What do you like best about being a writer? What do you like the least? I love that other people can read my works and feel the same sense of happiness that I get from a well written story. Least, the critics of course. As much as you can try not to let it bother you, its always a tough one trying to stand tall once someone has slammed your book.
How do you think your life experiences have prepared you for writing? I believe that everything happens for a reason and I am where I am because this is where I am meant to be. Sounds philosophical right? I am a hopeless romantic and I think THAT is what translates into my stories.
Have you ever felt as if you were being dictated to while you wrote a book--as if the words came of their own accord? If yes, which book did that happen with? Yes! My current story which is still in progress. Lips are sealed though.
You’ve written one novel and are working on a third novel. What’s your favorite time management tip? Writing is work – make the time for it. I have a full time day job and by the time I get home, my brain is fried so I don’t always have the energy to crack open my laptop when I get home. What I do though is carve out my time on the weekends. Early mornings with complete peace and quiet. I jot down my ideas and work off a plan to keep me focused. And I keep to a word goal for each day – this is usually 5000 words a day. Not an easy task.
Are you a plotter or a pantser, i.e., do you outline your books ahead of time or are you an “organic” writer? I’m a plotter! I let the characters also control the story a bit but I always plot out the bigger picture and the defining scenes.
If you had one take away piece of advice for authors, what would it be? Keep writing. It’s a tough road but success is earned so keep trying.
Did music help you find your muse with this book? If yes, which song did you find yourself going back to over and over again as you wrote? Not really, I listen to music to get me in the mood at times. For example there’s a karaoke scene which was influenced by me listening to Bruno Marks – Heaven.
Tell me more about Waiting for You
Audrey Kelly finds her way back home to Crystal Valley with her bruised pride and a shattered dangerous past mocking her rear view mirror. What she didn’t expect was to be face-to-face with Adam Parker, resident bad boy, sexy Navy SEAL and one of the reasons that Audrey ran all those years ago.
Audrey was the last person Adam had ever expected to see back in Crystal Valley. Over a decade ago, they shared a sizzling night together before he received the worst news of his life and he hasn’t seen her since…until she’d moved back unexpectedly. She was no longer the sweet innocent girl he once remembered, but Adam has his own problems without having to deal with Audrey’s ice princess recital, no matter how tempting the auburn haired seductress may be.
Sparks begin to ignite between them but can they accept Audrey’s past when it threatens to engage them in a dangerous twist? Can they save each other from themselves and stop running once and for all?
Excerpt
Audrey Kelly cruised down the main highway in her little Audi TT heading straight into Crystal Valley. A familiar maelstrom of emotions crept in. The gnawing in her chest overpowered only slightly by the urge to turn tail and drive in the opposite direction. She pushed a button and the window automatically rolled down with a soft hum, letting in the warm, California air. She breathed in deeply, inhaling the fresh salty breeze, taking her back to her childhood. Splashing in the ocean, lying on the warm beach to dry off, ice cream cones and pizza parties. Days of innocent abandon. It was also the days of bitter disappointment and regret.
She squelched those feelings as she turned on to Crystal Valley exit. Good old small town USA. Audrey felt the tightening in her gut, the familiar noose around her neck that came with small town living. The stifling claustrophobia trying to claw its way out. She hadn’t been back in fourteen years, well except for the few days six years ago... and even that was a memory tightly locked away. The day high school graduation had rolled around, she had hightailed it out of here so fast she was surprised her coat tails hadn’t caught fire. Audrey had wanted to amount to more than just a clerk in the local store or a hairdresser at the corner salon. There was more to it than just that, more that she didn’t want to recall. She had set her sights on a high profile life. She had wanted to create a name for herself – a legacy to leave behind. And she did.
Audrey turned onto the street where she lived as a child. Grandpa Joe’s house. She smiled up at the familiar building. The two story, cottage- style house eased the anxiety that had been growing with each mile she drove closer to home. She parked in the gravel driveway and took in the house that had been her haven for most of her formative years. The black shutters on the large windows gave the home a real country feel. The wrap-around porch along the left of the house remained exactly as she recalled, even with the small swing seat where she and her grandma had spent many evenings together, regaling each other with made up stories. The garden surrounding the base of the house was still trenched but did not have even a fraction of the blooms that her beloved grandma had maintained year round. Audrey’s chest pinched and she buried the emotion. Just another one to file away, she thought wryly.
Where can readers find more about your stories, books and you on the Internet?
Website: http://www.melissakatebooks.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/melissakatebooks
Twitter: www.twitter.com/melissakate_1
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/melissakate_1
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/melissakate1
Melissa, thank you so much for being with us here today. I know my readers will enjoy your work and your interview.
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/1XpOSaEHMI8
Melissa Kate is a new author who lives in a small town along the coast in sunny South Africa. She writes for the pleasure of living in a new story and all the quirks and crazies that go with each character. A true romantic at heart, she loves the moment of falling in love. Her pet Beagle and maniacal lovebird keep her company while writing and often inspire senseless moments in her stories.
When she’s not furiously typing away on her laptop, Melissa can be found cooking or baking up a storm. Even she has to admit, she’s a pretty awesome chef. She has a small addiction with shoes which she attributes to her petite stature or as she likes to call it “Short girl problems”.
She balances her day job and conjuring up new romantic tales with a local personal blog with arb ramblings about her life in Durban. She’s been writing for years now, any bits that she can and she can't wait to share that with you!
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2 print copies(US only)
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