Melanie Moreland - Enemies to Lovers/Fake Relationship Romance With Spunk

New York Times/USA Today bestselling author Melanie Moreland, lives a happy and content life in a quiet area of Ontario with her beloved husband of thirty-plus years and their rescue cat, Amber. Nothing means more to her than her friends and family, and she cherishes every moment spent with them. While seriously addicted to coffee, and highly challenged with all things computer-related and technical, she relishes baking, cooking, and trying new recipes for people to sample. She loves to throw dinner parties, and also enjoys traveling, here and abroad, but finds coming home is always the best part of any trip.  Melanie loves stories, especially paired with a good wine, and enjoys skydiving (free falling over a fleck of dust) extreme snowboarding (falling down stairs) and piloting her own helicopter (tripping over her own feet.) She's learned happily ever-afters, even bumpy ones, are all in how you tell the story.  As our Author of the Day, she tells us all about her book, The Contract.

Please give us a short introduction to what The Contract is about.

It’s an enemies to lovers/fake relationship romance.

Richard VanRyan was looking for a new job and had his sights set on a family-oriented company. With his reputation, it was a long shot, so he decided to stack the odds in his favor. Enter his PA – Katy. He’s wasn’t attracted to her - in fact, he despised her, but she was what he needed. She was warm and caring and people were drawn to her. She made him more likable. Little did he know that Katy was what his life had been missing. Fake became real. Hate became love.

What inspired you to write about a PA who has to play the role of fiancée?

I was in a not-so-happy-place at the time. I was angry and unable to express that anger and created a character that had no problem in expressing any thought in his head. I knew I needed someone who stronger than the male lead – maybe not physically, but in every other way possible.

Katy’s gift is her inner strength. She confounded him at every turn, making the journey of falling in love all that sweeter. She changed him - not the other way around.

Tell us more about Richard van Ryan. What makes him tick?

Richard had no idea who he really was. He responded to the world the only way he was shown and had hidden his true self deep inside. He forgot how to love. Anger, contempt, and indifference were the only emotions he understood. He reacted—never felt. Until he met Katy, and through her, Penny. His life changed and he finally believed he was worthy of being loved and therefore could love in return.

What makes Katharine Elliott such a great match for Richard?

To be honest, I think it was the fact that from outward appearances she was a doormat. She seemed to take whatever vile behavior he threw her way and never batted an eye. But soon both he and the reader discovered there was far more to Katy than met the eye. She was the calm to his storm. He stopped fighting against life and learned to live it.

Why Romance? What drew you to the genre?

I love to read it. I believe everyone deserves a happily ever after. We all have our day to day struggles. Romance offers that escape to somewhere there is a happy ending for everyone. A place to get lost and dream.

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

I enjoy cooking. I especially love to cook for those who I love. I just finished remodeling my kitchen and can’t wait to start using it. I can also curl my thumb.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

I believe so. I have always had these stories running around in my head. Putting them to paper was hard. I first started sharing on forums. A wonderful friend encouraged me to self-publish. It was amazing and yet nerve-wracking to see my novel on sale and hear the readers' reactions. Each book is a growing process and it never loses its magic.

Readers say this book had them in tears. Was this intentional?

Would it be terrible of me to say yes? Richard made me mad. He made me cry. And he also made me happy. I hope that all those feelings the character gave me translated well to the page. So yes, dear readers, I’m not sorry I made you cry.

Which character was the most challenging to create?

Richard. He’d be stubborn at times and refuse to let me know what he was feeling. Katy was open and honest so her words flowed. Richard didn’t want to change. He resisted. But I wore him down.

What is the best writing advice you’ve received?

Write what you love. Love what you write.

Do you have any interesting writing habits? What is an average writing day like for you?

I tend to write early in the morning. I also have been known to jump up at 2am and write out a scene that hits me. I often write out of order. I never outline. And I never type The End. A formatter added it to a book once and I left it, but I didn’t put it there.

What are you working on right now?

I completed the finishing touches to Richard and Katy’s story in The Amendment. The novel releases on October 7th. I am already busy with a holiday novella.

Where can our readers get a copy of The Contract or interact with you?

The Contract is available exclusively on Amazon right now to purchase or read with Kindle Unlimited. I ‘m thinking about placing it back to all e-retailers shortly. You can order signed copies on my website – melaniemoreland.com or at signings – a list of 2019/2020 appearances are on my site as well.

I love interacting with fans! I have a Facebook reader group, Melanie’s Minions. I love to post funny stuff on Instagram @morelandmelanie when my PA doesn’t have me posting book stuff. I also like to get feedback on excerpts over on Book+Main from my followers.