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AUTHOR INTERVIEW with MELANIE DICKERSON

Thursday, November 21, 2013 •
Award-Winning Guest Author of YA Fiction
Dear Gentle Friends ~ 

I'm delighted to welcome Melanie Dickerson to Gifts by Grace today. I met Melanie through our association in American Christian Fiction Writers a few years ago, and continue to admire her style and storytelling in these creative historical novels. Melanie, your book covers are so beautiful! Please tell us about you and your writing.

Barbara, thank you for asking me to be on your blog. You've asked me to talk about my writing journey and my books, which is quite a long story, but I'll try to make it short!

I wrote stories for my friends when I was in high school, including two novels, but then I quit writing when I started college. I picked it back up when my children were 1 and 4, and eventually started what would eventually be my first published novel, The Healer's Apprentice. I wrote that book with teen girls in mind, hoping it would help them steer clear of the wrong kind of guy and help them understand what true love is. But it took more than three years of sending out query letters and proposals, and racking up 32 rejections, before it finally sold to Zondervan.


I learned so much from those early years of struggling, writing, and getting rejections and wondering if my book would ever get published. One of the biggest things I learned was to trust God. Of course, I'm not perfect at trusting, but I've come a long way. I realize that God is the One who makes things happen. All my striving and anxiously trying to force something to happen is useless. Surrendering to God's will and waiting on the Lord (while still working hard and doing my part) is what actually brings about results.

In spite of the fact that my first book was something quite different, a Christian fairy tale retelling, a Young Adult book that was a historical romance, set in Medieval times, it actually sold pretty well, and so my publisher gave me a second contract for my second fairy tale retelling, a Beauty and the Beast story called The Merchant's Daughter. And not only did my first book final in the Christy Awards and the Carol Awards, and win Best First Book in the National Readers Choice Awards, my second book also finaled in the Christy Awards and won the Carol Award in the Young Adult category.


The Fairest Beauty, my third book, missed its release date and got pushed back so far that my publisher wasn't able to enter it in the Christy Awards. Then, my three-book contract with B&H Publishing for my first Christian adult books, a series set in Regency England, got canceled due to their shutting down their fiction line. So there have been a lot of ups and downs, some I can't actually talk about publicly! Just believe me when I say it's a very difficult business, not always kind to authors, and can really be a source of great anxiety and emotional trauma. But if you love to write, and if you feel called to do it, you can't help but keep pressing on, trusting God to bring about the blessings and favor that only He can.


On the positive side, I have received some amazing emails and messages from girls who tell me how they have been impacted by my books. They thank me for writing stories from a Christian perspective, with godly characters that help them in their walk with God. They tell me they appreciate their Bibles more after reading The Merchant's Daughter, or that they plan to read the Bible for the first time. One reader recently told me that my books have helped her get back on track with God. These are the greatest reasons I know to continue writing, in spite of difficulties, disappointments, and setbacks. There is no greater blessing than knowing you are doing something that blesses others.


My newest book, releasing in late October, is a Cinderella story called The Captive Maiden. I'm excited to hear what my readers think of it. It was a lot of fun to write and is one of my favorites that I've written. Here is the back-cover summary:

Happily Ever After ...Or Happily Nevermore? Gisela's childhood was filled with laughter and visits from nobles such as the duke and his young son. But since her father's death, each day has been filled with nothing but servitude to her stepmother. So when Gisela learns the duke's son, Valten---the boy she has daydreamed about for years---is throwing a ball in hopes of finding a wife, she vows to find a way to attend, even if it's only for a taste of a life she'll never have. To her surprise, she catches Valten's eye. Though he is rough around the edges, Gisela finds Valten has completely captured her heart. But other forces are bent on keeping the two from falling further in love, putting Gisela in more danger than she ever imagined.

And if you'd like to watch the video trailers for my first three books, please go to my website, www.MelanieDickerson.com. And since I love being social, please look me up on facebook, https://www.facebook.com/MelanieDickersonBooks and Twitter, https://twitter.com/melanieauthor.

Bio: Melanie Dickerson earned a bachelor's degree in special education from the University of Alabama and has been a teacher in Georgia and Tennessee and a missionary in the Eastern European country of Ukraine. She lives with her husband and two daughters in north Alabama.


Thank you so much, Melanie, for sharing your inspiring writing journey with our readers. I hope you'll come back in the future to share more of your wonderful books. 

Be sure to leave us a comment to be entered in the drawing for a free book! We love hearing from you! We'll announce the winner of her book next week, so please check back.

All Gifts by Grace. . .

Barbara




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