Mae is a shy, but not-so-naive young woman, hopeful in starting her new life alone. She wants to attend college for the arts, get a job, and begin an independent life in a brand-new town. Renting an inexpensive guesthouse sounds like a perfect start. Until she discovers a hidden duffel bag and finds herself over her head in clues that grow sinister. There’s a missing girl in town, Genevieve. Who is Genevieve and what happened to her? Genevieve too had lived at this guesthouse, that’s all Mae knows. The police get involved and then Mae turns up missing. This quiet town has secrets… and some secrets beg to stay buried. This rollercoaster ride never lessons as we follow Mae, Genevieve, and more, on a tale-by-tale story that intertwines and unveils a final surprising conclusion. One spark, one moment in time, one accident… can ignite a fire that spreads and cannot be controlled. “Justice, revenge, compassion, and grief, are emotions that can overtake one’s soul.” Will Mae bring hope? Will she find the answers in time? Will she get justice? …and will she survive?
Hello book lovers! Today is a day where I will be writing another author spotlight for a well-accomplished author whose work I have loved. As you know book lovers I love learning about authors and the inspiration behind their work, it fascinates me and adds to the depth of the book because the reader will be able to better understand it. That is how the author spotlights were created because I soon discovered that you lovely readers ALSO love learning about author’s, so I am excited to tell you a little bit more about Melissa L. Berger whose book What Mae Brings compelled and captivated me from start to finish. I personally would recommend this book to all of those that love suspenseful tales with mystery but really the book can be read by anybody as it is flawlessly written and highly enjoyable. With today’s author spotlight, a biography of the author and an interview between me and Melissa L. Berger will be shared, and I hope that you book lovers enjoy reading it! To kick this off here is an author bio about the wonderful Melissa L. Berger!
l am a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
I have worked over 28 years in the Arts & Entertainment Industry, both in NYC and Los Angeles, as an Actress (under the Screen Actors Guild name Melissa Mandisa), director, editor, producer, and documentary filmmaker. See: IMDb / Melissa Mandisa
I have appeared in numerous Commercials, TV and Movies.
I have worked as a Performer; Circus Artist, Fire-dancer, Sword performer, Bellydancer; Body Double, and Stand-In. In my latest film, I played Aristianas Mother in ‘The True Adventures of Wolfboy’.
I also am a Painter, (Custom Paintings, Portraits, Fabrics, and Original Porcelain designs).
l am a 5 star Etsy Artist! See: Meli-RLO Art Studios
Writing credits include Screenplays for festival-selected films, and a large number of Children’s books (both as writer and illustrator). Search Melissa L. Berger on Amazon to see children’s books that I’ve illustrated for other outstanding Authors as well.
“What Mae Brings” is my first full-length Adult Novel. It is an exciting mystery thriller!
So far, “What Mae Brings” has won a “Readers’ Favorite Five Star Award” & “The Storyteller Film & Screenwriting Contest Best Mystery/Thriller for Adults, Novel to Screenplay Category”.
l am currently writing my second novel, a psychological thriller, TBA.
Now, how wonderful does Melissa L. Berger sound?! Melissa L. Berger is a truly exceptional writer and I hope that you lovely readers have a read of the author’s work because you will not regret it! Please see below an interview between me and the author and I hope that you enjoy Melissa L. Berger’s answers to my questions, they are incredible and provide some great advice too!
Thank you for joining us today at Red Headed Book Lover! Please tell us more about yourself
Well, I recently bought a new home! It’s an 1880 Victorian Manor, and I’m using half of it as a BnB!
It’s a love of mine to play hostess, and I get guests from all over the world!
It also allows me a beautiful rural setting in which to write and create!
Could you please tell us readers about your book and what inspired you to write your book?
Inspiration comes to me as dreams do. In “What Mae Brings”, I started with a basic idea of a girl who finds a backpack in the woods.. from there I just wrote. I wrote a chapter a day, and didn’t really know exactly where it was going, but it kind of grew on its own. It took twists almost by themselves. I would wake up and think, “where would I go from here if I were that character” and I would just dive in and write, from my heart, my experiences, and my ideas. They took a much different turn than I had originally planned, unfolding an unexpected ending that even surprised me!
What would your advice be for aspiring writers?
Don’t think: “Can I write? Do I have a strong enough direction?” Everyone has their own process. Some people lay things out on a pegboard for each chapter, some keep notes along the way, and some just go for it! Whichever works for you! But always give yourself permission to get started! Waiting until it’s “just right” isn’t always the best idea, because it grows as you go, in my experience. As an author, to me, that’s the most exciting part.. finding out where it leads within itself.
In your opinion, what is the most important thing about a book?
Writing from your heart, always!
Do you read much and if so who are your favorite authors?
I listen to Audiobooks every night before I go to sleep, this has been my habit for the last 7-8 years! It has been the best form of education… what forms I like, what I don’t…
I can’t live without someone telling me a bedtime story! I give great credit to the amazing Narrators and the Talent that makes these pages come to life! It was a dream come true for me to have “What Mae Brings” become an Audiobook!
My favorite authors vary with time, and include, but are not limited to… Freida McFadden, Linwood Barclay, Mary Kubica, K.L. Slater, Harlan Coben, Lisa Scottoline, Lisa Jewell, Shalini Boland, Tarryn Fisher, Karin Slaughter and Minka Kent… to name a few!
Lastly, when can we readers expect to read more wonderful books from you?
I have a collection of children’s books I’ve written and illustrated available on Amazon.com.
My next Full-length Adult Novel will be a Psychological Thriller, I’m super excited about it. This one I need to approach in a much different way than how I wrote “What Mae Brings”. It is a great challenge for me to write this next one, it involves a lot of notes I’ve been writing over time. It’s like putting together puzzle pieces! I do want it to be able to take a direction on its own, however, and I’m excited to see where it goes, and how it changes and grows as I begin to write. I’m so looking forward to this next writing journey!
Its official book lovers, I am obsessed with Melissa L. Berger! If you have liked what you have read about the author and are interested in learning more, then please do have a browse of the links below and be sure to have a read of the preview too! You will not regret it.
Goodbye for now book lovers,
Amazon US – Amazon UK – Goodreads
Author: Website
