fan.

TashNz said...

Hi Michelle and Kate. Love following the blog Kate. Michelle I'm just stopping by to "fangirl" as my kids call it. Hi from NZ. I love love love love love your stories and have spent many a year reading and re-reading them. My absolute favorite book (for this genre) EVER is The Sheikh's Chosen Wife. That and the other two in the series sit pride of place on my shelf and just the other day myself and Nancy Crocker were having a big discussion on how much we love The Markonos Bride. These are just two of my books I have of yours that I read a million times over. They capture every emotion perfectly and I actually had tears well up when I first read them and I still feel it now when I re-read them. A recent one, After Their Vows, looove! In fact I almost bought it on Kindle before I realised I already had it on my bookshelf. Anyway, just stopping by to say how a-maz-ing your stories are. Thank you for every laugh and tear you have ever provided. Tash

TashNz said...

Oh gosh, forgot to answer the question... I have a good friend who I went to primary and high school with and altho we havent been in each other's pockets over the last 20 years I think of her with much love and when ever we get together it's like the months or years were days. We've seen each other thru so much. She just had a baby two days ago... late in age for most of us but I reckon better late than never. :D

Michelle Reid said...

Jo, thanks for telling me about your mum, because of all the people we love and know love us, our mums deserve a big mention here. They just love – love – love us, don’t they?

Best wishes to you and your mum

Michelle

Michelle Reid said...

Kalee, my husband and I have friends just like that. We don’t get to see each other very often but when we do get together its like we’ve never been apart.

Warm regards

Michelle

Michelle Reid said...

Lidia, it does feel like forever since harlequin.com began! And just as you found it exiting to ‘chat’ to romance authors we found it exiting to chat to you. Yes, sometimes the wave criticisms can be disheartening, but hey, is also means that our readers are connecting with our characters, which is surely a wonderful compliment that kind of balances everything out.

Thanks for saying I’m looking well. It’s been a long road but at last I feel like I’m ready to start writing again. Fingers crossed!

Warm regards

Michelle

Michelle Reid said...

Tash, hi back from the UK! And I’m very happy that you stopped by to ‘fan girl’. Happy you love by books too! The Sheikh’s Chosen Wife is one of my own favourites mainly because it was such a delight to write. I knew from the first page that these two people were wildly in love with each other and from then on the rest of their story just sort of fell onto the page. I wish every book was as easy to write as that one!

I have a best friend from high school whom I didn’t see for 20 years, then we met up recently and it was like those 20 years hadn’t happened.

All the best to you

Michelle

Kirsten said...

How amazing that you met your husband so early in life Michelle & that you have made it to 45 years! There must be a terrific friendship between you :)

I do not personally have a great friend in my life, but I do email weekly with a lady who lives on the other side of the country. We have been penpals for almost two years and never met in real life. We talk about books and every day life. I do not tell her everything but there is a warm band between us close to friendship which I treasure.

 

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