#AuthorSpotlightInterview with 5 Prince Publishing author #MelyndaPrice

Melynda Price is the author of several contemporary and paranormal romance titles, including Until Darkness Comes, Shades of Darkness, Courting Darkness, and Braving the Darkness, all in the Redemption Series. Price writes for ardent readers who want to fall in love over and over again. Her goal is to make the unbelievable believable while taking her characters to the limit with stories full of passion, heart, and unexpected twists. Salting stories with undertones of history whenever possible, Price adds immeasurable depth to her well-crafted books. Win by Submission is the first book of her upcoming mixed martial arts–themed Against the Cage series. She lives with her husband and two children in Northern Minnesota, where there are plenty of snow-filled days to curl up in front of the fireplace with a hot cup of coffee and write.

What is your favorite thing about being a writer?
I love creating and world building. Being an author of paranormal romance, I get to create characters that are larger than life and stretch beyond the borders of our world as we know it. My only challenge is to make the unbelievable believable.

What genre(s) do you write?
Contemporary and Paranormal Romance

What genres and authors would we find you reading?
I read whatever genre I’m currently writing to keep my mindset from shifting genres. I prefer series. It’s so sad when a good book ends, I like series because it keeps the characters alive. The bigger the book the better, I don’t like investing my time into a shooting star story. I want development, strong plotting and believable world building—that takes time.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Writing the ending. It’s hard for me to say goodbye to the characters I’ve fallen in love with. I also find it the most challenging to wrap up a story that brings good closure and a conclusion that doesn’t leave that reader feeling cheated or rushed.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I’m a pantser by nature. Most of the time I don’t know what’s going to happen in the story until I’m writing it. But, I have been doing some plotting when it comes to the endings. I just don’t have the patience to plot out an entire storyline before I start writing it. I like being surprised by my characters, lol. J

Why do you think people should choose your books over another author?
I wouldn’t necessarily say that a reader should choose me over other people. I don’t believe in putting others down to build yourself up. All I can say is that I believe I have a very original storyline and a good “voice” in my writing, that I hope people enjoy.

What do you hope readers take with them after reading one of your stories?
I hope that my characters become so real to them that they find themselves thinking about them for days after the book is finished. I want them to be as sad as I am that the book has ended and excited to read the next one. J

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
There are a few messages in my Redemption Series that I hope come through strong. First, true love often requires sacrifice. Second, we all make mistakes. Third, it’s never too late for second chances.

How long have you been a writer? 
I’ve always enjoyed writing and did quite a bit of it in college. After that, I needed and outlet for my creativity, so I picked up writing again. I’ve been doing it now full-time for the past five years.

How much time did it take from writing your first book to having it published?
It took me a year to find the right home for Until Darkness Comes. During that time, I probably rewrote it six times. When the offer came through to contract with 5PP, I also had another offer for the book. It was very flattering because so much of this industry is rejection. You really have to have perseverance and thick skin in this business.

What other careers have you had?
Well, I was a rocket scientist and a brain surgeon at Mayo Hospital, but, ultimately, I’ve found that writing is my true calling. J

Do you write under more than one name?
I only write as Melynda Price.

Are any of your characters based on real people or events?
My characters are all my imagination. Inspiration to write a fallen angel series came from the Book of Enoch. However, this story is its own and does not replicate any specific angels or events. I just found it a fascinating read.

How would you describe yourself if you were “speed dating” your readers?
I write fast-paced, voice-driven novels without a lot of filler. They’re believable, high-stakes stories, with good vs. evil conflicts and eternal consequences. Also, I like cheap wine and expensive chocolate.

What else would you like readers to know about you or your work?
I wasn’t really a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon. I just made that up, because I’m rather good at making sh!t up.

What books or authors have most influenced your career?
I would have to say that I most enjoy works by Lara Adrian and J.R. Ward as far as paranormal goes.

