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Fictional Friday: Interview with Debut Author Melissa Tagg
Today I’m thrilled to introduce you to another debut author, Melissa Tagg. Her first novel, Made to Last, came out less than a week ago, and already it’s piling up favorable reviews. I caught up to her to ask her a few questions about her book and her writing process.
Carla: Made to Last is about a woman starring in her own TV home improvement show. You’ve said elsewhere that DIY is not exactly your cup of tea. So what brought about the idea for this book?
Melissa: Well, it started with the movie Christmas in Connecticut. I LOVE classic movies, but a few years ago realized I hadn’t seen this one yet. It’s from the 1940s with Barbara Stanwyck, and in it she plays a magazine journalist who has built this fake life for herself…she’s even made up a fake husband. When her boss and a war vet decide they want to spend Christmas with her, she has to come up with said pretend husband. Only while she’s pretending to be married, she ends up falling for someone else.
I just thought it was the cutest storyline. So, I borrowed the basic idea. At the same time, I was reading about this actress from Canada (she was in the Anne of Green Gables movies!) who had her own DIY type show. Somehow, the two things merged in my head and the characters of Made to Last were born.
Carla: That’s so funny! I borrowed the set-up of Five Days in Skye from an old movie meet-cute, too. You know I have to ask this next question: have you had any spectacular DIY fails? And speaking of DIY, what do you think about Pinterest: awesome or tool of the devil?
Melissa: Um, fails, YES! One example: In school we had to take this home ec type class and we had to sew. SEW. That’s like a bad word in my family…my mom has passed on her disdain for sewing to me. So, we had to sew a laundry bag and in the process, I sewed my bag shut. Thankfully, a foreign exchange student from Brazil helped me out and I managed to complete the project.
But truly…anytime I attempt a craft, I fail. I just do. Even scrapbooking is stressful for me.
As for Pinterest, initially it freaked me out. Photos of crafts just intimidate me and all the recipe and food photos make me feel guilty for how and what I eat. HA! But my sister finally convinced me to open an account because there is, in fact, funny stuff on there. I like funny. So, I’ve gone from “tool of the devil” to “maybe I won’t die if I pin a few things here and there.” Though, to be honest, my sister does most of my pinning for me.
Carla: That’s what you call sisterly love. Or maybe just a really good excuse to procrastinate. While we’re talking about methods of procrastination… what reality show would you want to be on? (Assuming The Bachelor starring Tim Tebow isn’t an option. Oh, come on, you know I had to say it!)
Melissa: LOL! I don’t even know if I could do The Bachelor even if Tim was on it. The manufactured drama of it would eventually get to me and I’d run away crying. Haha! Although, don’t they usually film those in pretty sweet locales? So maybe I could deal with it for the sake of satisfying my travel bug.
But oh gosh, I am not a reality show girl. I don’t really watch any of them…which is another notch in the “it’s kinda weird that you wrote this book” thing. Is there a reality show where people get to hang out with their favorite band? Because I’d want to be on that one. And obviously I’d want to hang out with Coldplay. And I would beg them to hurry up and release another album.
Carla: So, what’s the deal with the Tebow love anyway? Was it just an off-the-cuff comment that turned into part of your platform?
Melissa: HA! OKAY. Here’s the story: So, last year I was on this kick of reading sports bios while on the elliptical. I don’t know, I guess reading about athletes made me work out harder or something. I read Tebow’s book. I loved it because of how he talked about honoring God through hard work and for whatever reason, it just totally inspired me to kick into high gear with finishing my book. So…I might’ve gushed a little about it online. And him.
Fast forward a few months and I gave a little talk at ACFW during the morning breakfast. Rachel Hauck introduced me and included something about me and Tim Tebow in her intro. People laughed. So I made a few more Tebow jokes as I talked. Next day, Peter Leavell (who is awesome) got up and also mentioned Tebow, alluding to my talk the day before. And then an ACFW blog came out calling me Melissa Tagg Tebow. And…uh, yeah, it spiraled. So I sort of unintentionally branded myself.
For the record: I am sure Tim Tebow is a wonderful person and he’s obviously got good looks. But I’ve never met him and probably never will and I am okay with that. Although, now that he’s team-less, should he decide to come play for the Iowa Barnstormers, I will happily become an arena football fan.
Carla: Now that sounds like a romance novel in the making… Moving on, why don’t you tell us a little about your writing process. Plotter or pantser? Multi-drafter or one-and-done?
Melissa: Oh, I’m definitely a plotter. Susan May Warren’s teaching through My Book Therapy has been hugely influential in my writing process. So, yes, I plot out my story BUT that plot always changes as I write. Characters do things I didn’t expect, show up at the wrong time or whatever. So I’ve learned to be flexible and not rigidly tied to that plot. And I definitely write multiple drafts. I have this dream of someday writing a perfect first dream, but I think it might be pipedream.
