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Thursday, January 9, 2014

Learning More About Melissa Keir #interview #giveaway

Thank you for joining me on Romance Books 4 Us’ blog today. I’m giving away a RB4U t-shirt to one lucky commenter. Please leave your email address so that I can contact you for your mailing address.

I wanted to share a little bit about myself with you through the RB4U interview. I hope you’ll find some things about me that you didn’t know. *wink*

Interview:
RB4U- Your novel is being made into a TV series/movie. Who’s in your dream cast?
Melissa- For Chalkboard Romance, I love Jennifer Lawrence as Lauren. She’d bring the natural grace as well as sex appeal. I’d love Gerard Butler as Mac. He’d make a cute cowboy reporter.

RB4U- What is the most important thing you do for your career now, as compared to when you first started writing?
Melissa- The most important thing is to keep writing. I have four more stories in various stages of development. And while I’m overwhelmed with the full time day job, writing is what I do to get better and to grow as a writer.

RB4U- How much of yourself is hidden in the characters in the book?
Melissa- I love to include pieces of me in my characters. It helps when I write that I become the main heroine. I fall for the hero each time. It makes my stories more realistic and enjoyable to read.

RB4U-If you could change something about your first book, what would it be?
Melissa- Luckily for me I got to change a lot in my first book. I received the rights back to the book at the end of 2013 and self-published it. The cover was the biggest issue. The story was about a middle age divorcee who didn’t think she’d find love again. The old cover featured a girl in her early 20’s. It was not the right cover for the story. I love the new cover. The character that I envisioned is on there now. I also added more content and changed the story a bit. I believe it’s stronger now.


RB4U-How do you choose names for your characters?
Melissa-I love to choose names for my characters from my students or friends. You never know who’s name will show up in the story. I was on a radio show and the host wanted me to use his name in a story. His first name ended up in Chalkboard Romance.

RB4U-Give one advice tip to an aspiring author.
Melissa- Never give up! Things have a way of messing up, publishing houses close, errors are found, bad reviews happen…but keep writing and never give up your dreams. You will succeed!

RB4U-Have you ever used an incident from your real life into one of your books?
Melissa- In A Christmas Accident, when the hero comes out of the coma, is exactly how it happened when my mom came out of her week long coma. It was a miracle because we had been told that she was going to die. She was on a breathing tube and feeding tube. She felt no pain or sensory stimuli. Only when my father’s priest came in did her situation change.

RB4U-Any part of a book that drives you crazy as you write: beginning, middle, or end?
Melissa-I have a good understanding of the beginning and endings. It’s the middle that always throws me for a loop. I never know where the characters are going to lead me.

Fun Stuff:
RB4U- What is your favorite holiday and why?
Melissa-I love Christmas because it’s a time for family and remembrances.

RB4U- What are two things people might be surprised to know about you?
Melissa- I’m the oldest of five girls who all have names that begin with “M”, sort of like my Wilder Sisters series. I’ve worked as a salesgirl in a stuffed animal store. It was a fun time and we even had some stuffed animals that were selling for thousands of dollars.

RB4U- As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Melissa- I wanted to be a singer on stage. Alas, I can’t really sing but my poor mom used to watch all my shows.

RB4U- Favorite food.
Melissa- Pizza…it’s not just for breakfast anymore!

RB4U- Favorite drink.
Melissa- Soda- coke not pepsi.

RB4U- Hot summer days or chilly winter nights?
Melissa-Hot summer days- I love the longer days and warmer nights. Besides it’s my birthday time!!

RB4U- What is the top thing on your bucket list?
Melissa-I did my first 5k this year which was one thing on my list, now I want to travel and see the west. I love reading about cowboys of the West. I want to see them first hand.

RB4U- If you could have a super power, what would it be?
Melissa- I want to be able to think about something and make it happen. More along the lines of Jeanne from I Dream of Jeanne or Samantha from Bewitched. So if I wanted to travel to Ohio, rather than get in the car, I could just blink myself there.

Latest Book: Chalkboard Romance

Blurb:
Lauren Walsh, a divorcee and elementary teacher, wanted to feel sexy again, after her ex tossed her aside for a younger woman. Her teaching partner and best friend encouraged her to sign up for The Playhouse--a renowned dating agency.

