FAQ | Articles by Melissa | Workshops by Melissa

Born to an Air Force family at an Army hospital Melissa has always been a little bit screwy. She was further warped by her years of watching Monty Python and her strange family. Her love of romance novels developed after accidentally picking up a Linda Howard book. After becoming hooked, she read close to 300 novels in one year, deciding that romance was her true calling instead of the literary short stories and suspenses she had been writing. After many attempts, she realized that romantic comedy, or at least romance with a comedic edge, was where she was destined to be. Influences in her writing come from Nora Roberts, Jenny Cruise, Susan Andersen, Amanda Quick, Jayne Anne Krentz, Julia Quinn, Christina Dodd, and Lori Foster. Since her first release in 2004, Melissa has had close to 20 short stories, novellas and novels released with seven different publishers in a variety of genres and time periods. Those releases included, The Hired Hand, a 2005 Eppie Finalist for Contemporary Romance and Tempting Prudence, a 2005 CAPA finalist for short erotic romance. Her contemporary, A Little Harmless Sex became an international best seller in June of 2005.

Since she was a military brat, she vowed never to marry military. Alas, fate always has her waywith mortals. Her husband is an Air Force major, and together they have their own military brats, two girls, and they live wherever the military sticks them. Which she is sure, will always involve heat and bugs only seen on the Animal Discovery Channel.In her spare time, she reads, complains about bugs, travels, cooks, reads some more, watches her DVD collections of Arrested Development and Seinfeld, and tries to convince her family that she truly is a delicate genius. She has yet to achieve her last goal.

She has always believed that romance and humor go hand in hand. Love can conquer all and as Mark Twain said, “Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand.” Combining the two, she hopes she gives her readers a thrilling love story, filled with chuckles along the way, and a happily ever after finish.

How Long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing fiction for over fifteen years. I started writing romance over ten years ago.

Where do  you get your ideas?

All over. It can be a newspaper article or something someone says. The Hired Hand developed when I came up with Marlow Smith’s character. I thought of the one thing that would screw with her mind and tilt the axis of her world, and there was Liam Campbell.

How do I become a writer?

That’s up to you. The best advice I ever received was from Professor James Hoggard who said to read everything you can get your hands on. Read your genre. When I picked up my first romantic suspense thinking it was a straight mystery, I fell in love with the whole genre of romance. I went and picked up as many books from that author that I could. Then, I moved to someone else, and read like that for several months. I still read constantly. Anything from Christina Dodd to Angela Knight to reference books to Jennifer Crusie. Also, join some writers groups, critique groups or take a writing class at your local college or online. Then, sit your butt in a chair and write. You will not learn how to write unless you first try. Each book I write is a learning process.

How long does it take you to write a book?

Until it’s done. No really, some writers can write a 350-400 page mss, final edit included, in less than two months. I know a few. I write upwards of 30 hours a week, so I get a lot done. For me, a lot of it depends on my family’s schedule. Everyone writes at their own pace.

I tried to write, but I didn’t have the time. How do you do it?

Can you try your best to write one, two, three pages a day? Even if you can only get half a page written, then you can finish a book. It will take longer, but you can do it. And, if worrying about writing it perfect the first time is worrying you, don’t. You can’t fix what you haven’t written. Get it on the page then fix it later.

Why erotic and sensual romance???

Ohhh, a dollar for every time I had this question…
Part of it is just me. I can’t write euphemisms for body parts and not laugh. I tried a sweet romance one time, and my hero and heroine ended up in bed together by the third chapter. Also, I have a sick sense of humor. What do you expect from someone who grew up watching Monty Python? That strange humor fits in more with the erotic romance books who tend not to worry about being “politically incorrect.” Plus, I like the research, ask my husband.

An ebook? What the Hell is an ebook?

Electronic book. In the last two years, it has exploded. Samhain has a really good explanation and since I get the question a lot: I have a Sony 505 that I read from. I have not bought a print book for myself in over a year.

I would love to purchase some of your out of print books. Where can I find them or when will they be coming back out?

Bounty Hunters Inc is presently being revamped, the two stories, For Love or Honor and Sinner’s Delight, are being made longer. Plus I have more planned. I am presently looking for a publisher for when I am ready to submit them. The only other out of print book is Cowboy Up, and I will be releasing that as a free story later this year. 

Tempting Fate, from Phaze, is being revamped and rewritten. It will be rerleased in 2011.

When will some of your sequels, like A Little Harmless Obsession and The Spy Who Loved Her, be released?

They are on their way. Thanks to our military life, and some family illnesses and hospital stays in 2007, I got a bit off track. I didn’t want to offer anything that I thought would be less than what my readers deserved, so please be patient and look for them in 2010.

How does  your family feel about you writing porn?

Well, first, I don’t write porn. Secondly, bite me. I don’t have the time to deal with every small minded person who doesn’t like sex. Sexuality, when in the right context, is not a bad thing and can, for those writers out there, move the plot along. NOT ADD PAGES. I have never written a love scene just to write it. If one of my publishers asked for this, I would refuse. Each love scene is just like every other scene. It must move the plot along. 

And if you still disagree, well…bite me again. Then, lick, yeah, lower, ahhhh…

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All articles are (c) Melissa Schroeder.

Nourishing the Reader Within

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Workshops/Classes with Melissa

Upcoming Workshops Melissa will be teaching online in a private group:

Online Promotion for the Cheap Author-Sept 20-24
In the six years since Melissa was first published, the landscape of online promotion has changed drastically. When she started there was no twitter, facebook, or myspace and youtube was about to get started. She has learned that with the everchanging landscape of the Internet, authors have to constantly change their online marketing plans to keep up with the trends.

In a week long class, you will learn all about the diverse applications that can be useful…and which ones can be a waste of time. She will give you the tools to discover what works for you and how to keep yourself from spending too much time online…when you should be writing.

Class cost: $15.00 for everyone but there is a $5.00 discount for authors published with any of my publishers. This will include a class live chat with Melissa at the end of the class.

Details on how to sign up coming soon.

Character Development - details coming soon

Managing your time and increasing your page count - details coming soon

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