Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Make That a FUN Author Interview! My Guest? Melissa Tagg!!


Sometimes we just gotta let loose. Have a little fun.  Thus I had this crazy idea…and I’m pretty excited about it. Hope you love it and if you have suggestions for questions, leave them in the comments! :- )

The Basics:
Name: Melissa Tagg

Home State (completely with address so we can stalk you): Iowa (the place with all the corn). And I know I didn’t give you a full address, but honestly, there aren’t that many people in Iowa. You should be able to find me. Besides, I’m not really that stalk-worthy. Although, I might be flattered if you try.

Occupation: Grant-writer and corporate relations coordinator on a nonprofit development team by day, writer by night. I would also love to be a professional pillow tester but so far I haven’t found anyone willing to pay me for that.
 
Releases 9/15/13!
Preorder here!
Height: 5’8” I think.

Hair Color: Boring brown. J (Except for the time I dyed it red with kool-aid. It smelled good for days. Only downside was it left the bathroom sink looking like we’d killed someone.)

Goin’ Deeper:

Celebrity crush: Oh dear. This is a hard one because most of the celebrities I’ve ever had a crush on are, like…dead. Cary Grant, for instance. But for the sake of choosing someone still breathing…Chris Hemsworth. (I know, I know…you thought I was going to say Tim Tebow. But no one ever believes me that it’s his book that makes me love him.)

#1 favorite pastime: Oh dear…number one? If I say hanging out with my family, is that too cliché? Laughing. Watching old movies. Laughing. Playing games. Laughing. I know that’s more than one thing, but technically you can do them all at once.

Best book of your childhood: Christy.

Go to comfort food: Ice cream. Mmm.

Worst job you ever had: In college, this guy in the sports department asked if I’d help them work with the media because I was a “writer.” To this day, I can’t figure out what the job had to do with writing. Basically I called media outlets after games and reported scores. The bad part of it was I never had any idea what I was talking about, faked my way through sports reporters’ questions, and it was late at night when everyone else was out having fun. Yup, that lasted all of one semester.

In Ten Words or Less:

Happiest moment of your life: How to choose?!?! One happiest moment: book contract phone call. J

One thing on your bucket list: Visit Prince Edward Island.

Quirkiest aspect that annoys your spouse/friends: Writer moodiness. Enough said.

Greatest dream: To learn to love like Christ. And master crazy hair.

Biggest fear: Serious—losing loved ones. Silly—getting trapped in a carwash.


Phew, that 10-word thing was a challenge! 

Wooo-hooo! Can't wait for the release of Made to Last! I've preordered my copy, have you??

Thanks so much to Melissa for hanging out on my blog today! Come September we're going to be throwing a massive party for the release of the novel, so come dressed for the fun! :-)

My guest next month? 

The awesome Rachel Hauck! 

You won't want to miss it. :-)

39 comments:

  1. What a fun interview! I actually would have answered the same on a couple of questions. How cool! :-) I loved the book Christy growing up, and visiting Prince Edward Island is definitely on my bucket list. Now, if I could only be 5'8" instead of 4' 11 1/2". . . Did you catch the 1/2 inch? ;-) I am definitely going to order her book. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Yay for another Christy fan! It's such a sweet book...oh Dr. MacNeill. :) And yes, I caught the 1/2 inch. I have a sister who is, shall we say, vertically challenged...1/2 inches make all the difference to her! :)

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    3. haha thank you for understanding! Have you seen the series of Christy they made for TV/DVD that never finished? I was so upset when I had decided to watch it during a week I was sick and when I got to the last DVD, it ended right before she made her final decision. Apparently they ran out of money. I was so sad.

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    4. Yes, I did see the series. I loved it...own the dvds...:) A different network (PAX, I think) actually made some mini-movies to finish off the series. But they only had a few of the same actors as the original series and production quality was pretty low. At least they finished it off, though!

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  2. Okay, it's time to plan a road trip to PEI!
    And I'm a 1/4 inch under 5'8", so I just round it up. But I wanted to be 5 foot nothing. Yeah, missed that.
    And Melissa's book -- cannot wait. I must. But I don't want to.

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    1. OH how much fun it'd be to get a group of ladies together to visit PEI. I foresee so much laughter...and late night viewings of Anne of Green Gables.

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    2. Oh Beth, you're funny! You're the only one I know who actually WANTED to be short!! ♥

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  3. Yeeeees. Great interview, ladies! Mel, you crack me up, as always.

    And I so want to do PEI someday too! I want to pretend to be Anne, scampering along the countryside and the hilly beach. ;)

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    1. I have a feeling most girls want to see PEI, right? At least the ones who have seen/read the Anne books. It feels like such a magical place. (Although, I think a good chunk of the Anne movies was actually filmed elsewhere in Canada...but still.)

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  4. That WAS a fun interview! Can't wait for the book -- I preordered too. :)

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    1. Oh, thank you so much for preordering, Carla!! So much!

