GIVEAWAY & INTERVIEW WITH MELANIE DICKERSON

Melanie Dickerson's Bio taken from her website. Melanie is an award-winning author who earned her bachelor’s degree in special education from The University of Alabama. She has taught in Georgia, Tennessee, Germany and the Eastern European country of Ukraine. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA), she now spends her time writing and taking care of her husband and two daughters near Huntsville, Alabama.

What was your favorite scene to write in your book, The Healer’s Apprentice? What was the hardest? Why?

I have several favorite scenes. I like all the “near kiss” scenes and the most dramatic scenes. Those are the most fun to write. Honestly, the hardest one to write was the kissing scene at the end. I agonized over that scene so much. I really don’t know why. But I remember very distinctly how hard it was to write, even though it’s been four years since I wrote it!

How did you come up with the idea for The Healer’s Apprentice? Was that your original title for this book? If not, what was you working title?

I came up with the idea for The Healer’s Apprentice while watching Disney and Barbie princess movies with my little girls. I had loved fairy tales all my life, and one day when we were watching Sleeping Beauty, I started thinking, what if this story was rewritten to be more realistic? What if the hero felt duty- and honor-bound to his betrothed? What if he fell in love with a peasant girl but was horrified at the idea of betraying his betrothed in that way? After all, men want respect more than anything else, and he would lose the respect of everyone if he shirked his duty to marry his betrothed. So that was the beginning of my idea for this story. And the original title was The Woodcutter’s Daughter. I had a really hard time getting used to the new title after calling it The Woodcutter’s Daughter for three and a half years!

Can you give us a sneak peek at what you have cooking up next? Can you tell us something about it? Do you have a release date?

Well, I have a second medieval YA romance, a Beauty and the Beast story tentatively titled The Beholder. I don’t know yet if Zondervan is going to publish it. I’ve been revising it, and I think it’s a really strong story. Hopefully I will be able to announce a release date in a few months.

I also have an adult series, set in 1800’s Alabama, that my agent is working on finding a publisher for. Hopefully I can announce something about that soon, too.

(Nora- Sounds great--I'm praying you have takers!)

When you start a book how do you determine what time period you’ll write about? What do you try to include in your historical fiction books?

I look at what time period and place best fits the story that’s in my head. In my medievals, I like to have a little spiritual warfare type stuff. Historicals in general are really fun because they force you to lose yourself in another time and place. Contemporaries, on the other hand, keep you in the present.





How do you go about doing the research for the historical fiction books that you write? Do you have help?

I like to find history books on my place and time period and just do some general reading to get a feel for the setting. I sometimes ask my librarians for help in finding books to help me with research. I also search the internet when I need a specific fact or need a picture of something. And I’m on an email loop called HisWriters, a bunch of ACFW members who write European historicals. They are very knowledgeable, and if I get stuck, I ask them for help. They usually can point me to a website or just answer my question outright.

Could you tell me how the book cover process works for you? I LOVED the cover. It’s very eye catching, just wondered if you had a say in how they turned out? Don’t get me started about the book trailer—OHMYGOSH Melanie it’s a mini movie—really great! Did you like it?

Thanks, Nora! I love it too! The model on the front cover and in the trailer is pretty much perfect, especially the slightly scared look on her face. Here’s what happened. My wonderful editor emailed me a picture of a dress they had picked out for the model to wear and asked me what I thought of it. It fit the time period well and was very pretty, but it was a bright orange. The color threw me. Especially since I was going to have to describe that dress in the big dance scene in the book. What could I possibly call that color? My editor helped me brainstorm. We decided on "cinnamon." But then my editor emailed me and said they weren't able to get that dress! It had been rented out elsewhere. I was relieved! Next, she sent me a picture of an unbelievably gorgeous GOLD dress with long, pointed, dark red sleeves that hung to the floor. In style it didn't really fit the period quite as well as the first dress. But it was gorgeous, and I loved the sleeves! Just a couple of days later, if I remember right, they sent me the cover photo with the model wearing that dress. It was gorgeous! But you couldn't really see the sleeves at all. My husband told me to tell my editor that they needed to do it over and show more of the sleeves. I just looked at him and was like, Yeah, sure, honey. (I don't think so.) As if I was in a position to be demanding! But it was really fun to be in on the process.



A couple of months after that, I saw the VIDEO TRAILER they made of the same model, but wearing her "work dress," running around a castle! I found out later that the "castle" they filmed the trailer in was actually Shrove Chapel on the campus of Colorado College in Colorado Springs. But it looks just like a castle! Love it. So thankful to Zondervan for that video AND the cover! I feel so blessed by my publisher and my editor.

