Interview of Author Melissa Keir

Today I'm pleased to present an interview of romance author Melissa Keir.

Latest Book: A Christmas Accident
Buy Link: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-achristmasaccident-1023844-148.html
Video Link: http://youtu.be/GbT5QiZL0b8

BIO:
Melissa Keir has always wanted to be an author when she wasn’t hoping for a career as a race car driver. Her love of books was instilled by her mother and grandparents who were avid readers. She’d often sneak books away from them so that she could fantasize about those strong alpha males and plucky heroines. In middle school and high school, Melissa wrote sappy love poems and shared them with her friends. She still has those poems today! In college, her writing changed to sarcastic musings on life as well as poems with a modern twist on fairy tales and won awards for her writing. You can find many of these musings along with her latest releases on her website and blog.

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. Melissa is always interested in improving her writing through classes and seminars. She also believes in helping other authors and features authors and their books on her blog.

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 found plotting her next story.

Her releases include “Forever Love” in the Love, Again Anthology. It’s sequel Beach Desires. These stories tell the tale of five daughters who moved away from their small town but now facing a father with Alzheimer’s. Melissa also has a story about finding love after divorce titled Second Time’s the Charm and a twisted tale of the Three Little Pigs titled Protecting His Wolfe. In this story, the Wolfe needs protecting by the pig.

This is what readers are saying about Melissa’s books:
Amazon 5 star review for Second Time’s the Charm- “Such a sweet and heart warming story. As I read it, and the details unfolded, I was engrossed to see if that I thought was going to happen, would really happen.” – Lacey Wolfe, Romance Author.
Barnes and Nobel 5 star review for Protecting His Wolfe- "Great read. I couldn't put it down. I really liked the characters, especially Betsie and the Pigg brothers. A love story with suspense and surprise.” – Anonymous

Q: What’s the first thing you did when you received word you’d sold a book?
A: The first thing that I did was scream, then cry a little and jump around the room. We have a wood floor in our home and standing in my socks I jumped around and danced like Tom Cruise did in Risky Business! Becoming a published author was a dream of mine and when it finally came true, I couldn’t believe it. Would you believe that each time I get a contract, I still do the same thing? It doesn’t get any less exciting!

Q: What part of the book is the easiest for you to write? Why?
A: The easiest part of the book to write is the beginning. I usually have the story planned out and can jump right into the beginning. My story unveils itself as I write. When I get stuck, I go back and reread the part that has been written and then move forward. I love the excitement of telling the story and starting a new book.

Q: Who is your favorite character in your book and why?
A: Sherri Davison is my favorite character in A Christmas Accident. She is a strong woman who no matter what is thrown at her, doesn’t give up her faith and belief in a miracle. She is stubborn and not willing to think of the worst or give in to depression. I’d love to think of myself as a person with that strength. I think when it comes to my children, I find that strength from within, whereas if the hardship affects only me, I tend to wallow in the “Why Me’s”.

Q: What hobby do you enjoy when not writing?
A: When I’m not writing, I’m a big reader. I love to read a variety of different books and have my own keeper collection. Reading other authors gives me inspiration and motivation to keep writing. I also love to create jewelry. I’ve made pendants, necklaces and earrings which I’ve given to family members, friends and even donated some to charity. It is amazing to see a few pieces of glass beads and silver become a beautiful pendant.

Q: You’re on a remote island with a handsome man, a computer, and a “mysterious” source of electricity to power your computer. What do you do?
A: If I found that magical island, I would write more steamy books and have that handsome guy help me work out the scenes! Of course any magical island that has Internet and electricity must also have UPS so that I can go shopping online and order more books! Having this handsome man at my fingertips would be too tempting to ignore!

Q: What genre would you like to try writing in but haven’t yet done so? Why?
A: I would love to write paranormal but the market is so saturated that I worry about creating a unique storyline. I also have some of my favorite authors who write paranormal and honestly, I feel like I can’t measure up…or at least I’m afraid to try at this point! But never say never!

Tell us where to find you: website(s), publisher’s page(s), blog(s), Facebook page(s), etc. List them all!
www.melissakeir.com
http://www.facebook.com/melissaakeir
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMelissaKeir (fan page)
www.twitter/melissa_keir

BLURB:
Expecting her first child, Sherri Wilder Davison wants nothing more than to spend time with her father over the holidays, but fate has a way of changing her best-laid plans.

