Interview & Giveaway with Marliss Melton

Hello Book Monsters and Literal Addicts!  Book Monster Reviews and LITERAL ADDICTION are very pleased to welcome author 
Marliss Melton to our sites today

Marliss has a great bio on her website so we borrowed it and posted it below for you to get to know her a little better:

 My greatest blessing was to grow up overseas without any television time. Sure, I missed out on The Waltons  and Saturday morning cartoons, but how many kids get to ride on the back of an elephant, eat candied ants, visit every museum and chateaux in Paris, or track tigers in northern Thailand? As the youngest of four daughters, I had the example of my brilliant sisters, who read voraciously, and I bypassed Nancy Drew to read every book in the Hardy Boys series. (That was the first indication of my fascination for male heroes). By the sixth grade, I’d discovered Victoria Holt and moved back to the United States . I wrote my first book—a wretched historical novel—when I was thirteen. Two teenage years in Houston, Texas, saw me reading Harlequin romances and writing several more books.

I’ve always been an over-achiever, with so many interests it was frustrating to have to choose just one career. I could have been an opera singer—but no. I excelled in language and for many years taught high school English, Spanish, and then Linguistics at the College of William and Mary, my alma mater.

But my first love, writing romance, remained a dream for decades. I wrote throughout my twenties and early thirties, completing more manuscripts, getting really serious with agents and publishers, etc. Danger’s Promise, a medieval romance, was finally published in 2002, becoming a RITA finalist for Best First Book. Since then, I’ve discovered that military romance is my best fit. I’ve been the wife of an Army officer, who died young, and my husband now is retired Navy.

My personal life is frankly hectic. We have six children between us, ranging in age from 9 years to 25 years old, plus two granddaughters. Most of our older children still have one foot in the nest. But I always find time for my loyal readers, so feel free to introduce yourself to me, as I have to you.

Yours truly,

Marliss

Marliss is the creator of the popular SEAL Team 12 series and her newer series Taskforce.  To check out her library of literary excellence please click HERE.  In case you are not yet familiar with these series, we have posted some of the synopses below for you to check out.

SEAL Team 12 series

Reading Order:

Forget Me Not (SEAL Team 12, #1) 

In the Dark (SEAL Team 12, #2) 

Time to Run (SEAL Team 12, #3) 

Next to Die (SEAL Team 12, #4) 

Don't Let Go (SEAL Team 12, #5) 

Too Far Gone (SEAL Team 12, #6) 

Show No Fear (SEAL Team 12, #7) 

Forget Me Not 

SEAL Team 12, Book #1

A hero's nightmare..... Gabe Renault doesn't know why he was in a prison camp. He has no memory of the past three years or of the Navy SEAL mission that went wrong. Only two things kept him going, thoughts of his wife and the certainty that he must escape.

A sudden homecoming.....

After Gabe is presumed dead, Helen Renault pulls the tattered pieces of her and her daughter's lives back together. Married young and for all the wrong reasons, she's standing on her own two feet at last--and proud of it. Then comes the biggest shock of all--Gabe returns home. Gone is the distant, secretive husband he once was. This new Gabe is a man she could easily loose her heart to. But his memory is slowly returning, exposing a trail of government treachery...and jeopardizing his and Helen's second chance at love.

Forget Me Not.....What you don't remember can kill you.

In the Dark 

SEAL Team 12, Book #2

Hannah Geary wants revenge. A rogue SEAL commander had her Defense Intelligence partner killed, he threw her into a Cuban prison, and he's still trafficking stolen weapons. But to catch a bad SEAL, she needs a good one.

Lt. Luther Lindstrom is used to calling his own shots-in combat and in the bedroom. He just ended his engagement to his pretty-in-pink, cheating fiancée. The last thing he wants is a relationship, especially with a sexy, strong-willed woman like Hannah. Yet danger has a way of driving people together. With Hannah and Luther only a step away from one of the FBI's most wanted criminals, their attraction grows to explosive proportions.

It's where danger rules, and passions run wild...

Too Far Gone 

SEAL Team 12, Book #6

Ellie Stuart's life ended the day her children were stolen from her. Driving on a Virginia backroad, Ellie was ambushed by two men who violently pulled her from her car and drove off with her three sons inside. Devastated, Ellie begs the police to bring her babies home. But the authorities wonder if this stressed-out single mom may not be telling the whole truth about what happened that day...
 

