Author Interview: Melody Anne

I'm beginning a new series of posts that feature a quick interview with other romance authors.  The first in the series is Melody Anne.  She is a wonderful friend and is a terrific author.  Her list of books is impressive and they are broken down in three series below in the order in which they should be read:

The Billionaire Bachelors Series
1. The Billionaire Wins the Game
2. The Billionaire’s Dance
3. The Billionaire Falls
4. The Billionaire’s Marriage Proposal
5. Blackmailing the Billionaire
6. Runaway Heiress
7. The Billionaire’s Final Stand

Baby for the Billionaire Series (aka The Tycoon Series)
1. The Tycoon’s Revenge
2. The Tycoon’s Vacation
3. The Tycoon’s Proposal

Midnight Fire Series
1. Midnight Fire
2. Midnight Storm

And now for the interview!

1. When is your next new release due out? 

My next release is out December 15^th, 2012. It’s the 4^th book in the Tycoon Series, titled “The Tycoon’s Secret”

2. You have just completed your Billionaire Bachelors series with The Billionaire's Final Stand.  How does it feel to have the series complete?

It’s a bittersweet feeling. I love the Anderson’s as if they’re a part of my actual family. I’ve gotten attached to these characters and don’t want to give them up. I actually miss Joseph when I work on other stuff. I know it sounds silly, but I love this family. They’ve been good to me J

3. Is there a new series on the horizon?  If so, tell us a little about it.

Yes, after I finish Damien’s story in The Tycoon’s Secret, I’ll be working on my heroes series, called “Because of Honor” The entire series is about heroes, the first being a fireman. These are men that grew up in wealth or achieved great wealth, but felt empty, felt a need to serve, so they walked away from the corporate world and now risk their lives. Of course they will find their happily ever after’s.

4. If you were to venture outside of contemporary romance genre and begin a completely new series, what genre what it be?

I’m so glad you asked this question!! I have a YA series called Rise of the Dark Angel, which I wrote for my teenage children. But, I’ve also been working on a horror book. It’s so completely opposite from my romances, it would probably shock my fans. I sent the first part of it to my editor, and she loved it, instantly demanding more, so I think I’ve got a good start on it. I don’t want to say a lot about it at this time, and I’m not sure if it will be a series. It wasn’t supposed to, but it’s grown. I may release it this next spring. It just depends on the timing. Some of its very difficult for me to write, emotionally. I do like it, though. I just hope my fans will, too. I know that I love all genres of books. I read everything from romance to fantasy, to horror. Stephen King and Nora Roberts are my idols in writing, and they are about as opposite as it gets.

5. What one thing can you not live without while you are writing?

While writing, I need silence. I know some people listen to music, but I need just silence. I usually put the fan on, and then sink into my own head. I do have a routine before I write, though, that I’ve noticed. I didn’t realize it until my husband was gone for the weekend. Each night, he comes and lies in bed, because until my office is complete my desk is still in my room. He turns on the dvd player, right now it’s House. I love that show. He’ll watch 1 or 2 episodes, and then go to sleep. While he’s doing that, I’ll check my email, play a game or two of SLINGO on Facebook. I love that game, then as soon as the TV goes off, I begin writing, and I stay up until about 7am. Sometimes a bit earlier, sometimes later. But when he was gone, I had a hard time getting started on my writing, and I realized it was because my routine was off.

6. What was the last book by another author that you read?

Hard question, it’s been a while. I read Ruth Cardello’s new release and loved it. I also read the latest Bluegrass Brothers new release when it was released. It’s been over a month since I’ve read an entire book, though, which makes me sad. I usually use my break times to catch up on email and Facebook. It’s just grown so much that it makes it really difficult for me to catch up on my reading. My kindle is overflowing with books that are crying to be read.

7. What is the craziest thing a guy has done to get your attention?

Bought me gold J I remember in high school, a boy I liked only as a friend, really liked me, and I was clueless about it. I was majorly into sports and didn’t even realize boys were cute until high school. I just wanted to play ball with them, not make-out. Well, my sophomore year, this boy, who shall remain nameless was doing all he could to catch my attention, and I just thought he was being a friend. I was taking an art class, and I needed gold to finish my ring. I didn’t have any, so he gave me a ride to a pawn shop, where I was going to try and buy some. It was too expensive, so I was bummed. The next day, he brings me a baggy full of gold chains. I STILL didn’t get it for a few more weeks that he liked me. I ended up falling head over heels in love with him. He was my first love, who I was with for several years. I still think about him. But we were young, and eventually went our separate ways. I was lucky enough to meet my husband a couple years later. He did some pretty impressive things to get my attention, too. He’s an incredible tailor, and made me two teddy bears. One pink and one blue. I still have them. I love big, romantic gestures.

