Interview with and Bonus Guest Blog from Author Melynda Price

Our Second Author to be Highlighted in the One Vintage Heart Blog Tour is Melynda Price!

Welcome Melynda!

A guardian angel… A forbidden love… Eternal consequences…

Olivia Norton was born with a gift—a gift heaven has sworn to protect, and hell is bound to destroy. Her perfect world is turned upside-down when two handsome strangers, Max and Liam, step into her life. Olivia soon discovers that her ‘Mr. Perfect’ is actually a perfect nightmare.

The rules of engagement have changed and Liam, Olivia’s guardian angel, is forced to cross dimensional borders or risk losing the woman he’s sworn to protect. Suddenly, thrust into a world unlike anything he’s ever known, Liam isn’t prepared to come face to face with the young woman whose life he holds in his hands.

But nothing is as it seems, and secrets abound that will ultimately force him to choose between two impossibilities. Max will stop at nothing to finish what he’s started, and Olivia is soon plunged into a battle between good and evil. Her very life hangs in the balance as two forces fight to win her heart.

Author Bio:  Melynda Price

An avid lover of paranormal romance, Melynda was inspired to write her own series after reading the Book of Enoch. She’s always had a fascination with stories about angels, and the role they’ve played in the history of our multi-dimensional world.

She attended Bethel University in Minnesota and graduated in 2003, holding AA, ASN and BSN degrees.

She lives in Northern Minnesota where she has plenty of snow-filled days to curl up in front of the fireplace with her Chihuahua, and a hot cup of coffee, to write. She’s blessed with two amazing children, and a wonderful husband of seventeen years.

Juliette:  What is your favorite thing about being a writer?

Melynda:  I love creating and world building. Being an author of paranormal romance, I get to create characters that are larger than life and stretch beyond the borders of our world as we know it. My only challenge is to make the unbelievable believable. I love it when someone asks me, “Is that really a place, or did that really happen?” Then I know I’ve done my job well.

Juliette:  What genre(s) do you write?

Paranormal Romance

Juliette:  What genres and authors would we find you reading?

Melynda:  I only read Paranormal Romance and I prefer series. It’s so sad when a good book ends, I like series because it keeps the characters alive. The bigger the book the better, I don’t like investing my time into a shooting star story. I want development, strong plotting and believable world building—that takes time.

Juliette:  What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Melynda:  Writing the ending. It’s hard for me to say goodbye to the characters I’ve fallen in love with. I also find it the most challenging to wrap up a story that brings good closure and a conclusion that doesn’t leave that reader feeling cheated or rushed.

Juliette:  Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Melynda:  I’m a pantser by nature. Most of the time I don’t know what’s going to happen in the story until I’m writing it. But, I have been doing some plotting when it comes to the endings. I just don’t have the patience to plot out an entire storyline before I start writing it. I like being surprised by my characters, lol.

Juliette:  Why do you think people should choose your books over another author?

Melynda:  I wouldn’t necessarily say that a reader should choose me over other people. I don’t believe in putting others down to build yourself up. All I can say is that I believe I have a very original storyline and a good “voice” in my writing, that I hope people enjoy.

Juliette:  What do you hope readers take with them after reading one of your stories?

Melynda:  I hope that my characters become so real to them that they find themselves thinking about them for days after the book is finished. I want them to be as sad as I am that the book has ended and excited to read the next one.

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

Melynda:  There are a few messages in my Redemption Series that I hope come through strong. First, true love often requires sacrifice. Second, we all make mistakes. Third, it’s never too late for second chances.

Juliette:  How long have you been a writer?

Melynda:  I’ve always enjoyed writing and did quite a bit of it in college. After that, I needed and outlet for my creativity, so I picked up writing again. I’ve been doing it now full-time for the past three years.

Juliette:  How much time did it take from writing your first book to having it published?

Melynda:  It took me a year to find the right home for Until Darkness Comes. During that time, I probably rewrote it six times. When the offer came through to contract with 5PP, I also had another offer for the book. It was very flattering because so much of this industry is rejection. You really have to have perseverance and thick skin in this business.

Juliette:  What other careers have you had?

Melynda:  Well, I was a rocket scientist and a brain surgeon at Mayo Hospital, but, ultimately, I’ve found that writing is my true calling.

Juliettte:  Do you write under more than one name?

Melynda:  I only write as Melynda Price.

Juliette:  Are any of your characters based on real people or events?

My characters are all my imagination. Inspiration to write a fallen angel series came from the Book of Enoch. However, this story is its own and does not replicate any specific angels or events. I just found it a fascinating read.

Juliette:  How would you describe yourself if you were “speed dating” your readers?

Melynda:  I write fast-paced, voice-driven novels without a lot of filler. They’re believable, high-stakes stories, with good vs. evil conflicts and eternal consequences. Also, I like cheap wine and expensive chocolate.

