I read and reviewed Melissa Wiesner's latest book and truly loved it! And I'm so glad I had the chance to chat to her. Her social media links and links to purchase her books are at the end of the interview.
Melissa Wiesner’s mother didn’t allow her to watch much TV as a child and instead, made her play with paint, colorful pipe cleaners, random bits of fabric, and all manner of other crafty things. This set Melissa up for a lifetime of creative pursuits, and it was only a matter of time before things took a bookish turn. A night-owl, Melissa began writing novels when her early-to-bed family retired for the evening. She is the author of emotional women’s fiction, romantic comedy…and sometimes both in the same book. In 2019, Melissa won the RWA Golden Heart® in the Mainstream Fiction Category. Along with her charming husband and two adorable children, Melissa splits her time between the big city of Pittsburgh, PA and rural West Virginia.
When did you first call yourself a writer?
I believe that anyone who writes is a writer, but I admit that it took me a while think of myself that way. I didn’t grow up wanting to be a writer or studying the subject in school. I was well into adulthood before I wrote my first novel, and I didn’t tell anyone about it for months, not even my spouse! So, I probably started thinking of myself as a writer when I had enough confidence in my work to open and up and share with people that I was writing.
Which of the main characters do you relate to the most and why?
It’s hard for me to choose between Quinn and Nora! Quinn underwent years of fertility treatments only to learn her last embryo was accidentally given to another woman. And Nora is the woman who was implanted with Quinn’s embryo and is now raising the resulting 4-year-old child. I have some personal experience with infertility, so I can understand Quinn’s heartbreak at trying and failing to get pregnant. But I’m also a mother, so if I were in Nora’s shoes and learned that another woman was my child’s biological parent, I might react just like Nora did. I hope readers feel similarly and can relate to the struggles that both characters experience in navigating this impossible situation.
What inspired the idea for your book?
Right around the time I was pitching book ideas to my publisher, there was a news story about two couples whose embryos were switched at a fertility clinic and each woman had given birth to the other couple’s baby. Because the mix-up was discovered early, the couples basically “switched” the babies back in order to raise their own biological child. But I began to wonder—what if the babies weren’t babies anymore when this mix-up came to light? What if they were toddlers, or even older? How could a situation like that possibly be resolved?
If your book were made into a movie, which actors would play your characters?
I hope these characters remind readers of that nice couple down the street, or the parents at school drop-off, or the woman in their exercise class. Regular, ordinary people who are suddenly facing extraordinary, life-altering circumstances and navigating unprecedented moral questions. So, I would want actors who seem very relatable. I could imagine Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel, the actors who played Simon’s parents in Love, Simon, playing Quinn and James in the movie version of this book.
If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?
I worked for many years in the Social Work department of a local university, and only recently quit my day-job to write full-time. Though I don’t work in the field anymore, I attribute so much of my inspiration to Social Work! Social Work is all about personal interactions—learning people’s histories, their struggles, and empowering them to overcome obstacles. Writing women’s fiction is similar…just with fictional characters!
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?
One of my writer-heroes is Kristan Higgins. Kristan has a successful writing career that spans almost two decades, she writes beautiful books that are somehow both heartbreaking and hilarious at the same time, and she’s genuinely an encouraging and lovely person. So, I think it would be great fun to spend a day on a New England beach with Kristan Higgins—a setting of many of her books—just laughing and talking about life.
How do you celebrate when you finish your book?
I will take any excuse to drink a nice bottle of bubbly wine!
What is your favorite childhood book?
I loved Anne of Green Gables as a child. My daughter is just old enough to start reading the books now, and it’s so much fun for me to reread them with her.
What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
Honestly? Writing! The first draft is the most challenging because I’m always tempted to overthink and over-polish instead of focusing on getting the book out and on the page. I have to remind myself that first drafts are supposed to be rough, that’s why they’re first drafts. I know some writers hate editing, but I love it. All the elements of the story are there and, in editing, I get to polish the book until it’s better and better.
Do you have a message for your readers?
