Yes! Reasons Why Not to Date Public Enemy CEO is the first installment in my new Shell Grove rom com series. In this first book, we are introduced to the quirky group of friends this series will follow, and the small town dynamics that make up life in seaside Shell Grove, SC. Reasons Why follows a grumpy CEO, Aiden Beaumont, who just opened a five-star resort in the tiny town, which has basically turned him into Public Enemy #1. Mia is the hometown sweetheart who took a job at the resort, and doesn’t think Mr. Beaumont’s bite is as bad as his bark. Although, she’s certainly not opposed to being bitten… This is a grump/sunshine beach read that has heart, sexy times, and sweet summer vibes that’ll have you working up quite the sweat. ;)
If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?
I’m usually very involved in the making of each of my covers, probably to the point where my designer wants to punch me in the throat. LOL! But I had a very specific vision for the Reasons Why cover. However, since this was my first ever illustrated cover, I wanted to give my designer plenty of room for her creative process. She basically had only vague descriptions of the two characters to work with, and she killed it. I couldn’t be happier with how it all turned out. Check out L.J. Anderson at Mayhem Cover Creations if you’re shopping for your next cover!
Do you regularly send out a newsletter? How are you recruiting new subscribers? Do you have a reader magnet?
Yes, I do send out a monthly newsletter! Readers can sign up through my website at www.melaniemunton.com. Every so often, I’ll promote my website on Facebook and Instagram and usually get more subscribers that way. I also like to run giveaways and make signing up for my newsletter an entry option/requirement. That’s one of the best sources for gaining new subscribers, I’ve found. I also have the link “SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSETTER” embedded at the end of each of my books.
What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?
I get warmed up with music. Either the playlist I’ve created for the book I’m working on or music in the realm of the mood of the book. But once I’m actively writing, I’ve got the noise-canceling headphones on and the music off. Of course, I’ve had to learn how to compartmentalize and really block out all other background noises, like my daughter’s cartoons and toys. It definitely wasn’t easy in the beginning! But it’s kind of like making that free throw shot whenever you’ve got the entire student section screaming in your face. You block it all out, concentrate, and just get the job done. LOL!
Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?
I definitely have to do a good deal of outlining before I start any book, just to get the juices flowing. If not, I’m beating my head against my laptop within 5 minutes, trying to find direction. But sometimes I might get stuck on a middle or an ending, and that’s when I just let the writing get me there. Once I flesh out the scenes and characters, those blanks are usually filled in pretty easily. Oddly enough, I come up with some of my best ideas in the shower and right before I fall asleep at night.
What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook ads, amazon ads, newsletters, TikTok] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)?
All of the above, though I’m still such a newbie with TikTok. I do not record myself doing anything (nooobody wants to see this makeup-less face that often), so that’s one I’m still trying to find my footing with. I have a monthly newsletter that readers can sign up for on my website and Facebook page. Amazon ads, check. Facebook/Instagram ads, check. BookBub ads are probably what I put the most effort and money into, as they are a great avenue for getting your book in front of a larger audience and tracking those click-through rates.
Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book? Do you try to write every day or carve out certain times during the week?
My four-year-old daughter is home with me every day (until she starts pre-school in August, whoop!), so being able to write at all can be challenging most days. When I’m knee-deep in a book, I’m writing every day, all day. When I’m split between two books, I like to devote my mornings to marketing and promoting the current one and my afternoons strictly to writing the next one. It can definitely be frustrating with all the distractions, but as long as I have a schedule/routine in place, things usually go a lot smoother. I still want to spend time with her while I have her here with me, so I typically assign a number of hours to each task. I’ll give myself a time limit to have everything work-wise completed by, and the rest of the afternoon/early evening is all focused on her.
Besides writing, do you have any other passions?
The beach and traveling! I’m completely at peace whenever I’ve got my toes in the sand and a book in my hand. Ever since I visited Taiwan in 2008, I’ve had the travel bug. I studied abroad in Spain in college, and did some backpacking across Europe while I was there. The last big trip the hubby and I took was a cross-country trip around Italy. Even though the traveling has slowed down some since our daughter was born and you know, COVID, we’re currently trying to plan our next big adventure!
Some fun facts about you, which do you prefer – dogs or cats? Chocolate or vanilla? Coffee or Tea? Talk or Text? Day or Night?
Dogs or cats? Dogs all the way! We particularly love boxers.
Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate, no question. I go coocoo for the Cocoa Puffs.
Coffee or tea? COFFEE.
Talk or text? Depends on the person. Typically text.
Day or night? Day. A hermit like me needs as much sunshine as I can get.
Salt or sweet? Salt. Chips are my kryptonite.
All-inclusive resort or Caribbean cruise? All-inclusive. Being stuck on a ship in the middle of the ocean with that many strange people would give me hives.
Wine or beer? Certified wino right here. ;)
What’s next for you?
I’ll be working on the Shell Grove series for the rest of the summer. Reasons Why Not to Date Your Nemesis (Shell Grove #2) is my baby at the moment, and then I’ll dive right into the next one, Reasons Why Not to Date Your Best Friend. After this one wraps up, I’ll be visiting a new sexy, suspense-y series, Chicago Anti-Heroes, that I’m super psyched about.
What happens when the most hated man in town goes after everyone’s favorite girl-next-door?
Reason #1: Big, bad CEO Aiden Beaumont wears his grumpy mask every day like a badge of honor. Mia Sparks wants nothing more than to honk his nose or throw a pie in his face, à la The Three Stooges, just to see if he’s capable of smiling. Unfortunately, she can’t. Because he’s technically her boss, and she’d like to keep her gig at the new five-star beach resort for longer than two weeks.
Reason #2: Everyone in her small hometown of Shell Grove, SC hates the man. He brought big business to their little beach town, and as far as her fellow citizens are concerned, that makes him the devil incarnate. But he won’t be staying forever, which works for Mia. She doesn’t go for the flashy city types anyway. She’s quite happy living her quiet life in Shell Grove. The faster the cranky—albeit stupidly hot—CEO is out of her life, the better.
Reason #3: Every time Aiden frowns at her, it hits her like a thousand-watt smile. He has a language all his own, and it’s starting to make way too much sense to her. She can’t avoid him in a town the size of a postage stamp, and it finally hits her that…she doesn’t want to escape him. This always-irritated, too-serious businessman couldn’t possibly be the stable safe haven she’s been looking for. Could he?
Aiden knows there’s a million and one reasons to stay away from the sugary sweet Mia. But who runs away from sunshine after living their entire life in a secluded cave? And when someone from her past unexpectedly emerges and tries to drive a wedge between the two of them? All bets are off. Aiden has never lost a fight in the boardroom, and he’s not about to lose the fight for the woman he wants to deserve. He just has to prove to her that he’s not the PUBLIC ENEMY CEO everyone thinks he is.
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Author Bio:
Melanie grew up in the Midwest, but she loves living in the Southeast (where the beaches are!) now with her husband and daughter.
Melanie’s other passion is traveling and seeing the world. With anthropology degrees under their belts, she and her husband have made it their goal in life to see as many archaeological sites around the world as possible.She has a horrible food addiction to pasta and candy (not together…ew). And she gets sad when her wine rack is empty.
At the end of the day, she is a true romantic at heart. She loves writing the cheesy and corny of romantic comedies, and the sassy and sexy of suspense. She aims to make her readers swoon, laugh out loud, maybe sweat a little, and above all, fall in love.
Go visit Melanie’s website and sign up for her newsletter to stay updated on release dates, teasers, and other details for all of her projects!Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub
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