(Nora-Loved the Video Trailer. Funny about the dress situation and what you husband said. Ha! Ha! Thanks for sharing about where they filmed the trailer I never would have guessed that! Wow!)

Did you always know you wanted to be a writer Melanie? If not, how did you catch the writing bug?

I don’t remember exactly when it started, I just remember in junior high and/or high school writing stories for my friends, and I had written two novels before I finished high school. In fact, in 11th grade I had decided I wasn’t going to college, I was just going to write books and be independently wealthy! When I realized the unlikeliness of that scenario, I decided to go to college and have something to fall back on. As it turned out, I ended up giving up writing completely when I started college, including all fiction reading! Unless it was for a class. I’m an all-or-nothing kind of girl. Then, about 15 years later, I decided writing children’s books might actually be a way of making money so that I wouldn’t have to go back to work when my kids started to school. I signed up for a correspondence course, Writing for Children and Teens, and I was instantly hooked again. I knew this was what I was supposed to do. That was 7 ½ years ago.

(Nora- So, you are an over night success..Grin! Only 7 1/2 years? Seven is the perfect number!!)

QUESTIONS I JUST HAD TO ASK!

1. What food is your favorite? What do you dislike?

Chocolate of course! Especially Lindt dark chocolate truffles in the dark blue package. MMMMM! Actually, I love vegetables, all kinds, but I dislike most fruits. I think it’s the texture that turns me off.

(Nora -Ok, I'm going to have to check out Lindt Chocolate now. I've never heard of it!)


2. Where would you visit if you had a chance to? Why?

I would go to Germany (I was there for six weeks when I was still in college) and I would travel the Rhine River and visit all the castles and ruined castle sites. I Love Castles!!! (Is that a bumper sticker? If it isn’t, it should be!)



3. What THREE things would you rather not live without?

Chocolate, friends, and romance! (Off the top of my head.)

4. What THREE movies could you watch over and over again?

The Princess Bride, Penelope, and Bright Star. And National Velvet. And Lake House. And the long BBC version of Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth. Mmmmmm! And pretty much all the Jane Austen movies.

(Nora - LOVED Princess Bride and Pride and Prejudice!! I'll have to check out the other movies. Sound good!)

5. If you had the opportunity to hang out with any two people in the history of the world—alive or dead; who would you pick and what would you do? (someone other than Jesus)

Jane Austen and Beth Moore.
With Jane, we would just talk and talk. I’d ask her tons of questions. We’d go for walks for our health when the weather was nice and discuss about all the eligible men and women in the neighborhood and who had been gazing longingly at whom.

With Beth Moore, we’d talk about God and the Bible and what God has done in our lives, and then we’d laugh and eat whatever her favorite food is and laugh some more! She would be a lot of fun.






6. A friend of yours has a time machine that they are letting you use. But you can only witness two events in this history of the world. What two events would you experience? Why?

I think I answered this on another blog! LOL! I think I said the parting of the Red Sea and Jesus healing people who were blind, deaf and lame. Those are definitely high on the list!

7. What THREE T.V. shows were you most passionate as a kid? (You know the ones you couldn’t miss each week)

Oh my, I was a TV addict! My parents complained about it all the time. They were sure it was going to ruin my brain. When I was really young I watched Shanana (pronounced Shah-nah-nah) and Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley every Tuesday night. When I was older I couldn’t miss Remington Steele or Scarecrow and Mrs. King. Then I was a huge fan of Beauty and the Beast, that show with Ron Perlman and Linda Hamilton. Does anyone remember that? No wonder I wrote a Beauty and the Beast story! I was obsessed. Although my story is completely different and not a fantasy at all.

And now? I NEVER watch TV at all! Can’t stand it. Weird, huh?

(Nora- I LOVED Remington Steele and Beauty and the Beast and the other shows too. I didn't read books as a child so movies & TV were great fun. Now I don't watch TV either. I'm too busy reading and you are too busy writing and researching books plus all your other duties. It makes perfect sense!! )

ANY FINAL COMMENTS--THOUGHTS FOR MY READERS?

Please tell me your favorite romantic movies. I’m always looking for good romance movies! Do you like the ones I named? I would love hearing your favorites!








(Nora - Good Question Melanie.

I'll go first. I love While You Were Sleeping with Sandra Bullock, The Apprentice with Sandra Bullock,  The Family Man with Nichholas Cate, When Hary Met Sally, Kate & Leopold, You've Got Mail all with Meg Ryan, Four Feathers, 13 Going on 30 with Jennifer Garner, and Sabrina & Regarding Henry both with Harrison Ford. These are movies I've watched over and over again! -- I can't wait to read about some of your favorite romantic movies!!)

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ALL THE BEST TO YOU

Blessings
Nora :D

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