Interview With Author Melissa Groeling

Melissa Groeling's intriguing novel "Traffic Jam" follows the experiences of the teenaged Val Delton, whose family is going through a difficult time as a result of her father losing his job. Things really get crazy when Val discovers her sister has a mysterious new source of income and a dangerous secret that goes along with it. In my interview with Melissa Groeling she talked about "Traffic Jam" and shared her thoughts on the writing process.

Q: In “Traffic Jam” Val is trying to unravel her sister’s dangerous secret. With a mystery like this, is it a challenge to give the readers clues without giving too much away too soon?

A: Oh my God, yes! There was so much editing and re-editing and trying to be as subtle as I could which is, in no way, part of my personality so that made it twice as hard. You should’ve seen me at a book signing in Easton, Pennsylvania a few months ago, trying to explain the book without giving anything away---it was a lot harder than the writing part!

Q: Do you prefer to write character driven or plot driven stories?

A: As much as I love a good plot, character-driven stories are so much more fun. It’s extraordinarily entertaining to put someone in unpredictable situations to see how they react.

Q: Do you think the hardships Val’s family endures when her father loses his job and her mother has to work fourteen hours a day, forces Val to grow up quickly?

A: I don’t think so. I think it makes her strive to be better, to not add to her parents’ difficulties like Sam does. Val recognizes the hardships that they’re going through and she tries not be a burden. And her parents try to make sure that she’s focusing on things that she should be focusing on like her school work. Her parents don’t want to burden Val anymore than Val wants to burden them.

Q: You say you’ve been influenced by every author you’ve read. Is there one author in particular that stands out as a big inspiration?

A: Dean Koontz, without a doubt. I’ve been reading his books since I was a kid. His writing is so lyrical. He constantly amazes me the way he can describe an entire scene with only a few short sentence and you feel as if you’re standing right smack in the middle of it. It’s sensory overload. His books never get old, that’s for sure.

Q: What is your favorite genre as a writer?

A: Oh, definitely suspense! Whether it’s young adult or adult, I love suspense! It gets the blood flowing, the heart pounding. There’s that prickly feeling on the back of your neck—I love it! It’s so much fun to write and half the time my head’s going a mile a minute and my pen can’t keep up!

Q: What are your future writing plans?

A: Keep on writing! I’m working on a suspense story even as we speak so hopefully we’ll get it out in print soon!