When my dad was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in March of 2014, we knew right away that he didn’t have long to live. But when my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer that July, just two months after he died, there was never a doubt in my mind that she’d beat it.
Melanie Hooyenga
On Writing Strong Female Protagonists
Strong female protagonists are nothing new in literature. From Nancy Drew to Katniss Everdeen, teen girls have always had strong role models—if they knew where to look. But something has shifted in the last decade.
My Fears Were Not Realized
When I agreed to speak to 200 eighth graders, I thought, “How hard can it be? Adults talk to kids all the time.” But THIS adult has very little interaction with anyone under the age of 25 so needless to say, the fear set in very quickly.
Guest Author New Release: Uncorking a Lie
Happy release day to my FF BFF! I realize wine mysteries aren’t exactly YA, but how can I not tell you about Nadine’s newest book? I was fortunate enough to read an early edition of this and it’s even better than the first! I never knew counterfeit wine was even a thing, but Nadine not …
Kitchen Renovation, 2017
When we bought our house in November 2014, the first thing on our “this has gotta go” list was the upstairs bathroom. That was renovated within seven months, and after that our focus turned to the kitchen. We timed projects around tax returns, and we knew we’d have to do it in stages. The floors went in last summer, we painted in the fall, then this past March and April we added French doors, replaced the counters and backsplash, refinished the existing cabinets, and completely rewired the entire kitchen.
It sounds so easy when I say it like that…
A Lifetime of Inspiration
A lot of my fellow writers can name an author who inspired them to become writers, or who inspire them to continue writing as adults. Neil Gaiman, Sue Grafton, Judy Blume… the names of these icons roll off their tongues without hesitation. But for me, it’s a little more complicated.
Guest Author Cover Reveal: Meet Me Under the Stars
For as much as I talk to other authors and read their lovely books, I rarely mention them here — but no more! Today I have the pleasure of hosting the cover reveal for KD Proctor’s MEET ME UNDER THE STARS, releasing on July 18, 2017 from BookFish Books! Check out this beauty… I wanted …
My Fan Mail to You
The past month has been a whirlwind. We renovated our kitchen, I’ve had four book events (including speaking at a writers’ conference tomorrow), and everyone seems to love The Slope Rules! This is the fourth time I’ve been published and at this point I thought I knew what to expect, but the response has been amazing. AND I’ve been hanging out at the top spot in my category on Amazon. O.o
My birthday gift to you: The Slope Rules for 99¢!
I’ve never been one to shy away from my birthday, even when I’ll officially be as old as TWO people who can legally drink (but hey, at least now I know the answer to the universe right?) so in honor of my birthday today (yes, I’m a St. Patrick’s Day baby) I’ve dropped the price of THE SLOPE RULES to 99¢!
Meet the Author!
I’m officially in full promotion mode, which isn’t my favorite part of writing but it’s certainly necessary. But the fun side of that is going to events and meeting readers! Starting this weekend, I have quite a few local — and a couple not local — book and author events and I’d love to see you there!