Carla: Me, too. I make so many edits that I’ve taken to using multi-colored pens to keep track of what change came when. Speaking of indispensible writing aids, what three things are essential to your writing process?
Melissa: Post-it notes. Caffeine. And someone to tell me I’m not a horrible writer and this story isn’t total crap and to just keep writing and that God wouldn’t have me doing this if He didn’t plan to help me out…and that everything is going to be okay. Hehehe…
Carla: All writers need those people who cheer us on. And as soon as everyone gets a look at this book, I have a feeling your cheering section will grow! Thanks so much for joining us today, Melissa!
And for all of you who can’t wait to read this, Melissa is giving away a copy of Made to Last to readers of this interview! Don’t forget to check out your entry options below. The winner will be drawn on September 27th, so drop by next week and see if you are a winner! ***Contest is now closed***
About Melissa
Melissa Tagg is a former newspaper reporter and total Iowa girl. Her first novel, Made to Last, releases from Bethany House in September 2013. In addition to her homeless ministry day job, Melissa is also the marketing/events coordinator for My Book Therapy. Melissa blogs regularly and loves connecting with readers at www.melissatagg.com.
Connect with Melissa: Web | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Goodreads
About Made to Last
Miranda Woodruff has it all. At least, that’s how it looks when she’s starring in her homebuilding television show, From the Ground Up. So when her network begins to talk about making cuts, she’ll do anything to boost ratings and save her show–even if it means pretending to be married to a man who’s definitely not the fiance who ran out on her three years ago.
When a handsome reporter starts shadowing Miranda’s every move, all his digging into her personal life brings him a little too close to the truth–and to her. Can the girl whose entire identity is wrapped up in her on-screen persona finally find the nerve to set the record straight? And if she does, will the life she’s built come crashing down just as she’s found a love to last?
Tags: Bethany House, DIY, home improvement, Made to Last, Melissa Tagg, Pinterest, reality TV, Tim Tebow, writing
Words for Women: Five Keys to Finding Focus, by Elizabeth Ludwig
My prayer when I first started out on this writing journey was simple—Lord, please help me to get published, and let my words touch someone’s heart.
Oh, how that prayer has changed over time! After my first book contract, I quickly discovered how unpredictable the publishing industry can be (an article for another time). The joy of holding my first published book disintegrated when I learned that the subsequent two books in the series would not be published as had been promised, and I added this line to my prayer—Lord, please help me to get published, and let my words touch someone’s heart, and let there be another contract.
Proving His love and faithfulness, God did provide another contract. I remember celebrating with thanksgiving the upcoming Christmas novella that would allow me to tell the story of my walk into adulthood. But then the book cover came, and I realized that readers would need a microscope to read the teeny-tiny letters of my name beneath the big, bold letters of the lead author, and I added this line to my prayer—Lord, please help me to get published, and let my words touch someone’s heart, and let there be another contract, and someday, Lord, let my name be the prominent one on the cover.
Since then, I’ve added many lines to that first simple prayer. Weights like good sales numbers, positive reviews, and contest awards now encumber what was once a sincere desire. God reminded me of this during a dark period of wrestling with Him over the path I was to follow. I knew I would have to refocus, and that meant developing five keys:
1. I always thought there should be an eleventh commandment, and it would read something like this—Thou shalt live thy life with thanksgiving and remember the good that God has done. Later, I realized that this was a commandment and it was connected to the first and greatest—Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (NIV)
Key #1 to finding your focus? Practice loving God. Everything else will follow.
2. Hello, my name is Elizabeth Ludwig, and I love Facebook. There, I’ve said it. Unfortunately, things like social media, while intended to bring us closer, end up making us rivals. How can we help but be competitive when we’re doing nothing but reading about the successes of others? Still God instructs us to rejoice with those who rejoice, and follows it with a command to mourn with those who mourn. This means taking our eyes off ourselves and focusing on where our friends are.
Key #2 to finding your focus? Do like Facebook and “share.
3. My writing journey has been filled will all sorts of highs and lows—good reviews followed by bad reviews, new contract followed by poor sales numbers, encouragement followed by discouragement. I realized it was very easy to lose my focus when the only thing I was concentrating on was the lows, but in the back of my mind was a story from the Old Testament. Remember Joshua and his instruction to the Israelites to “take up a stone?” This was to serve as a reminder to the people about God’s intervention in helping them cross the River Jordan, and it can serve as reminder today—about where He has led us and where we have yet to go.
Key #3 to finding your focus? Take up a memorial stone.
