The Dating Tutor: Alec’s Story
Melissa Frost
More hockey. More Alec.
Alec Horner’s life was never simple. Between dealing with an
alcoholic father and worrying about the continuation of his education, he has
more than a few concerns. The complications continue to mount when his neighbor
and best friend, Ellie Harper, asks him to tutor her in the art of dating.
The alternately humorous and frustrating task takes a new turn
when Alec starts to realize his feelings for the girl next door suddenly expand
beyond that of a mere friend. Coaching her is a torturous delight. He wants her
and revels in each moment, yet he knows her efforts are aimed toward the goal
of seducing another boy. Can this gruff hockey player convince his sweet and
innocent best friend that the two of them might have a future together?
Author Bio:
Melissa Frost grew up loving young adult novels and
continues to immerse herself in the current authors on the
market. In the second grade, she won a writing competition to work
with children’s author Colleen O'Shaughnessy Mckenna, and it inspired her to
write stories of her own. She never looked back.
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Melissa-Hosack-Author-of-Paranormal-Romance/119951088073763
Interview:
I would like to thank author Melissa Frost for stopping by today to tell us a little about herself and The Dating Tutor: Alec’s Story.
What is your favorite part of the story, The Dating Tutor: Alec’s Story?
Seeing as this is an expansion on the first installment in the
series, I greatly enjoyed the new element that walking in Alec’s shoes brought.
I got to really explore his relationship with his father as well as get to know
one of his hockey buddies, Matt.
How long did it take you to write The Dating Tutor: Alec’s Story ?
It took me
three months to write this one, which is actually fairly quick for me.
If you were stranded on a desert island which of your characters
do you want by your side?
Hmm…I like this question… Well, much of the stuff I
write involves the paranormal. A desert island…that would quickly eliminate any
of my vampire characters. I might have to say Camden Harrison from my
Supernatural Series. He might be awkward and disaster-prone, but things would
never get boring. He’s got a sense of humor that would keep things from seeming
too bleak. And being a dragon can’t hurt. Surely he could put that to good use.
Besides, he’s such a sweetheart. I wouldn’t mind sitting down for a
conversation or two with him.
If you could be best friends with one of your characters,
who would it be?
Chris from Saving Santa! Who wouldn’t want to be friends
with Santa?! Imagine the benefits!
What inspired you to write your first book?
I have been
writing since I was a little girl. I’ve got notebooks upon notebooks in my
basement filled with stories I’ve written over the years. Writing, being an
author, has always been my dream. I am inspired by everything around me!
Anything can jolt a plot idea from me. I swear it! Test me, I dare you!
What is your favorite book that you wrote?
My favorite is a
series I have yet to get published. I’m actually hoping to do something with it
soon. It is a horror/end of the world/romance about the zombie apocalypse.
Picture zombies vs. vampires. With humans trapped in the middle. I started
writing it over a decade ago (doesn’t that make me feel old). I’ve written
three installments already and have more planned.
Who or what inspired you to be a writer?
As I mentioned,
I’ve always wanted to be an author. I wrote my first short story in the second
grade. It was children’s author Colleen O'Shaughnessy Mckenna who kept
my desire burning. I was lucky enough to attend a workshop with her when I was
in fifth grade.
What books have most influenced your life?
Anne Rice’s
Interview with a Vampire. Up until I got this book in my hands, all I read were
“girl books”. I was hooked on Sweet Valley High. As much as I still love
Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield, Anne Rice opened my eyes to the paranormal. She
mapped out a whole new world full of possibilities.
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really
strikes you about their work?
One of my favorites is Katie MacAllister. Her
novels are so involved, the characters so opinionated and real. My favorite
thing is how she can weave a story involving danger and almost certain death,
yet make me laugh so hard! She is a comedic genius. I’ve found myself outright
laughing in public places while reading her work. People probably think I’m a
little crazy.
What is your typical day like?
My typical day…hectic.
Depending on the day, I’m either at work or working as Mom. I won’t walk you
through the boring hours of sitting in the office. I’ll walk you through…a
Tuesday, my “day off”. Tuesdays, I get up early to take my four year old,
Marshall, to preschool. My morning sounds a lot like this —“Marshall, brush your
teeth. Marshall your pants are on backwards. Marshall!” While he is in school,
I will usually get the week’s shopping done as well as run other errands. After
picking Marshall up, I will take him home for lunch. “Mom, I want super cheesy mac ‘n’ cheese. Can you
make it super cheesy?” And of course a board game must be played during lunch!
