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INTERVIEW: Melissa Anne Published Her First Book in Secret
- Christina Boyd
- 1 hour ago
- 6 min read
CHRISTINA: This year, I submitted a short story, Mary Crawford's Debut, for a multi-author anthology, To Mark the Occasion: Birthday Tales for Jane Austen's 250th, and met several new-to-me Austenesque authors. Melissa Anne is one of those authors I have had the pleasure of getting to know a little better.
What is your current project or latest release?
MELISSA ANNE: The Very Best of Friends is scheduled to release on my birthday, January 15. With some luck, I’ll release it sooner than that, but I’m in the weeds of revising and editing and all that good stuff.
CHRISTINA: How exciting. Hope it all goes smoothly.
When did you first think you had a book to write, and how did you start?
MELISSA ANNE: I read so many Austenesque novels on my Kindle, and then I discovered the fanfiction sites. Then I started writing on a fanfiction site just because. Once I had finished one, and it had been well received on the site, I discovered that it was actually pretty easy to publish it myself using KDP. I published my first book without saying a word to anyone I knew in real life, not even my husband, who was in the middle of tax season, which is what had enabled me to write in secret. It took me another month or two to tell him. Today, he’s one of my biggest cheerleaders and always encourages me in my writing.
CHRISTINA: What a wonderful journey! From secret writing sessions to full-fledged publication! I love that your husband became your biggest supporter once he knew.
What do you wish you had known before you started writing a book?
MELISSA ANNE: It’s funny; I spent a good number of years first as a newspaper reporter and then later as an English teacher. I have written a lot in my lifetime, and I truly never thought I’d ever write a book. I thought I was a competent writer, so once I self-published my first book, I was astonished by how many errors remained. In particular, I didn’t realize how often I messed up on the pronoun usage. In every book, my beta readers typically find several instances where I used the wrong pronoun.
CHRISTINA: It’s amazing how even seasoned writers discover new quirks in their work! Beta readers and editors can be such lifesavers for catching those sneaky pronoun slips. Still, everyone is human.
What comes first: plot or characters?
MELISSA ANNE: Since I write Austenesque fiction, it’s the plot. The characters are pretty much set, and other than the odd original character, there isn’t much to think about there. For me, I always have some random idea or thought about “what would Elizabeth or Darcy do if such-and-such happened,” and go from there.
CHRISTINA: I love that spark, one little “what if” can open a whole new path for Darcy and Elizabeth! Plot-first inspiration seems to suit Austenesque stories perfectly.
Is there one of your characters you most identify with and why?
MELISSA ANNE: I’d like to think I’m an Elizabeth, but I’m not sure that’s really the case. I’d like to think that I’m bold and outspoken, and willing to stand up, but in all likelihood, I’m probably a little more of a Darcy. I’d rather have someone approach me than to approach someone else, and I’m more likely to be adopted by a friend than to deliberately go out and make one.
CHRISTINA: That’s such a relatable mix, wanting Elizabeth’s boldness but feeling a bit more Darcy at heart. The best qualities of both.
Do you put people you know, or their characteristics, in your book?
MELISSA ANNE: Yes, in fact, I put a disclaimer in one recently because I had been spending a great deal of time with a family member who is a narcissist, and Mrs. Bennet took on more and more of those traits as I was writing it. I think in other instances it’s not quite as obvious, but yeah, we write what we know, and sometimes our characters take on those traits without knowing it.
CHRISTINA: Fascinating how real-life influences can slip into characters without us noticing. Your disclaimer sounds like a thoughtful way to acknowledge that blend of life and fiction.
Which of your own novels is your favorite and why?
MELISSA ANNE: I had such a great time writing my one modern story Finding Love at Loch Ness. One of these days, I’m going to rewrite it as a first-person dual POV novel that may or may not have the obvious Pride and Prejudice tie, in part because moderns don’t tend to have the same reception. I did so much research on Scotland while I was writing that one, and I am waiting to visit all the places I wrote about. One day I will get there!
CHRISTINA: That sounds like an amazing project—Scotland is such a rich setting to revisit in a new POV! I hope you get to visit those locations soon; it’ll make the story even more special.
If you were to revise any of your books, which would you choose and why?
MELISSA ANNE: Looking back, some of the first ones are rough. I have learned a lot since I first started, and I so appreciate when others point that out to me. However, that also makes me terrified to open up a couple of those first ones.
CHRISTINA: It’s completely normal to feel that mix of pride and dread about early work—we’ve all been there! Those first stories show how far you’ve come, even if rereading them feels scary.
What makes you get up in the morning? What do you love?
MELISSA ANNE: My family. Sometimes literally. My husband and I have been married for more than twenty years, and we have three kids. They can drive me up the wall, but I love them and I enjoy the time I get to spend with them. The last couple of years, we have tried to spend more time doing things with the kids—traveling, etc., and giving them some experiences that they’ll remember. Our oldest is in college, and our second kid is nearly there, so our time with them in our house is getting shorter, so I hope that we have given them some good memories.
CHRISTINA: So lovely. Those experiences will stay with them long after they’re grown.
If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?
MELISSA ANNE: In some way, every job I’ve had, at least since I graduated from college, has had some writing element in it. I wrote for newspapers for about three years after college, and then I took a job as an English teacher in middle school. Teaching kids to write is impossible without modeling how to write in front of them, so that’s always been a part of what I’ve done.
I think I’d likely want to be in education in some way, even if I weren’t a writer, and I’ve joked that I’d eventually like to settle in Maryville, Tennessee. They have a program in Appalachian Studies (pronounced appa-latch-un), and I think that would be fun to study. I grew up in that region and think it would be fascinating to learn more about it (pretty sure my grandfather ran moonshine back in the days of Prohibition).
CHRISTINA: It’s wonderful how your love of writing and teaching intertwine so naturally. Studying Appalachian culture sounds like a perfect way to connect with your roots. And your grandfather’s moonshine stories! Love it. Thank you for your time with this interview. Best wishes on the coming projects.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Melissa Anne is an accidental author who fell down the Jane Austen rabbit hole and never wanted to leave. After devouring hundreds of Pride and Prejudice variations, she thought, “I could try this too”—and has since managed to publish more than a dozen full-length novels and a few novellas! From her home in Georgia (by way of East Tennessee), she crafts Regency romances that stay true to Austen’s era. When not reimagining Darcy and Elizabeth’s love story, she juggles life with her husband and three children and is likely plotting her next Austen-inspired adventure. Connect with Melissa Anne via her website and Substack.
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