WELCOME OUR GUEST, MELISSA McCLONE

Please welcome Melissa McClone, our guest today at the Rogue's Angels blog. Melissa's latest release, NOT-SO-PERFECT PRINCESS, is a Harlequin Romance release. Thank you, Melissa, for sharing more about you and your writing!

What or who inspired you to start writing? Reading romance novels inspired me to start writing. I kept a diary when I was younger but never put a lot of thought into being a writer. A friend and I talked about writing a category romance together after I'd started reading of them, but it was right before high school graduation and nothing came of it. After college, I had more time and decided to try writing a romance novel.

How did you come up with ideas for your books? For Not-So-Perfect Princess, I had a secondary character that was in two other books. I took some of the details from those stories and brainstormed a plot around those things. With Expecting Royal Twins, I kept thinking "What if?" In my RITA® finalist book, Christmas Magic on the Mountain, I changed the opening and plot after a friend who is a member of Portland Mountain Rescue fell on Mount Hood. The first book in the series came from watching news stories on a Mount Hood rescue in December 2006.

Do you have any plans to write something besides category romance? I love writing category romances and recently signed a new contract with Harlequin Romance. I'll be pretty busy writing books for them over the next year so there's no free time to be trying something else. But someday I'll probably try writing something with a longer word count. Just not sure when that will be.

Are there any TV shows that give you inspiration for your writing? I don't have much free time to watch TV. With my current work-in-progress, my editor mentioned the show Friday Night Lights. Over the weekend, I tuned in via On-Demand and watched the last five shows of the season. My book isn't set in Texas nor does it involve football, but the dynamics of how sports affect the small town did interest me and gave me some ideas. Several years ago, I did find inspiration in television shows, especially reality TV programming. Survivor became inspiration for my Silhouette Romance The Wedding Adventure. I used also The Bachelor and Amazing Race to come up with my Harlequin Romance Win, Lose…Or Wed!

What expertise did you bring to your writing? None. I have a degree in Mechanical Engineering. I didn't take any writing or English courses in college due to exempting out of them due to passing the AP English test in high school.

What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio? I feel blessed to have the job I do. I love writing romance novels so much. And even though they are 50,000 words, I do a lot of research to make sure things are at least plausible. Research is one of my favorite parts of writing.

As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans? I have four books to write by this time next year so I really can't see past that at the moment.

If you could be one of the characters from any of your books, who would it be and why? It would be Leanne Thomas, the heroine from my upcoming November release, Firefighter Under the Mistletoe. She's a paramedic and a mountain rescue volunteer. I'd love to know what it'd be like to ski and climb at an expert level. Plus it would be fun to hang out with all the hot guys she works and climbs with.

Do you belong to a critique group? If so, how does this help or hinder your writing? I don't belong to a critique group now but I used to many years ago. I've actually belonged to a few--one in Arizona, two in the Bay Area and one in Oregon. I think critique groups are very helpful! But sometimes a writer moves or a group no longer meets a writer's needs.

When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step? I submitted once I had finished a complete novel. I can't remember if I pitched at a conference or sent a query letter, but members from my very first RWA chapter, Desert Rose in Arizona, encouraged me to submit.

What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)

Best advice: It's not personal! This was something huge for me to realize at the start of the career. The rejection of a project wasn't a rejection of me. It was a business decision, nothing else.

Worst advice: I honestly can't think of any. If it sounded bad or wrong, I probably just ignored it and that's why I can't remember it now.

Do you outline your books or just start writing? I have a detailed synopsis I follow. I am so not a pantster!

Do you have any hobbies and does the knowledge you've gained from these carry over into your characters or the plot of your books? I love to ski, rock climb, and read. I wouldn't call sailing a hobby these days, but it's something I did in the past and plays a big role in my current release Not-So-Perfect Princess. I learned to rock climb as part of the research for a book I was writing and have used that along with skiing in subsequent stories.

Do you have an all time favorite book? I have two. The Bible and The Stand by Stephen King.

Have you started your next project? If so, can you share a little bit about your book? I started a new project a couple of weeks ago. The working title is Goal…Wedding! The hero is a professional soccer player. The heroine is taking care of her nephew while his parents are away on a military deployment. I haven't got too much more than that written at the moment!

Your interview will be posted at the end of July. Is there a family summer tradition or recipe you would like to share? Our family summer tradition is making S'mores. It doesn't matter whether we're home or away. S'mores are the dessert of choice from June to September. I even got a firepit for Mother's Day last year to make things not only easier but more like our camping trips!

What is your favorite reality show? It used to be Amazing Race. Now I'd have to say Sing-off.

Who is your favorite actor and actress? This is a hard question, because it changes for me. I'd say my favorite actor at the moment is Jake Gyllenhal. I can't really think of an actress.

Anything else you might want to add? I have two more days on my virtual book tour. At the end of the tour I'll be giving away a $20 Amazon gift card. To enter just post a comment at one of the stops. If you want to know where to go, visit my website at http://www.melissamcclone.com. There will be links on Monday and Tuesday to the stops!

I appreciate you having me here today! Thanks!