4. Writing a book requires quite a bit of time and a whole lot of dedication. On top of the initial commitment, writing something readers will love means pouring a good bit of myself into the work—my pain, the things I’ve learned and lived, even a smidgeon of honesty as I reveal my own personal struggles and vices. When at last the time comes to write “The End”, the finished product can feel very personal—almost like an extension of myself—which is why having a book be unsuccessful can be so excruciatingly painful. Yet God’s word says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (NKJV)
Key #4 to finding your focus? Remember God’s plan and cling to it.
5. Remember this saying? If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. It’s from a poem by an unknown author, and it was brought to mind recently when I was struggling to remember why I even began this writing journey in the first place. Along with all the typical highs and lows, I was facing deadlines, trying to meet promotional and marketing demands, and juggling commitments at home and work. I’m ashamed to admit, this led to an extended period of self-pity, typified by the one question repeated over and over in every situation—why? Well, God had an answer for Job when he asked that question, and He had an answer for me—you didn’t get where you are by yourself. I brought you here, I will lead you on. Follow Me.
Key #5 to finding your focus? Follow God…even if He leads you away from the one thing you thought you couldn’t live without.
About Dark Road Home
Ana Kavanagh’s only memories of home are of fire and pain. As a girl she was the only survivor of a terrible blaze, and years later she still struggles with her anger at God for letting it happen.
At a nearby parish she meets and finds a kindred spirit in Eoghan Hamilton, who is struggling with his own anger–his sister, Cara, betrayed him by falling in love with one of his enemies. Cast aside by everyone, Eoghan longs to rejoin the Fenians, a shadowy organization pushing for change back in Ireland. But gaining their trust requires doing some favors–all of which seem to lead back to Ana. Who is she and who is searching for her? As dark secrets from Ana’s past begin to come to light, Eoghan must choose which road to follow–and where to finally place his trust.
About Elizabeth
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://www.carlalaureano.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Ludwig1.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Elizabeth Ludwig is an accomplished speaker and teacher. Her lectures include editing for fiction writers, crafting effective novel proposals, and conducting successful editor/agent interviews. She is the owner and editor of the popular literary blog, The Borrowed Book. To learn more about Elizabeth and her work, visit her at www.elizabethludwig.com.[/author_info] [/author]
Tags: Dark Road Home, Elizabeth Ludwig, finding focus, God's plan, jealousy, priorities
Words for Women: Fast Forward, by Cindy Kelley
September isn’t even over yet and I feel as if I’m already behind on my preparations for Christmas. I haven’t started my shopping or my list of what I’ll bake. I haven’t picked out a photo for our family Christmas card or decided if we’re going to go to the five o’clock Christmas Eve service at church or the one at seven. What is wrong with this picture? Why am I seeing Halloween decorations next to the blow-up, life sized Santa Claus in department stores? There are clearance items for holiday things before the holiday has even happened! Why are we in such a rush?
We live in a fast-forward society. And women, in particular, seem to succumb to the notion that we need to hurry to fit everything into our days, our weeks – our months. And before we know it, years have gone by and then we realize we’ve been so crazed to get to our destination, we’ve forgotten to enjoy our journey.
The notion that we’re traveling at break neck speed these days was never more apparent to me than when I was writing my new novel Traces of Mercy with my writing partner, Michael Landon, Jr. Almost every project that Michael and I have done together has been a period piece – a hundred and fifty years in the past – and our new book fits right into that genre. We set the story at the end of the American Civil War, and researched the women of that time. We found strong, courageous souls who believed in God, family and their own capability to survive. Women, like our protagonist Mercy, didn’t fit in a particular mold. They were able to bend and adapt and shape themselves to their circumstance. They were feminine, soft, hard, tough, tender and heroic. They helped shape the future of our country – and they did it because they weren’t in fast-forward mode.
The diaries I read of the women that lived during the Civil War and Reconstruction, spoke of sunrises and sunsets; the smell of a rainy day and the aching goodbye when a loved one went to fight a war that never seemed to end. There were accounts of a quiet dinner and a baby sleeping contentedly in a new father’s arms. But it was the young woman who wrote of the upcoming holiday that touched me the most; all she wanted for Christmas was her husband home safe and sound and whole. Just like me she was making a list of things to prepare; food to bake, gifts to make.
But she ended her diary entry with something I’m hoping to learn from: I know I have much to do to prepare, but I have plenty of time as the holiday is a whole week away. God will see that I finish exactly what I need to, and truth be told, what will it matter if I’m one loaf of bread short or a gift shy under the tree? My time is too precious to whittle away worrying about what tomorrow will bring. I have today and in that I am content.
