{"id":127294,"date":"2020-07-08T14:20:59","date_gmt":"2020-07-08T03:20:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/?p=127294"},"modified":"2020-07-08T14:21:10","modified_gmt":"2020-07-08T03:21:10","slug":"getting-to-know-melanie-milburne-author-of-his-innocents-passionate-awakening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/2020\/07\/08\/getting-to-know-melanie-milburne-author-of-his-innocents-passionate-awakening\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting to know Melanie Milburne, author of His Innocent’s Passionate Awakening"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Melanie<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Melanie Milburne is the author of many romance novels, most recently His Innocent’s Passionate Awakening<\/a><\/strong>. She read her first Harlequin Mills and Boon novel at age seventeen in between studying for her final exams. After completing a Masters Degree in Education she decided to write a novel and thus her career as a romance author was born. Melanie is an ambassador for the Australian Childhood Foundation and is a keen dog lover and trainer and enjoys long walks in the Tasmanian bush. In 2015 Melanie won the HOLT Medallion, a prestigous award honouring outstanding literary talent.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u200bToday, Melanie Milburne is on the blog to tell us all about her new book and all things reading and writing. Read on!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n
\"Melanie<\/a>

Melanie Milburne<\/p><\/div>\n

Please tell us about your latest book!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

My latest book is a modern-day retelling of Sleeping Beauty<\/em>. My heroine, Artemisia Bellante, has severe social phobia and hasn\u2019t been outside her crumbling Castello for a decade. My hero, Luca Ferrantelli, offers Artie a fortune to be his wife on paper in order to convince his beloved grandfather to have much-needed chemo. She can fix her home and have money to spare but only if she is seen in public with her handsome husband. But how can a shy shut-in like Artie live in the fast-paced world of Luca?<\/p>\n\n\n

What do you love so much about writing?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I enjoy the writing of my first sentence, not always knowing exactly where my characters are taking me, and then a few weeks later typing \u2018The End\u2019. It is so satisfying to complete a manuscript that a few months later will be in readers\u2019 hands. I am often surprised by what is lurking about in my subconscious! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does a typical writing day look like for you?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I am a morning person, so I aim for 1000 words before lunch and another 1000 in the afternoon. It doesn\u2019t always work out that way but I aim for 10,000 words a week. Some days will be 500-word days, others will be 5000. But somehow, it all works itself out \u2026 sort of! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the first thing you do after you\u2019ve delivered a finished book?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I have a day or two off and then I get restless to start another one. I am not all that good at doing nothing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s one bit of writing advice that\u2019s stuck with you?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Finish the damn book! The legendary Emma Darcy said that at a conference many years ago and it has really stuck in my head. It is so easy to walk away from a manuscript when it\u2019s not working for you. But I would have walked away from every one of my 88 books if I hadn\u2019t taken on board that advice. The book won\u2019t be perfect but at least you will have something to whip into shape if you get the words on the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And finally \u2026 name five books that you love or that inspire you and tell us why you love them!<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Jane Austen\u2019s Pride and Prejudice<\/a><\/em><\/strong>. I love the trope of enemies to lovers and I particularly love the way Mr Darcy falls so deeply in love with Lizzie Bennett. I read it every couple of years and always find myself smiling at the end. What a masterpiece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mary Stewart\u2019s Nine Coaches Waiting<\/a><\/em><\/strong>. This is another book I reread every couple of years because it has all the elements of a fabulous page-turning romance. A dashing hero and ingenue heroine who come from different worlds and yet manage to overcome impossible odds to be together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for something a little more modern, Minnie Darke\u2019s Star-Crossed<\/a><\/em><\/strong> was a brilliant read. I laughed out loud most of the way through it. So clever and witty and utterly satisfying as a romantic read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know Me Before You<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Jojo Moyes is not a happy ending romance but I loved it so much. Very few books make me weep \u2013 that usually only happens when I watch movies. The book and the movie adaptation have stayed with me in a way few books or movies do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And last but not least, another Mary Stewart book. This Rough Magic<\/a><\/em><\/strong> is one of my all-time favourite reads. It is so romantic and full of nail-biting suspense. Max the hero and his wonderful father Julian were so fabulously drawn as characters. And Lucy the heroine was so courageous and certainly deserved her happy ending. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks Melanie!<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

—His Innocent’s Passionate Awakening<\/a><\/em> by Melanie Milburne (Mills & Boon) is out now.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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