AUTHOR CRUSH FRIDAY: MELISSA WEST
Glitter girls, you have pressing questions for your favorite authors and we have their answers. Welcome to our new weekly segment, Author Crush Fridays.
We love asking questions and we love the answers from some of our favorite authors. Today we’re talking to Melissa West, author of Collide (Feb. 9, 2015; Entangled Teen). Thank you for talking to us today, Melissa! We’re honored!
GLITTER: Collide is the end of The Taking trilogy. What was it like to part with the characters? Have they grown a part of you over the years?
MELISSA: It was very hard! I remember finishing the last chapter and just staring at the words THE END, thinking how very final they felt. Before long, I was crying. GRAVITY was my first novel, and I’m not sure we ever get over our firsts. I adore these characters, and they will forever hold a special place in my heart.
GLITTER: You’re also penning books for Kensington and Penguin. How do you keep up with writing for several different publishers at the same time while being a mother to little ones?
MELISSA: This is where my agent becomes my rock. She negotiates my deadlines, so I can easily write and edit each book without going insane. Well, insanity is still part of the process, but she makes the insanity more manageable. Ha! I write 4-5 books a year, so it made sense to diversify with several different publishers to help me continue to grow as a writer. I’m so thankful for all my publishers and editors!
GLITTER: Do you love to create complex characters?
MELISSA: I adore writing complex characters and complex situations for those characters. For this reason, my favorites in any given series are not always the main characters. I love a good villain. I love secondary characters with quirks and tics. These characters can really make your main characters and their personalities shine all the more.
GLITTER: What do you hope readers will get out of reading Collide?
MELISSA: My readers are very invested in this series, so I wrote this book for them. It isn’t for me. I wanted my readers to turn the final page and feel very content with the series as a whole. I wanted them to look back at each book and feel as though COLLIDE made sense as the final installment. It is very action-packed, but it is also about closure, for my characters and my readers.
GLITTER: Do you hope that your books will one day be turned into a movie or on TV?
MELISSA: I would love that! There has been interest, but nothing for sure…yet. 🙂
GLITTER: Do you have any crazy writing rituals?
MELISSA: These days, I write when I can. One in the morning, five in the morning, in the car during carpool. My only real ritual is with editing. I force myself to read my editorial letters several times and then wait 24 hours before diving in. I then make a list of each item to tackle for every 50 pages. It works for me!
GLITTER: What are you working on now?
MELISSA: I just finished another YA sci-fi that is so, so fun! I hope to share more details soon. But currently, I’m working on my first adult contemporary romance with Kensington. It’s a blend of contemporary romance and women’s fiction and has been a blast to write!
Melissa West writes heartfelt Southern romance and YA sci-fi romance, all with lots of kissing. Because who doesn’t like kissing?. She lives outside of Atlanta, GA with her husband and two daughters and spends most of her time writing, reading, or fueling her coffee addiction.
Connect with Melissa at www.melissawestauthor.com or on Twitter @MB_West. And for sneak peeks at upcoming works, prizes, and more, join Mel’s Madhouse: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MelsMadhouse
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