Pageant.com: Where did you grow up and was reading
and writing a part of your life? Who were your earliest influences and
why?
Melissa Foster :
I grew up in Maryland with my mother and three
older brothers. Reading was a big part of my life--I used to climb a
tree and sit for hours devouring books. I always kept a diary, and like
many children, journals of stories I'd like to write (someday). I am a
little different with my influences, as they weren't the type of writers
that you typically hear about from authors. A.A. Milne was a favorite
for his simplicity and optimism. Though he was a children's author, and
I filled my days with higher level books, the ease of his characters'
lives and their positive outlooks always remained in the recesses of my
mind. My mother was a great influence on me. I cannot remember a single
day that she did not have her nose in a book. She supported my earliest
efforts of putting pen to paper, and her support remains even stronger
today.
PageOneLit.com: Why do you write?
Melissa Foster :I write because I feel the presence of my
characters and the voice of their stories so deeply that not to write
would almost be painful. I long to do it, and when I'm doing it I'm
happy. Writing is like a drug to me, addicting. It takes a lot of
effort for me not to write.
PageoneLit.com: Briefly discuss your book MEGAN'S
WAY.
Melissa Foster :Megan's Way begs the question, What would you give
up for the one you love? Megan's Way is the story of a single mother
who is forced to make the most difficult decision a mother could ever
face. Her decision will change the lives of her daughter, Olivia, and
her closest friends, Holly, Jack, and Peter. Megan's journey explores
the depth of the mother-daughter bond and the intricacies of
friendships, as well as the emotional roller coaster of a teenage girl's
life. Olivia wants to know who her father is, Holly has a secret that
could devastate her friendships with Megan and Olivia, and end her
marriage to Jack, and Peter's dealing with feelings of abandonment,
having been left by his mother at a young age. Jack is an unknowing
participant in one of the greatest acts of his life. Further
complicating Megan's decisions is the realization that she and Olivia
share more than a mother-daughter bond. They share a deep spiritual
connection, enabled by a fortune teller years before Megan ever became a
parent--Megan feels what Olivia feels, her fear, her angst, her torture.
When Olivia's frustration over her mother's secrecy become too much to
handle, she acts out in ways that become life threatening, and even her
mother's paranormal connection might not be enough to save her.
Some secrets tear relationships apart, while
others bind them together. Megan's Way brings secrets to the forefront
on an emotional and powerful level. Are some secrets better left
unexposed?
PageOneLit.com: Where did the story for MEGAN'S
WAY come from? Based on any actual events?
Melissa Foster :The seedling from Megan's Way came from an actual
event that happened wth my mother, years ago, and the inspiration from
the friendships came from a group of women that I grew up with, although
none is singled out as Holly. My mother is like my best friend. We are
very close, and share all of the ups and downs of life. She's always
been my greatest fan and very supportive. Many years ago, she had
undergone surgery for what she'd told me were benign cysts. The event
itself was traumatic, but she came out fine and all was well in my
little world...until a year later when she confessed that they had
actually thought that she'd had cancer, and if she had, she'd already
made the decision not to have treatment. That realization spent my head
spinning with selfish thoughts of, "How could she choose to leave me?"
As the years passed, I came to understand what went into her decision
and how it was a selfless decision, not a selfish one. When Megan
presented herself to me, about 10 years after my mother's surgery, I
felt that her story, and the story of others like her, needed to be
told. She needed a voice.
PageOneLit.com: Who is Megan Taylor?
Melissa Foster :Megan Taylor is an intensely passionate, artistic
single mother who loves life and accepts it as it's presented to her.
She is a spiritual being that became whole when she gave birth to her
daughter. She's steadfast in her friendships, secretive to protect
others, and I think she's a sensual being at heart. Megan has an easy
way about her--she isn't tied to trends, and doesn't care what others
thiink of her style--a little hippyish, maybe. Megan Taylor just "is",
and every breath she takes is for her daughter, Olivia
PageOneLit.com: MEGAN'S WAY would make a great
film - if Hollywood called tomorrow and asked you to cast the film who
would you cast and why?
Melissa Foster :It's funny that you asked! Actually, Dakota
Fanning's agent currently has a copy of the screenplay adaptation of
Megan's Way. My fingers are crossed (it's very hard to type this way!).
