Melody Anne - HBS Author's Spotlight

Today our blog puts the Spotlight on NYT and USA Today Best Selling Author Melody Anne. She is the author of many Romance and Young Adult novels.

Author Genre: Romance, Young Adult

Website: Melody Anne
Twitter: @authmelodyanne
E-Mail: authormelodyanne@gmail.com
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest


Author Description:
Melody Anne is the author of the popular series, Billionaire Bachelors, and Baby for the Billionaire. She also has a Young Adult Series out; Midnight Fire and Midnight Moon - Rise of the Dark Angel. She's been writing for years and published in 2011. She hold a bachelors degree in business, so she loves to write about strong, powerful, businessmen.

When Melody isn't writing, she enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and pets. She lives in a small town that she loves, and is involved in many community projects.

See Melody's Website at: www.melodyanne.com. She makes it a point to respond to all her fans. You can also join her on facebook at: www.facebook.com/authormelodyanne, or at twitter: @authmelodyanne.

She looks forward to hearing from you and hopes you enjoy her stories.


SPOTLIGHT Questions and Answers with the Author

First things first. What do you have on the drawing board? What Billionaire Bachelors are we going to read about next? Can you tell us the timeline for its release and give us a little tease?

Right now I am working on Seduced. Doing edits and polishing it off for a September 2nd release. I am very excited about this series. It has done well. The Andersons are still at my heart, though, and the next book coming out in that series is Hidden Treasure. I have a tentative release of that at the end of this year, but I’ve been working on “The Lost Tycoon” which is my “Baby for the Billionaire” series. Those who have read it know that the 4th book in the series connects with the Anderson’s though. That will release in November. I couldn’t get the idea from my head and had to move my schedule around.

See outline of Seduced below. Order NOW at Amazon.

How important have your social media relationships been? Do you see a carry over to your writing success?

I think Social media has made my career. I have fans that have been with me from the very first book, and they are so special to me. I love, love, love talking to my fans. They are so important to me. I’ve been active on facebook for a couple of years, but I’m really getting into the twitter revolution now. It’s so much fun!! I just had someone post, “Have you bought Surrender?” And someone posted, “No, is it smut?” I happily replied that yes it is.

Do you do book signings, interviews, speaking and personal appearances? If so, when and where is the next place where your readers can see you? Where can they keep up with your personal contacts online?

I did my first public signing at RWA in Atlanta and I was so nervous my hands were shaking. I was terrified I’d sit there the entire 2 hours and not have one person. I ended up having a line and some of my facebook fans were there. I was elated! One person even brought me Georgia cookies. They were great! My next book signing is in Vegas on August 9th, I think it is. Then, we are arranging a book signing event for different places, but I’m not sure of the dates yet. Also, I’m going to London in April, and I’m going to arrange a meet and greet with some special fans of mine there who have gone above and beyond for me. I really look forward to chatting with these incredible women who do so much!

You have great covers. They carry a theme and your brand with them. How does your book cover creation process work? Do you hand over the basic theme or do you have more of a hands-on approach? Do you get your readers involved in its development?

I have a spectacular cover artist. She will ask me a general idea of what I want and then send me samples. Sometimes, I love the very first cover, sometimes, it takes us ten times, but I am very hands on with it. Sometimes I love a cover, and then see it online, and hate it and then she will make me a new one. The cover is everything, because if it doesn’t catch the consumer’s eye, they will pass right by it. For example, we just did a new cover for “The Tycoon’s Revenge. Within a day, it has risen significantly in the rankings on all sites. Your cover matters.

You have several great book trailers. (See links below.) I found myself singing along with one of them. Do you know how much impact they have had on your book’s success? Tell us about the process that you used to create your trailers? They look very professional.
Do you use the trailers in your character development? Are the pictures and background the way you see your characters and scenes?

I wish I could take even a little bit of credit for the book trailers, but my cover artist makes them, and yes, it is from what we see the book as. I love the sultry music she finds and the images. She times it perfectly too. Such as in Submit, there is a growl right as Rafe’s picture appears. I think this is Nikki’s favorite job to do. I have seen several book trailers, and they are usually just images of the books. Those are great, don’t get me wrong, but I want this to be like a dream. When you close your eyes and think of Surrender, those images should pop up. These trailers are what I picture my books to be in a much shortened version.

What kinds of writer support groups do you belong too? Do they help with the writing, marketing and the publishing process?

