Digital Book Today interviews Melissa Foster

We (Digital Book Today) have a great interview today featuring bestselling and award-winning author Melissa Foster and her book Come Back To Me(click here to see all of her books). Melissa is also the founder of the World Literary Cafe. Read her entire bio on Amazon to find out more about Melissa. You may begin to wonder if she ever sleeps with everything she is involved in.

Interview with Melissa Foster:

1.  What was unique about the setting of the book and how did it enhance or take away from the story?

COME BACK TO ME is an international love story/tragedy. The story takes place in both Maryland and Iraq, and I believe it enhances the story. The reader comes to know Suha and Samira, two Iraqi women, and Samira’s three young children as they travel, with the help of an underground organization, to America. Being in the heat and sand with them allows the reader to experience the weight of their escape, while following Tess, Alice, and the rest of the characters through suburban life in the U.S. provides a more relatable experience which, to many, enhances the enjoyment of the unfamiliar setting in Iraq.

2.  What specific themes did the author emphasize throughout the novel? What do you think he or she is trying to get across to the reader?

Life is not always pretty, and the harsh realities of life often go unnoticed. COME BACK TO MEbrings to light the difficult subject of honor killings, and forces the reader to be party to another side of the war with Iraq, and perhaps become introspective and question their own strength and loyalty.

3.  Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to their predicaments? To what extent do they remind you of yourself or someone you know?

When I began forming the idea for this book, my husband had just received new that he was going to be sent to Iraq for a tour the following summer. I do think the storyline and characters are believable, and I worked very hard to make them very real and three dimensional in their thoughts, actions, and beings. Relating to Tess and Beau’s predicaments was easy for me, as a wife who would soon be separated for months with less than adequate communications.

4.  What research did you have to perform to back up your story? Any research which really opened your eyes or gave you new respect for a topic or profession?

Researching COME BACK TO ME was an interesting endeavor. Since much of what I had to learn took place overseas, I had to reach out to those who lived there, or had spent a great deal of time there, in wartime circumstance. My husband’s tour to Iraq helped tremendously, as he was able to connect me with American and Iraqi individuals who were able to relate first-hand knowledge. The more difficult part of the research was researching honor killings, which I found to be heart wrenching and I still have a hard time believing such harsh realities exist–although they most certainly do.

5.  What is your method for writing a book? A certain amount of hours every day? A certain routine? Are you character/story builder or an outliner or some other method?

I’m a total pantzer, although I have to admit that COME BACK TO ME fell into a rough outline as I wrote. I typically write from 9am – 2pm M-F from September – June. I would write longer and more often if I didn’t fear the bones in my elbows growing together in an “L”:-)

Digital Book Today: Melissa thank for a great interview.

Find Melissa on Facebook.

Twitter @Melissa_Foster