Ask the Author: Melissa L. Cook
Answered Questions (10)
Melissa L. Cook
I received the Western Horizon Award from Wyoming Writers Inc. in June 2022. The book is one of three finalists for the High Plains Award 2022. The winner of this award will be announced in October 2022.
Melissa L. Cook
Name the friendly prankster. Who could it be? Throughout my life, I have been a quiet prankster. My serious approach to life puts my victims at ease, creating the perfect scenario for the best jokes. I love to laugh and could write a whole book on the funny things I've done to my family, friends, students, co-workers, and even people I don't know to make them laugh.
Melissa L. Cook
Write every day. Celebrate accomplishments. Understand that not everything you write will be exceptional, and allow yourself to let some pieces go. If you want to have a career in writing, understand the timeline for publishing a great book. Everything takes time, and editors need time. Ten months passed between completing "The Call of the Last Frontier" and its release. The process is a long-distance race that requires pacing. That's why you need to celebrate the small successes along the way.
Melissa L. Cook
At this time, "The Call of the Last Frontier" is the only book I have in print, and it is a non-fiction memoir. This book includes my Alaska story and that of others who lived the experience right alongside me. Some of those people are no longer with us. When the book was published, I called families to share stories about their loved ones. Many cried tears of happiness while listening to tales they had never heard. That was the best thing about writing "The Call of the Last Frontier." I will forever cherish the memories of making those phone calls.
Melissa L. Cook
A 20-year-old extremely pregnant gal sweeps up the back of a rural country store when an ex-con and his friend come through the door. They scoped out the place for two weeks planning a horrific and bloody crime, but the two of them were no match for this young woman who promptly stabbed one in the temple with the end of a broom and escaped their expectant torcher chamber.
True story... That woman was me... That ex-con committed the horrendous act he had planned for that day two months later. You never know who might be coming through the door on a sunny weekday afternoon. Guards up, ladies.
True story... That woman was me... That ex-con committed the horrendous act he had planned for that day two months later. You never know who might be coming through the door on a sunny weekday afternoon. Guards up, ladies.
Melissa L. Cook
"What Kind of Loser Indie Publishes?" by Pamela Fagan Hutchins and "Buzz Bites" by Polly Letofsky made the top of my list this summer because I had a book release in October 2021, and I needed to know how to get the word out. Both books were filled with excellent ideas and filled my idea treasure chest. If you are considering publishing a book, these two authors have plenty to share with you, and they were quick reads.
Melissa L. Cook
I am at a crossroads in my writing career. My memoir is the story of a woman's journey through twenty years of Alaska adventures. Now, I must decide which genre I want to write. More Alaska books? Adventure? Fiction? Non-fiction? I'll get back to you when I figure it out.
Melissa L. Cook
Writer's block? This chatty one doesn't know the meaning of writer's block. There are days I don't write as well as other times, but I seem to always have something to say. I suppose if I experience it in the future, I'll work on something else until the words come back. I will say, I have experienced a block in which direction to take my writing now that my memoir is done. What genre and stories do I want to write? Once I figure that out, I'll be on my way to somewhere, I just don't know where yet.
Melissa L. Cook
They call me "The Chatty One" on my YouTube channel. Words have always come easy for me. My mother used to worry that I would go home with any stranger on the street because I was so friendly. I haven't changed. Everyone I meet is an instant friend. Words flow out of me whether on paper, computer, or chatting with my neighbor.
Melissa L. Cook
"The Call of the Last Frontier: The True Story of a Woman's Twenty-Year Alaska Adventure" came from a thousand sticky notes, journal entries, emails, and newsletters I collected from 1995-2016. These notes documented events, oddities, and short stories I wanted to keep for what I knew would someday become a book.
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