Mac Thomas remained trapped in a marriage to a money grubbing socialite. Forced to stay away from his young son, Mac lost the ability to trust. After the death of his wife, he returned to care for his son but his sister wants more for him. She sets him up with The Playhouse.

Passion ignites but Mac’s a parent of one of Lauren’s students. A teacher and a parent dating could cost Lauren her job and her chance at happiness. Will Mac be able to convince the school and Lauren, that love is the most important thing?



BIO:
As a writer, Melissa likes to keep current on topics of interest in the world of writing. She’s a member of the Romance Writers of America and EPIC and other writing organizations.  She is always interested in improving her writing through classes and seminars. Melissa doesn’t believe in down time. She’s always keeping busy. Melissa is a wife and mother, an elementary school teacher, a book reviewer, an editor for a publishing company as well as an author. Her home blends two families and is a lot like the Brady Bunch, without Alice- a large grocery bill, tons of dirty dishes and a mound of laundry. She loves to write stories that feature happy endings and is often seen plotting her next story.

Connect with me on my website and blog: http://www.melissakeir.com and http://www.melissakeir.com/blog.html



I'd love to hear from you about things no one knows about you! What was your strangest job? Don't forget just by commenting, you are entered to win the Romance Books 4 Us t-shirt!




32 comments:

Tina Donahue said...

Great interview, Melissa. Love the cover for Second Time's the Charm. Very romantic. :)

Had to laugh at your comment about pizza - it's not just for breakfast anymore. Know what you mean. During college, I ate nothing but pizza for breakfast. :)

Melissa Keir said...

Thanks Tina. Pizza is just one of those all encompassing foods that's good for everything. It has so many different food groups!

Vicki Batman, sassy writer said...

Hi, Melissa! I love your covers. And Chalkboard Romance is a very creative title.

I have to add: I'm the oldest of four girls and all of our middle names begin with L.

Hugs!

Unknown said...

I really enjoyed your interview, Melissa. Hope you get to go out west and study those cowboys soon! Can we expect to see a few in your upcoming stories?

Melissa Keir said...

Thanks Vicki! My mom didn't plan on the M's but once she got started... we even had a bird named Martini. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Harlie Williams said...

When I was growing up I wanted to dance on Broadway. A Chorus Line spoke to me back then and I still dance around the house. Drives out son crazy. LOL!

Unfortunately, I was too short.

Congratulations on the new release.

Marika/Harlie
maw1725@gmail.com

Melissa Keir said...

Gemma,
I would love to write a cowboy romance but right now I'm hung up with some PI's and firefighters. :) Can't help but love a man who serves others!

Melissa Keir said...

Harlie..You and I could start our own little dance show! We would be a hit! I even did some moves on the pretend surfboard (used a skateboard) to the Beach Boys!

Paris said...

Melissa,

Thanks for sharing! I loved the interview and your cover for Second Time's a Charm. Incidentally, I think pizza is the perfect meal, anytime:)

Melissa Keir said...

Thank you Paris. Nekkid Designs did the cover for Second Time's the Charm and used a photo that I selected from the book trailer. I loved what she did. I highly recommend them!

<3 Pizza

darlene deluca said...

Can't wait to see your movie/series. Hope you get an awesome cast!

Nina Pierce said...

Great interview! And I'm with you on the cowboys ... yum!

Harlie Williams said...

Man, I'm impressed. A skateboard! You're on Melissa!

Harlie

Harlie Williams said...

Man, I'm impressed. A skateboard! You're on Melissa!

Harlie

Molly Daniels said...

ROFL! I don't know how old you are in that picture, but you're the spitting image of one of my blonde 'adoptees':) Maybe she'll grow up as beautiful as you!

I also used to pretend surf to the Beach Boys, and we put on so many shows for the parents, I'm surprised they didn't ask us to stop! It became a weekly thing when my parents would host their prayer group, or we'd have a party. We kids would plan the skits and songs, then sit the adults down and be the entertainment:) On second thought....maybe that's why they joined a different group when I was 14? ROFL! (I know that wasn't really the reason!)

Daryl Devoré said...

Like your thinking about pizza :-)

Unknown said...

