Authors Spotlight
Mel is a forty
something small town girl who grew up in Cottage Grove and Bend, Oregon. She is
the daughter of a teen mom and absent father. A sister to three and mother of
two. She is a no nonsense kind of girl and drama drives her nuts. She believes
in the "live and let live" mentality and accepts people for who they
are. She in turn appreciates those who choose to do the same. She looks for the
good in others even though she listens to everything they are doing wrong at
work all day. She believes people can change and that dreams can come true. She
has social anxiety tat causes her to miss out on fun stuff sometimes. She has a
husband that truly loves her and "gets" her better than anyone else
on this planet. God is her friend and she talks with Him daily. Music keeps her
sane and she listens to it almost all day most days of the week. She is
determined to lead the best life she can and to be grateful for all she's been
blessed with. She loves her pets like they're her kids and loves to watch funny
cat videos with her daughters. She has never felt like she fits in but has
finally decided she doesn't care. She allows herself to be silly and show her
dorky side...to be herself and not feel bad about it. She'd rather drink an ice
cold beer than liquor or wine. Comedies are her favorite movies along with
suspense thrillers. She has always been a sucker for the bad boy rebel who goes
against The Man. She thinks intelligence is hot and a good conversation can be
almost as good as sex. She is usually the one rooting for the underdog and
there when people need her. She is sometimes too hard on herself and can dwell
on the negative, but somehow, some way, she keeps on going because life is too
precious to waste feeling sorry for herself.
Dee: I was born in Portland Oregon and was raised in
a lower middle-class, blue collar home. I am a college graduate with a B.S. in
Corrections. For over 28 years I have worked as a juvenile probation counselor.
I have a passion for helping at risk youth and their families. One of the ways
I encourage and motivate youth to make positive changes in their lives is by
providing a creative expressions mixed medium group. Creative Expressions allow
kids to express their feelings through their artwork. I share with them that I
have learning disabilities and discovered that my artwork was a way to cope
with those struggles. Prior to being a probation counselor, I worked for the
local Rape Crisis and Domestic Violence Agency.
My
family and friends are dear and near to my heart. I feel fortunate to have
those special people in my life that love me for who I am. Through the good and
bad God is always with me. That is a gift I do not take for granted.
I
have always been super creative almost to the point of driving myself crazy. I
have many notebooks full of quirky ideas for future books. I draw, sew, build,
paint design costumes and wield a mean glue gun. Through my life I’ve learned
to speak my mind. You might say I am not afraid to say what needs to be said.
Some people describe me as being rather eccentric. I tell them I am just a very
colorful spicy woman. When I was younger I tried to fit in, but gave up,
because changing what uniquely is me was not very appealing.
Some
might assume that since my work areas are cluttered that I am an unorganized individual,
when in fact I am the opposite. My clutter is organized and I always have a
plan A…B…C… and even a plan D when necessary.
I
am a dreamer that takes the steps to make my dreams come true and I take great
pleasure encouraging others to do the same. I believe that no matter what one
has experienced in life, you can rise above any hardship and succeed.
Suz: Lives with her husband Dennis in Tucson, AZ, where she enjoys watching sunsets,
practicing tai chi, painting, and Skyping on a regular basis with Mel and Dee.
Suz has a Master’s degree in school counseling and has worked with at-risk
youth and families for the past 20 years.
We then asked a few questions to which Dee and Mel answered stating that Suz is our silent partner and she will remain a
mystery. We all love a good mystery right?
Who
do you consider the most swoon-worthy man in the literary world? How about on
tv/in the movies?
Dee
1. TV: Charlie Hunnam (Jax) and Tom Selleck
2. Movie: Gerard Butler and Dwayne Johnson
3. Book: Ian Taggart (Author Lexi Blake, Love
and Let Die, Masters and Mercenaries Book 5 )
Mel
1.
Books: Christian Grey
2.
TV: Derek Morgan of Criminal Minds & Jax of Sons of Anarchy & Jace from
Duck Dynasty
3.
Movies: Paul Rudd, Bradley Cooper, Brad Pitt
What’s
the last song you listened to?
Dee: Uptown Funk and I
was rockin out in my kitchen.
Mel: First Aid Kit
Stay Gold
How
do you come up with character names? How
do you come up with novel titles?
Dee and Mel: One way is to
think about the character we are developing and their personality traits. I
want
a name that relates to the person and the story, a clever name that the reader
will chuckle over. The name should help our readers easily visualize the
characters in our story. For generations our families have had some pretty odd
or unique names, so we draw on those for ideas. We also ask for input from our
friends.
Dee and Mel: Coming up with a
title is easier said than done. Our first title we had was flat it had no
pizzazz. Therefore, we asked our Booktrope team members for suggestions.
Krystal Chan our bookmanager and Wendy Garfinkle our editor tossed in their
ideas. Mel and I combined our lists and then picked Out From Under.
This or That-
*Paranormal
or Romance?
*Cowboys
or CEO’s?
*Morning
or Night?
*Vanilla
or Chocolate?
*Summer
or Winter?
Dee
Romance
or Paranormal …I like both, so please don’t make me pick.
Cowboy
or CEO…I like clean cut and I like rugged. I like variety!
Night
Chocolate!
Vanilla is way too boring.
Summer
Mel
Romance
Cowboys
Morning
Chocolate
Summer
Well there it is, I hope you liked learning a little more about the authors. I sure did, and am anticipating reading their book very soon. Thanks so much ladies, we appreciate it tremendously.
Author Links
Title-
Out From Under
Series-
Pea Pod Girls’ Investigations Book #1
By-
Melanie Donithan, Dee Middleton-Taylor, and Suzanne Curry
Genre-
Romance/Mystery/Humor
Expected
Publication Date- March 2015
Blurb-
Three small town, middle-aged women with big town
dreams open up The Pea Pod Girls’ Investigations. Gigi VanWey, the Amazon
Queen, Tallulah Dewy Townz, the pint-sized rebel who can open a can of whoop
ass, and Babs Rosencrantz, the Jewish Guru, had no idea how much trouble they
could stir up with their first case. These extremely resourceful women are
three peas in a pod who know how to get a job done.
Their first client, trophy wife and
recovering-sugar-daddy-addict Cyndi Lou Montgomery, wants to find out how one
minute she’s watching the Douglas County 4th of July celebration and the next,
waking up in the Douglas County Prize Bull Barn in a most un-lady-like
situation. Now Cyndi is being blackmailed, and given specific instructions to
follow.
The Pea Pod Girls didn’t know that a home
explosion, being shot at, missing evidence and unwanted help from the new town
sheriff, Jackson Lee – who, by the way, is so hot you could fry an egg on his
fine ass – would be part of the job.
The case comes to a head when the Pea Pod Girls
set a trap for the blackmailer at the annual Midnight Madness Costume Ball.
Will the Pea Pod Girls be able to solve the
mystery before the clock strikes midnight?
Book Links
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