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  5. "Only downside was it left the bathroom sink looking like we’d killed someone." <---Bent over and hyperventilating with laughter! okay, not really. But you're hilarious!! Can't wait to pick up Made to Last!! Yeah!! -raj

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    1. LOL, but seriously, the bathroom looked like the scene of a murder. No joke. Many towels were ruined in the process of cleaning up. :)

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  6. Casey, thanks so much for having me here today! Loved your questions...definitely fun.

    So, do you have an estimated date for moving to Iowa anytime soon?? :)

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    1. Wow, so many comments already!! I need to host you more often. ;-)

      Not yet...but I'm working on it...God willing! :D

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  7. Oh what a fun interview, Melissa and Casey! If Chris Hemsworth didn't make me smile enough, you had me at "trapped in a car wash". And I so want to visit PEI, too! *sigh* Such a great interview! Thank you for the early morning smile :) SO happy for you as you gear up for your release!!

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    1. Joanne, the thing is, I've had this fear of getting stuck in car washes for a long time and people have made fun of me for it...BUT a year or so ago, my brother-in-law's brother and his wife actually DID get stuck in a car wash. They and their car were stuck for like 10 minutes. So...my fear is valid. :)

      And thanks for being excited with me. You KNOW I'm excited for your next book!

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  8. Funny how many of us writer's want to be PEI gals. Lobster, Anne of Green Gables, beaches...:) Congratulations on your release! Can't wait to read it. But I'm feeling old because I don't know who the celebrity you mentioned is. :)

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    1. Julia, Chris Hemsworth plays Thor in, well, Thor...and The Avengers. He is...great. :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Hemsworth

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  9. Ahh...Cary Grant (sigh) :-)

    Fun interview! I have also wanted to visit PEI ever since reading the Anne books and watching the Anne miniseries when I was a child. Looking forward to hearing more about your book in the future.

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    1. So many Anne girls around here. I love it!

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  10. Melissa's upcoming book, Made To Last, is SO MUCH FUN!! Yep. I couldn't resist bragging about it because I was honored to get to sneak a peek at it.

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    1. Oh thank you so much, Becky. You are one of my author heroes, so hearing that from you makes my morning. Thanks so much! (And to anyone who hasn't read Becky's lates yet--Undeniably Yours--what are you waiting for?!?!)

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    2. Sounds SO wonderful, Becky! Glad you did brag. :)

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    3. Oh!! Can't believe someone has actually read Melissa's book BEFORE me! ;-) I seriously can't wait for my copy to hit my hands. :D

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  11. So fun. And yes, definitely sign me up for the PEI field trip. I find MOST of our answers to these questions would be quite similar. Kindred spirits, I suppose. ;)

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    1. Kindred spirits indeed. I would say bosom buddies too but I've never been able to say the word "bosom" without giggling. :)

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  12. What fun this is, Melissa. :)

    Oh, my goodness - you colored your hair with cool-aid!? How did that work?! LOL! I am searching for the perfect red/auburn shade and have yet to find it. Love your favorite pastime (it's not cliché in the least) and that you live in the Midwest. Oooh! And Chris Hemsworth is a great "crush." ;)

    Great interview, ladies! And yes, Casey I have this book pre-ordered! It's definitely one of THE most anticipated on my 2013 to-read list. CANNOT wait - and that party you have planned!? Yay, sounds way fun! :)

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    1. Yup, Kool-aid. And it works perfectly. Just take a packet of the powdery stuff, add only enough water to make it kind of gloppy and spread it on. Wait...and wash it out. The color stayed for about a week and a half, but obviously got lighter after each washing. But oh man, it smelled so good.

      And thank you so much for preordering, Rissi. I feel so blessed by that.

      Oh yes, Chris Hemsworth. Although, after I sent my answers to Casey, I realized I probably should've also included Benedict Cumberbatch. It's kind of a toss-up between the two. :)

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    2. We're going to throw a birthday bash/release party for Melissa in September. Still a couple months off, but I'm SUPER pumped for it!!

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    3. Sounds great, Casey! It'll be a great celebration.

      Well Kool-Aid sounds pretty neat. And oh, yeah, I bet the scent was tempting. :)

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  13. This was a FUN interview indeed. Great questions, Casey. Love the bit about you dying your hair with Kool-aid, Melissa. I'm sooo looking forward to the release of your debut novel.

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    1. Thanks, Keli. I'm excited...but also extremely nervous...for the book to release. I'm enjoying these ramping-up months, though. Despite the nerves, the anticipation is fun. :)

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  14. This interview was so much fun and different from the norm, which I love! Thanks, Casey and Melissa!

    Looking forward to Made to Last.

    And if y'all want to pick me up on the way to PEI, I won't mind too much. :)

    Blessings,
    Andrea

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    1. Casey asked such fun questions, didn't she? I definitely had fun answering them. :)

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  15. Love me some Melissa Tagg! Every time I learn more about you, Melissa, I like you even better (if that's possible). :) Remind me to hide my Kool Aid when you come to visit in June... :)

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    1. Haha, Gabe, I will try to resist any hair dyeing urges while I'm at your place. Can't wait to see you!!! And I love me some Gabrielle Meyer too. Can't wait to get to hang out with you in person so SOON!

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