Kobo Writing Life Podcast

Described as “One of the most harrowing, powerful, and imaginative books of the year” Affinity Konar’s MISCHLING is a novel about twin sisters fighting to survive the evils of World War II. As part of the experimental population of twins known as Mengele's Zoo, the girls experience privileges and horrors unknown to others, and they find themselves changed, stripped of the personalities they once shared, their identities altered by the burdens of guilt and pain. Affinity is interviewed by Kobo Merchandising Coordinator, Nora Parker during an intimate Kobo Café gathering at Kobo just a few weeks ago. During the interview, Nora and Affinity discuss: The genesis of the story and how it was in the author’s head for at least 10 years before she wrote it The intersection between research, historical accuracy and the creativity of the fictional writing How many times Affinity had “put the book down” and then other elements in her life kept bringing her back to it How Affinity struggled for a long time on the manner by which to depict Josef Mengele in the novel The question of justice which both twins end up struggling with at various points throughout the novel and the role that memory plays in that The manner by which beauty figures as an antidote to the horrors of the world and how the author spent a lot of time dwelling on what exactly beauty was and is Concepts of how language might be able to express, or perhaps even fail at expressing the atrocities and the author’s desire to have the reader consciously quibble with the particular word or words that she chose within particular passages as a way to illustrate, in a concrete way, that challenge The origin of the title (Mischling) as a word Affinity came across when she was young, thinking it was a very pretty word and then, later, learning it’s horrific definition and use How the book began with the voice of Stasha, and, when Pearl, her twin came along later, how conscious Affinity was regarding her voice and the satisfying challenge that came from that How the moments of light and joy within the darkness of the novel came quite naturally to Affinity while writing the book (and the manner by which they both add to the experience of reading novel and were among Affinity’s favorite moments to write) The real-life twins, Eva and Miram Mozes, who were very inspirational to the author   Kobo Writing Life Director Mark Lefebvre then talks about two specific points from the interview that he wanted to draw attention to for writers. First, he draws attention to the mention of the use of humor in this text and then outlines some things to consider when implementing humor into an overall serious or dark and disturbing narrative. Next, Lefebvre talks about the “ten years” that were behind the creation of this novel and reflects on the fact that there is no one way for authors to write. That some writers can write a book in an extremely short time period while others might take a significantly longer amount of time to write a book. He reflects on the writer ailment of “comparisonitis” (as described by Joanna Penn) that can happen and cautions writers not to feel bad if their own process or timelines are different than other writers. There’s no one answer, there’s no one solution, there’s no single path to one’s own personal goals or successes in a writing career, and different books might call for different approaches. They key is not to compare and despair, but to discover what works best for you to make it the best possible book that you can.   Affinity Konar’s Books on Kobo Mischling The Illustrated Version of Things   Affinity Konar on Instagram  

Executive Vice President of Publisher Relations and Content at Kobo, Pieter Swinkels introduces a live on stage at Kobo “Kobo in Conversation” interview of Robert Harris about his latest book, Conclave. (As an interesting aside, Pieter was, at one time, Robert’s publisher in the Netherlands). Robert is interviewed by Toronto pop culture columnist, film journalist and television personality, Johanna Schneller. In the interview Johanna and Robert discuss: Brexit and how, though the public events surrounding Brexit are possible fodder for a forthcoming Robert Harris novel, he prefers to wait perhaps 10 or 20 years after such an event, because after such time, you can more properly see the patterns a lot more easily when you’re not as involved in them The research involved in writing about a papal conclave, the oldest, most secretive election in the world, starting with the request for permission to see the places that aren’t normally open to the public The overwhelming majesty of the setting of the Sistine Chapel and the Apostolic Palace The bunker-like setting that the cardinals are sequestered in and the similarities to an Agatha Christie cottage mystery setting The enormous power of the internet when it comes to researching a book such as this one, and how the entire process of gathering that research being hugely sped up The writing routine that Robert Harris employs, starting with research How this particular novel was written between January and July of this past year Harris’s daily writing routine of starting sometime around 7 or 8 AM and then finishing at about half past noon, and his belief that one