Hm, what would you like to know—apart from the usual? 😉 That I love to dye my hair every now and then? Right now I’m stuck with the color dark violet with cherry red streaks. I also use to walk into furniture every now and then, especially in the dark. I absolutely don’t recommend doing this.
Do you write full time?
Oh, I would love to. But I have a daytime job as an accountant (fortunately only 5 hours every day) and then I also have a family… So yeah, writing needs to be squeezed into my schedule, but I try really hard to get my 5 to 7 hours of writing done each day. Yeah…my days are packed.
What are 5 fun/interesting facts about you?
Wow, 5? That’s a lot. Right now I can’t think of even one… I recently touched a dolphin. Was dreaming of this for over 25 years. J I hate wearing turtle neck tees, because I always get this feeling of being strangled then. When I was younger I used to draw a lot with pencils and coals—and I was pretty good with that. When I kissed a boy for the first time, I was already 17. And…birds scare me when they fly too close.
What are the “must haves” for you when you sit down to write a book?
My laptop? And warm feet.
What made you decide to become a writer and how old were you?
I always loved to write…anything. But the actual wish to be a writer came after I finished my first novella. In the beginning, I only wrote it for the fun of it, to entertain myself. Later on I wanted to entertain a wider audience with my stuff.
Who or what was your inspiration for writing Her Game, His Rules?
Well, the inspiration came at night, when an angel kept me from sleeping for a while.
Do you feel that you can relate to one character in Her Game, His Rules more than any other? And why?
Sure, it’s Jona, the heroine. Many aspects of my personality reflect in hers. Many people call her feisty. It’s been a while since I drop that trait, but I’ve been called that once or twice as a teenager… 😉 That’s probably the reason, why writing her was so easy for me.
What do you Love most about writing?
The development of the story in my mind. When you read a book, you have this particular effect of “head-movie” in your mind. I love that. And when you write a story and shape the entire world and the characters after your perfect imagination, the movie in your mind intensifies a hundred times. This might sound a little strange to someone who’s never tried it, but to me it’s become an essential part of life. Like a drug you need to stay sane. J
What is your biggest challenge when you write?
To find the peace and silence I need for it. With a ten-year-old in the house…not an easy thing.
Do you have any advice for any other aspiring writers out there?
One? Oh, I have so many! One of the most important things is to find someone, or a group of people, who love the same genre and can help you critique your work. You need input and all the information you can get. They can help you with mysterious things like a query and synopsis. They know how the marked works and how to best cement your foot on it. Then of course, never stop to trust in yourself, don’t write with force or for someone else. Have fun! And read, read, read…
What do you do when you are not writing?
Working and sleeping. Really, I hate the times when I can’t write.
When you’re not writing what kind of books do you like to read?
Dark, seductive romances. Paranormal are my favorites. I have a few favorite authors I grab every book of as soon as they’re out, but I won’t go into detail here, because I told a long rigmarole about it on my website .
Since becoming published, what has been your favorite part of the process?
The release date! And the moment when I first held my book in my own hands. But I actually love EVERY part of the process. I loved queries as much as editing my novel or working on the cover. Every minute of the journey was amazing, and I’m looking forward to start it all anew in a few weeks with my new novella PLAY WITH ME.
If you can, tell us what is up next for you?
Ha ha, I think I just answered that. My newest finished work is a YA novella, all about first love and soccer. I don’t yet know what to do with it, give it to my current publisher or try one of the major ones. To publish with HarperCollins or Simon & Schuster is a great dream of mine. Even self-publishing this one is an option. However, while I’m trying to decide, I’m already working on the next. This time it’s a paranormal romance for an adult audience. Darker, more sensual. It’s the beginning of an archangel series. The first one to get his book is Gabriel. I love to reinvent him and give him a totally new personality. Seductive, raw… In my book, the guy also has short dreadlocks and braids. 😉
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Her Game, His Rules Author: Piper Shelly
Genre:Paranormal Romance, Upper YA
Cover Artist: Jay Sabo with Piper Shelly File Size: 553 KB Print Length: 308 pages Publisher: Black Opal Books (September 5, 2012) Language: English ISBN: 1937329631 ASIN: B0096SDPD6 Summary: She’s seventeen. She’s snarky. She’s trouble…
It wasn’t nicking an expressive watch or diamond bracelet that landed Jona Montiniere in the clutches of the police. It was just a darn sweater. After her spectacular misadventure, she is forced to return to a mother who spurned her. Jona is furious about the judge’s decision—until she meets her mother’s companion. Gorgeous, provocative, and mysterious, Julian is everything her lonely heart desires. But then he awakens her mother from the dead with a simple touch.
Hunting for the truth in a strange new home, Jona unearths broken promises and bitter secrets. Soon she realizes she’ll once again lose someone she loves…unless she gives him a reason to stay. But how the hell do you keep an angel earthbound?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Did you know that this word scares me more than anything? About… Wherever you go, people want you to tell what a cool life you lead just because you’re an author. But really, there’s nothing special to say about me, except maybe that I write a little more than others normally do. I married my teenage-love, we do our best to raise our ten-year-old to a kind and caring young man, and my cat loves to sleep in my bed, forcing me to bend to the strangest positions at night, just so she can sprawl comfortably on the blanket. I like pizza. And occasionally I talk to angels, but seriously, in these times, who doesn’t…?
So all in all, I dare say I’m leading a pretty normal life.
Of course it will all change the day my book follows the act of Harry Potter, and I’ll become richer than the Queen. I swear I’ll never again clean my windows myself then. Yeah, one day, ha ha…
Melissa Rheinlander is a Momma to a beautiful, spunky, fun loving little girl. Lover of family, friends, books, Mexican Martinis, sometimes Bloody Marys or Margaritas, & Wine. Melissa has worked in publishing for years, helping International Best-selling authors. She is the owner of MSRheinlander Consulting as well as Biblio Babes.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
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