It's my supreme pleasure to introduce you to my friend and author, Melissa Keir. She's a talented woman and I'm so blessed to call her my friend. She sat down with me for an honest interview, talking about everything from writing to toys to her latest release. So grab your favorite beverage and join us!
What is your writing process?
I usually begin with a basic story idea and pictures of the characters in my head. From there, I sit down and write the story from the beginning to the end. I try to get about 1000 words in each night but usually if I skip a day or two, I have to go back and re-read what I’ve written and edit it to catch up and get back into the flow of writing.
Do you have any odd writing habits?
I have to have quiet when I’m writing. If there is any distractions, music, tv or even just being in the kitchen/living room. I find my best writing to be done during the late evening hours, in bed with my husband sleeping next to me and the dogs curled up around me.
Just as your books inspire authors, what authors have inspired you?
My mom gave me my first romance novel when I was 13 and from there I became a huge fan. Those early favorites- Lindsey and Deveraux inspired me to find a love like in the stories they wrote—a man who would be my partner in everything. My mom also served as an inspiration, even though she wasn’t an author…yet.
In the early 1980’s my mom wrote a romance novel, a historical tale of love sweeping across New Mexico and Richmond, Virginia. She would type on the typewriter and finally assembled her book. After sending it off to many different publishing houses and only getting rejections, she put it aside. However, her love of romance continued. Finally, this past year I found her story and began typing it onto the computer so that her dream could come true. In 2019, my mom’s book will be published.
What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?
My greatest accomplishment is in raising two wonderful children and being a positive step-parent to two more. They have all become amazing adults who care for others and have fulfilling lives. They work hard and aren’t afraid to stand up for their beliefs.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I will probably be still writing. It’s a vital part of who I am. I’ve written since I was a teen and have found it to be the only way to work through my thoughts and feelings. Hopefully, I will be in a warmer climate! The winters in Michigan are brutal and I’ve found myself unable to keep warm unless I’m sitting on the edge of the fireplace or buried under blankets and dogs.
What are you working on now? What is your next project?
The next project I’m working on is my mother’s book: The Spitfire and Scoundrel. It is set to be released in the beginning of 2019. I am also working on another Cowboy of Whisper, Colorado story as well as the sequel to My Secret Mate. 2019 looks to be another busy year!
What is the biggest fib you’ve ever told?
The biggest fib—“I’m fine”. I often use I’m fine when I’m really not fine. I tend to devalue what I feel and don’t want to share for fear of being told it’s not important or my feelings are wrong. Variations include “It’s fine” when it isn’t really fine and “Nothing” when there really is something wrong.
Have you ever been in trouble with the law?
When I was sixteen, I received my driver’s license. Sadly, I had a lead foot and received four speeding tickets within the two years until I turned eighteen. Two months before my 18th birthday, I went in front of the judge for the fourth ticket. He told me that I would lose my license for two years if I got a ticket before I turned eighteen. It scared me so much that I went straight…or at least for those two months!
Do you drink? Smoke? What’s your vice?
I don’t smoke nor drink, but I am a huge baker. I love to make desserts which I don’t eat. My poor husband then is forced to eat a few of them, but we often give our treats away.
Occasionally, I end up throwing out cookies. I know many of you are gasping. But when I’m stressed I like to cook, however, I don’t eat it. You are all welcome to come over and have some treats! Just drop by!
Do you have any scars? What are they from?
When I was only four years old, I was playing at my great-grandfather’s house. He had a dog, Jake, who was on a chain outside. The dog liked to jump. This day, Jake got off his leash and ran toward me. I turned but was standing by a pricker bush. Jake jumped and I went face first into the bush. There is a scar under my right eye where they had to stitch the skin closed. Even many years later, I can still find the scar under my eye and am grateful that someone was watching over me that day. I could have lost so much more.
However, the visible scars are the easy ones. It’s the scars hidden inside which are always the worst.
What were you like as a child? Your favorite toy?