How do your family and/or friends feel about your book or writing venture in general?
For the most part my family and friends are extremely supportive. I have a few that beta read for me and that’s really fun. It’s hard to find balance with writing and family sometimes because my characters aren’t always willing to punch a clock. J

Where are you from?
I live in northern Minnesota, though I’d prefer sunny California.

How do you come up with the titles?
I make a list of ones I like and then research them to see if there are other books with the same titles. I narrow them down and take a poll if I can’t decide.

Has your life changed significantly since becoming a published writer?
No, not really. I’m the same I always was, except I’m busier with marketing now and have less time to write sometimes. Some days it’s hard to fit it all in.

Do you work on one project at a time? Or do you multi-task?
I was writing one project at a time. I think I work faster and more efficiently that way, but now I’m multi-tasking with another series I’m writing and sometimes those characters don’t want to wait their turn, lol.

When not writing, how do you relax?
To me, writing is relaxing, but when I’m not doing that, I’m spending time with my husband and two children. We sit down almost every night together and watch a movie, though some of them are pretty terrible. They tease me that I’m a horrible movie picker. Other than that, I really just enjoy a glass of wine, a good book, and my Chihuahua, Ren.

Please tell us 5 miscellaneous facts about yourself.

1. I have a very sick sense of humor. My daughter even had a facebook page called “Things Mother’s Should Never Say To Their Daughters.” All filled with my quotes. 
2. My Chihuahua is named Ren. Yes, from Ren and Stimpy.
3. I’ve been on seven wine tasting events in California with my brother and sisters, and an $8 bottle of Arbor Mist Blackberry Merlot is still my favorite. 
4. I love slapstick comedy and laugh inappropriately when people get injured, especially my kids. They don’t find it nearly as amusing as I do. They’ve stopped getting mad at me for being so insensitive and usually join in after they’ve finished crying, lol.
5. I have horrible fashion sense. My favorite outfit is sweatpants and a t-shit. My daughter dresses me when I have to go out in public.

Please share any links you would like listed in the Interview. Website, Myspace, blog, facebook, yahoo group etc.

Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/melynda.price.9

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/MelyndaPrice1

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13829312-until-darkness-comes

Blog: http://melyndaprice.wordpress.com/

       Website: www.melyndaprice.com

Look for Melynda's books in box set and individually through 5 Prince Publishing.
Digital only $9.99
Amazon

A guardian angel… A forbidden love… Eternal consequences…

Olivia Norton was born with a gift—a gift heaven has sworn to protect, and hell is bound to destroy. Her perfect world is turned upside-down when two handsome strangers, Max and Liam, step into her life. Olivia soon discovers that her ‘Mr. Perfect’ is actually a perfect nightmare. ~~~Until Darkness Comes

Free will comes at a cost…

Three years after losing the love of her life, Olivia Norton refuses to continue living in the shadows of what will never be. But how can she marry another when her guardian angel still holds her heart? ~~~Shades of Darkness

She’s captured the hearts of Heaven and Hell…

Betrayed by her true love, Olivia cannot let go of the angel her mind no longer remembers, but her heart refuses to forget. In an attempt to reclaim her broken life, she is determined to unearth her past, but some secrets are better left buried. ~~~Courting Darkness

All have sacrificed, but one will sacrifice all…

Just when Olivia thought she’d finally have everything she always wanted, she was never closer to losing it all. Haden rocked Olivia’s foundation when he professed his love for her, and then turned himself in to the High Court. Although it was for the best, watching him walk out of her life was one of the hardest things she’d ever done.

Liam has always been the angel that holds her heart. But nothing will test the bonds of that love more than when a sick twist of fate brings all their lives crashing back together again.

Bitter enemies in love with the same woman, Liam and Haden must put their differences aside to battle an evil whose reach is far greater than either of them ever imagined. It will take all their strength to protect Olivia from an enemy that’s come to claim her and usher in a power-play to overthrow the High Court.

Love, sacrifice, and betrayal… It all comes to a heart-stopping conclusion in Braving the Darkness.