Navy SEAL Sean Harlan agrees to help Ellie find her children, but vows to keep their relationship professional. He's got no room in his life for a woman and her kids--no matter how beautiful she is, or how desperate their situation. But when a sinister organization begins pulling strings behind the scenes, the investigation suddenly targets Sean. Can he and Ellie rescue her children and save themselves? 

Or are they already...  TOO FAR GONE

Show No Fear 

SEAL Team 12, Book #7

FEAR HAS A WAY...

Lucy Donovan always gets her man. As a fiercely independent CIA agent, she's survived hundreds of death-defying missions. But her latest may just get her killed. Weighed down with a secret she's desperate to keep, the last thing Lucy needs is to be sent undercover with a man who brings out the best--and the worst--in her.
 
OF GETTING YOU KILLED

Navy SEAL Gus Atwater never turns down an assignment, even if it means working with the only woman he's ever loved and lost. So with a volatile mix of desire and distrust, Lucy and Gus confront their tangled past. Pretending to be man and wife is risky enough, but now the clock is running out. As their mission escalates from desperate to deadly, will Lucy's secret expose them both?

Taskforce series

The Protector (Taskforce #1)

Eryn McClellan teaches ESL in Washington, D.C., until the day she’s targeted by terrorists avenging her father’s actions in Afghanistan. The FBI has stepped in, but when it looks like they are using her for bait, General McClellan enlists the aid of the only man he knows he can trust: former Navy SEAL Ike Calhoun.

 
Embracing solitude in his remote cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Ike thought he’d left the War on Terror far behind. Now he’s stuck shielding a blue-eyed beauty from ambitious federal agents and crazed jihadists. More disturbing still, the charming Eryn seems intent on shattering his self-imposed isolation. Ike does his best to resist her welcoming ways, but he can feel his resistance crumbling like a mountain in a mudslide. With the FBI hot on their heels and the terrorists not far behind, Ike willingly wages a one-man war in defense of the woman whose passion and faith have given him the strength to rise above his past

The Guardian (Taskforce #2)

When a highly esteemed prisoner-reintegration program falls under suspicion of being a terrorist training ground, the Taskforce sends Special Agent Jackson Maddox undercover to investigate. Going by the name Abdul, Jackson fits right in, until his cover is threatened by a sexy journalist taking his picture. If his mission weren’t so critical, he wouldn’t mind being the object of her fixation. But when he confronts her, the hot-as-hell bombshell denies before slipping through his fingers. To his astonished dismay, she returns the very next day.
 
Crime journalist Lena Alexandra refuses to be chased away. One of the parolees at Crossroads murdered her sister a decade earlier and got away with it. Determined to send the killer back to jail, Lena secures a job at a nearby convenience store and sets about interviewing parolees for a book she’s allegedly writing. Her objective— to use her astute interviewing skills and stunning sex appeal to get the killer to confess. Dangerous plan? Yes, but not even the gorgeous ex-con named Abdul can derail her, not even when she finds out who he really is.

As the summer nights heat up, Jackson’s probe reveals startling evidence that could endanger the nation’s capital. He can’t battle his desire for Lena and subdue a fanatical leader at the same time. And Lena can’t corner her sister’s killer as long as an undercover FBI agent persists in trying to protect her. As peril looms for both of them, Lena and Jackson must learn to trust each other with their secrets . . . and their lives.

They sound great don't they?!  Before you run off to start ordering them or adding them to your TBR list, check out our interview with Marliss first so you can find out more about this great author and her incredible books.

Book Monster Reviews/LITERAL ADDICTION:  Hi Marliss!  Welcome to Book Monster and LITERAL ADDICTION!  We’re very happy to have you here today. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with us.  We always start by getting to know our guest author a little bit better… 

Q1): Can you tell us 3 things about yourself (no matter how random) that we can’t find out on the Internet? 

MARLISS:  Well, here’s some stuff you won’t read on the Internet about me:

As a child and young adult, I was freaky-flexible. Who knew the reason was because I had shallow hip sockets? Long story short, I had a total hip replacement at age 45. So no more splits for me, but I can still walk on my hands!

