Whoooooo Are You?

That's a good question. I've been trying to figure that out for a long, long time.

Let's start with the basics. Melissa Francis, mother of two boys, writer of YA fiction. Everyone calls me Mel except for my hubby. He just can't do it. Kinda cracks me up.

I have been writing for about eight years. I write southern romantic fiction as well as my YA books (which are also set in the south because, well, it's what I know.) My debut novel is titled Bite Me! and it will hit the shelves Fall 2009 from HarperCollins. It's follow up, Love Sux! is scheduled for Spring 2010. Yeah, it seems like forever to me, too.

Here's a teaser:

AJ Ashe isn't a typical seventeen year old vampire. Her ex-boyfriend is now her stepbrother, who, as it turns out, is also warlock. Her two BFFs are in a huge fight and she's caught in the middle. She's totally framed for cheating on a Lit test. And now, apparently, the fate of humankind lies in her little undead hands. Like that's fair. What ever happened to the good old days when all a vampire girl had to worry about was the occasional zit and hiding her fetish for necks?

I love writing. It's a dream job really. I roll out of bed, grab a cup of joe and sit down in front of my cute little MacBook and just make stuff up. It's awesome. My boys are a little freaked out by the fact that I take them to school while wearing my PJs and house shoes, but I figure it's my right as their parent to embarrass them on occasion. Don't worry. I do change clothes at some point during the day. I very rarely ever pick them up after school wearing my PJs. Really. Hardly ever. Maybe once. Twice at the most.

YA fiction kind of hit me out of the blue. I loved reading when I was growing up and by the time I was thirteen, I had outgrown anything written for teens. Aside from Judy Blume (sigh, I heart Judy Blume) the books for kids seemed to be preachy and condescending. And frankly, that just wasn't my bag. I wanted to read for entertainment, not a life-lesson. So, when I had this little vampire girl talking to me, I decided maybe I should write a book for teens that is purely for entertainment. It's a little irreverent and not at all typical of a vampire story. I hope you'll check it out. (when it finally hits the shelves, that is.)

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