Melanie Dickerson's "The Merchant's Daughter"

Title: The Merchant’s Daughter
Publisher: Zondervan

Cover blurb: An unthinkable danger. An unexpected choice.
Annabel, once the daughter of a wealthy merchant, is trapped in indentured servitude to Lord Ranulf, a recluse who is rumored to be both terrifying and beastly. Her circumstances are made even worse by the proximity of Lord Ranulf's bailiff---a revolting man who has made unwelcome advances on Annabel in the past. Believing that life in a nunnery is the best way to escape the escalation of the bailiff's vile behavior and to preserve the faith that sustains her, Annabel is surprised to discover a sense of security and joy in her encounters with Lord Ranulf. As Annabel struggles to confront her feelings, she is involved in a situation that could place Ranulf in grave danger. Ranulf's future, and possibly his heart, may rest in her hands, and Annabel must decide whether to follow the plans she has cherished or the calling God has placed on her heart.

1) How did this story come to you?
Beauty and the Beast has always been my favorite fairy tale, and when I decided to do another fairy tale retelling, I knew I wanted to do a Beauty and the Beast story. I knew I wanted to set it in England and for it have a little bit of a Gothic feel. Then the story just gradually evolved. I don’t really remember too much about the process. I wrote it about four years ago.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
I was still trying to get The Healer’s Apprentice published when I entered The Merchant’s Daughter in its first contest, and it won first place and The Healer’s Apprentice took fourth. But I didn’t really try very hard to get it published. Once Zondervan decided to publish The Healer’s Apprentice, my agent submitted The Merchant’s Daughter to my editor. A few months later, she asked for some changes. I did the changes, and finally, about a year after we submitted it, they said yes.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1) My books are published as YA’s but I rarely read a YA.
2) I am watching the TV show Once Upon a Time, which is not surprising, but it is the first TV show I’ve followed in over twenty years.
3) I hate bananas.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I have a Snow White story and a Cinderella story that are both sequels to The Healer’s Apprentice and am hoping Zondervan will publish them in about a year. Right now I’m working on a Regency for an adult Christian audience.

5) Parting comments?
I should probably say something profound like “World peace is so important and we should all do our part,” but instead I’ll say, “Please go buy my book. It’s really good.”

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
I love interacting with readers, so please friend me on facebook, http://www.facebook.com/people/Melanie-Dickerson/100000220838349

And please check out the awesome trailers for The Merchant’s Daughter and The Healer’s Apprentice on my website, http://www.melaniedickerson.com/

Melanie Dickerson's "The Healer's Apprentice"

We're happy to have Melanie Dickerson with us today talking about her book, The Healer's Apprentice.To learn more about Melanie and her book, read on!

1) How did this story come to you?
Dawn, this book came to me bit by bit over a period of several months. I knew the ending before I knew some of the middle parts, and I used to wake up in the middle of the night and plot the next scene or two, then go back to sleep.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
Do you want the long version or the short version? Short? Okay … I was totally sold out for this book and believed with all my heart that it was going to be published. I pitched it at a conference, entered it in a lot of contests, queried a lot of agents, and sent the partial to a few publishers, but no one was interested in a Christian medieval story, and getting a Young Adult romance published by a Christian YA publisher seemed even less likely. After two years I found an agent brave enough to take it on. And after another year of rejections—although the book came close to getting published as an adult Christian romance a couple of times—even my agent was seeming to lose heart. Our one last shot was to send it to the YA editor at Zonderkidz. And praise God, she bought it!

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I never watch TV and don’t even know what’s on anymore. I love writing historical romance but history was never a favorite subject of mine. I graduated from a tiny public high school in a class of 33 students.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I have a Beauty and the Beast story that my editor at Zondervan is looking at possibly publishing. I hope to write more medieval fairy tale retellings. I also have an adult romance series set in Alabama in the 1880’s that I’m hoping to find a publisher for very soon.

5) Parting comments?
Hold on to your dream, if you feel it is what God wants you to do, and never, ever, ever give up! Unless God tells you to. Be fully committed to listening to God and submitting yourself to His direction, because He loves you and knows what’s best for you.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
My website is www.melaniedickerson.com and I have a YA blog that I do jointly with several other YA authors, www.novelteen.com, and I am on Facebook and Goodreads.