can do only about four hours or so of hard creative work A reference to the Stephen King quote about the “boys in the basement” who are hard at work for a writer when the writer is not sitting at their writing desk Harris’s strong belief in deadlines and how the fear and adrenaline helps him produce A look into one of Harris’s earliest books, the non-fiction title Selling Hitler, an investigation of the “Hitler Diaries” scandal, which was published in 1986, and how it led to the author’s evolution into writing novels   Kobo Writing Life Director Mark Lefebvre then talks about something Robert Harris mentioned in the interview – the concept of the deadline and how he saw that fear and adrenaline as important elements in the creative process for him as a writer. Lefebvre talks about his own experience writing to deadline on his own non-fiction works and then considers the concept of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and that 30 day deadline to write a prescribed number of words (50,000). He talks about the critical nature of that imposed “deadline” and how it can help a writer actually sit down and get words written.   LINKS OF INTEREST Robert Harris's website Johanna Schneller on Twitter Robert's books on Kobo

In episode 70, Christine Munroe interviews bestselling romance author Melissa Foster. Over 7 years of self-publishing, Melissa has tons of insightful advice to offer, including why authors should stick to their passion instead of chasing trends, and why she will always manage her own social media and all public-facing marketing efforts. Tune in to hear them discuss: Melissa published her first book in 2009. She’s now released over 50 English-language titles, including 15 last year, and 13 in 2016 She started by approaching agents, and could paper her walls with rejection letters Her first published book was Megan’s Way, and she sold over 100k copies of it over the first year Today she works with a literary agent for her work in translation. She submitted one book for traditional publishers recently, but decided to not make a deal because they couldn’t offer more than she could accomplish on her own. “I’m pretty much indie to stay now unless something fabulous comes up” One major concern about using a traditional publisher is the high list price – she wants to keep her readers happy with a price they can afford. That’s more important to her than getting a traditional publisher. They also can’t keep up with her publishing schedule – the best publishers could offer is once every 4 months, which isn’t enough for all of her series she has going right now She’s a “chat-a-holic” on social media and does all of her social media herself EverAfter Romance is handling her paperback distribution for her into bookstores She works with a developmental and copy editor, then a group of 5 copyeditors, to make sure every book is clean before it hits the market Why and how she has incorporated LGBT romance into her Harborside Nights series. There’s a lesbian couple and a gay couple – it never occurred to her to separate out a couple because of their sexual preference. Some authors warned her that she might alienate her core audience but that hasn’t happened “I would encourage any author who feels passionate about a story not to hold back on writing it simply because other people think it’s not a good idea…my thought going into this is that I trust my readers” Best advice for launching a new book: 1) Be everywhere. 2) Advertise outside of the typical avenues for your genre – look to the subthemes of your book and get a wider audience Think of branding in a broad way. For example, imagine your covers being identifiable by site on a shelf. Also, brand at a price bracket - don’t start by putting all of your books at $.99; brand at the price where you want to end up What she wishes she would have done differently along the way – she handed off managing her social media to someone for a little while, but that did not go well. She gets significant value from connecting with them directly, herself She also doesn’t advise trying to chase trends and figure out what made other people successful. Publishing changes so quickly that if you’re writing for a trend, it may have shifted by the time your book is ready to publish. Also, often marketing efforts are happening behind the scenes, and you can’t know from external research what went into making a book or author successful “Every authorship is different…. You have to figure out your readership and how you fit with them” It is absolutely essential to get your book edited – you are a representative of independently published authors and books. Don’t rush to publish; if you can’t afford a good editor, wait to publish until you can Your best marketing plan is always writing your next book Melissa Foster writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance, new adult romance and women's fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Readers adore Melissa's fun, flirty, and sinfully sexy, award-winning big family romance collection, LOVE IN BLOOM featuring the Snow Sisters, Bradens, Remingtons, Ryders, Seaside Summer, Harborside Nights, and the Wild Boys After Dark. Melissa's emotional journeys are lovingly erotic, perfect beach reads, and always family oriented.

