Author Bio:
Melissa is a lover of books and enjoys nothing more than losing herself in a good novel. She has a soft spot for Romance and focuses her writing in that direction but hopes to one day branch off and do something completely original. She loves music and is obsessed with the band Blue October! She has a rock star of a husband who gives it to her straight and two beautiful young children that show her what really matters in this life.
What inspires you to write?
Music. I know that sounds weird maybe. Or maybe it doesn’t. But I love music and I can listen to one song and have an entire story circling in my head in the matter of minutes. All that has to go somewhere right?!
Tell us about your writing process.
I don’t really do outlines. An idea comes to me, I jot it down and then when I am ready to start my next story, I browse my ideas and find a point to start with. I usually don’t have a real plan of where the book is going to go until it’s there. It just kind of happens and it’s a wonderful thing!
What advice would you give other writers?
Don’t write an outline, it restricts the creative process. Sit down and just write. If you’ve got the talent, I think you’ll be surprised how easily the rest will come to you. And I know it’s cliché but DON’T GIVE UP! No matter how far out of reach it may seem, things are only as unobtainable as you make them!!
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I worked with a couple of different agents and seriously considered going with the traditional publishing route. But then one day I spoke with a self published author whose book had just gone bestselling and she convinced me that in todays market, self pub is the way to go. So I decided to give it a try and I think it’s the best decision I could have made!!
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think it is very probable that the majority of the industry will be digital and a good portion of book stores will go out of business but I don’t think real books will ever be gone. There’s nothing like holding an actual paper novel in your hand. Because of the cost of printing books, I don’t think publishing houses will go away entirely but I do think that self pub will become more and more common as time goes on.
What genres do you write?
Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance, Paranormal Romance
What formats are your books in?
Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Melissa Toppen Home Page Link
Link To Melissa Toppen Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
http://www.goodreads.com/mtoppen
http://www.facebook.com/mtoppenauthor
http://www.twitter.com/mtoppenauthor
http://www.pinterest.com/melissatoppen/