Juliette:  What else would you like readers to know about you or your work?

Melynda:  I wasn’t really a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon. I just made that up, because I’m rather good at making sh!t up.

Juliette:  What books or authors have most influenced your career?

Melynda:  I would have to say that I most enjoy works by Lara Adrian and J.R. Ward.

Juliette:  How do your family and/or friends feel about your book or writing venture in general?

Melynda:  For the most part my family and friends are extremely supportive. I have a few that beta read for me and that’s really fun. It’s hard to find balance with writing and family sometimes because my characters aren’t always willing to punch a clock.

Juliette:  Where are you from?

Melynda:  Originally, I lived in Clear Lake, IA. Now I live in northern Minnesota, though I’d prefer sunny California.

Juliette:  How do you come up with the titles?

Melynda:  I make a list of ones I like and then research them to see if there are other books with the same titles. I narrow them down and take a poll if I can’t decide.

Juliette:  Has your life changed significantly since becoming a published writer?

Melynda:  No, not really. I’m the same I always was, except I’m busier with marketing now and have less time to write sometimes. Some days it’s hard to fit it all in.

Juliette:  Do you work on one project at a time? Or do you multi-task?

Melynda:  I was writing one project at a time. I think I work faster and more efficiently that way, but now I’m multi-tasking with another series I’m writing and sometimes those characters don’t want to wait their turn, lol.

Juliette:  When not writing, how do you relax?

Melynda:  To me, writing is relaxing, but when I’m not doing that, I’m spending time with my husband and two children. We sit down almost every night together and watch a movie, though some of them are pretty terrible. They tease me that I’m a horrible movie picker. Other than that, I really just enjoy sitting down with a glass of wine, a good book, and my Chihuahua, Ren.

Bonus!

MELYNDA’S GUEST BLOG:

I’ve been doing several interviews lately, and would like to take the time today to talk a little about my journey from unpublished to published author. Everyone has their own story to tell and I love hearing about other author’s success, but even more, I also want to hear about their failures. No, I’m not sadistic, lol, but I believe there’s a lot to be learned in these failures—my own and others.

Patience, perseverance, and gratitude are a few qualities that have grown in me through rejection. So, today’s stop, I want to pay special attention to the unpublished authors and to those who are struggling in their career. I’d like to share something I’ve learned through my journey.

It only takes one “yes.”—five simple words, yet so profound. This little bit of advice and encouragement was given to me by my good friend and author, Laura Breck, and it will stay with me forever. It only takes one “yes” for your dreams to come true, so try to take each “no” as a learning and growing experience. Easier said than done, I know, I’ve been there and I still have those days.

But this is what I’ve learned and truly believe: Often, the rejection to contract Until Darkness Comes was based solely on the query letter alone. When you have a project you’ve loved, nurtured and cherished, it’s hard not to take that rejection personally, but you can’t. A query letter isn’t your novel, and if it’s rejected, they’re not rejecting you or your work per say, but the query itself.

I rewrote my query letter numerous times, and by far I found it more difficult than writing the book itself. I knew I’d finally gotten it right when I started getting requests to submit my manuscript. At the time I signed Until Darkness Comes with 5Prince Publishing, I’d gotten two offers to contract this book. I took me a year of submitting, getting rejected, tweaking my query letter and re-submitting, before it all started coming together. I’ve talked to other authors who have said it took them as long as five years to get their first book contracted. In researching the dreaded query letter, I found a few helpful examples and included them on my website under “Writing Tips.” Feel free to check them out. I hope it helps. Thanks for stopping by today, and I wish you all the best in your literary journey.

Melynda Price

www.melyndaprice.com

Juliette:  Please tell us 5 things you’d love your readers to know about you.

Melynda:

  1. I have a very sick sense of humor. My daughter even has a facebook page called “Things Mother’s Should Never Say To Their Daughters.”
  2. My Chihuahua is named Ren. Yes, from Ren and Stimpy.
  3. I’ve been on seven wine tasting events in California with my brother and sisters, and an $8 bottle of Arbor Mist Blackberry Merlot is still my favorite.
  4. I love slapstick comedy and laugh inappropriately when people get injured, especially my kids. They don’t find it nearly as amusing as I do. They’ve stopped getting mad at me for being so insensitive and usually join in after they’ve finished crying, lol.
  5. I have horrible fashion sense. My favorite outfit is sweatpants and a t-shirt. My daughter dresses me when I have to go out in public.

Juliette:  Please share any links you would like listed in the Interview. Website, Myspace, blog, facebook, yahoo group etc.

Melynda:

Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/melynda.price.9

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/MelyndaPrice1

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13829312-until-darkness-comes

Blog: http://melyndaprice.wordpress.com/

Website: www.melyndaprice.com

Thank you for sharing this wonderful information with us, Melynda!  Good luck with Until Darkness Comes!

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