In a slight twist to the normal format for the podcast, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, who is interested in getting involved in podcasting interviews Mark Lefebvre, Joanna Penn and J, Daniel Sawyer about podcasting for authors. Some of the questions that Kris asks in the discussion, are: --> How did you get started in podcasting? -->What schedule(s) do the podcasts come out on? Monthly, Weekly, Daily. --> Has podcasting interfered with writing or has it augmented it? In the course of the discussion, Kris, Mark, Joanna and Dan talk about: --> How podcasting allows them to network, learn, and connect with others --> How the podcast needs to become a "habit" for listeners. Joanna, for example, shares stats about how moving to a weekly format increased her listener engagement --> the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) value when you add a transcrpt of the show on your website --> How Joanna almost gave up podcasting a couple of years ago because of the time it took away from her writing and how having a monetization strategy helped with that --> Authors like Scott Sigler and Terry Fallis who used podcasting to build their audiences and kick-off their writing careers --> Time management challenges, tools used and how the use of "batching" (pre-recording a number of episodes in a single sitting) has benefited Joanna Penn and J. Daniel Sawyer --> The value of adding a personal side to a podcast, and the way that has benefited The Creative Penn podcast --> Bundlerabbit- a service that allows people to curate their own bundles --> The use of ad space swapping with other podcasts in order to expand one's audience --> Podcast distribution options --> The importance of listening to a podcast before pitching yourself to them as a potential guest In the wrap-up, Mark talks about the importance of constantly learning.  Kristine Kathryn Rusch is an industry veteran who teaches and mentors writers directly and on her amazing blog "The Business Rusch" But even after all those decades of experience, she still has an open mind and is willing to learn, because the publishing industry is constantly changing and evolving.   Links to other interviews with the same guests: Episode 16 - Joanna Penn Episode 29 - Kristine Kathryn Rusch Episode 54 - The Uncollected Anthology (with Kris) Episode 56 - J. Daniel Sawyer   Other Links of Interest: Joanna Penn's HOW TO PODCAST The Creative Penn Podcast J. Daniel Sawyer's Full Suite of Audio/Podcasts BundleRabbit

In Episode 68, we check in with Ethan Jones, a spy thriller author who decided to go wide with his novels and focus on growing his Kobo sales. His 2015 sales were up 260% over 2014, and every month has broken his sales record from the preceding month. Kobo is now Ethan's leading retailer, bringing him healthy four figures each month and rising. How did he accomplish this? What advice does he have for authors considering publishing to KWL, or just starting out? Tune in to find out! Ethan has three spy thriller series currently on the go His inspirations: Brad Thor, Vince Flynn, Baldacci, Tom Clancy, Bourne series He feels it’s important to not only know the market, but to know the basic story lines of major authors in his genre and not repeat them; “Readers are more likely to believe that Ethan Jones copied Brad Thor than the reverse.” Why he switched from exclusive with another retailer to wide distribution. Since then, his Kobo sales have grown in a big way. He saw a 260% increase in sales for 2015 over 2014. Every month is higher and higher, now bringing in healthy four figures per month, more than all other retailers combined. It took perseverance in terms of both time and effort When you upload to Kobo, give the books time. Inform your readers that they are available in that channel. Think of your career as a marathon – you are laying the groundwork to establish a readership globally, across multiple retail channels Sold books in 30 countries so far through Kobo, including Fiji and Turks and Caicos Ethan still works a full-time job, and does his writing during his commute and lunch break. He catches up on email and marketing on the weekend Connects with the writing community through online forums, cross-promotions, and attending conferences On Mailing Lists: he manages two lists. 1) 2 emails a month, goes to everyone who has expressed interest in him and his books. Brief update, new releases, any deals, offers that include cross-promoting 2-3 other authors.  2) ARC readers, 1 email a month about review copies and a reminder about posting reviews Releases a new book every 3-4 months Average cost of producing each book: $200-$300 per book for editing/proofreading. $200 for a cover. Under $500 per book total Beyond BookBub, his promotional strategies include: tell readers about all new books, price pre-order lower than launch price. Send occasional flash sales to his mailing lists. Hit some of the smaller promotional website opportunities beyond BookBub Something his readers might not know about him: English isn’t his first language (it’s Albanian), and Ethan Jones is a pen name A few overall words of wisdom: Start right away with building a mailing list. Invite anyone and everyone you know – it might surprise you to learn who is interested in your writing. Distribute widely; think about your career as a long-term gig, and give yourself 18 months to work on promoting new channels. LINKS OF INTEREST www.ethanjonesbooks.wordpress.com Author Ethan Jones on Facebook AuthorEJones on Twitter Ethan Jones is the author of the wildly popular Justin Hall spy thriller series, featuring Canadian Intelligence Service special agents operating mostly in the Middle East. This series has nine books so far. The first four books in this series have reached the Amazon’s Top 10 Best Sellers lists. Ethan has also started a new spy series: Carrie Chronicles, which features Justin Hall’s partner, Carrie O’Connor, in solo adventures. The first two novels in this series, Priority Target and Codename: Makarov have already come out and more are expected to be released in 2017. He is also working on a romantic suspense series, featuring Jennifer Morgan, set in New York. The first book in this series, The Secret Affair, is already out and the second and the third will be published in fall and winter 2016. Ethan is a lawyer by trade, and he lives in Edmonton, Canada, with his wife and son.

