Ask the Author: Melissa M. Signore
Answered Questions (6)
Melissa M. Signore
Being a writer is fabulous because you are still open to being anything else you want. You don’t have to wait around and think, “When I grow up, I’m going to be an author,” or “When I finally have that degree, I can start writing.” There is nothing holding you back from being an author. You don’t need a certification or a special degree to express yourself. You don’t have to clock in and out, or go to a special office to do it. You can write in your pajamas in the middle of a supermarket at one o’ clock in the morning if you want. Writing is freedom in reality and a doorway to endless possibilities in our minds.
Melissa M. Signore
I have always loved writing…about anything. I also always wanted to write a story about the villain, either how they view the heroes or how they become their “villainous” selves. The Thief of Virtue was actually an accidental book. While working a slow register in a retail store, I was really bored. To pass the time, I’d bring my journal and jot down random dialogues, pieces of stories, and sketches of characters. Somehow, the characters came to life, and one scene that actually occurs in the middle of the book started the entire story. After handwriting five chapters, I took an undergraduate honors course that required me to start a semester long project under the direction of a mentor in the chosen field. Needless to say, writing a novel was my project, and the story just grew from there.
Melissa M. Signore
I usually get inspired to write the moment I start a new journal. I open that first crisp page, grab a smooth-writing pen, and start jotting things down. Sometimes, I get a quick idea for a story, nothing overtly complicated, but a spark of a something special, and I have to write something. I usually want to write stories when I don’t have time to do it.
Melissa M. Signore
Write! Write! Write! I can’t stress that enough. It doesn’t matter if it’s a poem, part of a story, or a character bio. Get those ideas down on paper in whatever form is easy and most comfortable. I have pieces of notebook paper with words underlined, doodles drawn, and rhymes scrawled. The only way you’ll know you’ve got a story to tell is to write it. I think it’s important to keep in mind the audience for whom you’re writing, but I also wholeheartedly believe that if you don’t like your own story, then no one else will. So make sure that whatever you decide to write, whatever story you choose to tell, make it one that you can pour your heart into and feel fulfilled.
Melissa M. Signore
I am currently working on editing a middle grade novel. It’s a fun fantastical tale with a great deal of humor. The main character is a seventh grade girl with a special gift, one I wish I possessed. The rest I’ll leave for its publication (fingers crossed). I also have a possible thriller/mystery story in my brain and a sequel to The Thief of Virtue scratched out on notebook paper.
Melissa M. Signore
I have always loved writing…about anything. I also always wanted to write a story about the villain, either how they view the heroes or how they become their “villainous” selves. The Thief of Virtue was actually an accidental book. While working a slow register in a retail store, I was really bored. To pass the time, I’d bring my journal and jot down random dialogues, pieces of stories, and sketches of characters. Somehow, the characters came to life, and one scene that actually occurs in the middle of the book started the entire story. After handwriting five chapters, I took an undergraduate honors course that required me to start a semester long project under the direction of a mentor in the chosen field. Needless to say, writing a novel was my project, and the story just grew from there.
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