I’m a member of RWA, but haven’t gone to my local chapter. I’ve also met some incredible authors online such as Ruth Cardello, Kathleen Brooks, Jennifer Probst, Lynn Raye Harris, Sandra Marton, Bella Andre. Seriously, the list goes on. About 30 powerful, wonderful women and we will email back and forth and answer questions and be there for each other. I finally got to meet these women in person at RWA and it was like we’d been friends for life. These women are such icons, so amazingly talented, and I was intimidated. What I came to realize is that we are all in the same boat. We all get nervous and we are all genuinely happy for each other’s success. It’s such a wonderful world to be in. I can’t imagine doing anything else!!

Between your book writing, blogging, marketing, family and all the other things that can get in your way, how do you manage your time? Do you have a set schedule or do your sort of play it by ear?

Time? What time? Just kidding. I don’t know how I do this. I actually had to cut my hours back a bit cause my husband was feeling neglected. I would literally wake up about 2pm and then work until about 7am, taking only small breaks, doing these 7 days a week. I just love it so much that it doesn’t feel like work. I’ve come to a compromise now. I work from about 10am until 5pm, and then spend 4 hours with the family, and then work from about 9pm to 2am. I do my social media throughout the day and write in between. I’ve had to cut back a bit on the social media so I can get the writing done. With conferences and meets, my writing was behind and that’s the reason I do this. It starts to stress me if I don’t get to sit down at my computer and create these stories. I take Sunday’s off. Well, kind of, since I’m doing this interview on a Sunday. But, I take it off from writing. I can’t take a single day off from email or social media. I’d be too swamped the next day. I have turned over my contests to an assistant and I’m having another assistant run my street team. I will still pop in there, but they will run it.

What has been your experience in giving your books away free? Have you been involved in any other type of giveaways and how did that work out? What was your main goal in doing this? Did you run into any obstacles?

Giving the first book away in each series was the smartest marketing move I ever did. For one thing, I think reading is a right, and there are libraries where people can get free books, and there should be free ebooks. Secondly, it gives readers a chance to sample my work before having to buy the other books. If they like it, then they will buy the other books in the series. If they hate it, then all they wasted was their time, which is valuable, of course. I’ve gained tons of readers from the free books. I also give away a lot of paperback copies. I do at least a couple contests a month on facebook, and now twitter. I also donate them to other people’s contests and blogs to be given away. I love seeing my books in the hands of people, and only ask that they post a pic. It’s great. My street team is getting them out into libraries and around the US and all over the world. I just have such an incredible group of fans who have truly become so special. I wouldn’t be where I’m at without them.

Have you ever done a book tour? If so, did it contribute to the success of your book sales?

I haven’t yet. It’s something that we have been working on for a while, but my schedule has been so busy, we haven’t gotten it locked down. I’m hoping to do a small one this fall, and maybe a bigger one next spring with a couple other authors. Let’s put the pressure on Kathleen Brooks and Ruth Cardello.

I saw that you published one of your books in another language? How is your audience abroad? Does that create a unique selling and marketing situation?

I am more excited about that than anything else right now! It’s so great to reach a new market. I had this amazing woman, Monica, approach me, wanting to translate the books. I was scared to do it. I can’t read the material to verify if it is right. I waited for a while, and then decided to just go for it. I’ve had such a positive reaction to it. My agent was excited to. The sales have started to pick up and I got my first review, which I went to google translate, and I was thrilled. They loved the book. The 2nd Anderson book is almost finished and the cover for it is smoking hot! I love it. It will go on sale next week.

Also while I was at RWA, a French Publisher approached me and is looking over my books, so they may be getting translated into French soon. I was also made an offer from Thailand, which was exciting. I turned all that over to my agent because there are some things I don’t want to do on my own. I know nothing about foreign rights, and I don’t want to make a mistake. I want to have my books in at least 10 languages, maybe even more. I really want to get them in German. That is a market that looks fantastic. Plus, that gives me a great excuse to visit those countries. My 18 year old daughter is all for that.



Author's Book List
Seduced
At the end of Submit, Arianna Harlow had enough pride in herself to walk away from Rafe Palazzo, who had started their relationship using blackmail. Though she’d fallen in love with him, she was strong enough to say goodbye. We saw the softer side of Rafe, especially toward the end, but it was too late…

Or was it?

Seduced begins almost two years after Ari starts her new life. She is teaching at a community college, and when she asks the class whether they have any questions for her, Rafe is there and has only one: Will you go on a date with me?

