Melissa Rolka grew up in the Chicagoland area all of her childhood and has always had a love of writing. She started by keeping a journal at a young age and then in high school she started writing poetry. A couple poems were published anonymously. Then in college she majored in Philosophy, which required lots and lots of writing. After graduating from Marquette University she traveled west to Los Angeles. There she worked for the Writers Guild of America and found herself submerged in the writers world. She worked on small writings, but never pursued them. On the side she became involved with a small theater group. Eventually she made her way back to the Midwest, where her heart belongs, and worked in business for several years. She found love, got married and has two beautiful children. Being at home has allowed her to keep following her love of reading and writing.
The Perfect Distraction is her first full length novel. A second continuation of this story is in the works with hopes for a third. When Melissa is not writing she is caring for, playing with and loving her two kids. In between taking care of her family and writing she almost always has her nose buried in her Kindle.
Contact Melissa~
Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ email ~ Amazon
The Perfect Distraction (Perfect #1)
When Katherine “Kate” leaves for her freshmen year at college, a grounded and stable piece of her is missing. She pushes away the ghosts of her past, determined to start her college life single, carefree and distracted.
Throughout high school Kate was reserved and shy, with little experience. Now, on her own, with little holding her back, Kate is ready to branch out. She bonds with a tight knit group of friends and even starts casually dating. What starts out as innocent flirting on the tennis courts slowly turns into a friendship and eventually something more complex. Reed comes into her life giving her the distraction she craves more than anything; but is she ready to give her heart away so easily?
Things get complicated when Kate’s ex-boyfriend and first love continues to pursue her. Kyle deeply regrets breaking her heart when he left for college the year before and is now on a mission to reclaim her. Kyle’s persistence and relentlessness is nothing short of obsessive. He will stop at nothing to win her back and prove his love.
Kate finds herself torn between her past and the unknown of the future. Her determination to stay distracted may just be her downfall or the beginning of something new and wonderful.
***For Mature Readers 18+***
The Perfect Emotion (Perfect #2)
The story of Kate, Kyle and Reed continues in this second novel of The Perfect Series.
Kate (Katherine) Monroe is finally coming to heads with the decisions she’s made in the past to keep herself distracted at any cost. Learning to move on and forward with the conflicts in her life is harder than she expects though. With Kyle continuing to attempt reconciliation and Kate’s mom back at home, avoiding and running are no longer an option.
All along Kate’s mind and heart are consumed with Reed, but she fights to push her feelings and desires to the side. Despite the obvious pull and connection she has with Reed she finds it difficult to let him in… and trust in herself. However, Reed’s perseverance and patience never wavers and eventually he uses the one thing that had always brought them together… tennis.
As Reed and Kate begin to embark on a new relationship they face the past and the present head on. Along the way, new challenges and emotions arise testing the direction of their future together.
Can Kate forgive herself and trust Reed in order to latch onto the one emotion she needs most… love?
Interview With Melissa~
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview with me. I read 'The Perfect Distraction' & 'The Perfect Emotion' which was your debut series & what a way to start!!! WOW!!! I absolutely LOVED them. I was an INSTANT fan of yours and can not wait to read every book you give me!!
When you were a little girl, what did you dream of being when you grew up? Did you always aspire to be a writer?
~ Actually, I wanted to be a dolphin trainer, lol. Yea, living in the midwest didn’t seem to deter me from that dream. BUT, I did always keep a journal. I wrote in it all the time and kept up with one through high school. In high school I would write a lot of poetry and even got published a couple times anonymously. Then in college I was a Philosophy major… thats a lot of writing. After college I moved to L.A. and was involved in a theater group and did some writing, but kept it pretty private. I’ve been a stay at home mom the last several years and read a ton. Last year I decided to put this the story brewing in my head into action.
How long did it take you to write your first book 'The Perfect Distraction'? Was that your first story or are there other stories which you did not publish?
~ My first book took about 6 months to write. It really is my first story. I have a couple little excerpts of projects I have in mind for when I finish The Perfect Series.
What was your inspiration for writing 'The Perfect Distraction' & 'The Perfect Emotion'?
~ My inspiration really came from all the reading I do, also I missed writing in some form.
If your books was made into a movie, who would be your ideal cast?
~ This is such a tough question, but I think maybe Zac Efron could play my Reed and Amy Teegarden could play my Kate. Kyle though is really tricky, I keep picturing a young Ryan Phillipe.
How did you come up the synopsis and come up with Reed, Kate & all the other awesome characters in the series?
~ The synopsis for the overall story has been a progression that I am still working out. The original start of the story was a bit different, but Kate I knew would always have this pull from her past to present. The main basis for the story is the growing and developing of Kate into a woman, that was my original outlook for the story and that still remains. What’s funny is that at first Reed was not going to turn into my “hero”, but how could he not. What has and still is important to me is to try to keep the story realistic and the feelings and emotions appropriate for the age of my characters, but at the same time remembering that this is all “fantasy” and readers should be able to connect and get lost in the story.
I know after I ended 'The Perfect Emotion' we found out there will be another book next (Yayy! I'm jumping up & down) What can we expect in book #3?
~ Well, Book 3 will have more drama with Kyle and Jessica for sure. Reed and Kate will have not only those obstacles to face, but they will also embark on adult life changes. Reed’s relationship with his father and his business will play a big role in the direction of the story. This story will take more time because I want to make sure it goes out with a BANG and that I wrap up any “cliffhangers” (ha!). One thing I can promise is that you will get to read about Reed’s graduation party from Kate’s pov.
What author’s writing do you particularly admire most, and why?
~ Aleatha Romig, she writes the Consequences series, is beyond fabulous. She makes you loathe a character so badly, wishing him a painful death and then you are deeply in love with him by the end! Also, John Greene, The Fault In Our Stars, has such endearing way of telling a unique yet believable story… get ready to shed some tears though! There are so many writers that are inspiring I can’t list them all, but I love Nina Lane, Leah Raeder, Gail McHugh, AL Jackson, JJ Rossum, Danielle Allen and Michelle Lynn also!
What is the one book you could read over and over again without ever growing tired of it?
~ Hmmm, that is really tough! I don’t know I tend to fall in love with so many stories and it may take me a little while to get over them, but then I’m eager to fall in love with a new story and meet new characters.
If you get “writers block”, what do you do to help yourself break free from it?
~ READ!
What has been the most difficult part about becoming an author?
~ Getting the word out about my books, promoting. And not having enough time to read as much as I used to.
How do you juggle writing your books & being a mommy and wife everyday?
~ It’s hard! My mommy and wife duties come first though. I squeeze in the writing whenever I can. I try to do some everyday, but there are days when the laundry has piled, groceries are low, kids have sports classes, and the list goes on, ha!
When reading a romance novel (or erotica), do you prefer a HOT, sexy bad boy… or a sweet & romantic good guy?
~ Can I have a little of both??? I don’t like my bad boy so bad that I don’t like him or too sweet that there isn’t a little edge to him.
If you could give just ONE piece of advice for aspiring authors, what would it be?
~ Just keep writing even when it seems like it’s too hard to find a place in this Indie world!
I bet you have been working very hard on your next projects. Can you tell us a little about it, and what we can expect from these upcoming books? How did you come up with the idea for them? (I'm hoping & praying it's more Reed & possibly maybe another character is getting their own story. *wink wink*)
~ My next release will be a Novella about Quinn and Matt! It’s moving along great and I can’t wait to share their story. It will be a true stand alone and you won’t need to read the others to read this one. One thing I will share with you is that it takes place after college. Then of course I am and will continue to work on Book 3 for The Perfect Series.
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