Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Author Interview: Melissa Walker


Last week I had a review of Melissa Walker's new YA book Unbreak My Heart  - out May 22nd from Bloomsbury - today I'm lucky enough to have an interview with the author!


Melissa Walker's latest novel newest novel is Unbreak My Heart, out later this month. She's also the author of The Violet Greenfield series: Violet on the Runway, Violet by Design, and Violet in Design about a small-town girl who becomes a model; Lovestruck Summer about a girl who goes to Austin to have her perfect music summer and finds unexpected love (I heart this book so much), and Small Town Sinners about a girl and her involvement in her Evangelical church's Hell House production.

Melissa has also written for ELLEgirl and Seventeen magazines. She co-founded I Heart Daily, a daily newsletter or things you should heart/know about/be aware of/will make your life better (and if you're not signed up yet clickity click and do it!).



Enjoy - and be sure to pre-order your copy if you somehow haven't already :)


Have you ever - or would you ever - take a trip with your family like the one Clem, her sister, and their parents take?
I have! And it was just as hard (and great) as the one Clem took. Though I never stayed with my parents for the whole summer--just for a weekend here or there as they sailed along.
The progression of Clem's relationship with Ethan feels so real and natural - it doesn't come across as fictional or judgmental - have you ever been, in any way, in a similar situation? (Or is your writerly brain just that amazing?) 
Hmm. I do have some experience in this matter, yes.

Is there any advice you have for someone in a situation similar to Clem's?
Oh man. Apologize? Like a clear and straightforward and heartfelt apology with no defenses up. It sounds so simple, but people manage to dance around apologies so often. I believe I flubbed my chance to deliver an apology like this for a friend once, and I wish I could go back and do it right.

Which of the characters that you've created (in Unbreak My Heart or any of your previous novels) would you most like to have met on a trip like Clem's?
I love James a lot in this book, but I have to say that Russ, from Lovestruck Summer, remains one of my very favorite YA creations. There's just something about those Texas guys.

You have 'Cover Stories' on your blog where authors explain how the cover of their novel came about  - is there one book that you're just dying to find out the 'Cover Story' behind? 
I'd love to go back in time and talk to someone like Jane Austen about the original covers for her books. I mean, what were the trends and marketing ideas back THEN? It would be fascinating.

[I LOVE the Cover Stories feature - definitely check it out if you don't know about it, here's the one for Unbreak My Heart.]


What YA novel do you think would be Unbreak My Heart's book BFF - or which character would be Clem's?
Clem would love to hang out with Ruby Oliver from E. Lockhart's Boyfriend List series. They could work out a few things together, I think.

What would be the name of your sailboat? My parents had a boat called Innisfree, so I'd probably tip my hat to them and go with Innisfree II. Although they also had Night Wind II (after my grandfather's Night Wind), so maybe I'd do Night Wind III. I'm a legacy girl.



Huge thank you to Melissa and to Bridget at Bloomsbury!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Book Trailer Friday [@RandomHouse @TransworldBooks]

Beth Dorey-Stein's From the Corner of the Oval  - a tale of being the White House stenographer during the Obama administration will be ...