AUTHOR INTERVIEW with

Melissa Chambers

How did you come up with the idea for Falling for Forever?
Jenna was a secondary character in book one, and she was so full of personality that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her story! We learned in book one that Jenna was a contestant on the fictional America’s Newest Sensation, so I wanted to bring in a little backstory about what happened there. I thought it might be fun to put her back on stage in another talent contest for redemption from her America’s Newest Sensation loss, but I wanted to give her some super-stiff competition, so I set the story at a school of the arts (the fictional Nashville’s Academy of Creative Arts). For those not familiar with Music City, Nashville is a super-competitive, highly musically talented town, and the kids at this school are no exception. Jenna has her work cut out for her!

How did you develop the idea?
With my fabulous Entangled editor from book one, Heather Howland! She gave me the idea for the initial scene where Miles jacks up Jenna’s performance at the all-ages club. My other fantastic editor, Stacy Abrams, helped me dig deep for a reason these two couldn’t get along, which is where I came up with the idea that Jenna had stolen Miles’s audition spot on America’s Newest Sensation. She’s got a lot of redeeming to do, which I think is good for a polarizing character like her. I’m aware she may not be everyone’s favorite! But I adore her. If I could write only Jenna Quigley for the rest of my career, I think I’d be okay with that. 🙂 Did I mention, by the way, how lucky I am to have two wonderful editors?

What is your writing routine? Do you aim for a word count or a scene (maybe even whole chapters) when you sit down to work?
Writing time is not easy to come by! So when I sit down, it’s basically how far can I get before I start nodding off. I love to write in big, long chunks. It’s tough for me to get into it if I know I only have half an hour or so, because it’s very hard for me to stop once I’ve started!

Are you a pantser or a planner? A little of both?
I’m a total and complete pantser. I used to be ashamed of this fact, but now I own it! One of my pantser writer friends whose got 23 books under her belt said to me one time, “I can either do the work on the front end or the back end, and I choose the back end.” That’s exactly how I feel about it. If any of my first drafts ever got published, I’d be mortified! I let my characters lead the way, and sometimes they lead me in some directions that change everything. With most all the books I’ve written, I’ve started a brand new document for draft number two once everything’s been flushed out in the first draft. It’s a lot of deleted words, but it’s what works for me!

Anything else you’d like to mention about the process of getting Falling for Forever completed?
Just that I had an absolute ball with it! I’m really rather sad that it’s over, to be honest, but I know every story must have its close. *sniff sniff*

FALLING FOR FOREVER

Before Forever Series: Book Two (Entangled Teen)

RELEASING JULY 3rd 2017

Some boys get under your skin in the worst way. Others…in the best way.

The sun, the kiss, the swoon. *Le sigh*

The second Jenna Quigley turns eighteen, she’s headed to L.A. to extend the timer on her fifteen minutes of fame. Too bad her dad made her promise to graduate high school first. Silver lining? Her new school has a serious talent competition with a $25,000 cash prize, which would go a long way in L.A. Jenna’s got plenty of talent—she didn’t almost win America’s Newest Sensation for nothing. But it’ll take everything she’s got to bring down the music nerd with a stick up his butt…no matter how cute he is in those glasses.

Miles Cleveland needs to win that talent contest. When some hot girl stole his audition spot on America’s Newest Sensation, his chance to study music flounced off to New York with her. Now, not only can he win enough money to pay for his education, he can get revenge on that very same girl. He can’t start to question his plan, though…no matter how deep Jenna buries into his heart.

AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER ON AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Falling-Forever-Before-Melissa-Chambers-ebook/dp/B0721KNS1F

MARK “TO READ” ON GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35289079-falling-for-forever

Melissa Chambers writes contemporary novels for young, new, and actual adults. A Nashville native, she spends her days working in the music industry and her nights tapping away at her keyboard. While she’s slightly obsessed with alt rock, she leaves the guitar playing to her husband and kid. She never misses a chance to play a tennis match, listen to an audiobook, or eat a bowl of ice cream. (Rocky road, please!) She’s a member of RWA and serves as the president elect for the Music City Romance Writers. She is the author of The Summer Before Forever and Falling for Forever (Entangled Teen).