Author of the MonthMelissa S. James [October 2004]
Chosen by reviewer Janet Elaine Smith, MyShelf.Com
Melissa S. James is a traveling nurse, and her book Stolen in the Storm is a great mystery, very much in the tone of Mary Higgins Clark. She lives in New Mexico with her adopted daughter Sarah, her husband Will, and a whole menagerie of animals. Her other book, American Woman American Strong, is reminiscent of the events surrounding 9/11. Both books have been reviewed at MyShelf.com.
Interview
Melissa: All my life! I remember having a collection of stories
I wrote as early as the second grade. My younger sister still tells of
our long walks to school during which I would entertain her with my "dreams"
which were really stories I made up as we went along! I sold my first
story in the 7th grade to a rag called "Scholarly Scribbles"
for fifty cents, and rejoiced because I was a paid, published author!
Janet: Your first
book, American Woman, American Strong, is very different from Stolen in
the Storm. Which did you enjoy writing more, and which type of writing
do you plan to pursue?
Melissa: Oh Janet, both those books are so near and dear to my
heart. American Woman American Strong was my response to 9/11/2001. I
couldn't sleep for days after the attack and finally found peace when
I started walking Arianna through it! My dear Aunt Freda recognized that
I wrote Stolen in the Storm to help me (when I was already a grown woman
in the later half of her life!) deal with the abuses of my childhood,
the abuses of my first marriage, the death of my daughter, and the adoption
of my 2nd child. Both American Woman American Strong and Stolen in the
Storm were therapeutic for me. The other books I have written have been
written because I've discovered the storyteller in me NEEDS to live. They
are more like Stolen in the Storm because they are romance novels with
more than a hint of mystery to them. I have discovered I love writing
the mysterys!
Janet: Who do you
consider your favorite author? Do you have a writing “mentor”?
Melissa: Nora Roberts, J.D. Robb (ha ha one and the same), Mary
Higgins Clark, and Sharon Sala. (I've only read one book by Sharon Sala.
I loved it.) Yes, I have a writing "mentor". I don't even know
if she knows she's my mentor. Her cheery little emails lift me when I'm
feeling low. She has called Barnes and Noble stores on my behalf to encourage
me when she knows I'm a little low. Thank you, Janet Elaine Smith, for
taking me under your wing!
Janet: I read Stolen
in the Storm and it was spellbinding from the first page until the last
page. I know you are a traveling nurse. How much of the book was based
on your own personal experiences in your career?
Melissa: Thank you for those kind words, Janet! I'm so glad you
found Stolen in the Storm spellbinding. I would have to tell you that
about 30% of the book was based on my own personal experiences in my career.
Unfortunately, no handsome doctor ever swept me off my feet and helped
me solve all my problems!
Janet: What has
been the biggest challenge in your writing career?
Melissa: Oh Janet, my biggest challenge has been overcoming my
own low self-esteem! I was married for 25 years to a man who would say
"Why would anyone want to read anything you could write?" when
he would catch me writing. I bought everything he told me I was. (Stupid,
fat, ugly to name a few.) Six years ago, I married my old farmer. One
day he found me looking at a manuscript. "I've always wanted to write
a book," I very shyly told him. That day he went out and bought me
a computer.
Janet: And your
biggest reward?
Melissa: My biggest reward was the day my daughter (then eleven-years-old)
called me at work. Now, I've been writing all of Sarah's life (sometimes
clandestinely). The proof copy of my first book had arrived in the mail
that day. Sarah called me and said: "Mom! Guess what? You're an author!"
The awe in her voice filled my heart, and that particular bubble is still
there! There has been no taking that first proof copy from that child.
Her pride in me has made every struggle worthwhile! My husband cried (tears
of joy) for me when I got the first review (Nina Osier wrote that review)
on American Woman American Strong. Their pride in me is my biggest reward.
Janet: Stolen in
the Storm has a very Mary Higgins Clark feel to it. Do you ever get nightmares
while you are writing a book like that? Or do you stay awake so you won’t?
Melissa: I don't have nightmares. I adopted my daughter while
I was working as a travel nurse in Corpus Christi. My mother called me
up and said "I just want to know if any part of this story is true."
I said "Mom, writers write what they know!" "Oh my God!"
she said. I think my Mom still expects the FBI to come knocking on my
door looking for my daughter. They won't.
I adopted her all nice and legal!
Janet: Has your
family been supportive of your writing?
Melissa: My writing has brought a new relationship to my mother,
one of my sisters and myself. I sense a pride that they have never had
in me before. My husband and daughter have been extremely supportive.
A couple of my husband's nieces have been absolutely wonderful. But, of
course, there are those who, for reasons I cannot understand, whisper
that I'm never going to make it as a writer.
Janet: What has
surprised you the most about the book industry since you have entered
it?
