Melissa Collins has always been a book worm. Studying Literature in college ensured that her nose was always stuck in a book. She followed her passion for reading to the most logical career choice: English teacher. Her hope was to share her passion for reading and the escapism of books to her students. Having spent more than a decade in front of a classroom, she can easily say that it's been a dream.
Her passion for writing didn't start until more recently. When she was home on maternity leave in early 2012, she read her first romance novel and her head filled with the passion, angst and laughter of the characters who she read about it. It wasn't long before characters of her own took shape in her mind. Their lives took over Melissa's brain and The Love Series was born.
© Do you have any unique talents or hobbies?
~ Talents? Some days staying awake is a talent in my life. Sadly, my hobbies are fairly stereotypical of an author: I read and write.
© Tell us 1 thing about yourself that most people do not know?
~ I have a huge fascination with stars and planets and all that stuff. I could watch shows on the cosmos or the science channel all the time.
© Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
~ I have a degree in English Lit, so I’ve always enjoyed (actually, more than enjoyed) reading and writing. My interest in writing fiction is one that developed much more recently.
© What inspired you to write your first book?
~ I know it sounds a little cliché, but I just had a story in my head. Maddy and Reid were there and their story was coming to life and the only way to get it out of my head was to put it on paper.
© Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members?
~Even though I only know her virtually (for the most part), Carey Heywood has been a huge non-family supporter and I just love her so much for always being there for me.
© Hardest scene you have ever written?
~I think the prologue from Let Love Heal was the most difficult. For those of you who have read it, you know why. It had to happen, but it tore me to pieces to write those words. There are also a few chapters in the beginning of Let Love Be (Lucy’s book) that were especially difficult to write for the same reason.
© What gives you the most inspiration?
~ Real life. I’d like to think that my characters are very real and that’s because I just take bits and pieces of my real life and put them in there. I also get a lot of inspiration from listening to music.
© Give us an interesting fun fact or a few about your book or series:
~Most of the names from the series are either names of family members or friends and if they’re not, I get them from baby names lists.
© What are your current projects?
~I just finished Let Love Be (Momma / Lucy’s book). After that, I think I’d like to take a short break from the series and write a standalone. I’m currently working on one called Learning Curves.
© Will you have a new book coming out soon?
~ Let Love Be will be out in early April and if things go according to plan, I’d love to have Learning Curves out sometime this summer.
© Can you tell us about your upcoming book?
~Let Love Be follows Lucy (or as series fans know her, Momma) as she finds love again after losing her husband 18 years ago. It really was just some random strokes on the keyboard that brought Evan to life so it was really interesting to actually write their entire story.
© What can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful?
~ Please tell people about it! Word of mouth is the single most powerful tool out there. You could also write a review - it doesn’t need to be a novel in and of itself. A simple 20 words are all you need to help tell someone else how much you loved the book.
© Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?
~Thank you! I never thought this would be my life. I never thought I’d sell this many books or have this many fans. It’s truly amazing and it all happened because you read my words.
© And now, before you go, how about a snippet from your book that is meant to intrigue and tantalize us?
I’ve attached an exclusive teaser from Let love Be for you J
Melissa I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me this interview.
I am honored to be able to share your amazing stories with my friends and blog follower.
Xxoo
Shelli @ Sharing a Bit of Romance
What would happen if you lost everything? If the people who were supposed to love you unconditionally were no longer there for you, how would your world change?
Madeleine Becker lost everything when her parents died when she was ten years old. Ripped from her home and everything that she has ever loved, she is forced to start all over again. The only way for her to move on is to build walls around her heart and keep everyone at a safe distance. Her logic: she can't get hurt if she doesn't fall in love.
That theory is blown to pieces when she meets Reid Connely during her freshman year at college. He is gorgeous and darkly mysterious. He understands Maddy's pain all too well, but sharing his pain would mean breaking down the walls he put up around his own heart. Conflicted between loving Maddy and hiding his dark past, Reid starts to reevaluate his world. Maddy's inner strength, snarky personality and breath taking beauty help Reid to make peace with his past.
Together they find out what happens when they let love in
If you’re lucky, you’ll fall in love – truly, madly and deeply in love. But what happens when that honest and pure love isn’t enough to erase your fears? What happens when your past rears its ugly head and threatens your future?
Maddy and Reid had that kind of love – the all-encompassing, Earth shattering, once in a lifetime kind of love. Then life happened. Old wounds that were thought to be long healed and scabbed over are ripped opened and they are forced to face the possibility that, maybe, they are not strong enough to fight their demons and embrace the light.
Together, they found out what love is, but now they will each need to heal on their own before they can ever be together again. They must face their fears and beat down their pasts in order to find their way through this crazy uphill battle called love.
They’ve let love in, but now, they need to find out how to Let Love Stay.
Perfection. We all strive for it, but what happens when the desire to be perfect consumes you?
What happens when the need to bury your mistakes blinds you?
Melanie Crane has always been the perfect daughter, friend, student – she’s been perfect at everything, in fact. But when she lets her insecurities, the ones that she keeps hidden from everyone, get the best of her, she falters in her pursuit of perfection. Melanie crumples under the pressure and buries her pain. Numbed by sadness and guilt, she is determined never to let anyone find out how broken she really is.
Bryan Mahoney may appear to have everything in order. He’s charming, witty and completely swoon-worthy. In short, Bryan Bryan
Not all bruises leave a mark. Now, weary and afraid, Melanie and Bryan must find a way to let love heal their broken and jaded hearts.
What comes after “they lived happily ever after?”
Maddy and Reid have seen their fair share of trials and tribulations, of love and loss. Facing down the biggest challenges of their young lives, they managed to survive and endure. With the future stretching out before them, they must learn to navigate new and unfamiliar paths.
Being new parents, starting new jobs, and continuing college is enough to overwhelm any couple. New challenges come up daily, as do small victories. Watch Maddy and Reid grow stronger together in this “one year later” tale of the everyday stuff that happens in real life.
With a solid foundation of love under their inexperienced feet – and with the help of their family and friends – Maddy and Reid learn how to let love shine, lighting the way for a beautiful future to come.
Love Series Box Set (The Love Series)
Let Love
Be
Cover
Reveal March 11th
Release
Day April 5th
To Get you into the mood......
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