Interview with Melody Lane

Jen: Please help me in welcoming Melody Lane to Book Talk this week. Melody, will you please share a short bio with us?
Melody: I’ve been a registered nurse for many years working in a variety of settings. You name it, I’ve worked it. Although I have a full-time day job, I dream of writing full-time like a lot of other authors. My favorite things to do are listening to rock music, going to concerts and traveling. I live in the beautiful countryside of Michigan, but often wish I lived in a New York City high-rise or brownstone.

Jen: Tell us about ROCK ME and where it's available.
Melody: Jenny Page is a Midwestern nurse who has always had trouble with men. When her favorite British rock star fantasy man, with women issues of his own, becomes her patient Jenny knows she’s in for trouble. After he admits harboring a nurse fantasy, the sparks begin to fly. Their sizzling starts before he leaves the hospital to continue his concert tour, and grows into an out-of-control inferno when they meet up in New York City for a weekend of uninhibited passion and unexpected love.

ROCK ME is available at Ellora’s Cave as an e-book right now. It will be a print book first quarter of 2009. I don’t have a date yet, but will have it on my website as soon as I know.

Jen: At what age did you discover writing and when were you first published? Tell us your call story.
Melody: I’ve always wanted to write as long as I can remember. After I had an article published in an international nursing magazine, I realized how much I wanted to do it on a regular basis. But I didn’t do anything about it. Time, family, all the reasons everyone gives. After my father died in 2002, I realized that life was short and I was capable. I just needed to put my mind to it. But where was I going to find the time? The answer. I gave up television. Instead of watching television when I got home from work, I started writing. I allowed myself no excuses. I wrote three contemporary romantic suspense books under my other pen name, Carla Gibson. (If purchased from my website www.carlagibson.com, each book is autographed.) I decided to change genres and ROCK ME was born. It would have been nice to have gotten a phone call from Ellora’s Cave with the news they wanted ROCK ME, but it was an email. A happy email!

Jen: Describe your writing in three words.
Melody: Hot, sticky, sweet.

Jen: Do you have a writing routine?
Melody: After I get home from work and do all the little things I need to do in preparation for the next work day, I let out a breath and sit down in front of my computer. This is the part of my day I most enjoy. I write from around 8 PM until 11 PM during the week. On weekends, I write more if I don’t have plans. Most often Sundays are my longest writing day. Sounds pretty boring, doesn’t it? But don’t get me wrong. I can be fun! If a favorite band of mine is in town or I get an offer for some other form of entertainment, I’m there!

Jen: What is it about the romance genre that appeals to you?
Melody: The happily-ever-after or happy-for-now ending. Life is demanding for all of us so it’s nice to have an escape.

Jen: What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Easiest?
Melody: I find character development and motivation is the hardest for me to write. Dialogue is the easiest and most enjoyable.

Jen: What’s the most rewarding aspect?
Melody: When I get an email or comment from a reader that she loved my book. Getting a great review is wonderful, too. The worry I’ve had about the novel is gone and a little peace settles in. It’s a satisfying feeling.

Jen: Do you do anything special to celebrate a sale, new contract, or release?
Melody: I go out with my sister and we drink wine or sip girly martinis at one of our favorite haunts. We especially like the beautiful Irish pub in my town, because we’re planning a trip to Ireland in the future.

Jen: Is there a genre that you’d like to write?
Melody: Paranormal romance. I just finished my first novel and hope to get a contract. It’s called Love On The Prowl. Here is a quick blurb:

Ariel Summers, a young doctor with paranormal training, has been picked to work in the newly elected Mayor of New York City’s administration. The Mayor’s top security expert, Nicolas Savage, is a handsome, muscular wereleopard who is drawn to Ariel the moment they meet. Not all of the citizens embrace the Mayor’s agenda for paranormals being out in society. By the time Ariel and Nick realize the Mayor isn’t the only one in need of protection, it might be too late for love.

Jen: Who has inspired you as an author?
Melody: Laurell K. Hamilton, Tess Gerritson, Patricia Cornwell, Stephen King and the late Michael Crichton.

Jen: What do you do in your free time?
Melody: I’m a huge rock music lover and enjoy seeing my favorite bands whenever I can. I long for the front row at every concert and am disappointed if I’m not there. I crush hard on my rock star men. Some of my favorites are who I adapt my characters from. When I write about them, it makes me feel like they’re a little more accessible to me. Of course I don’t really know them, but that’s fine. Reality can’t get in the way of fantasy.

Traveling is another passion of mine and I can never get enough of it. I love to write about the places I have visited. I’ve been to New York City and London, England numerous times and tend to use them as a backdrop for my stories. I love walking around the busy cities and seeing the sites. The theater, museums and multicultural cuisine all appeal to me along with fruity white wines and girly martinis.

Jen: What's next for you?
Melody: I’m working on a couple of things at the moment. Besides my recently completed paranormal romance, I have a couple of contemporary erotic novellas I’m trying to finish. One about a fireman and the other about a NYC actor.

Jen: Where can you be found on the web?
Melody: http://www.melodylanebooks.com/
http://www.facebook.com/people/Melody-Lane/1148202121#/profile.php?id=1148202121&ref=name
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=119381381

Jen: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Melody: Erotic romance has gotten so big. Do you think that readers will tire of it and want to get back to reading sex that is less explicit?

Jen: Melody, thanks for taking the time to be with us this week. Readers, Melody will be stopping by to answer your questions, so ask away. She's also giving a random commenter an copy of ROCK ME, in either ebook or print. The contest will end on Thursday, February 12 around 5pm PDT. Please consider leaving an email address in your post if you are not subscribing to the comments so we can contact you if you're the winner.