Final Note from Melody Anne

I just want to add how much I love my fans, and how much I appreciate them. I enjoy my time each day of checking Facebook and seeing the wonderful posts from all of them. So many great people, who are so supportive. I love my job so much because of them. I get tears in my eyes when I see a great posts from someone or they tell me a book meant something to them. I love my job. I have the best one in the world, and I pray it never ends. I do answer all my posts and emails, though at times, it takes a little bit. It’s all me. I also love giving back to the people who support me, so please come join me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authormelodyanne.

Thanks so much for taking time to visit with me today. It’s been a lot of fun!!

Week Two of the Fantasy Movie Vote!

Will Ashton results are in!  The winner of the Will Ashton poll was...  Luke Bryan!  He narrowly beat out Josh Duhamel.

And now, we pick our favorite play McKenna Mason.  There are five choices listed below based on nominations from readers of the Bluegrass Series.  Feel free to leave your vote in the comments section or go to the facebook poll HERE to cast your vote.

Amy Davidson
Rachel McAdams
Emma Stone
Alexanda Daddario TR
Evan Rachel Wood

Voting for McKenna will continue until Thursday November 2nd, 2012.  Check back next week for Mo's poll.  I am still taking nominations for the following:  Mo, Dani, Cole, and Paige.

Vote for Will Ashton!

Your nominations for actors to play Will Ashton are in and the poll is up on Facebook.  If you don't have a Facebook account, feel free to leave your vote in the comments section below!

Click Here for the Facebook Poll

Here are the most popular nominations from fans of the Bluegrass Series:

Eric Dane
Chris Evans
Bradley Cooper
Chris Pine
Josh Duhamel
Liam Hemsworth
Luke Bryan
Ryan Reynolds

Thank you all so much for the input.  This has been a blast!  Check back next week for Kenna's poll.  I am still taking nominations for the following:  Kenna, Mo, Dani, Cole, and Paige.

Is Hollywood Ready for Keeneston?

Oh, I am excited!  I have hired a wonderful agent that is actively seeking interest for the rights to option the Bluegrass Series for film/tv.  The process is just starting and it will undoubtedly take a while to develop.  But I want to see what you all think.  If the books do get picked up for film, who would you want to play each character?  I'll do a poll each week with one of the characters in the Bluegrass Series.

I will take nominations starting now, and I'll put a poll on my facebook page between the four most popular nominations for each character.  You can leave your nominations in the comments section or on the facebook thread HERE.

Here is the schedule for each character's poll:

Will Ashton - 10/18/2012

McKenna Mason - 10/25/2012

Mohtadi Ali Rahman - 11/1/2012

Danielle De Luca - 11/8/2012

Cole Parker - 11/15/2012

Paige Davies - 11/22/2012

Feel free to tweet or facebook your favorite actor to get them involved.  I won't complain!

Blossom Cafe Weekly Special - May Day Pie

In honor of the opening weekend for the Keeneland Fall Meet, Blossom Cafe is offering its May Day Pie.  This dish is a delicious blend of pecan pie with chocolate and just a touch of Kentucky bourbon.

Recipe for Blossom Cafe's May Day Pie:

2 eggs, whipped

3/4 cup of flour

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup of white sugar

2 sticks of melted butter

1/4 cup of light corn syrup

2 tablespoons of bourbon (slightly less than 1/4 cup)
1-1/4 cups of chopped pecans

1-1/4 cups of sweetened chocolate chips

2 pie crusts

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Blend the first four ingredients together.

3. Add the melted butter to the mixture and stir together.

4. Slowly mix in the remaining ingredients and blend slowly to maintain consistency.

5. Gently pour mixture into pie crust.  (Picture of unbaked pie to the right)

6. Bake 45-50 minutes.  The crust should be golden brown and the top layer of the pie should be nearly the same color.  The inside will still be soft until it cools, but the top should be firm when removed from oven.

I recommend warming the pie before eating it each time.  But it is fine at room temperature too.

Enjoy!

P.S.  You gotta watch Bob or he will be after everything on the counter!

Ahmed Book Planned!

Ok, so about half of the emails, facebook messages, and tweets I receive ask about a book for Ahmed. Originally, the plan was to do the first series on Kenna, Dani, and Paige, followed up by the five Davies brothers. But I think I have fallen in love with Ahmed as much as you all have. His book will be a stand-alone, but still feature all of the same great characters of Keeneston.

I'm really excited to have more books mapped out at this point. The other three Davies brothers stories are shaping up to be a ton of fun too. Ahmed's story will come after the Bluegrass Brothers series.  The next installment of the Bluegrass Brothers series will be Miles' story.  The anticipated release for this book is January of 2013.  Make sure to check back with this blog, my facebook page, and on twitter for updates on Miles, Pierce, Cy, and Ahmed.