You won’t read anywhere online that many of my books were written with the help of loyal readers (like you!) who contacted me and got wrapped up in my projects. I think that’s true of many authors, but I have been especially blessed to gain lifelong friends out of my fans.

Lastly, it’s not common knowledge that I’m a bit of a philanthropist. I have several favorite charities including World Vision, St. Jude Children’s Hospital, American Veterans Association, and my national radio station, K-love.

Q2): If you could spend the day with any of your characters, who would you want to spend it with, why, and what would you want to do? 

MARLISS:  Great question, but I knew the answer right away. I’d love to spend a day with Chase (Westy) McCaffrey from TIME TO RUN. Chase was known as the bad boy of SEAL Team Twelve. He had over sixteen confirmed kills to his name. Yet, even with his ponytail and earrings, Chase couldn’t disguise the fact that he had a heart of gold. He put his whole career on the line to rescue Sara Garret and her son Kendal from her abusive husband. I’d like to hang out with Westy on his ranch in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, maybe whittle a piece of wood with him and ask how things are going with him and his growing family. 

Q3): What are some of the books that you have in your TBR pile right now?

MARLISS: Right now I’m reading FEARLESS (The biography of fallen Navy SEAL Adam Brown), and, boy, is it stirring! Former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell’s second book, SERVICE, is waiting for me after that. I’ve heard that SERVICE explains a lot about how Marcus (LONE SURVIVOR) learned to drive a Suburban so quickly and with so much accuracy. That skill came in handy when he had to chase down the miscreants who murdered his dog. Whenever I read nonfiction works like these I get all kinds of story ideas! I just can’t get enough of real-life heroics!


Q4): What are some of the things that you enjoy doing when you’re not writing or taking care of other author business? 

MARLISS:  My favorite thing in the world is hanging out at my lake house, sipping a glass of fine red wine and listening to the birds and cicadas in the tall trees. I’m also very fond of fishing at the lake. When I’m not working or relaxing, then I am working out. I have recently gotten into the best shape of my life by tackling Jillian Michael’s 90-day workout/diet program. She helped me recuperate from my total hip replacement. It’s been a long, hard road back, but I feel great!

Q5): What are the best and worst parts about writing for you? 

MARLISS:  The best part about writing is that it never gets boring. NEVER! Every story, every scene, every day is different and exciting. I used to be a teacher and I wouldn’t trade those years for anything—getting to know and influence amazing young people was an honor. But after a while, teaching became repetitive. That never happens with writing books, and I just love that, as I seem to be a bit ADD.

The worst part about writing is plotting. I have yet to be able to plot out a story in advance so that I don’t end up wrapped around the axle. Inevitably, I back myself into a plot corner and I have to rack my brain for days before I can think of a way to escape.  I look forward the day that I’ve got plotting all figured out!


Q6): Are there any specific authors or titles that you feel have inspired you to become the writer you are today? 

MARLISS:  Certainly. Suzanne Brockmann’s original Troubleshooters books most definitely inspired my SEALs Series. Her UNSUNG HERO and DEFIANT HERO continue to be my all-time favorite books.  In the past eight years, I’m sorry to say that I haven’t read much fiction at all.  I suppose because I write fiction, reading it is a bit like doing homework. When I do read fiction it is to inspire my own stories, so lately I’ve read quite a bit of Vince Flynn’s counterterrorist books, thereby improving my own Taskforce Series.

Q7): What are your favorite type of scenes to write (dialogue, sex, action, etc) and why?

MARLISS:  I excel at writing action scenes. I can do them all day long and painlessly. Second to action comes dialogue. Being an auditory rather than a visual person, it is easy for me to “hear” the action and the dialogue in a story. But the hardest scenes for me are soliloquies, where my characters are thinking internally and making decisions that affect the plot. Sex scenes, too, are often troublesome. To me, every scene ought to advance the plot, so sex in-and-of-itself doesn’t serve any purpose unless it advances intimacy or propels the plot forward in some dramatic way.

Q8): Can you please tell us a little about both your SEAL Team 12 and Taskforce series?