What if some of the artists we feel as if we know – Meryl Streep, Neil Young, Bill Murray – turned up in the course of our daily lives? That’s the basis of this collection of linked stories that follow Rose McEwan, an ordinary woman who keeps having extraordinary encounters with famous people. Nora Parker, Merchandising Coordinator at Kobo, interviews Marni Jackson, author of Don’t I Know You? Published by Flatiron Books in New York. In the interview, Nora and Marni discuss: Marni’s turn to fiction from her previous books such as Pain: The Science of Why We Hurt and Home Free: The Myth of the Empty Nest The accidental manner by which these stories ended up converging into the linked-stories novel that it became, starting with a short story Marni wrote called “Bob Dylan Goes Tubing” which was originally published in The Walrus in September 2012 How that same “Bob Dylan” short story was inspired by a painting that her son created one afternoon when they were at the cottage How Jackson choose who to include in the stories and how Rose McEwan’s relationship to celebrity evolves throughout the tales How Bill Murray is a great character in the book because of the carefully curated and crafted persona of “Bill Murray” that he deftly manages and uses to connect with his fans (or, to use a very Canadian term, as Marni does: “Stick-handles” his fame in a really interesting way The interesting relationship between celebrity and audience and how the audience or fans actually “author” a celebrity’s fame The manner by which celebrities don’t necessarily exist “out there” in the distance, but that they are very much a part of our creative lives (ie, we may put on one of their songs while we are having sex – a perfect example of how they are incorporated into those intimate moments) The juxtaposition of the journalist in Jackson who enjoyed documenting real elements from the celebrities in this book with the fun and fictional encounters with Rose Jackson’s interest in our relationships with celebrities and our relationship to fame rather than in the cult of celebrity The Al Purdy stage show project that Jackson is currently working on based on the film al purdy was here which she co-wrote that her husband, Brian D. Johnson, directed The concerns regarding the mention of famous people in the book and the fact that Jackson’s lawyer went through it with her line-by-line to ensure there was nothing that could be construed as libelous or defamation of character After the interview, Mark Lefebvre, Director of Kobo Writing Life and Author Relations, shares some thoughts regarding Author Branding, outlining some ways in which an author can ensure that they are curating and presenting a consistent author persona or brand out into the world. He draws upon a couple of examples that, like in the Bill Murray reference Marni Jackson uses, are Canadian. He uses his own example of the use of the life-sized skeleton Barnaby Bones that he employs for his Mark Leslie horror/paranormal/ghost story author persona. He also explores Hugo and Nebula Award winning science fiction writer Robert J. Sawyer who uses the “Dean of Canadian Science Fiction” element throughout his persona, including the name of his website: SFWRITER.COM. As a final example, Mark looks at the fonts uses in the title for the Netflix original STRANGER THINGS and how that makes a promise to potential viewers. Other links of interest: Marni Jackson's Website Marni Jackson's Books on Kobo Flatiron Books The Walrus Magazine Branding for Writers – from Joanna Penn’s The Creative Penn

Recorded at Kobo's headquarters, this episode features Toronto-based literary agent Sarah Heller, from the Helen Heller Agency. Why did Sarah become an agent? What are some benefits to being an agent in Toronto? What are some key tips for authors planning to query an agent? Tune in as Sarah and US Manager Christine Munroe discuss all of this and more. Sarah has a background is in fine arts, but her mother (Helen) started the agency in 1988 so she grew up with publishing in the background. Sarah joined the agency 11 years ago. Growing up she always loved reading, was surrounded by books, and all of that fell into place when she started agenting. Why Sarah loves working in Toronto; it offers the benefit of being easily accessible to other international publishing centres, New York, and London, but is separate enough that there’s a vibrant Toronto/Canadian writing and publishing community. Why she loves being an agent. She can wear many hats – introduce people and projects to one another, dig into the creative process with edits, negotiate contracts. “With the advent of being able to publish quickly online…it’s a very viable way of publishing your book and doing well with it financially and critically.” She helps her authors make best use of all of their work. Many authors have projects stowed away that haven’t been published, or have gone out of print, so there’s great new potential in digital publication. Their agency manages a KWL account and helps authors publish digitally to Kobo. “The landscape is so fluid that you can publish a book online…that can then retroactively be picked up by a publisher if that’s ultimately what an author wants… There are also cases of certain territories not having access to a book that now they do.” They want to take advantage of all opportunities to help their authors advance their careers. How to stand out when querying an agent: Get the name of the person you’re addressing your query to. Never, “Dear Sir or Madam” (no “sirs” at their agency, for example!). Research what kind of books the agency handles – and does not handle. Brief and to the point query letter, synopsis and your background. No gimmicks necessary.   Sarah Heller has developed an internationally and New York Times bestselling list. She specializes in establishing new authors with a focus on front list commercial YA and adult fiction. Sarah received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from York University, and is a graduate of the Advertising Design program of the Ontario College of Art and Design.