What is Ari’s answer? You’ll find out in the third installment of Melody Anne’s New York Times best-selling series, Surrender.

Along with Ari’s story, we will see what happens when Shane and Lia become trapped together on an island when a tropical storm hits, and how the sparks will fly again.

And we can’t forget about Rachel Palazzo, who isn’t looking for love, but finds it in a shocking way.

This story continues the lives of Ari, Lia and Rachel. These three women are resilient, determined, and worth loving. The question is, whether the men in their lives strong enough to keep them.


Order the Book From: Amazon
Unexpected Treasure - The Lost Andersons - Billionaire Bachelors Continued - Book One
The Andersons are back in this exciting new line of the bestselling series everyone is talking about. In this new series, you will meet Richard Storm and his five children, Crew, Ashton, Tanner, Lance and Brielle. Find out the circumstances that ripped Richard away from his brothers, Joseph and George Anderson, and then see how the family finally comes together because the bonds of family are too strong to keep the Andersons apart forever.

Richard Storm is saddened that his children are throwing away their lives, so he gives them an ultimatum. They have two years to take a failing business and make it a success or they lose their trust funds, and are on their own. His stubborn children think he’s gone insane, but they don’t know the powerful secret that can knock them to their knees and tear their family apart forever. Will they come together as they should, or will their family lose each other in the tragic circumstances?

Crew Storm opens an exclusive resort in the Catalina Islands off the coast of California, and pride fills him as he accomplishes the impossible. Everything is going on track until a blonde steps into his life and begs him to teach her how to be the perfect seductress.

Haley Sutherland is done with her fears, done being a wallflower and done being unseen. She comes up with a brilliant idea to find the perfect person to teach her how to seduce the man she truly wants. Who she chooses to be her teacher is Crew Storm, and though he refuses at first, soon his intrigue of her overrides his better judgment and they embark on a wild adventure.

This story will take you on a journey through the heart as Crew teaches Haley more than she ever thought she needed to learn, and finds himself gaining something he didn’t even know he was missing.

Reunite with the Andersons as they discover new relatives and meet this new branch of the Anderson line. Will love truly conquer all, or will pride make them lose everything they never knew they had.

If you want to see where it all began, pick up your copy of; “The Billionaire Wins the Game” for free, available now.


Order the Book From: Amazon
Submit - Book Two in the Surrender Series (Volume 2)
Arianna Harlow has a choice. Does she choose love or self-respect? Will she give up her freedom and become nothing but a shadow of herself? This is the exciting sequel to the NYT and USA Today best-selling book Surrender. In Submit, Ari faces an impossible ultimatum. She needs to decide whether to accept Raffaelo Palazzo’s indecent proposal and stay at his side as his bought mistress, under his complete control in his world and in his bedroom. Rafe holds the keys to her mother’s happiness, and Ari must choose love for her mother or respect for herself and for the morals her mother instilled in her. You’ll find out that decision in this book and discover the unexpected repercussions of what Ari does choose. In Surrender, we were also introduced to the dynamic story of Shane Grayson and Lia Palazzo. See where their story leads as the Surrender Series continues. Watch as two strong, confident women make choices that will affect their lives forever. Who will submit? Will it be the women or the men?


Book Trailer: Submit

Order the Book From: Amazon - Barnes and Noble
Surrender
Raffaello (Rafe) Palazzo takes what he wants with no regrets. Arianna (Ari) Lynn Harlow has led a charmed life until tragedy strikes her family. He’s looking for a no-emotions attached mistress, she’s looking for redemption. They are not a pair that should ever work, but undeniable attraction and devastating tragedies bring them together in the city by the bay where he fights to keep their relationship nothing more than an enjoyable way to meet his needs, and she battles to not lose herself in him. Spending time with Ari starts cracking the hard shell that Rafe has built around his heart, but he denies the affect she has on him until it’s too late to stop the inevitable conclusion that their relationship is headed for. Rafe once believed in happily ever after, coming from a large Italian family. He’s got the Midas touch, since every endeavor he tries turns to gold. That all ends when his wife walks out the door and leaves him blindsided. His devastation quickly turns to steel when he decides no woman will fool him again. From that point on he treats relationships as nothing more than business transactions where both party’s come out mutually benefited. Just when Ari has sunk to the lowest she’s ever been she finds an ad in the paper announcing a job that’s too good to be true. It turns out she’s right. She makes it through the intense rounds of interviews only to find out the job is for a mistress to the powerful Rafe Palazzo, owner of Palazzo Enterprises. Rafe gives her a day to think about whether she wants the position or not, and she’s sent on her way, only to find out her mother’s near-terminal position has taken a turn for the worse. Her mom’s only in the hospital because Ari messed up, and her mother’s the one who paid the price. Is Rafe her savior, or will he take her with him straight to the depths of hell?


