Today I have the honor of having award-winning author Melody Carlson on my blog. Thank you, Melody, for taking time for an author interview!

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LB: You’re up to, what, 250 books that you’ve written? In the years you’ve been writing, have you seen changes in your readers?  

MC: One of the most interesting changes I’ve seen is how readers as teens enjoyed my teen books (like Diary of a Teenage Girl series and my TrueColors series) and now some are in their thirties and devouring my women’s fiction. How fun is that! I get some delightful letters from them! 

LB: Wow! That’s cool that you’re still serving the same readers after all these years. You’ve seen several of your books adapted into film. What is it like to see your story turn into a show? And I have to ask, do you like the book more? 😉

MC: It’s been an interesting journey for sure! The first time I optioned a book (for Lifetime many years ago) was so exciting and then it kind of unraveled before production. That happened several times with other books. So by the time Hallmark wanted to make ALL SUMMER LONG into a TV movie, I was thrilled but a little skeptical. When it actually went into production (in British Columbia) I drove all the way there to enjoy a few days on the set – and that was exciting! And such a learning process! But I was a little disappointed in the adaptation. I understand the need for certain changes, but it seemed they over did it in places and TBH I liked the book better. The next film was THE HAPPY CAMPER and I did the script adaptation myself, with a lot of help from a great producer. I went to watch it being filmed (during Covid) and totally enjoyed that too. The film was picked up by UPtv and I was quite pleased with how it turned out. Both films are still streaming on TV. I think another film that I novelized called GRACE UNPLUGGED is streaming too. Admittedly it felt pretty good to see them all showing at the same time.

LB: I really like GRACE UNPLUGGED, both the book and the movie. I bet it’s really an honor to be part of the screenwriting and filming process! What role can fiction play in the lives of Christians?

MC: Story is such a great medium for sharing the gospel. You get to create lives and situations reflective of real life and take readers on a journey that hopefully teaches about love and grace. I’m so thrilled when I get letters from readers who’ve experienced life changes after reading one of my novels – and I give God the credit for speaking through my stories. Sometimes in ways I didn’t even plan. But if God could communicate through a donkey 😉 I guess he can communicate through one of my books. 

LB: That must be very gratifying to receive those letters. Do you have a favorite audience that you write for? Why is it important to you to write meaningful books for this age group?

MC: While creating teen books, I probably thought that was my favorite audience. Although I’d never really set out to be a YA writer. Now I must admit I love writing for women. Especially contemporary books.

LB: Sounds like you’ve grown with your audience 🙂 When you write historical fiction, how do you do most of your research? 

MC: I do most of my research online. And admittedly you can’t always trust what you read, so I try to remember to double check facts.

LB: Time for a lighthearted question. Have you met any fans in expected ways?

MC: One of the most exciting things for me was very early in my career. On a flight home from Maui, I spied a woman reading my new novel HOMEWARD and I was so dumbfounded, I never even said a word to her. I think I was afraid I’d tell her I was the author and she’d tell me she didn’t like the book – haha.

LB: Haha! Can you tell us a little about your upcoming release and any other current writing projects? 

MC: JUST FOR THE SUMMER releases March 19 – yay! And I just finished next year’s spring release. Enjoying a little break right now.

LB: Congratulations, and enjoy your break! What is your favorite way to connect with readers?

MC: I’m not great at social media, but I have an author page on Facebook and I do answer email at melodycarlsonbooks@gmail.com and send out a fairly regular newsletter.

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Thank you, Melody! Readers, comment below with your favorite Melody Carlson book 🙂