Reedsy's ambition extends beyond just being a place where authors can connect with publishing professionals; it's a place for collaborative tools and with an ultimate goal of assisting the publication process right from the first written word of an author's manuscript right through the typesetting, publishing and marketing of the final book. Mark Lefebvre, Kobo Writing Life Director, interviews Matthew Cobb, co-founder and lead designer of Reedsy regarding the platform and the amazing online Book Editor tool. In the interview Mark and Matthew discuss: What Reedsy is (a marketplace for authors and editors, designers, etc to meet and collaborate as well as an online tool that allows authors to both collaborate in the creation process, but also produce production ready ePub and print on demand files) How the filters allow an author to find the right professional to provide the right editorial services to them, and the quote request process where you can request a free quote from up to 5 different matching professionals The curatorial process by which editors and other professionals apply to be within this ecosystem and are vetted and approved by the team at Reedsy How Reedsy doesn’t only handle the introduction to the publishing professional but also the transaction (ie, payment to the editor), but also the file transfer, as well as customer support and assistance Details about the online book editor and how it was born out of the frustration inherent when one of the founders wanted to publish a book The issues inherent with trying to use WORD to typeset and prepare a book for print-readiness along with how an author can simply copy and paste their WORD file document into the editor and it’ll preserve all the formatting, including headings, alignment, etc The ability for editors and authors to work together collaboratively online using the Reedsy Book Editor The use of templates that authors select, when they’re ready to export their print ready or ePub format file Whether or not this free editor is good for other formats such as children’s books, cookbooks, or other fixed layout types of book formats A bit about the four co-founders of Reedsy and the internal Reedsy family of employees Matthew’s favourite advice for a beginning writer to get on the right track for success Mark then talks about the importance of finding the right person for the right job (ie, an author looking for just the right editor) and relates that to both the story of Goldilocks (how she kept trying things until she found the one that was just right), as well as the concept of asking a more detailed question in order to get the most optimum answer for you.   Links of Interest: Reedsy Reedsy Book Editor The Reedsy Blog Reedsy on Twitter

In Episode 64 of the Kobo Writing Life Podcast, KWL Director Mark Lefebvre interviews Robyn Baldwin, author of Love Lost, Life Found: 8 Practical Steps to Heal a Broken Heart. In the interview, Mark and Robyn discuss: Robyn’s past work as a Senior Integrated Marketing Manager How the book itself has been three years in the making – first and foremost as a journaling experience; and then, later, in response to others, who, in reading her journal, thanked her for sharing it as it helped them The specific identification of the target audience for this book: someone who has called off a wedding, gone through a divorce or left a toxic relationship The additional target for this book might be younger women for whom this book might help them to identify what a difficult relationship looks like so they never have to put themselves in that situation How the book might also be targeted at a “13 year old Robyn” as something that she wished she could have had The underlying message of the book that there is a life to be found after all the “broken bits” The role of social media in both her demise as well as in her healing: Such as the “false picture” that she was actively portraying even while in the midst of the dark depths of the toxic relationship and then how The role of Pinterest in the time leading up to the wedding, and then, later, the more important role of how she used Pinterest to find motivational quotes The significance of the release date for this book, August 25th, and how a comment from her mother led her to wanting to change, or take control of that date as a positive thing Robyn’s identification as an Alpha Female and the inspiring Alpha Female Podcast that she hosts Her definition of an Alpha Female: An Alpha Female is a powerful and assertive woman. Her confidence is due to being an intelligent and intellectual problem-solver. Being an Alpha Female is a State of Mind based on choosing ambition and being proud of it. She strives for a happy and healthy work/life harmony How Robyn’s background in marketing helped her with the aspect of planning out the book