20 Questions with Melissa Keir

Playing Twenty Questions with Melissa Keir- Author

Which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?  For me the story comes first.  It has to be compelling to me.

Are you in control of your characters or do they control you? The characters sometimes control me and other times…I guess they are just like my children!

How do you come up with the titles to your books? I like to look for a key phrase from the book or something unique about the story that makes a wonderful title.

What did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be a pop star!  But then I quickly realized that singing on my skateboard wasn’t going to make that happen, so I went into nursing and finally teaching.

Are you working on anything at the present you’d like to share with us? I am working on a story about a teacher who falls for a parent of one of her students.

Do you have any strange handwriting habits, like capitalizing all your “r”s or dotting your “I”s with heart (or anything like that)? When I actually use my own handwriting, I write in a mixture of cursive and print.  I tend to write quickly and it isn’t as neat as I’d like.

You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be? I would erase the death of my mom.  I would love for her to be alive today to see her grandchildren.

When you looked in the mirror this morning, what was the first thing you thought? I haven’t gotten out of bed yet, but usually I avoid the mirrors until after the shower.

What were you doing at midnight last night? Sleeping- Teachers aren't supposed to be crabby from a lack of sleep!

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten? Crocodile…tastes like chicken.

What do you want to know about the future?  I would like to know the lottery numbers so that I could spend my time writing.

What's your heritage? My family is English, Welsh, Romanian, and Swiss.  We are a mixed bunch.

What's your favorite pizza?  Pepperoni and Mushroom, please.

What's one thing scientists should invent? I would love for scientists to invent a way for us to travel without driving, like teleportation.  Long car drives with small children would be a thing of the past.

What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries?  I love to read and take naps.

Have you always wanted to be a writer? Yes, I’ve always wanted to be a writer.  I started out writing very sappy love poetry and my own songs.

If you weren't writing, what would you be doing? It is never too late but I would love to race cars!

Fill in the blank favorites (two word max!) - Dessert. Cherry pie.

City. Amherst, Ohio.

Season. Spring

Type of hero. Tough and sweet

Type of heroine.  Smart and sassy

What question would you love to answer that I didn't ask? What TV Show is your guilty passion?  Hawaii 5-0

Tell us about one of your books. Second Time’s the Charm is a tale of a woman, Lissa Vincent, who was beaten down emotionally after her divorce that she doesn’t believe in her own value.  She has two small children and a busy job that has monopolized her life.  When her best friend’s son ends up in a life threatening situation, Lissa gets to meet her friend’s ex-husband and soon falls for his charm. Second Time’s the Charm is a tale of finding love again but also about finding yourself and learning to see past others’ perspectives. 

What question would you like to have answered? Leave a comment and I'll answer it!