Author Interview (and a Giveaway!): Melony Teague & A Promise to Keep

Please join me in welcoming my South African-Canadian bestie, Melony Teague, to the blog to chat about her DEBUT NOVEL, A Promise to Keep! So excited for her 🙂

Melony Teague is a freelance writer who believes everyone has a story to tell. As co-author of As the Ink Flows, she loves to inspire and motivate others through her written words. With foamy lattes in-hand, she writes Contemporary Romance with a dash of humor. Though she has no hobbies outside of reading, writing, and eating chocolate, she is a member of ACFW and teaches seniors in her community to write their memoirs. She confesses with no shame that she has a strong belief that pumpkin pie is an acceptable breakfast food since it’s mostly vegetables. Melony was born in South Africa and now lives in the melting pot that is Toronto with her husband, their two teenagers, and two cats who think they’re humans.

You can connect with Melony on her website, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter.

A PROMISE TO KEEP
GENRE: Inspirational Contemporary Romance
PUBLISHER: Anaiah Press
RELEASE DATE: January 21, 2020
PAGES 188

Research librarian Savannah Sanderson wants nothing more than to escape into her happily-ever-after novels with their larger-than-life fictional heroes. But a promise to her late husband has her attending her dreaded twenty-year high school reunion, drinking ghastly punch, and taking desperate measures just to keep her vow, even if she has to hide behind the décor to do it.

Once a reckless troublemaker, Michael McCann fled town after graduation. Now a professional technical rescuer, he’s back for the reunion, but on his trip down memory lane, he soon comes face to face with unresolved issues, namely Savannah.

Before the night is over, a pact between these two old friends will lead them on an adventure into uncharted emotional territory where Michael must confront his past regrets and find the courage to reveal the truth. But can Savannah fly from her sheltered nest and risk her heart on a real-life hero?

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Hi my dear friend! Welcome to the blog! Thanks for chatting with me 🙂

Melony: Oh, no, thank YOU! This is a dream come true to be on your famous blog! *pinches self

Carrie: Only ‘famous’ in a very small circle – i don’t think that counts LOL

Melony: Apples

Carrie: Yum!

Melony: Cats, I have to say that because I have two of them.

Carrie: I know. I forgive you 😉

Melony: Over. I’m not a monster. 

Carrie: <— monster

Melony: Soup

Carrie: good choice!

Q: Around here I like to say that reading is my superpower. If YOU had a superpower, what would it be?

Melony: Finding myself in the most amazing situations, sometimes amazing because I could never have dreamed I’d find myself there. Like going to CFRR in Nashville and Cincinnati and meeting you and so many of my favorite authors. Other times it’s amazing because I’ve done something silly to get myself there, even if it was with the best of intentions. Like finding myself in front of a TV camera being interviewed about glowsticks. There I was, innocently walking through Walmart, and I was asked to comment on a product, on TV! (True story) I’d like to say that was a rare occasion, but it has happened to me a few times. All for TV. I don’t know what it is about my face….

Carrie: hahaha!

Q: Which books are “on your nightstand”?

Melony: On my nightstand right now I have: The Highest of Hopes by Susan Anne Mason, Vow of Justice by Lynette Eason and One Final Breath by Lynn H Blackburn. Before that I had, Diamond In the Rough, by Jen Turano. I have a whole stack of others, but let’s not go there. Sigh. I need more hours in the day.

Carrie: I feel your pain…

Q: Writing spaces are as diverse as authors and books. Where is your favorite space to write?

Melony: Usually I write at home, but sometimes I am just too easily distracted by my cats, chores that need to be done, or books I want to read that the only way to get some solid, focused time to write is to escape to a coffee shop. Usually Starbucks, and then I put on my earphones turn up the music and write. Somehow, the noise and activity doesn’t distract me. Weird huh? My office is really a corner of our living room so I can’t write when the family are all home. I use that time for editing or marketing.

Carrie: (whispers) I think you just use that as an excuse to go to Starbucks 😉

Q: What surprised you about A Promise to Keep or your characters as you wrote their story?

Melony: Dr. Donavan Radcliffe surprised me, he came out of nowhere and just appeared. I want him to get his own book. But what surprised me was how some elements in the book lined up with the overall theme of the book. Some were happy coincidences and others were intentional, but mostly, they were fun things I put in and then later on, as my editor and I polished up the book they became more significant.

Carrie: i love that!

Q: Did you have the whole plot outlined before you started writing, or did you let the characters dictate what came next? 

Melony: Actually, I did have the whole synopsis written out before I wrote the book. Michael and Savannah were mostly fully formed from early on in the process. There are some other little characters that came along for a guest appearance, but we don’t want to talk about those and spoil things. Donavan Radcliffe wasn’t in the original outline. Some things changed along the way, but I knew roughly how the story was going to go from the start.

Carrie: i had fun watching it all come together! #keepthefern

Q: What is one of your favorite quotes from A Promise to Keep & why do you love it?

Melony: Michael McCann says this to Savannah:

“The things in my life that bring regret are not so much things I did. More like things I didn’t do. Words I should have said. Moments I should have cherished. It’s funny, but in hindsight, I see them all clearly. It’s harder to recognize an opportunity you’re missing while you’re in it.”

I love this because we can all relate to this. It’s a reminder to enjoy every moment and be present. Regrets are often about what we didn’t do as a result of fear or for other reasons. What hits home is the fact that we sometimes don’t see the opportunities right in front of us. I think we can learn from Michael’s mistakes.

Carrie: Yes!

Thank you so much for taking time to talk with me! 🙂 Before we say goodbye for today, tell us what‘s coming up next for you.

Melony: *cringes

I don’t know. I have a manuscript that needs editing and polishing.  I have another few book ideas in mind, but I’m not sure which one will make it into the hands of readers first. For now I have my hands full launching my fiction debut, A Promise to Keep, coming Jan 21, 2020.

Thank you so much for a fun time here!

Melony Teague is offering a bookmark + $5 Amazon gift card to one of my readers – plus the same for a friend! (US/CAN only) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.

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What about you? What interests you most about A Promise to Keep and/or my Q&A with Melony Teague?