Happy Friday, everyone! I’m so happy to welcome author, Melissa Wiesner to the blog today.
Melissa’s novel, Her Family Secret, is available now.
Let’s dive into the interview!
What inspired your latest story?
The setting probably came to me first, before anything else. In the fall of 2019, my family was invited to a wedding in the Pacific Northwest and our family decided to make a vacation out of the trip. My husband, two children, and I spent a lovely week winding our way north from Seattle to Bellingham, Washington, stopping to hike, explore the cliffs along the ocean, and search for wishing rocks on the shore. Six months later, when the world shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic and I found myself locked down with my family, my mind was often drawn back to those pine forests, fields of wildflowers, and sunsets over the Puget sound.
From that amazing setting, the story sort of fell into place. The cloudy, rain-soaked Pacific Northwest is such a moody, atmospheric location that it seemed the perfect place for Caleb, a brooding, reclusive artist to make his home. And then, of course, my main character, June arrives with her two kids and her sisters to bring the sunshine and light and inspiration that Caleb didn’t know he’d been missing.
Describe your decision to become a writer.
I don’t know that it was a conscious decision to become a writer so much as a need to get back a piece of myself once my kids weren’t babies anymore. In a lot of ways, I relate to my main character, June. Not her cheating husband, thankfully! But like June, I’m a former artistic-type-turned-mom of two little kids, and I also spent a decade and a half of my life working a “regular” job and neglecting my creative side. When I started writing, it was at night, after my family went to bed, and I didn’t tell anyone about it for a very long time. Now I believe that anyone who writes is a writer, but it took years to start thinking of myself that way.
Imagine that you are ninety years old, what advice would you give to your present self?
When I was in my 20’s and 30’s, there were so many little things I worried over that seemed important at the time, but now I have the wisdom to know better. I look back and wonder why I didn’t spend more time appreciating life and enjoying being young. So, I imagine my 90-year old self would say a version of the same thing: “You’re not getting any younger. Appreciate what your healthy body can do and the time you have with the people you love!”
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received for writing?
When you’re a writer, you put your heart out into the world, hoping that someone connects with it. But in the process, you offer it up for discussion, critique, and often criticism. One of my author-heroes, Kristan Higgins, told me that in this business, you have to let go of the things you can’t control and focus on the things you can. These words are true for everything in life, but I think they’re especially true for writers. It’s so easy to get hung up on a bad review, a painful rejection, or how another author’s success compares to your own. But the only way to survive this business is to keep your head down, write your books, and don’t obsess over things outside your control.
Who would you cast as the hero and heroine of your latest release?
a. I absolutely love the idea of Jennifer Garner as my heroine, June. June is a mother in her late-thirties, so Jennifer Garner would be an age-appropriate casting, which doesn’t always happen in Hollywood! And Jennifer Garner strikes me as so approachable, like the neighborhood mom you’d want to drink wine with on your front porch. You get the sense that, even as a successful film actress, she understands the stresses of juggling parenting and work, and she could relate to June’s longing for more in her life.
And as for my hero…Taylor Kitsch has projected that brooding, unapproachable vibe ever since he played Tim Riggins in Friday Night Lights. I could absolutely see him as Caleb—walking the rain-soaked cliffs above the Pacific Ocean, searching for artistic inspiration.
Thank you so much for being on the blog today, Melissa! Be sure to buy your copy of HER FAMILY SECRET today!
Continue reading to learn more about Melissa and her latest novel.
About Her Family Secret
June Westwood is devastated by the news the father she never met has died. Now the truth about why Jasper abandoned her as a child will be buried forever. Escaping to the secluded beach house she’s inherited, June hopes to spend time bonding with her two little daughters, away from her hectic job and failing marriage.
On the wild shores of the Pacific Northwest, her father’s hideaway leaves June breathless. But it’s his oil paintings decorating every wall that surprise her most. How could someone paint other people so beautifully, but reject those closest to him? And why is every drawer in her father’s workshop locked? June hopes her new neighbor—her father’s apprentice Caleb—will provide the answers. But Caleb won’t talk about the past.
Then, hidden in her father’s workshop, June discovers a box of newspaper clippings that reveal the shocking reason why her father left years ago—and uncovers Caleb’s own devastating secret…
When her old life comes calling, June has an impossible decision to make. Unsure what’s best for her girls, and if she can trust Caleb, will digging deeper into her father’s dark past heal or destroy her precious family?
An absolutely heartbreaking and emotional page-turner about the incredible strength of family bonds, how we can hurt those closest to us, and the healing power of love. Fans of Diane Chamberlain, Kerry Lonsdale and Kerry Fisher will devour this powerful read from award-winning author Melissa Wiesner.
Order now from Amazon
REVIEWS
It’s seldom that a debut novel is this stunning. Wow…This was one I struggled to put down until it was finished! Excellent read! —NetGalley Reviewer
I just loved this book! The writing was just fantastic. Now I’m on the hunt for more by her! This book has every emotion jerker possible! —NetGalley Reviewer
About Melissa Wiesner
Melissa Wiesner is a night-owl who began writing novels about five years ago when her early-to-bed family retired for the evening. She is the author of HER FAMILY SECRET from Bookouture, and her second novel will be published in August 2021. Her awards include the 2019 RWA Golden Heart® Award in the Mainstream Fiction Category. Melissa holds two Master’s Degrees in Public Health and Community Agency Counseling. Her day job is in Social Work where she often encounters people knocked down by hard times but who pick themselves up and keep going, just like the characters of her novels. Melissa lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her charming husband and two adorable children.
