Meet My Friend Becky Melby!

Becky Melby and I have known each other for many years. She's another Wisconsin author. We both began our careers writing stories for Heartsong Presents (Barbour). I will always be grateful to that publishing company for giving me my start and Becky is still writing for Barbour's trade line. 

For those unfamiliar with Becky's work, here's her bio:

Becky Melby has been married to Bill, her high school sweetheart, for forty years. They have four married sons and twelve grandchildren. Becky has co-authored nine books and Heartsong Presents and has had stories in two novella collections. Her Lost Sanctuary Series—three contemporary stories each with a historical thread—releases in 2012, as well as Contest of Wills, a novella in Cedar Creek Seasons. Becky’s favorite pastimes are spoiling grandkids and taking trips with Bill in their RV or on their Honda Gold Wing. To find out more about Becky visit http://www.melby-wienke.com/.

Here's the blurb of Becky's latest book.

Emily’s fractures have mended and her scars have faded, but she can’t forgive herself for the accident that stole a young girl’s dreams. Before she can allow herself to live again, she needs to make restitution. The first step toward her goal is flipping a house built in 1847, but Jake Braden, her contractor, doesn’t share her vision. Jake has bigger battles to fight as he tries to gain guardianship of his late sister’s twins. When they discover the house was part of the historic Underground Railroad, they uncover clues about an old love story...and God’s plan for their future.

Note: Becky will be giving away a copy of her book, so at the end of her interview be sure to leave a comment. You'll be entered into the drawing which will be held on Thursday!

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And now my interview with Becky!

1.What genre do you write in? (Historical, contemporary, romance, etc.)

            Contemporary Romance

2. What motivates you?

I’m passionate about what I like to call spiritual Cinderella stories. I love to hear and tell accounts of how God intervenes in the lives of ordinary people. These are the kinds of stories I want to write to show people that a relationship with Jesus Christ is a wondrous adventure. Even though we all face trials and shattered dreams, and life rarely ever plays out the way we plan, God uses all of the things he allows us and empowers us to endure for His Greater Good.

3. How does your faith affect your daily life?

I genuinely can’t imagine going through each day without Someone to lean on and talk to about everything. I love to start my day with alone time with God—reading, praying, praising (out loud if I’m alone in the house!) and I try to continue that interaction throughout the day. I will admit that sitting still and listening is hard for me, and of course I have days when I allow my to-do list to take priority over that precious time. At the end of those days I generally reflect on the lack of direction I felt all day. I make enough blunders as it is, I can’t imagine trying to run my life without God’s guidance. And it saddens me to see the purposelessness in the lives of those who haven’t yet experienced this incredible relationship.

4. What message do you hope to convey to readers, either in this latest book or in all your books?

            That God is the author of second chances. He takes our tarnished dreams and refinishes them—repurposing our desires to fit His.

5. Do you believe there is evil in the world and, if you do, how do you portray it in your novels (or do you portray evil in your novels?

            I do believe there is evil in the world. Most of my books have an antagonist who is out to thwart my hero and heroine. I try to give a glimpse into the reason this person was susceptible to evil acts. It’s a sad fact that hurting people hurt people and we are called to pray for those who lash out. They are desperately in need of the grace and mercy of God.

6. How do you deal with rejection letters or an irate reader?

            I consider it grace practice! Thankfully, I’ve never received a letter I’d label “irate,” but I recently received an email from a reader who was offended by the negative way I portrayed my antagonist in Tomorrow’s Sun. This character is seen through the eyes of the twelve-year-old step children he is mentally and physically abusing, and they use some very derogative names for him. This reader felt I was being disrespectful to all people who share one of this man’s physical traits. That couldn’t be further from my intentions, and at first I was shocked and a bit defensive, but after praying, giving it some time, and trying to see the issue through the reader’s eyes, I was able to sincerely thank this person for taking the time to share those concerns and promise I will keep that in mind in future stories—and I will.

7. What’s next for you as an author? Any books in the hopper?

            I recently sent my agent two proposals. One is for a contemporary series with historical parallel stories going back to the nineteen-forties, -fifties, and -sixties. This one may require a trip that traces the original Route 66 and will stretch me by forcing me to crawl into the mind of a footloose hippy on fire for the Lord, an actress who chooses her career over the love of a soldier, and a small-town Midwest nurse driving to Hollywood in a 1949 Chevy. I already feel like I know these characters and can’t wait to write their adventures.

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Thank you so much, Becky, for making an appearance on Everything Writerly! 


To my readers, please be sure to leave a comment so you're name is entered into the drawing for Becky's latest novel, Tomorrow's Sun!