Interview with Melanie Dickerson & GIVEAWAY  | The Engrafted Word

Melanie Dickerson is an award-winning author who earned her bachelor’s degree in special education from The University of Alabama.

She has taught in Georgia, Tennessee, Germany and the Eastern European country of Ukraine.

A member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA), she now spends her time writing and taking care of her husband and two daughters near Huntsville, Alabama.

For more, visit her at www.melaniedickerson.com

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Savanna:   Welcome to the blog, Melanie. We’re so glad you could join us today. Congratulations on your upcoming release, The Golden Braid. I can’t wait to read it!

Interview with Melanie Dickerson & GIVEAWAY  | The Engrafted WordMany readers enjoy picking their favorite quotes from novels. Do YOU have a particular favorite quote from The Golden Braid that you can share with us?

Melanie:  Thanks, Savanna!

Taken out of context, this quote might sound cheesy, but it’s my favorite from The Golden Braid:

Instantly, a song rose inside her and she began to sing. She sang new words, a new song to God, in praise of his hope and his unfailing love. When she had sung for several minutes, she stopped and whispered, “I will never sing for Mother again, but I will sing to you, God, as long as I have hope.”

Savanna:  That’s beautiful. I love stories that show characters worshiping God.

Interview with Melanie Dickerson & GIVEAWAY  | The Engrafted WordYou’ve written several medieval fairy tale re-tellings. What was your favorite fairy tale when you were a child?

Melanie:  My favorite Disney fairy tale movie was Sleeping Beauty, but as I got older, my favorite fairy tale was Beauty and the Beast.

Savanna:  I think that’s one of my favorites too. After all, that library! 😉

If you could go back to any place in time and meet anyone, where would you go and who would it be?

Melanie:  Jesus, of course. Seeing him and talking with him would be far more amazing than anything, ever. But I’d also like to meet Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte and see England.

Savanna:  What do you love most about your home state of Alabama?

Interview with Melanie Dickerson & GIVEAWAY  | The Engrafted WordMelanie:  The people are friendly and easy-going and down to earth. And I would most definitely miss all the trees! I drove through Oklahoma once and was very sad for those people because there were so few trees! In Alabama, trees are everywhere. If you didn’t cut your front lawn, in a few months you’d have little trees growing all over it.

I love trees, but I do want to say that Alabamians are not afraid to cut them down and saw them up for paper. Trees grow back fast here! Trust me, environmentalists. No worries.

Savanna:  Haha! I love trees too. You have some different ones than we have here in Missouri. I enjoy seeing the variety.

You’ve won multiple writing awards. What has been one of the greatest lessons and/or fondest memories from participating in these contests?

Interview with Melanie Dickerson & GIVEAWAY  | The Engrafted WordMelanie:  Just seeing my friends smiling and looking so happy for me. It was very touching. And also getting to know other writers who were nominated and realizing what great people they are. I know I am in good company among Christian writers.

Savanna:  I’m so happy you could join us today, Melanie. Is there anything else you’d like to share with us? Any upcoming projects?

Melanie:  In addition to The Golden Braid, my Rapunzel retelling, I am coming out in February with a Regency romance, A Spy’s Devotion, which in addition to being a romantic suspense, is also an homage to Jane Austen. And in May The Beautiful Pretender releases, which is a sequel to The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest and a mash-up retelling of Princess and the Pea and Beauty and the Beast. Right now I’m writing a sequel to The Merchant’s Daughter, a Little Mermaid retelling.

Savanna:  I think every book of yours is on my TBR List now! 😉 Happy writing!

GIVEAWAY!!

Melanie has graciously offered to give away one hardcover copy of The Golden Braid to one lucky winner. Enter below and the book could be yours! ;)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for entering! Contest is open to U. S. residents only and ends November 24, 2015.  The winner will be notified by email. Happy Reading, everybody!