MARLISS: My SEAL Team 12 Series currently consists of seven books, each one featuring a different member of SEAL Team 12. This is a powerful and inspiring series that you can really sink your teeth into, because there’s so much material. By the time you’ve finished the seventh book, you will feel like you’re a part of large, wonderful family. My SEALs series has been translated into Bulgarian and is currently popular in Germany.

My Taskforce Series, like my SEALs series, features more male heroes, only these men are government agents, like FBI and ATF special agents, who pull together to combat suspected terrorist cells within the United States. The Taskforce is led and coordinated by former Navy SEAL, Ike Calhoun, whose story, THE PROTECTOR, kicks off the series.

Q9): How many books do you have planned for the Taskforce  series? 

MARLISS:  I am currently doing research for the third book, THE ENFORCER, this fall. It’s going to be my favorite, featuring an ATF agent sent undercover to investigate the activities of a militia in West Virginia, headed up by a woman, former Army Lieutenant Dylan Connelly. Whether there will be a fourth book remains to be seen.

Q10): Do you plan to write anymore SEAL Team 12 books?

MARLISS:  If you read my short story in the SEAL OF MY DREAMS Anthology, then you might suspect that, yes, I do plan to write another SEAL book. Whether it will be the 8^th book of my SEAL Team Twelve Series or morph into a new series called DEVGRU remains to be seen. (DEVGRU is another name for SEAL Team Six, considered the elite SEAL Team.) 

Q11): What were some of the challenges in bringing both the series to life?

MARLISS: Research, research, and more research. If I’m not looking up ranks, titles, and mission statements, then I am hunting down people who know the lingo within certain government agencies. I have been blessed to have the help of a Navy SEAL commander and retired FBI and CIA agents. But I can never have enough contacts, so—please—if you know anyone in the military or government who’d like to answer my questions or read over my work, have them write to me at marlissmelton@cox.net.

Q12): What are you the most proud of with regards to your career thus far?

MARLISS:  I am proud of the fact that I didn’t quit writing books just because my publisher, Grand Central, told me “No more Navy SEALs.” I knew I had a good thing going, and I had the most loyal readers in the world. I knew the stories in my head had to be written, with our without Grand Central’s help. It took time and effort and a lot of learning on my part, but I have since created my own publishing company. But I couldn’t and wouldn’t have done it without the support of my awesome readers!

Q13): If could give one quick piece of advice to aspiring authors, what would you tell them?

MARLISS: I’d say “Never give up.” If it’s your dream to be a writer, just keep on writing and you’ll eventually get there. It took me ten years to become a published author. I had dozens of rejections. One editor, in particular, told me “You’re just not good enough.” I thank her for those harsh words because they made me dig my heels in. I’m not one to quit just because someone says I’m not good enough. We are all a work-in-progress. You might not be good enough right now, but if you keep writing and reading and studying, who knows how awesome you’ll become?

Q14): What’s up next for Marliss Melton? What do you have going on in the next couple months that your readers might be interested in?

MARLISS: Look for a novella called LONG GONE, coming this fall of 2012 in E-format and paperback.  Related to Navy SEAL book TOO FAR GONE, this novella gives secondary characters Skyler and Drake their own happy-ever-after. At the end of TOO FAR GONE, Skyler was bound for witness protection and Drake wondered if he’d ever see her again. Well, now there’s a leak in witness protection and Skyler’s life is in danger. Who can she turn to but the man she never stopped loving? Look for LONG GONE, coming soon!

Q15):  Is there anything special that you’d like to say to the readers while we have you here today?

MARLISS: Thank you for your loyalty over the years. Stick with me and I’ll have many more gripping and emotionally powerful stories to share with you!

Book Monster Reviews/LITERAL ADDICTION:  Marliss, thank you so much again for being with us today.  We’re very happy to help you promote your newest release and your entire backlist!  We’d absolutely love to have you back to promote your next book if you’d be interested.

MARLISS: Don’t miss my newest release, THE GUARDIAN, now available in digital format with paperback coming out soon!

To keep up with Marliss' latest news, you can find her online here:

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Marliss is graciously giving away one E-book or paperback version of THE GUARDIAN, Book #2 in her Taskforce Series to a winner from Book Monster/LITERAL ADDICTION.  

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