I envision Dakota as the perfect Olivia, and always have. She did such a
perfect portrayal of emotions in The Secret Life of Bees, that I feel
she'd bring Olivia to light in a realistic fashion. As for Megan, I
think Virginia Madsen or Drew Barrymore would be ideal. They both have
very real personas, and I think that's one of the most important aspects
of Megan to portray. Megan is down-to-earth, not materialistic, and an
optimist, and I see both of those actresses as being that way as well.
PageOneLit.com: I absolutely love the cover
design for MEGAN'S WAY. Who did this work - and what was the concept?
Melissa Foster : I fell in love with this photograph the moment I
found it and purchased it online! The concept was to capture Megan in
the here and now, as well as in the afterlife--giving the reader the
sense that she's present, even when her physical body has slipped away.
Spirituality (not religion) flows through the book, and I believe this
photo captures that perfectly.
PageOneLit.com: You are the founder of THE
WOMEN's NEST - Explain.
Melissa Foster :
I founded the Women's Nest on a whim, and it
blossomed from there. I was looking for a way to communicate with my
girlfriends one afternoon, but everyone was at work or busy with
children. Between kids, work, spouses, hobbies--we never seemed to have
time to even talk on the phone (without someone interrupting us). I
knew I was not alone in my desire to connect with women friends, and
decided to create a place where all women could feel welcome, no matter
what their backgrounds, religions, personal preferences, etc., may be. A
place where they could kick back and laugh, vent, SCREAM, cry, be
understood, and be heard.
The Women's Nest is a social and support community
for women. It's completely online, and we offer hundreds of forums
(where our discussions take place), blogs for each member, a book club,
monthly healthy challenges, and a daily dose of exercise motivation
(including at home exercises). We motivate each other in many aspects of
our lives, we support each other and share our thoughts on those
hard-to-get-through days, and we laugh a lot! Our member are real women,
dealing with real issues, and we develop real friendships. It's my labor
of love.
PageOneLit.com: What do you hope to achieve with
MEGAN'S WAY?
Melissa Foster :
There is hope in Megan's Way. I would like readers
to come away with more patience and understanding toward people whose
decisions they might not agree with. Everyone keeps secrets, some big,
some small, and people make decisions based on many different aspects of
their lives, and the lives of others, and the reasons are not always
apparent to outsiders, muchless agreed with. There's a need for
understanding and acceptance, and often, forgiveness. In other words, I
hope people will be less quick to judge others, and at least consider
that the power of love can cross the boundaries of Heaven and Earth.
PageOneLit.com: What was the last book you read?
Melissa Foster :I just finished The Bean Trees, by Barbara
Kingsolver. It was wonderful!
PageOneLit.com: What's next?
Melissa Foster :
I've recently completed The Knowing, which is a
mystery about a seven-year-old girl who disappears from a small town,
and I'm seven chapters into novel number three, Come Back To Me.
Here's a sneak preview of The Knowing:
The Knowing tells the story of seven-year-old
Tracey Porter's abduction, and one woman's search to find her. Tracey's
disappearance mirrors the abduction of Kate Plummer, which took place
twenty years earlier—Kate was never seen again.
Boyds, Maryland is the type of small town where
people move to escape chaos and crime, and to find a sense of community.
Molly Tanner has lived there for twelve years, and has been clairvoyant
for as long as she can remember. Her visions have never been very
detailed or clear—until one cold, gray morning when she’s out for her
daily jog.
Unable to ignore the powerful visions, and
ridiculed by the police, Molly takes matters into her own hands. Molly
finds another side of Boyds, where the residents, and the land itself,
hold potentially lethal secrets.
PageOneLit.com: Do you have any hobbies? What are
they? How do they enhance your writing?
Melissa Foster :
Hobbies...let's see. The Women's Nest! I'm on
there a LOT chatting with my site sisters. I love running, reading, and
just about anything outdoors or with my children and/or husband. Running
clears my head and gives me sanity. It also is the one act that almost
always brings inspiration to my writing. I mentally sift through
scenarios when I run--some I end up using in novels, and some I just
play with. My children and the Women's Nest are both sources of
inspiration as well, but they really cleanse my mind, rejuvenate me, so
I am able to write without the tethers of stress. I also very much
enjoy chatting with book clubs and other reading groups.
Many thanks, John! I've really enjoyed answering
your questions, and I'm glad you enjoyed Megan's Way.