Melissa: I don't think anything has surprised me, Janet. I knew
it would be a tough, competetive business.
Janet: Do you ever
suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do to overcome it?
Melissa: No, I don't! In fact, my brain is always working overtime
and I have more cards with story ideas than I will ever get the books
written. I have heard of writer's block, and I suppose one day I may suffer
with the affliction. If I do, I will be calling my mentor, and after a
good laugh, I'm sure I'll move on.
Janet: When you
have a “down day” in the book business, what do you do to
get over it?
Melissa: I go out and sit in a swing and watch the sun sink over
the mountains across the valley from my home. I remind myself that the
sun will come up in about twelve hours and we will have another opportunity
to start over. No use whining or sulking. Whining and sulking won't sell
any more books than looking for a new opportunity will. (Scarlett O'Hara
and I have that in common. We'll worry about it tomorrow.)
Janet: What is next
from Melissa S. James?
Melissa: I am so glad you asked! I have an exciting book called
Solomon's Choice which I am ready to send to the publisher. This is the
story of a woman who loses custody of her child to an abusive ex-husband
who takes the child to New Zealand and she doubts she will ever see her
again. She vows that one day she will have a child no man can take away
from her. Through many twists and turns, she meets a man who is in a vegetative
state in a nursing home. (A jealous husband arranged a car bombing in
which he was hurt, but not killed). Every day Solomon "spanks the
monkey". Hailey takes some of what he discards and artificially inseminates
herself. Just about the time she finds out she's pregnant, Solomon wakes
up! The judge decides that the custody of the baby will be up to Solomon.
And I have a book about 7/8 finished called Daddy's Angel. It is the best
of my stories, but I'm not ready to talk about it yet!
Janet: Any words of advice for new authors?
Melissa: If the going gets tough, look inside yourself. I know I set up roadblocks to keep from being successful for a long, long time. When someone finally believed in me, I broke the chains and I'm running now!
Janet: What would
you like to tell your fans about yourself?
Melissa: Saying "If I can do it, you can do it" sounds
so trite, Janet. I want to tell my fans that I'm just an average woman
(maybe with an overactive imagination). I love to hear from my fans. I
keep scap books, and I read and re-read every e-mail very often. I like
horses, miniature animals, roses and chocolate. I hope that I can always
create books that everyone will find as exciting as you found Stolen in
the Storm. Also, I'm going to be in New Mexico signing books in July.
Waldenbooks in Farmington on July 16th and Hastings in Albuquerque on
July 24th this year. I'd love to see any of my friends then!
Janet: If you could
wave a magic wand over your books, other than making the New York Times
bestseller list, what would you wish for?
Melissa: E-mails from people who have read my books. If my books
can brighten a day, or take someone from 'hum-drum' to magic, I will know
I have been successful. Of course I want to make the bestseller list,
but more than that I want to make a difference, if only for an hour, in
someone's life.
Janet:
Thanks much. I look forward to your next book. Keep on writing. Mary Higgins
Clark, look out! Melissa James is on her way!
Melissa: Thank you, Janet! And Mary Higgins Clark, it is an honor
being compared to the woman who used to be my mother's favorite author!
Reviews
Stolen
in the Storm
By Melissa S. James
PageFree
Publishing, Inc
Feb. 2004
ISBN: 158961142X
Trade Paperback
Mystery / Romance
Buy
a Copy
Reviewed by Janet Elaine Smith , MyShelf.com
Karissa Carpenter, travel nurse, is working at the nursery in a hospital in Corpus Christie when a baby is missing. When the detectives find her watch in the missing baby's crib, Karissa becomes the prime suspect, especially when they find out that babies had disappeared in three other places where she was working.
Karissa has many skeletons in her closet, including a husband whose suicide attempt turned him into a vegetable, a baby of her own who died under suspicious circumstances, and strange clues that keep turning up. All of the catastrophes involving babies took place during storms, including her own baby's death.
Dr. Braden Marcison comes to Karissa's rescue, first convincing her that he believes in her innocence, and then convincing her that she is still capable of loving and feeling. He eventually recruits his parents, who are top-notch lawyers, to help her in her pursuit of the truth.
The problem is that Karissa is not sure that she is innocent. Could she have had some form of amnesia and have actually taken the babies? If so, what did she do with them?
This book is an on-the-edge-of-your-seat read from page one. While Melissa James is a new writer, she could give Mary Higgins Clark a real run for her money. She keeps you guessing, through numerous twists and turns and a variety of secondary characters that are as endearing as the primary ones. There are more suspects than there are chapters in the book.
This is one of the most engaging mysteries I have read in a long time, and the end has a definite twist. You will fall in love with Karissa and Braden, and you will be as supportive of her as Braden was. Highly recommended.
2004's Honorary List