Saturday, July 21, 2012

Meet author Melanie Atkins

 When did you first consider yourself a writer?

In high school, I guess, but I didn't know what to do about it. I was really shy, and not many people knew I liked to write. After graduation, I went to college and studied film and English, then got a job as a secretary. Wasn't until many years later, after my divorce, that I rediscovered writing and decided I wanted to write books.
In which genre do you prefer to write and why?

I write romantic suspense featuring hot cops. I love gritty, edge of your seat, high stakes stories when watching movies and TV (I love crime dramas) and reading, and it bleeds over into my writing. Can't help it. I must have inherited a "danger" gene. lol
 
 Can you give us some details about your upcoming release?

On August 1, EMILY'S NIGHTMARE will come out in e-book format at Desert Breeze. In this story, Detective Emily Rawson doesn't want children; she's too focused on her career to give a family the time required. That is, until she falls in love with fellow detective John Cutter, forgets to take precautions, and winds up pregnant. She fights the idea tooth and nail before finally deciding that having a baby is exactly what she wants -- as long as the child is Cutter's. Then tragedy strikes. Will it bring them together or tear them apart?

 Do you belong to any non-writing organizations?

Yes, I belong to the Junior Auxiliary of Byram-Terry, a non-profit service organization in my community that strives to help children. We sponsor summer reading programs at two different libraries, hold an annual Christmas Angel Tree drive, and gear up every summer about this time for a Stuff the Bus school supply drive. In addition to that, we also help out at a children's shelter, hold a free annual Easter egg hunt, provide scholarships to graduates planning to work with children, and do a variety of other service projects to help our community. I've met so many wonderful, caring women in this group, and have made a lot of new friends. I highly recommend that authors get involved in their communities. Not only will you meet potential readers and make new friends, but you'll also help folks. It's a win-win!

 Who are some of your favourite authors?

I love Lisa Gardner, Linda Castillo, John Sanford, Karen Rose, Tess Gerritsen, Jonathan Hayes, Laura Griffin, Linda Howard, Linda Fairstein, Lee Child, and Robin Perrini. All write great suspense and/or thrillers, my favorite types of books.

When you are not writing, what are your hobbies, passions, etc?

I love to travel and do research for my books, play with my granddaughter, go to movies, read, visit coffee shops, and hang out at the gym. Oh, and surf the Internet and play games on my phone!

Do you have any advice for new writers beginning their adventure?

Never give up. Be persistent, and write every single day. The more you write, the better you'll get. Write, write, write!

Melanie Atkins a multi-published author of romantic suspense, a fan of crime dramas, and an avid reader. Writing is more than an escape for her -- it's a way of life. She grew up in the Deep South listening to tall tales and penning stories about her cats. Now she writes gripping stories of love, suspense, and mystery with the help of her furry little feline muses.

Thanks for joining me today, Melanie, and sharing your adventure.

Jean

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Meet Mary Marvella


Hi Mary, and thank you for joining me on the latest Adventure in Authorland.

So why not tell us a little about your adventure in this wonderful world of wriiting.

Thanks for inviting me to join you, Jean.  I had expected to have a brand new book to sell, but the best laid plans…..

Would you believe I was kidnapped by 3 dogs and finally managed to gnaw my way free? I was at the mercy of my grand dogs over the week of the 4rth.

 I have been a storyteller since I could put stories together and tell them to anyone who would listen. I hadn’t started school at that time.

I’m not sure when I first considered myself a writer, but by the time I was halfway into my first novel I was hooked. I had so many stories I needed to write. Characters told me their stories and I had to write them to get any peace.


I remember dreaming in scenes that became my first novel. It was a romance and VERY purple! As a literature teacher I loved lush, historical language. The problem was that I was writing a contemporary story. I did a lot of editing on that one. 

I have written 10 novels and novellas, so yes, I consider writing my career. I taught language arts for 15 years and now tutor, so I am a teacher, too. I love to teach other writers. I have taken enough classes and workshops to give me material for many writing lessons. (Many writers need grammar lessons. grin) Two careers in one.

 I have always wanted to be a teacher. I made up the games we played and created the details of our “let’s pretend” or “play like” games. When we played school, I was the teacher. As a kid and a teen I was too busy reading to consider being a writer. After I stopped teaching I wrote the stories I made up for my daughter. Writing them didn’t work as well as making them up for a kid.

 I love writing romantic suspense stories and women’s fiction. I tell the story whose characters are the most demanding. My first 4 books are definitely romantic suspense stories. And then there is Haunting Refrain, my reincarnation romance with ghost facilitators. I loved writing that story. I published a woman’s fiction novel and will publish another woman’s fiction book as soon as my daughter finishes my cover. My critique partners say all my books are romances.  Some just don’t have the “happily ever after” ending.

My most recent novel is The Gift and the next will be called Margo’s Choices.

The Gift,
On Edna Mae’s 40th birthday, she buried her controlling father and lost her virginity in a one-night-stand with a stranger she never expected to see again. Her life is about to change in more ways than she ever imagined.

Wondering what the gift is? I’m not telling.  You can find this ebook at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00631OX6W
(Barnes & Noble) http://bit.ly/KvTMmT

Margo’s Choices (coming soon)
Margo has raised her daughters without the help of their father, a career marine who preferred adventure and danger to family life. Jay, her ex husband, is on his way back home for his oldest daughter’s 21 birthday. 

Jay knows how to push Margo’s buttons and get her into bed. Margo believes she needs to resist his games for a couple of weeks, but he has retired and plans to stay. Now she fears he can hurt their youngest daughter, the one he doesn’t believe is his. That would break her heart even more than falling for him again would!

Bio
Mary Marvella has been a storyteller for as long as she could talk. She taught language arts for 15 years and still teaches as a tutor and a writing coach. Mary lives in Georgia, in an Atlanta suburb. She was raised southern and writes southern fiction. She was born in Augusta and lived in Macon until she took her first teaching job. Mary holds degrees from Mercer University and University of Georgia.

When she returned home to Georgia from her five years in Mexico Missouri, she brought her daughter, Danielle.  Mary helped her ex husband photograph hundreds of weddings and created a love story with each album she put together for the couples. Now she writes love stories, romances, and woman’s fiction.

http://MaryMarvella.wordpress.com
http://www.ebooks99cents.blogspot.com/

Thanks for joining me today, Mary.
Best wishes for your new book. Wishing you many sales

Jean