Friday, September 6, 2013

Indie-Credible Author Melanie Rose!!!


Hello all of you wonderful people out there! Today I want to introduce you to an amazing author I had the pleasure to interview. Her name is Melanie Rose!
 
One day in her childhood, Melanie Rose told herself a story about the apple she was eating. It was a planet, inhabited by one tiny man-like creature who kept having to move house as his various residences were devoured by a giant alien. It was a tragedy, of course, ending in the planet's destruction, but the author has been telling herself stories ever since.

Melanie Rose currently resides in Chewelah, Washington, with her husband, singer/songwriter Aaron Gabriel, their dog Leo, and a hedgehog named Ferdinand. She loves to dance and travel. Her debut novel, Ashford, was awarded the B.R.A.G. Medallion in 2012, and its companion story, Violet Shadows, is the 2013 winner of the Novella category for the Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

First I would love to thank Melanie for taking the time and sitting down for a quick Q & A session. I promise not to take up too much of your time =)

Thank you, Crystal!


Ok so first question, how long have you been writing?

When I was eight I wrote my first short story, about a walrus and a poodle. I wanted to be Shakespeare in the worst way, so I went through a phase of concocting elaborate plays full of flowery language which probably made the Bard roll over in his grave. I still have boxes full of old manuscripts which (I hope) will never see the light of day.


What inspired you to write Violet Shadows?

Well, the story followed fairly naturally on the heels of “Ashford,” as it follows the story of a secondary character I introduced in that book. Violet had become special to me and I wanted to give her a book of her own. I’d also become fascinated by the history of the French Resistance during WWII, and especially by the lives of the young women who went to France under cover. In “Violet Shadows” I wanted to bring out the individual side of the war, not just armies engaged in battles but individuals making choices, and explore what happens when people with conflicting loyalties are drawn together.


In An Amazing Alphabet Anthology, what are your favorite letter/animals and why?

It’s a hard choice, but I think “W” is probably my favorite. I like the way the words flow...it’s almost like music. “T” is also a favorite, and I love the way my mom illustrated it, with the toads tumbling down the page.


If you could take a dream vacation to anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

I actually just had this conversation with my husband the other day. I know this answer could be seen as cheating, but I’d really like to take a year and circle the globe, with no particular itinerary, staying as long or as short a time as I chose in each time, touching every continent at least once.

Ok Miss Melanie, time for some random questions:


Favorite food?
Sushi

Favorite Saying?
It changes periodically...but at the moment: “Love is the divinity who creates peace on earth and calm upon the sea, the windless silence of storms, repose and sleep in sadness. Love sings to all things which live and are, soothing the troubled minds of gods and men.”


Favorite Book of all time?I have to pick one? Eek! I think I have to say “Green Dolphin Street,” by Elizabeth Goudge.
 

Biggest Pet Peeve?
Misplaced apostrophes...or Crocs. I really don’t understand the appeal of boat-shaped rubber shoes with multiple holes punched in them.


Any strange hidden talent you’d like to share?
I’ve been into ballet since the age of four...now I’m kind of a perpetual advanced student and I help out with beginner classes at my studio. I love it!


Thank you so much Melanie for taking the time out of your busy day for us here at Out There Reviews & Stuff.

Thank you, Crystal.


Is there anything you’d like to say to your fans out there?
I couldn’t do it without you. You guys are fantastic!
 
Melanie's Links:
 
 

 Be sure to check out Melanie's books!


Seventeen year old Anna is a naive American orphan, delighted to find herself on a tour of Europe in the spring of 1939. A feeling of camaraderie with all mankind thrills her as she mingles with throngs of foreigners, but her joy is short-lived. WWII shatters the world. As fathers and sons, husbands and brothers dive grimly into the trenches, Anna is left stranded in England, disillusioned and afraid. However, this worldwide catastrophe may be the perfect catalyst to mature Anna into the brave young woman she longs to be. Even as the world is shadowed with disaster, Anna finds friends in the kindly Bertram family. In the midst of all that threatens to tear her world apart, will she find a place to truly belong?













Buy Links:

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ashford-melanie-rose/1106660824?ean=9781466371736

She entered Nazi-occupied France in the summer of 1943, seeking only a worthy death in the service of a noble cause. She did not expect that her quest for death would, in the end, teach her how to live.
Violet Shadows was chosen as the Novella category winner for the 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Awards
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Buy Links:



An Amazing Alphabetic AnthologyIf you like boring and unimaginative things, this book is not for you. If the thought of "dramatic dancing ducklings" makes you queasy, and evokes no feelings of curiosity or amusement, put this book down immediately and walk away. However, if the mention of "flabbergasted flamingos" makes you smile, and you would love to "walk willowy woodland ways winding westward," then open this book and enjoy.
An Amazing Alphabetic Anthology has been an ongoing lbor of love, beginning in 2003, when Melanie wrote the first draft as an exercise, and took it to amuse a hospitalized friend. The first edition consisted of a total of 500 books, which were individually handmade by Toni and sold locally. Since then it has been released in hardcover, but has had only limited distribution. Toni and Melanie are pleased to release this new, freshly edited third edition in affordable paperback, with worldwide distribution.
Though it contains some difficult words, the definitions and pronunciations are provided on the left-hand pages. This is a book for word-lovers of all ages, and has been enjoyed equally by five to fifty-year-olds.




 
Buy Links:
 



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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 6, 2013 at 5:49 PM

    Great interview! Thanks so much for participating ;)

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