I was the oldest of five girls who were close in age. We were best friends and constant playmates. I never wanted for someone to play with. During nice days, we would grab a baggie of dry cereal and head to the old quarry land across the street to play house or “Charlie’s Angels”. Fall was a fun time with the giant piles of leaves we made near the road where we would play police, tossing acorns at anyone passing by (don’t worry, we lived on a dead-end country road).
My favorite toy was the Little People playsets. We had them all—the castle, the garage, the village, the circus train, the house, the farm. My sisters and I would set up the playsets around the living room and play for hours. Each of us would get a playset. I’d love to create a home out of the garage by using some of the furniture on the middle level. When I had my own children, they also enjoyed playing with the same playsets at my parents’ house. It was a touching moment.
What do you dream? Do you have any recurring dreams/nightmares?
I have vivid dreams and I always remember them when I wake up. Sometimes the dreams end up giving me a feeling of happiness, such as when I dream of my mother who passed away twenty years ago. But most of my dreams are nightmares, where I deal with issues from my past. It appears as if during my dreams, I am working on the anger and fear which I have carried through my adult years. I dream of not being a good enough parent or wife. I dream of letting people I love down or not being supportive enough to them. And while these dreams aren’t always positive, they do help me become a better person!
Title: I Believe…True Stories of Miracles
Author: Melissa Keir
Genre: Inspirational Non-Fiction
Book Blurb:
I Believe…
Miracles Surround Us.
Do you believe in miracles? Have you ever heard a voice urging you to do something or not to do something? Have you had a prayer answered? Has someone who has passed come to help you? Miracles happen to everyday people.
This book shares real experiences from ordinary people. Miracles occurred. Some are profound and demonstrate the work of a higher power. Some appear as happenstance but are life changing. These are their stories in their own words.
Grab this book and be prepared to be amazed. There is more to life than what we see and Miracles Surround Us.
**Proceeds from the sale will go to the Children’s Miracle Network, which provides miracles every day. **
Excerpt
I think miracles exist in part as gifts and in part as clues that there is something beyond the flat world we see. ~Peggy Noonan~
Country Music Legends, Alabama, wrote a song titled-Angels Among Us. The song peaked at #28 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singled and Tracks. The song tells the tale of a young boy who is lost and a man, who his mother couldn’t see, takes his hand and walks him home. “Oh, I believe there are Angels Among Us, Sent down to us from somewhere up above.” These angels watch over us and teach us to love. (https://www.thealabamaband.com)
~Death’s At the Door~
There were a couple of events that were miraculous to me. When my family disowned me for marrying my husband, Cruz, because he was Mexican, and after my father attacked me, causing a miscarriage, I moved to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico for several years.
Speaking no Spanish and having no awareness of the culture, I was isolated.
One of the first cultural beliefs I picked up was that in Mexico, Death is not the Grim Reaper. It's a skeletal, hooded woman, 'La Muerte.'
My first son's birth was difficult, because I hadn't had the necessary treatment to prevent blood problems--I'm O negative, and my husband was B positive.
When I was pregnant with my third child, in spite of having the injection to prevent rejection, I was deathly ill. I was in a Spanish speaking country, and I spoke little Spanish. My husband worked long hours and I was often alone. One night, I woke up to hear someone calling my name over and over from the door. My whole body went cold. I started to get up, but suddenly saw, vividly, that La Muerte was on the other side of the door, so I didn't go.
Buy Links
Special Giveaway:
A bracelet with the words I Believe on it.
Runs from Dec. 10 thru Dec. 26
Author Biography:
Melissa doesn’t believe in down time. She’s always keeping busy. Melissa is a wife and mother, an elementary school teacher, a movie reviewer with WHMI (a local radio station), owner of a publishing company as well as an author. Her home blends two families and is a lot like the Brady Bunch, without Alice- a large grocery bill, tons of dirty dishes and a mound of laundry. She loves to write stories that feature happy endings and is often seen plotting her next story.
She’d love to hear from you!
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