FEATURE SPOTLIGHT: Melanie Milburne

Posted on October 9, 2014 by ausromtoday in Feature Spotlight // 0 Comments

Author Spotlight: Melanie Milburne

Describe yourself in one word:
Enthusiastic

What is your background with regard to writing?
I’m a trained teacher with a Masters Degree

When did you first begin writing with a view of embarking on a career as a published author?
After I finished my Masters. I decided if I didn’t write the book I always wanted to write then and there then I might never get around to it. I’d been allowing other things to get in the way since I was a child when I first knew I wanted to be a writer.

You have two novels releasing in October, books one and two of the Playboys of Argentina series.
Tell us a little more about this series: These two books are my first Argentinian heroes. It is a country I plan to visit next year so this was my way of research!

Book one, The Valquez Bride (releases Oct 1, 2014) is Theodora Marlstone and Alejandro Valquez’s story; a tale that focuses on a marriage of convenience where raw sensuality rather than devotion is what’s on offer. What sparked this concept for you?
I had a picture in my mind of a wallflower type girl with a limp having to marry a strong athletic man in order to keep her beloved home secure. Opposites attack before they attract!

What one character trait will most endear both Theodora and Alejandro to your readers?
Teddy is compassionate and warm underneath her icy prim exterior and Ajeandro is a strong and gallant protector.

Book two, The Valquez Seduction (releases Oct 21, 2014) takes us on the journey of Daisy Wyndham and Luiz Valquez’s love affair, again offering up a sultry and sensual love affair. Though with both Daisy trying her hardest to be bad and Luiz trying his damndest to be good, it’s hardly smooth sailing for the pair! Why must you be so tough on your characters, Melanie? 🙂
I love making things difficult for my characters, as the best most satisfying happy endings are ones the characters have had to work the hardest for. And Luiz has to work darn hard for his!

What one character trait will most endear both Daisy and Luiz to your readers?
Luiz is a bad boy trying to be good for the first time in his life. Daisy is a good girl trying to walk on the wild side with the wildest playboy of them all.

If you weren’t writing, what would you be doing?
I would probably be doing a PhD which is still kind of writing, isn’t it? I would probably be a dog trainer. My three poodles who do about thirty tricks now. One of them is going to be in a movie being filmed in December.

What’s next for you?
I am about to start a quartet for Presents/Modern. I am really excited about it. I am heading to Europe this month to do some research.

Ten Quickies:

What book is currently on your nightstand?
Liane Moriaty’s The Husband’s Secret

What advice would you give your 16-year-old self?
You are not too young to write a full-length story. Start now and don’t stop until you run out of things to write about.

What do you find easiest to write? And, the hardest?
I love the beginning of a novel. I have no trouble writing the first five chapters. I’m not so keen on the back half of the novel. It is nearly always a trial. It doesn’t matter how well I plan it or wing it it is always the same. It’s just my process, I think.

Favourite travel experience?
Paris with my husband.

Number one thing to do on your bucket list:
I want to go back to Scotland where we spent the first four years of our marriage.

Milk, dark or white chocolate? Milk and lots of it!

Red, white, bubbly? Bubbly.

Salty or sweet? Mmm, salty in the morning, sweet in the afternoon.

Beach or mountains? Beach in summer, in winter the mountains.

Give or receive? Give.

About the Author:
I grew up on a small farm on the outskirts of Sydney and as a keen horse rider, often competed in local gymkhanas and even broke in a few horses from time to time. As I was surrounded by animals, I decided at an early age to become a nurse, however I couldn’t stand the sight of blood and so opted for a career in teaching. It’s a bit ironic that I married a surgeon. I read my first Mills & Boon novel when I was 17 and that encouraged me to continue reading romance novels; the lure of the tall dark handsome hero, who in reality I fell in love with and agreed to marry on our second date! We moved to Scotland so my husband could work and study for his MD in surgery. Two lively sons later I decided teaching was the last thing I wanted to do – I knew when I was beaten!

Find Melanie online:
Website
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The Valquez Bride
Melanie Milburne

Untouched Theodora Marlstone always wanted the fairy-tale wedding – a white dress and an adoring groom. Instead she’s walking up the aisle toward a marriage of convenience to outrageously attractive Argentinean Alejandro Valquez! He promises raw sensuality, not devotion, but thanks to her father’s will, Teddy must say “I do”….

Alejandro never wanted a wife, but his buttoned-up bride is a delicious present just waiting to be unwrapped. Beneath the white silk lies a woman who exceeds his wildest imagination, and it’s clear that this union will burn the very paper it’s written on!

The Valquez Seduction
Melanie Milburne

Standing outside a decadent Las Vegas nightclub, innocent schoolteacher Daisy Wyndham has never felt more out of her depth. And that’s before sultry Argentinian polo player Luiz Valquez rides to her rescue in front of the global media, leading to reports of their engagement….

It’s a dangerous charade, but one they’re both prepared to play! Luiz can shake his playboy image, and Daisy can cast aside her cloistered upbringing. With Luiz doing his best to be good and Daisy trying her hardest to be bad, it’s only a matter of time before one of them gives in….