An Interview with Melissa Foster

The Reading Cafe is happy to welcome Melissa Foster as our guest today.

Melissa is here today to discuss her first book in her new Love in Bloom series, Sisters In Love, which was released last week.

Let’s meet Melissa.

 

 

 

TRC: Hi, Melissa.  Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions today.  We are always looking forward to reading about the author behind the book, and it is a pleasure to welcome you to The Reading Cafe.

Will you please tell us about yourself?

Melissa:  **Waves** If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, then you probably know that I’m addicted to optimism. I love to help others see the positive side of life, and I feel like the luckiest person on earth because I get to do what I love on a daily basis. Writing feeds my passion for creativity, and for giving something to others. I’m also a mom to six great kids and I’m married to an incredibly supportive (and really hot) hubby who puts up with me falling in love with fictitious characters.

TRC: When and how did you become interested in writing?  Have you always liked to write?

Melissa:  I have always been interested in writing on one level or another, but about 25 years ago I really got the “bug” and then I waited until all of my kids were in school full time to begin writing as a career.

TRC: How did you come up with the idea of your new The Snow Sisters series?  Can you please tell our readers the premise of this series?

Melissa:  I’m still wondering that, myself! Danica and Blake came to me when I was thinking about writing a happy, light-hearted women’s fiction/romance. I was thinking about the people I would want to write about and knew that Danica’s character had to be a deep thinker, and then Blake appeared, giving her all sorts of wonderful—and different—things to think about. They found me, I didn’t find them.

SISTERS IN LOVE is the story of two sisters; Danica, a practical, even if a bit boring, therapist, who has always been there to bail out her promiscuous, larger than life sister, Kaylie. Both sisters are ready for a change, but they don’t realize it at the onset of the story. Blake Carter is a player—always has been, and thinks he always will be—until he bonks Danica in the nose, and for the first time he’s blown off by a woman he’s attracted to. Then his best friend dies and he begins to reevaluate his life.   When Blake seeks a therapist’s help and unknowingly walks into Danica’s office, sparks fly…

TRC:  Sisters in Love is the 1^st book in your Snow Sisters.  Can you give us a brief description of the book?

Melissa:  Danica Snow has always been the smart, practical, and appropriate sister.   As a therapist, she prides herself on making reasonable, conservative choices, even if a bit boring, and as part of the Big Sister Program, she has little time for anything more in her life.

Blake Carter is a player. He never gets bored of conquering women, and with his sexy good looks and successful lifestyle, he has no trouble finding willing participants. When his friend and business partner dies in a tragic accident, he suddenly, desperately, wants to change his ways. The problem is, he doesn’t know how to stop doing what he does best.

When Blake walks into Danica’s office, the attraction between them is white hot, but Danica isn’t the type to give into the heat and risk her career. Danica’s desire sets her on a path of self-discovery, where she begins to question every decision she’s ever made. Just this once, Danica wants to indulge in the pleasures of life she’s been so willingly ignoring, but with her Little Sister in turmoil and her biological sister’s promiscuousness weighing heavily on her heart, she isn’t sure it’s the right time to set her desires free.

Links to order Sisters in Love: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

TRC:  Do you have a schedule of when we can anticipate book 2 & 3 of this series?

Melissa:  Yes! There are three books in the Snow Sisters series, and at the end of book three, you meet the Bradens, a family of six hot, wealthy, and lovable characters. Both the SNOW SISTERS and THE BRADENS are in one series umbrella, LOVE IN BLOOM. The publishing schedule is as follows:

LOVE IN BLOOM SERIES:

Sisters in Love, (Snow Sisters) September 9, 2013
Sisters in Bloom, (Snow Sisters) October 10, 2013
Sisters in White, (Snow Sisters) November 9, 2013
Lovers at Heart, (The Bradens), December 9, 2013
Destined to Love, (The Bradens), January 9, 2014
Friendship on Fire, (The Bradens), February 9, 2014
Sea of Love, (The Bradens), March 9, 2014
Bursting with Love, (The Bradens), April 9, 2014
Hearts at Play, (The Bradens), May 9, 2014

TRC:  We see that you have another series upcoming, The Bradens, some of whom we get to meet in the Snow Sisters series.  What can you tell us about this series?

Melissa:  As mentioned above, The Bradens are a family of six hot, wealthy, and lovable characters. Their series is a bit different, as each character has their own book/romance. The Snow sisters appear in many of the Braden books. The two families grew up in neighboring towns, so readers will recognize locations in both books. **PLEASE NOTE** These series are not my typical type of writing. They include sexual content, and The Bradens are a very sexy crew, so be ready!