What is lunch without a hundred games of Guess Who? After lunch, I will jump on
the housework that was neglected while I was at work the previous day. Laundry?
Check. Vacuum? Check. Dishes? Check. Dinner in the crock pot and started?
Check. “Mom, I need clean jeans!” More laundry? Check. Marshall packed for
grandma’s house so she can watch him while I work tomorrow? Check. By the time
my son’s nap time rolls around, I’m exhausted. “Can we please watch one more
episode of Bubble Guppies?” Snuggle time? Check. Did I remember to stop at the
bank…check? Once naptime finally
happens, I settle down in front of the computer to get some writing done. I
will use the rare silence in the house to get some productive work done on my
next book. Ah…writing time. But that is over sooner than I know it! “Mom, my
belly says I’m hungry.” After my husband comes home and we have dinner, we then
drive Marshall to my mother’s for his weekly stay. Gotta love family
babysitters. Saves on daycare. Once all the goodbyes are said and done, my
husband and I head home to get showers, pack lunches for work, set out our
clothing for the next day, and all those other fun things. By the time we
collapse onto the couch, the clock says 9:30. Wait, don’t we have to be up at
6:00 am? Maybe we can sneak in a quick sitcom without being walking zombies
tomorrow… This is a typical day for me. Aren’t you glad you asked?
How do you overcome writer’s block?
When I have writer’s
block, I set myself a word or page minimum. If I’m struggling with a scene,
working on it consistently, even if I go back and change things, tends to get
the creativity flowing. Continually coming back to that scene keeps it fresh and
helps my mind become absorbed in the characters.
Here is an excerpt from my newest
release The Dating Tutor: Alec’s Story —
“What
is up with you recently, man?” Matt asked as he stood with his elbow propped up
on his hockey stick while he and Alec waited their turn for one final practice
shot before their game.
Alec
glanced over at him after watching the shot of one of his fellow defensive
players go wide of the net. “What do you mean?”
“What
do I mean?” Matt snorted and moved up a place in line. “You’ve been moody going
on a week now. And I feel like you’re barely registering anything around you.
Mario Lemieux could walk out onto the ice, and you’d barely notice. It’s like
you’re in your own fantasy world.”
“Trust
me,” Alec said with a grin at the mention of one of hockey’s finest players in
all of history. “I would notice Lemieux.”
Matt
rolled his eyes. “Okay, maybe that was a bad example, but you get what I’m
saying. Something’s going on with you. I don’t like it.”
As
another one of their teammates completed his shot, both boys scooted up in
line. Alec took that time to collect his thoughts. He hadn’t realized his
displeasure over the whole Ellie situation had been that obvious. He was going
to have to work on that. “Nothing is going on. I’m just…worried about that
college application.” Okay, at least that was true.
“Worried
enough to rebuff Shannon Albright?”
This
finally drew Alec’s attention away from the mock-shootout. “She told you about
that?”
Matt
nodded in affirmation. “She did. Said you turned her down because of some other
girl.”
Alec
grunted in response and turned his attention to the shootout as if it demanded
his immediate attention. “I didn’t want to hurt her feelings is all.”
Apparently, Shannon hadn’t wasted any time in cozying up to Matt, nor had his
friend shied away from discussing him with her.
“I
think you weren’t just sparing her feelings,” Matt argued. “I think this all
has to do with that neighbor girl of yours. She’s gotten into your head. Bad.”
“She
has not.” Alec was relieved it was his turn to take a shot on goal, so he could
get away from Matt’s accusations. When Coach Grimmly passed him the puck, he
took a rough shot at the net. His shot was made with aggravation and very little
precision. It went flying wildly up into the netting.
Spinning
back to Matt, he snapped, “My issues have nothing to do with Ellie. Just drop
it.” With that, he made his way over to the outside of his team’s bench to
await the start of the game.
What book are you reading now?
Sadly, I’ve been reading the
same book for months now. George R. R. Martin’s A Feast For Crows. His books
are massive, and I don’t get much
time to read nowadays. The gallant Jaime Lannister has me constantly returning
for more, though. I think I swoon every time he steps onto the page.
What do you prefer paperback, hardcover, or ebooks?
Hardcover. I love having a tangible copy of my favorites in my hand, and
hardbacks are even better. In my home, I have a library with rows upon rows of
books. All of my favorites are there in hardback. I wouldn’t have it any other
way.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your
readers?
THANK YOU! My readers have been so amazing and supportive. They keep
me writing! There is nothing better than doing a signing and having a repeat
customer come up and tell me how much they loved my last book.
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