Book Trailer: Surrender

Order the Book From: Amazon - Barnes and Noble
Midnight Storm - Rise of the Dark Angel - Book Three (Volume 3)
Phoenix and Sadie are suddenly living in an America that is no longer a nation. Rebel troops and corrupt government have goals of building a New World. They must exterminate the old America and those who lived in it before they can rebuild. Cities are nothing but ghost towns as Americans have either been taken prisoner, gruesomely killed or are in hiding. Surviving Americans are banning together and fighting to take back their country – but rebel troops are not the only enemy. Vyco has commanded his demons to no longer lurk in the darkness but to fight against Phoenix and take her captive, killing anyone who interferes. With the assistance of her Dark Angel, Jayden, and his sister, Chastity, Phoenix and her tight-knit group of friends combat the Darkness. Who will save the world from complete annihilation? Brian – Sadie – Jayden – Phoenix – John – Chastity Or will their brave attempt fail?


Book Trailer: Midnight Storm

Order the Book From: Amazon - Barnes and Noble
The Tycoon's Secret - Baby for the Billionaire (Volume 4)
Damien Whitfield lost his father when he was an infant, and then lost his mother when he was a young teenager. The only thing his mother left him was a thirst for vengeance. On her deathbed she made him promise to seek revenge for those she held responsible for her death. Damien grows up fast and conquers the business world, going from a homeless boy to a billionaire bachelor. He has no time for love in his quest for righting wrongs of the past. What he doesn’t know is that love isn’t something he can hide from. Sierra grew up with a monster of a father after losing her mother at the tender age of six. Her dad punishes her for sins he assumes his deceased wife made against him. Finally, her father does a business deal with Damien Whitfield, selling Sierra to the highest bidder. Damien and Sierra may both be running from old demon’s and forging ahead to what they think are their perfect futures, but fate has a way of changing everything. Take the journey with Damien and Sierra as they fight a passion that won’t be denied.


Order the Book From: Amazon - Barnes and Noble
The Billionaire's Final Stand - Billionaire Bachelors (Volume 8)
When the head of the Anderson family, Joseph, gets into a life-changing automobile accident, his family struggles to find a way to survive if he doesn’t come out of the coma the accident has placed him in. This is the final book in the Billionaire Bachelors Series by bestselling author, Melody Anne. Take the journey as the final Anderson, Austin, is sent into a whirlwind of emotions as he chases the woman, Kinsey, he’s falling in love with. To make things even harder on him, he’s dealing with the stress of possibly losing his uncle. Listen to the heartfelt reminiscing of Katherine as she tells the story of her romance with Joseph as she sits by his bedside, never losing faith that he’ll come back to her. Laugh along with the large family as they turn the tables and start plotting against George as he tries to hide his growing feelings for Esther. This final chapter in the Anderson family will leave you laughing, crying, and on a roller coaster of emotion as you once again step back into the world of the Anderson’s. Family always comes first to the Multi-Billionaire’s of Seattle.


Order the Book From: Amazon - Barnes and Noble
Runaway Heiress - Billionaire Bachelors (Volume 6)
Joseph and George Anderson are once again back to match-making in the sixth book in The Billionaire Bachelors Series. Bree has had enough of over-protective brothers and a meddling father, so she decides to run to a small town, where she can prove she can make it on her own. The only thing wrong with that situation is there’s a stalker after her, determined to make her his – or else end her life. George hires Chad, Mark’s best friend and ex-Navy Seal to guard Bree. She is furious about her father sending her a babysitter. Sparks and bullets fly between Bree and Chad. Open the pages to find humor, love, mystery and so much more. Enjoy the newest book in the bestselling romance series “Billionaire Bachelors”


Order the Book From: Amazon - Barnes and Noble
Author Recommended by: Ruth Cardello
Ruth Cardello is New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author. She is the author of the Legacy Collection.
Check out Ruth Cardello's Author's Spotlight.