The Bradens are adult characters that have already established their careers. Their mother passed away when they were young, and their father, a Colorado Rancher, raised them. Each of these sexy character’s stories are about finding their forever love.

TRC:  When you were writing the Snow Sisters, did you come up wit h the idea of The Bradens, or was this already in your planning process before you started either series?

Melissa:  The Bradens was going to be a separate series, but when I was writing the second book in the Snow Sisters I realized that Kaylie Snow had already met Treat Braden, and it became clear that the characters who grew up in neighboring towns had more too much in common to be separated.

TRC:  How many books are you planning for The Bradens?  When can we anticipate the first book being released?

Melissa:  The Bradens will include six books, and the schedule is noted above 🙂

TRC: What are you working on now?

Melissa:  I’m completing the last books in The Bradens series over the next few weeks, and when those are complete, I’m moving onto my next series (working title) Starfish Girls.

TRC:  In your spare time, you are very active in helping others.  You are involved in multiple sites.

* The Women’s Nest is your brainchild for helping women better themselves.  Can you tell us more about this community for woman, and how you became involved in this?

Melissa:  Women who stay home with their children, women who work, women who work from home, disabled women…we all experience the same types of ups and downs in life. Our issues may very with regard to specifics, but the impact on our emotions and lives are very similar. I opened The Women’s Nest as a place where all women can come together, feel like they fit in, and support other women by sharing advice, motivating each other, and celebrating the highs of life, while helping each other through the lows.

* The World Literary Café and Fostering Success are sites to help authors publish and promote their books.  Would you like to tell us more about this?

Melissa:  The World Literary Café (#WLC) is an online community that bridges the gap between readers and authors, with the mission of paying-it-forward in the literary field, promoting great literature, and bringing together the literary community. The WLC offers helpful promotions to authors, reviewers, bloggers, and editors by creating avenues to bring them together under one umbrella in an easily navigable venue.

TRC:  Being a prolific writer, with many books, how do you have time to be able to participate on these other sites?

Melissa:  I’m one of those weird people who does best under pressure. I divide my time between writing, running the sites, and my family. There are never enough hours in the day, and I have an awesome staff at WLC—without them, WLC could not function. Staff: http://www.worldliterarycafe.com/content/meet-staff-wlc

TRC: What is your writing process? Do you have a favorite spot or time? Do you like to outline your stories or just go with the flow?

Melissa:  I’m a real lover of rituals. I write daily from 8:45 until 4pm and then if I haven’t hit my word count, I write into the evening. I adore my office, which has large windows and a view of a field (not very romantic, but it’s better than looking at concrete). My office is filled with colors and textures, and my own quirky decorations of motivational sayings, a writer’s clock, and an enormous painting of a Zebra. My cat is my writing buddy.

I am a terrible outliner. I think I am the definition of “panzer” – and when I try to outline it’s painful and my story takes off in a different direction than what I had plannedJ  I am usually forced to go with the flow. My characters seriously have a mind of their own and I’m only along for the ride.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Melissa:  I really want to say thank you to my readers and the friends, family, and authors who find time and energy to support me. I’m inspired daily by Facebook posts, Tweets, and other ways that people reach out. I’m honored to write for each of them.

LIGHTNINIG ROUND

Favorite Food: Hands down, mint chocolate chip ice cream from Baskin and Robbins

Favorite Dessert: Tiramisu

Favorite Movie: That’s a tough one. Mama Mia and Dirty Dancing (a tie)

Favorite TV Show: I only watch TV out of duress (would rather be writing)

Milk or Dark Chocolate: MILK!!!

Favorite character (male & female) not written by you: I have so many, but tonight I feel like it’s Susie Salmon from The Lovely Bones. I read it years ago and she’s still with me.

TRC: Thank you, Melissa for answering our questions. We look forward to continuing to read your books, and to work with you again in the future.

Melissa:  Thank you for sharing your virtual space with me! I look forward to chatting with your readers and here’s to a long friendship xox

Melissa has graciously offered to give two members of The Reading Café an e-copy of her recent release, Come Back to Me.

TRC Note: For those of you who are not picked as winners, you still have a wonderful opportunity to buy Come Back to Me at a special price of $.99 from September 9 – 14

1.  Please register using the Log-In at the top of the page, or by using one of our social log-ins.

2.  If you are using a social log-in e.g. Twitter, please leave your email address along with your comment.

3.  Giveaway open US only.

4.  Contests runs from august September 9 to September 12, 2013