The Author
Get the skinny on Melissa Francis
Hey. I’m Mel, debut author of Bite Me! and its sequel Love Sucks!
What can I tell you about myself that you can’t find out over at my author website?
Well, first off, I never thought I’d ever write about a teenage vampire. Not because I’m opposed to them—I happen to dig vampires. But I find my stories when my characters start talking to me. And the only characters who had ever really spoken to me before were normal adults. Okay, not really ‘normal’ but they weren’t undead. They were just people.
One day, a teenage vampire started talking to me. Very loudly. But I was in the middle of a different story and I was ignoring her. She didn’t like to be ignored. (What teenager does?) Despite her very loud protests, I managed to continue to avoid the vampire in my brain.
Until I was on the phone with my agent (the lovely Deidre Knight of The Knight Agency). (Everyone say “Hey, D!”) and she asked me, “So, have you ever thought about writing YA? Specifically, have you ever thought about writing vampire YA?”
And I said, “Funny you should ask, I have this annoying teenage vampire girl in my head who won’t shut up.”
And she said, “Write a few pages and send it to me.”
I sat down right then and wrote the first five pages without even blinking. I’m not even sure I breathed while I was writing—it just flowed out of me like I had opened up a vein.
A few minutes after I emailed the opening, D called me and said, “Write this book. It’s the one.”
So I wrote a proposal, and a few months later, I had a book deal.
And that’s how Bite Me! and Love Sucks! were born.
Okay, now about me:
I started writing seriously in 1999 (I think, time blurs the memory), but Bite Me! is my first published novel, which sold to HarperCollins in January 2007. (Publishing can be a very slow process. And trust me, when you’re waiting to see your first book on the shelves, two and a half years may as well be a century!)
I’m a southern girl, but I’m not what you would call typical. I don’t believe in thank you notes unless the person mails you a gift. If I tell you thank you, then why should I kill a tree to repeat myself? I think that too much makeup and big hair should be reserved for cheerleaders and rock concerts. (side note: I was the queen of big bangs in the late 80s/early 90s.) I also don’t drink sweet tea on a regular basis. Or Mint Juleps.
I do believe in manners. Yes ma’am, no sir, please and thank you should be required learning for all kids. All boys should open the door for girls. I don’t care how strong and independent you are ladies, having the door opened for you doesn’t take away from your independence, it makes your date a gentleman. I also think SEC football is a religion and I love my Arkansas Razorbacks. Woo Pig Sooie!
The pics you see here are from my senior year. 1987 was a long time ago, but I promise, the next twenty-plus years are going to fly by. The friends you make in high school can be your friends for life, so choose wisely.
I’m glad I did.
Love y’all. Mean it!
Mel