Adam Davison is willing to do anything to make his pregnant wife happy. He will face hell to have her home for the holidays.

For Sherri and Adam, the holidays are a time of celebration and love, but this Christmas will be unlike any they have ever faced.

When a horrible blizzard causes an automobile accident that puts the lives of those Sherri loves on the line, can a Christmas miracle save them?

EXCERPT:
Looking over at Adam, I’m amazed that such a handsome man could love me. Stubble showed on Adam’s rugged face. I liked the way the short growth of beard rubbed on my face when he nibbled on my ears. Adam’s dark brown hair was cut short, emphasizing his deep blue eyes and strong nose. The small dimple on his chin made him seem more approachable and much less serious. His tall stature and muscular body always made me feel precious yet delicate, like a porcelain doll, but Adam never treated me like anything other than a desirable woman.

“How are the roads? Do you think we can stop so I can use the bathroom? Your son is pushing on my bladder.” Wiggling in my seat, I tried to alleviate the uneasy pressure.

Adam looked over at me with a dreamy expression on his face. His gaze settled on my stomach as it undulated. “Sure, I could use some coffee. How are you feeling? Little Pea looks active tonight.”

“I’m okay except for the kicks to the bladder. I swear he’s practicing his temper tantrums so he has them right when he comes out. Oh Ricky, we are in so much trouble,” I replied with a silly high pitched whiny Lucille Ball-type voice, then smiled.

I am thankfully in the third trimester of my pregnancy. I’d passed the dangerous stage where many women miscarry as well as the dreaded morning sickness phase that sucks the very life out of a body. Now I had abundant energy and looked forward to finally getting ready to meet our son. We still had two more months to go but I already felt like a beached whale, not to mention the walking with a waddle. Adam loved talking to my stomach, he’d even been reading storybooks to our peanut each night.

Adam and I had eloped to Hawaii five years ago during our Christmas vacation. We’d kept our wedding private, only us. Today we are closer than most married couples, enjoying the same things, especially our cottage home on the Huron River, old movies, television shows, and snuggling up with a blanket on those cold Michigan nights.

While we both loved our families, neither one of us enjoyed traveling which became the basis for the fight. I’d won the the argument after the announcement of my father’s recent diagnosis. I’d spent hours on the phone with my sister, then on the Internet gathering information on Alzheimer's. The dementia had already begun to kick in when Dad accidentally set fire to his home. Luckily, Syndie had already moved in with Dad and got him out of the house in time. My need for family had only become stronger since I’d learned about my pregnancy and the arrival of the first grandson.. I didn’t want my baby to miss out on his remaining grandparent.

Fear about my father never getting to meet or know my little peanut became a constant in my mind. Adam and I had distanced ourselves from our families over the years. We were always so happy spending time with just each other, we’d just never considered what those choices did to others. Having a baby changes things. My sister’s wedding invitation plus my dad’s diagnosis, well, both convinced me that we needed to get back to Ohio. Christmas seemed like a perfect excuse.

After pulling into the gas station, Adam stopped the car next to the pump. I grabbed my purse. “I’m going to use the bathroom, grab your coffee, then get a snack while you fill up. Is there anything else you want?” I walked over to Adam’s door as he let himself out.

Adam bent down to kiss my belly, making my muscles clench. How does such a beefy man do that yet still look so masculine?

“Why don’t you also grab me some pretzels. I don’t know if the coffee will be good on my empty stomach. But with the way the snow has been falling, I want to make sure we can take the turnpike rather than Route 2.”

Route 2 is known as Death’s Highway. The area of Route 2 between Bono and Sandusky claimed dozens of lives due to the large semi-trucks in addition to the awkward two lane road. People couldn’t see what was coming around the next bend so head-on collisions were frequent. The horrible blizzard-like conditions from Lake Erie only made the road more treacherous.

After grabbing the coffee, pretzels and some crackers for myself, then paying for them, I headed back to the car. The snow made the car hard to see from the door of the gas station. Driving in this mess wasn’t a comforting thought.

Adam, the weather looks really bad. Maybe we should turn on a local radio station to check on the road conditions.”

Making slow progress, we listened to the bleak weather bulletin. Little did we know one single radio announcement would change our lives forever.


Anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you for having me visit with you and your readers today. I hope that I’ve intrigued you with my story and answers. I love to hear from readers and other authors!