Thank you for reading and for being in touch! The best thing about being a writer is interacting with readers. Please always reach out, I love hearing from you.
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Melissa Wiesner’s mother didn’t allow her to watch much TV as a child and instead, made her play with paint, colorful pipe cleaners, random bits of fabric, and all manner of other crafty things. This set Melissa up for a lifetime of creative pursuits, and it was only a matter of time before things took a bookish turn. A night-owl, Melissa began writing novels when her early-to-bed family retired for the evening. She is the author of emotional women’s fiction, romantic comedy…and sometimes both in the same book. In 2019, Melissa won the RWA Golden Heart® in the Mainstream Fiction Category. Along with her charming husband and two adorable children, Melissa splits her time between the big city of Pittsburgh, PA and rural West Virginia.
I believe that anyone who writes is a writer, but I admit that it took me a while think of myself that way. I didn’t grow up wanting to be a writer or studying the subject in school. I was well into adulthood before I wrote my first novel, and I didn’t tell anyone about it for months, not even my spouse! So, I probably started thinking of myself as a writer when I had enough confidence in my work to open and up and share with people that I was writing.
Which of the main characters do you relate to the most and why?
It’s hard for me to choose between Quinn and Nora! Quinn underwent years of fertility treatments only to learn her last embryo was accidentally given to another woman. And Nora is the woman who was implanted with Quinn’s embryo and is now raising the resulting 4-year-old child. I have some personal experience with infertility, so I can understand Quinn’s heartbreak at trying and failing to get pregnant. But I’m also a mother, so if I were in Nora’s shoes and learned that another woman was my child’s biological parent, I might react just like Nora did. I hope readers feel similarly and can relate to the struggles that both characters experience in navigating this impossible situation.
What inspired the idea for your book?
Right around the time I was pitching book ideas to my publisher, there was a news story about two couples whose embryos were switched at a fertility clinic and each woman had given birth to the other couple’s baby. Because the mix-up was discovered early, the couples basically “switched” the babies back in order to raise their own biological child. But I began to wonder—what if the babies weren’t babies anymore when this mix-up came to light? What if they were toddlers, or even older? How could a situation like that possibly be resolved?
If your book were made into a movie, which actors would play your characters?
I hope these characters remind readers of that nice couple down the street, or the parents at school drop-off, or the woman in their exercise class. Regular, ordinary people who are suddenly facing extraordinary, life-altering circumstances and navigating unprecedented moral questions. So, I would want actors who seem very relatable. I could imagine Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel, the actors who played Simon’s parents in Love, Simon, playing Quinn and James in the movie version of this book.
If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?
I worked for many years in the Social Work department of a local university, and only recently quit my day-job to write full-time. Though I don’t work in the field anymore, I attribute so much of my inspiration to Social Work! Social Work is all about personal interactions—learning people’s histories, their struggles, and empowering them to overcome obstacles. Writing women’s fiction is similar…just with fictional characters!
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?
One of my writer-heroes is Kristan Higgins. Kristan has a successful writing career that spans almost two decades, she writes beautiful books that are somehow both heartbreaking and hilarious at the same time, and she’s genuinely an encouraging and lovely person. So, I think it would be great fun to spend a day on a New England beach with Kristan Higgins—a setting of many of her books—just laughing and talking about life.
How do you celebrate when you finish your book?
I will take any excuse to drink a nice bottle of bubbly wine!
What is your favorite childhood book?
I loved Anne of Green Gables as a child. My daughter is just old enough to start reading the books now, and it’s so much fun for me to reread them with her.
What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
Honestly? Writing! The first draft is the most challenging because I’m always tempted to overthink and over-polish instead of focusing on getting the book out and on the page. I have to remind myself that first drafts are supposed to be rough, that’s why they’re first drafts. I know some writers hate editing, but I love it. All the elements of the story are there and, in editing, I get to polish the book until it’s better and better.
Do you have a message for your readers?
Thank you for reading and for being in touch! The best thing about being a writer is interacting with readers. Please always reach out, I love hearing from you.
Amazon
Goodreads
Website
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