An Interview with Mike Michalak

EMMY-nominated journalist recently retired from fifty-four years in media (TV/radio).

Nominated for the Wisconsin Broadcasters Hall of Fame as a Local Legend.

Nominated for the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame as a Legendary Communicator.

Self-published two previous books.

Produced/hosted a popular fishing show, The 60-Second Angler. At its peak, in thirty-one states in front of nearly thirty million people a month.

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Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

The words begin a phone conversation that changed the lives of many people, one in particular. I actually started with the title as I began to write.

How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?

I didn’t look at the FIRST draft of the cover longer than ten seconds before I emailed Alfonso and said he knocked the design out of the park!

As far as first holding it, it was no different than the first two previous soft covers. What mattered was that HARDCOVER. I got chills knowing this was something I’d been working toward for a long time.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

My dad’s been gone nearly thirty years, and it wasn’t until well after his passing that I learned he always wanted to write a book. And that’s funny, because I had to always type up his reports for his job.

My mom gave me the “how-to” books he collected, which was even funnier, since I was a mass comm/journalism major. He, like me, was also a political animal. We loved talking and/or debating issues over a beer. I miss that.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

Most of my adult life has been in the media. I’m fairly well-known across the northern half of Wisconsin, through sixteen years in television news as an anchor and news director for an NBC affiliate. The remainder was radio, where I continued in the news biz, did sports play-by-play for a bunch of years, and ended up as the morning host for the North’s leading country music station.

The not knowing part is hard because being very public, there’s not a good way to hide things. My political fire was fueled when I interviewed Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. Both men commanded the room, no matter your party affiliation. I thought I could steer a conversation until I sat down with them. I guess practice really does make perfect. It was hard taking them down the road I wanted to travel with the questions.

The one thing I think people don’t know is how hard I was lobbied, by BOTH parties, to run for political office. Seats in both the Senate and Assembly were opening and the GOP pulled a Q rating on me. A decent number as I discovered later is around twenty-five to thirty. I was over fifty! It’s a test of familiarity, appeal and likeability. Apparently, I was doing something right and one party wanted me so they could RETAIN the seat, while the other wished to REGAIN it. When I was told the reasons for a potential candidacy, I laughed it off since I did not, and still don’t, back the party line. That essence snuck into the book! If someone has a good idea, D or R, it’s still a good idea. In part, while I’m not a part of the project, I did a lot of research, but it did allow me to vent a little.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

Knowing I actually had the support of a publisher and didn’t have to do it all on my own this time.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

Definitely showing my age here:

“For What It’s Worth” – Buffalo Springfield

“Fortunate Son” – CCR

“Eve of Destruction” – Barry McGuire

“We’re Not Gonna Take It” – Twisted Sister

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

I’ve admired the works of Grisham, Patterson, and the like. I hope the reader finds enough intrigue and success from the “little guy” to make it worthwhile.

What creative projects are you currently working on?

I already have a series of works complete. Short stories of fiction that center on family heroes.

How was working with Atmosphere Press? What would you tell other writers who want to publish?

A+ What I’m doing right now is testament to how far the company goes to support its authors. When I discovered you receive over 1500 submissions a month and take only thirty, I was beyond flabbergasted! Budget notwithstanding, working together, I hope I can grab some monetary success now that I’m retired! LOL

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