About Traces of Mercy
From Michael Landon Jr. and Cindy Kelley, authors of The Silent Gift and creators of the hit television film Love Comes Softly, comes an exciting historical romance set in post-Civil War, and filled with suspense and faith-building values.
At the war’s end, a young woman suffers an accident that leaves her unconscious and alone. Waking with amnesia, she takes the name Mercy and wants more than anything to find out the truth of her past. But then a handsome stranger arrives, who may hold the key to everything she has forgotten. What he knows could devastate her future, and even end her life.
Written by two proven storytellers, Traces of Mercy is perfect for anyone who loves historical fiction, prairie-based tales, or just a good romance.
About Cindy Kelley
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://www.carlalaureano.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Cindy_Kelley.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Cindy Kelley is an author and screenwriter who worked with Michael Landon, Jr. on the Love Comes Softly television film and co-wrote the novel The Silent Gift with Landon.[/author_info] [/author]
Tags: Cindy Kelley, Love Comes Softly, Michael Landon Jr., The Silent Gift, Traces of Mercy
Writers’ Workshop: Why You Don’t Need a Conference Pitch
Ha! I got your attention, didn’t I? If you’re headed to ACFW this week, and you haven’t worked on your pitch yet, you’re probably celebrating right now. If you’ve been stressing over your pitch for the last three weeks, you’re probably calling me all sorts of names.
Let me clarify then. I’m not saying you don’t have to be prepared. You certainly have to be prepared. But what you don’t want is a canned pitch, a scripted explanation of your book. For one thing, agents and editors want to get a feel for you as a person and a writer during your appointment, and if you’re focused on rattling off the short synopsis word-for-word, all they see is a pitch-spewing robot. For another, editors and agents have a tendency to ask you questions you didn’t expect, and if you’re only prepared to answer the handful of topics you scrawled down in your notebook on the plane, you’re likely to end up like a deer in the headlights: frozen and unsure of where to go next.
But fortunately, the solution to a great pitch is easier than you think. No doubt you can talk for hours about your book. You know it backwards and forwards.
1. Have your one-line summary ready. Sometimes people refer to this as an elevator pitch, but it can be your marketing handle (Beth Vogt used the line “Can the wrong kiss lead to Mr. Right?” when pitching her novel Wish You Were Here) or a simple summary (beginning with “My book is about…”) There is no one right way to begin a pitch. You should pick whatever feels natural and conversational for you… because after all, you want to encourage a connection with your appointment expert. Practice saying it out loud to family members and friends. If the result makes you want to hide under your bed, keep working on it or pick a different approach.
Personally, I went with a simple approach: “Five Days in Skye is about an American hospitality consultant who falls in love with her celebrity chef client during a business trip to Scotland.” I picked that because it highlighted a couple of things that I thought would make my book appealing: an American protagonist in a foreign setting, a celebrity chef hero, and Scotland. That earned me a nod and “tell me more.” Which brings me to the next point…
2. Know everything possible about your book. What it’s about, why you wrote it, your inspiration for it. Its themes. What you want your readers to learn from it and how you hope they feel when it’s finished. What makes this book different from other books. If you’re writing about a foreign setting or an unusual job, for example, be prepared to explain what qualifies you to write about it.
When I pitched Five Days in Skye to my editor at David C Cook, he immediately asked me was, “Have you been to Skye?” I quickly explained that I had traveled quite extensively in Scotland, I had lived in London as a teenager, and the set-up for the book was something taken from my own experiences. Once I had proven that I knew what I was doing, then we moved into discussion about actual plot. I also explained that my goal had been to write a book that felt like a general market romance without the objectionable content and with a subtle faith thread. I think that helped set expectations that yes, I did know the market, and I had consciously chosen a different storytelling style than other books he might have seen.
3. Leave your baggage at home. No, I don’t mean emotional baggage, though that’s a good idea too. I mean this literally. When going into a pitch, I only bring the necessities: my handbag and a presentation folder with my pitch materials. (Thanks to Beth Vogt for the idea!) This always includes my business card, a one sheet, a single page synopsis, and three sample chapters. Occasionally someone will take your one sheet and business card (very rarely your sample chapters or proposal!), but it looks neat and professional to have a single folder with all your necessary pieces. I’d rather project the image of a writer who is completely prepared for an appointment, rather than leave him or her with the memory of me digging for my one sheet in an overfilled tote bag.
Overall, just remember this: agents and editors are people, too, and you’ll probably never find anyone who loves writers and stories more. They are cheering you on to do well, hoping for the next great story. So take a deep breath, remember what it is that made you write your book in the first place, and then enjoy the conversation!
Is your pitch ready? What is your favorite conference pitch advice?
Tags: ACFW, American Christian Fiction Writers, elevator pitch, one sheet, pitching, proposal, writers conferences
