Mysterical-E

author interview

Melanie Atkins
interviewed by Barbara Hodges

Melanie Atkins is a multi-published author of romantic suspense, a fan of crime dramas, and an avid reader. Writing is more than an escape for her -- it's a way of life. She grew up in the Deep South listening to tall tales and penning stories about her cats. Now she writes gripping stories of love, suspense, and mystery with the help of her furry little feline muses.

BMH:    You're president of the United States for enough time to only make one executive decision. What is it?

MA:    I'd add a new national holiday, probably in August because that's a hot, boring month. I'd call it "Take a Load off Day" or something. lol

BMH:    Describe your level of ambition:

MA:    I'm not quite sure how to describe this, but I would love to be a NYT bestselling author one day. Just sayin'.

BMH:    What would you attempt to do if you knew that you could not fail?

MA:    Make millions on a single book. Yeah, that's likely. <smirk>

BMH:    Describe a few of your pet peeves:

MA:    People driving slow in the fast lane, slow drivers in general, bad grammar on signs, bad grammar on TV (especially by newscasters), poorly edited books.

BMH:    How often do you Google yourself?

MA:    Only occasionally, when I think about it. Maybe once a month or so.
BMH:    What do you know now that you wished someone had told you ten years ago?

MA:    That Bailey's Irish Cream is really, really good in hot chocolate. ; )
BMH:    What childhood event shaped or scarred you the most?

MA:    Being made fun of as a teenager. I've always been overweight, and kids in junior high and high school can be cruel. I can look back on that time now and not cringe, but those jerks did help shape me. Strangely enough, I now enjoy going to class reunions... because time has evened the playing field. Know what I mean?
BMH:    What is a typical writing day for you like?

MA:    I generally start writing around nine a.m., write until about eleven-fifteen, then start back again about twelve-thirty. I take another short break around two, then get back with it and write until five-thirty or six. And that's when I can write all day.
BMH:    Are you an out-liner or a seat-of-your-pants writer?

MA:    Definitely seat-of-my-pants. I like to see how the story unfolds. I've tried writing with an outline, but it didn't work for me. Never has.
BMH:    Would you rather.live without music or live without TV?

MA:    Without music, if I have to chose. Please don't make me!
BMH:    be gossiped about or never talked about at all?

MA:    Be gossiped about. I want to make a splash. That hasn't always been true, because I used to be really shy... but the older I get, the less I care about hiding. So splashing, it is!
BMH:    Do you blog? If so, why and what do you usually blog about?

MA:    I do blog, usually about my books or ABC's Castle or finding inspiration. Something like that.

BMH:    Have you ever done a blog book tour? What was that like and would you do it again?

MA:    I've done one strictly for promo, with just by book information posted by a third party. Not a real blog tour.
BMH:    Do you enjoy doing promotion?

MA:    No. It takes up too much time, but I have to do it, of course. <sigh>

BMH:    What’s the oddest thing you’ve ever done to promote your work?

MA:    Gotten an iPad/iPhone/Android author app. It's so cool!
BMH:    What’s the strangest fan question/request you’ve ever gotten?

MA:    Nothing really strange, just autograph and book plate requests. Although I was contacted by a guy once who had the same name as one of my characters. He loved the book and wanted to know how I'd chosen that name. I'd gotten it off a street sign in New Orleans, as it turns out, and that fascinated it. I did a double take when I saw his name in my in box. I mean, that name belonged to a character, not a real person, in my head. So funny.
BMH:    Respond to these pairings and tell why you respond the way you do:
a.    Series or stand-alone books?
MA:     I write both, and I also love to read both.

b.    Lots of research or make it all up ?
MA:     lots of research to get my law enforcement facts right, because that's important to me.
c.    Neat or sloppy?
MA:      neat, always. Just because.
d.    NY or DC?
MA:     NY, because I love that city. The energy, the constant motion, the great shopping...
e.    Carnivore or vegetarian?
MA:      carnivore, definitely. I love my meat and potatoes.

BMH:       How have you grown as a writer? What has gotten better?

MA”    I write tighter and faster, and when I'm done the book is done. I don't write in drafts.

BMH:    What things have you dropped along the way?

MA:    A critique group. Don't need one anymore.

BMH:    What helped most in your growth as a writer
MA:    Sharing my work with others... the critique group. It helped me get started, but now I'm done with that. No time for it, either.
BMH:    If you were to go to a deserted island for an extended stay what are three things you would take with you?

MA:    My Kindle Fire, loaded with thousands of books, TV shows (including every Castle episode), and movies, a power source, and my iPhone. What can I say? I'm an addict.

Blog:        http://www.melanieatkins.wordpress.com
Email:    MelanieAtkins@Comcast.net
Website    http://www.melanieatkins.com/
Facebook http://www.melanieatkins.com/

Melanie’s Books
Three of Melanie’s Books:

CHERISHED WITNESS
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-39/%3Ci%3ENew-Orleans-Detectives-Book/Detail.bok

PRIME SUSPECT http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-56/%3Ci%3ENew-Orleans-Detectives-Book/Detail.bok

CHOSEN TARGET http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-90/%3Ci%3ENew-Orleans-Detectives-Book/Detail.bok