Great interview...cute picture!
Who doesn't eat pizza for breakfast...have you tried pasta...yummy!

Marsha Casper Cook said...

Hi
Good interview! Melissa is a favorite on all radio shows because she always has something new to say!

Good Luck with the new book...
Marsha

Marsha Casper Cook said...

Hi
Good interview! Melissa is a favorite on all radio shows because she always has something new to say!

Good Luck with the new book...
Marsha

Marsha Casper Cook said...

Hi
Good interview! Melissa is a favorite on all radio shows because she always has something new to say!

Good Luck with the new book...
Marsha

BeverleyB said...

Hi Melissa, and now I know more about you that I didn't know before. You already know about me, but my strangest job - hmm , maybe pumping gas at a small lakeside resort. And I'm with you on Gerard Butler. He could play any of my heroes.

Andrea Cooper said...

Great interview. I'd love to have the same super power :) Oh, and clone myself too so I could write while the clones played w/ the kids, cooked and cleaned. Tweeted.

Sandy said...

Great covers, Melissa! It was really nice to learn more about you in your interview.

Liza O'Connor said...

Strange job of my past: When I was a teenager desperate to earn money to go to college, one summer I had FIVE jobs at once (2 full time, 3 part-time. One of the full times was Security Guard for a chicken processing plant in a bad neighborhood. Every hour when I had to leave the safety of the guard house and do my walkabout, I welded my iron clock like a weapon. I was far more concerned about ME than the chickens.

Debby said...

I never really had any truly strange jobs. I did fix coffee once at the state fair. We got everyone coming by with their horses.

Cara Marsi said...

Melissa, how nice to get to know you. Very charming interview. I am with you on the super powers. I'd want to be Samantha from Bewitched so I could clean my house with just a twitch of my nose. Your cover and your story sound great.

Melissa Keir said...

Thank you Cara. Growing up with Samantha on TV, I was very upset to find that I had no power!

Debby, I've not been to a state fair yet. Michigan's fair this year was in the parking lot of a convention center. It didn't seem exciting, but if they'd told me there might be horses... ahhhhh...

Darlene, when I get the movie deal, I scream it to the heavens. My mom wanted to be a romance author and I'm trying to live up to her! :)

Melissa Keir said...

Nina, There is something about the cowboys. I've had this conversation with hubby about the "new country" singers who don't wear cowboy hats...somehow they still oooze cowboy.

Harlie, We had a jukebox growing up so music was always around for our "shows". I was also the costume designer as well as lead singer and choreographer. In other words.. I was the boss!

Molly, That's so sweet. I hope she knows how much you love her. :) I was the blonde in the photo. I was about 7 in the pic. For Christmas I gave my family a DVD of all the old 8mm tapes my mom used to take of us. It was the best present EVER!!

Melissa Keir said...

Rose, I'm trying pasta but my stomach hates tomato sauce like spaghetti sauces. Pasta plain or with cheese is enough for me. Believe me, some days I eat whatever I can find in the fridge.

Daryl...Have you checked out how many of the food groups Pizza has, from grain, to veggies, to meat and cheese? It's like a perfect food!

Thank you Marsha for stopping by. I'm so glad you are such a good friend. I love just chatting with you!

Melissa Keir said...

Liza...that sounds like a scary job at times. I hope they gave you a gun! or Taser!

Thanks Sandy. I'm glad to share about me and my life. I love talking about growing up. Those were some fun times!

Andrea.. cloning and time travel (or stopping time) are two good powers to have. There was this movie about a watch that could stop time. It was so fun. I tried to find one but no luck! :(

Thanks Beverly. I like Gerard with shorter hair and well, I can just sit with my eyes closed and listen to him talk. Accents are so sexy!

Thank you everyone for coming by and reading more about me!

Nicole Morgan said...

Sorry I'm late to this, I did share it yesterday, just forgot to leave a comment! :)

Judy Baker said...

Enjoyed your interview, cutie pic and love the book cover. Can't believe how much energy you have and what you've accomplished. Congrats on the movie. The one job I had was getting up at 4am and baking bread for a cafe - it was hard and never ending since people love breads - if I remember correctly, I only lasted 2 month on that job!

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