and the book launch path The timeline, schedule and check-lists that Robyn managed within Asana for the both the self-publishing steps as well as the marketing efforts leading up to the launch of the book Robyn’s advice for other first-time authors for where and how they should consider starting How a lot of the promotional efforts Robyn is participating in aren’t about promoting the book, but about sharing valuable pieces from the book with various online sources: such as the “calling off a wedding check-list” An interesting revelation of how, when Robyn reached out to literary agents regarding the book, she was told her platform reach (which was in the realm of 20,000 people), wasn’t large enough and that she should consider self-publishing it The authentic and organic way that the book itself was woven into Robyn’s personal and social media presence Robyn’s use of Gary Vaynerchuk’s concept of “Jab Jab Jab Right Hook” - from his book of the same name   Other links of interest: Robyn’s Website - http://robynbaldwin.com The Book: Love Lost, Life Found Robyn on Facebook Robyn on Pinterest Robyn on Twitter Robyn's Instagram - http://instagram.com/RobynBaldwin Robyn on YouTube

Episode 63 features NYT bestselling author Melody Anne, who began publishing in 2011 and has published forty (!) books and sold over 7 million copies since then. What strategies helped her get to where she is today, and what’s working best for her now? How has becoming a bestselling hybrid author changed her life? Tune in and get inspired by Melody Anne’s incredible journey, which she shares with US Manager Christine Munroe. At the end of the episode, Christine shares some reminders for planning your new releases as we head into fall. Melody Anne never grew up dreaming of being an author, because she couldn’t have imagined the tools that exist today and empower authors to self-publish She’s self-published 40 books in 5 years Her first conference was RWA in Anaheim, when self-publishing was spoken about more negatively. She stayed quiet but met Ruth Cardello, who became her mentor and inspired her to make her first book free Melody was horrified by this strategy – it took her a year to write the first book. But her sales exploded, with 40,000 downloads in the first day, followed by a huge spike in her paid books Another important moment was when a NYT bestselling author sitting next to her at a signing told her that she had done a great job and had a successful signing – that validation meant a lot to her Market changes from 2012 to now, from her perspective: more volume, more books priced at free, more niche genres. Marketing strategies have completely shifted to adapt to these developments Another huge moment was when she hit #3 on the NYT Bestseller list. She still finds it hard to believe that so many people want to buy her books when there are so many others to choose from nowadays “My day to day life is horrifyingly boring.” Half the time she’s in her pajamas at her computer for 12 hours a day, and forgets to brush her hair Her release schedule these days: self-publishing, and publishing with Montlake and Pocket. She has a release every month for the remainder of 2016 How she gets it all done: she currently has 6 people working with her, 3 of whom are full-time She works hard to engage with fans on Facebook, Goodreads, over email, but from her perspective the best way to connect with fans is face-to-face at conferences and readings. But when authors are out meeting fans, they need to remember that first impressions are crucially important. You can’t take back a bad first impression The importance of writers getting out into the real world, away from their computers at home. “When you sit at home too long, you kind of forget… When I’m out, I watch how people talk and interact, and all of those things go in my books.”   RELATED LINKS http://www.melodyanne.com/ @melodyanneauthor Facebook @authmelodyanne  twitter @melodyanneromance  Instagram   NYT and USA Today bestselling author Melody Anne wrote for years, then published in 2011, finding her true calling, and a love of writing nonstop. Holding a Bachelor’s Degree in business, she loves to write about strong, powerful, businessmen and the corporate world. When Melody isn’t writing, she cultivates strong bonds with her family and enjoys time spent with them as well as her friends, and beloved pets. A country girl at heart, she loves the small town and strong community she lives in and is involved in many community projects. To date, Melody has over 7 million book sales and has earned a spot on multiple best seller lists, including being an Amazon top 100 bestselling author for 3 years in a row, as well as a Kobo and iBooks best seller. But beyond that, she just loves getting to do what makes her happiest – live in a fantasy world, 95% of the time.