Today we have...
Take a shy, chubby, Catholic school girl bookworm from Montana. Hand her a stack of her much older brother’s sci fi and fantasy novels, James Bond books and horror comics. Later, introduce Barbara Cartland and the world of romance fiction.
Get her a teaching job or two in authentic, one room Montana schools, ala Laura Ingels Wilder.
Marry her off to a great guy, move her to a big city in Tornado Alley, then pop three daughters out of her in twenty two months(one set of identical twins).
Then, make her a jinx–every great genre TV show she loves gets the ax– Beauty and the Beast, Dark Angel–and Buffy and Spike NEVER have a happy ending! She gets upset about no romance in the world, and fires up to write her own stories with happy endings.
Throw this all together into a small house in Wyoming, along with a small bouncy dog named Baxter and too many cats, shake constantly and pour it out onto a computer keyboard.
There! You have me, Melisse Aires.
Get her a teaching job or two in authentic, one room Montana schools, ala Laura Ingels Wilder.
Marry her off to a great guy, move her to a big city in Tornado Alley, then pop three daughters out of her in twenty two months(one set of identical twins).
Then, make her a jinx–every great genre TV show she loves gets the ax– Beauty and the Beast, Dark Angel–and Buffy and Spike NEVER have a happy ending! She gets upset about no romance in the world, and fires up to write her own stories with happy endings.
Throw this all together into a small house in Wyoming, along with a small bouncy dog named Baxter and too many cats, shake constantly and pour it out onto a computer keyboard.
There! You have me, Melisse Aires.
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What motivates Melisse Aires the author? Why do you write?
I always have stories running through my head. I enjoy the creative process where elements come together to make a complete story.
When did you know you were a writer? Was it always your destiny or did you stumble upon your craft by accident?
As a child I was a huge book reader, and when I wasn’t reading I was daydreaming stories(much to the nun’s dismay!). In college I took a playwriting class that intrigued me so I wrote plays for several years, and later taught school and had the chance to direct a few short ones. When my kids were small I had an old Brother word processor, and wrote some children’s books and short mysteries for magazines—all rejected. Around that time I got my first computer and it wasn’t long before I found Buffy fanfic—it was my favorite TV show ever. I wrote a little fanfic, then searched the internet for paranormal romances, which couldn’t be found easily, and stumbled on E-publishers. That pushed me to a new level of writing and soon I was publishing.
What is your favorite genre to write and why?
My favorite is Science fiction romance (including steampunk), followed by paranormal romance and fantasy romance. I’ve published in all of these sub-genres. To read, I include romantic suspense, sheik books and books with twin babies.
How did you get into EBook publishing?
I wrote a short fun fantasy romance that I never expected to publish, but WCP Torrid had a call for a winter antho, and it was a winter story, Faunication. I got the contract right away, very exciting.
How many hours a day do you devote to writing? Do you have a set routine or do you write when the mood strikes?
I work full time but strive to keep my evenings and weekends as clear as possible for writing, so generally every evening is for writing. It helps that I’m a homebody. I am best at writing in the mornings, so Sunday morning is a great time.
Has there been a person or influence in your life that has helped you reach your writing goals?
My father was very encouraging. Before I got the word processor he had a computer and would type up my stuff for submission. He passed away before I got a contract but I know he was thrilled for me.
Do you have any words of inspiration to aspiring authors? What advice would you offer a writer trying to publish?
Don’t give up. Write to a finish, edit it and submit—don’t hang on to something forever, re-editing again and again. Trust your gut. Critiques can be detailed without being nasty—avoid those who seem to hate your work, because they might just dislike your voice—or maybe they have other problems. Be wise about the Internet—not everyone or every publisher you cyber-meet is what they seem. Join some author’s groups and reach out to make friends.
Tell us about your current release.
Blurb:
A steampunk spacewestern romance in the Starlander Frontier series.
Asteroid miner Jack Starlander stumbles upon the illegal sale of a woman and child with unusual abilities. In the ensuing shoot out, two important men die. Jack, Sophie and her daughter, along with Jack's close neighbors, are forced to flee to safety. Their journey takes them into deadly danger. Sophie is a creature from myth and she recognizes the mythic thread in Starlander's family legend. Perhaps his family legend can save them.
Asteroid miner Jack Starlander stumbles upon the illegal sale of a woman and child with unusual abilities. In the ensuing shoot out, two important men die. Jack, Sophie and her daughter, along with Jack's close neighbors, are forced to flee to safety. Their journey takes them into deadly danger. Sophie is a creature from myth and she recognizes the mythic thread in Starlander's family legend. Perhaps his family legend can save them.
Buy Link:
Amazon—
COMING IN APRIL: From Lyrical, Refugees on Urloon, a scifi romance
Blurb:
In the normal course of events, Svana, non-military maintenance crew, and Captain Liam Ringel a highly respected military instructor, would never have met or worked side by side. But a sudden space anomaly thrusts them into deep space, where they are rescued by the inhabitants of the isolated exotic waterworld, Urloon. With no rescue coming the refugees can choose to adapt to the sea or farm on the land. Svana is sad to see her friendship with Liam change as they choose different life options. Deep inside she wanted more than friendship with him and soon they will rarely see each other. When they are invited to an alien fertility festival, the Moonfest, they decide to make a memory.
Do you have any upcoming projects in the works?
I am getting ready to submit a Scifi space opera, Galactic Game. I’m also working on the second Starlander Frontier book, Starlander’s Wayfarer, and the second Urloon Book, Wilder Woman of Urloon.
Where can readers connect with you?
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Thanks so much for joining us. I look forward to hanging out over on your blog next Monday!
Ella
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