We recently connected with Melissa Roos and have shared our conversation below.
Melissa, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
How did I develop my confidence and self-esteem?
Even at 54, I’m still not sure I’ve fully “developed” them. Confidence, to me, isn’t a destination; it’s a decision I keep making.
As a child, I was painfully shy. In public, I clung to my mother, and hid behind her. One day, my cousins and I were playing hide-and-seek in the church sanctuary when my uncle stormed in, upset at the noise. The boys were caught immediately, scolded, and sent off, but I stayed hidden, trembling in fear of being found.
And then, in the stillness of my hiding place, I felt a whisper in my spirit: I see you.
Not from my uncle, but from God.
I stood up.
My uncle spotted me and laughed. “You too?” he said gently, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as he led me out. No anger. No shame. Just… acceptance.
That was the first time I realized being seen didn’t have to be terrifying.
It took years to grow past that shyness, and truthfully, that little girl still resides deep within me and peeks out whenever I’m in unfamiliar or uncomfortable places.
So how did I build confidence?
I didn’t. I am building it. Day by day, moment by moment, I choose to stand up when I could stay hidden. I step into discomfort, and whisper Joshua 1:9 to myself:
“Be strong and courageous… for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Confidence, for me, isn’t loud. It’s simply trusting that I am seen and standing anyway, and I let that be enough.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Right out of college, stuck in a job I didn’t enjoy and alone in an office most days, I started writing my first novel. I wrote and rewrote that same story through four children, three crashed computers, three moves, PTO meetings, Booster Club chaos, all kinds of sports practices, games, and endless everyday life. Eventually, I printed the pages before my computer died, again. And shoved them in a box, where they still sit today.
Then my dad got sick. Every time I spoke to him, he’d ask, “How’s that story coming? Are you finished yet?”
I couldn’t tell him it was in a box. So I didn’t. I started a new one instead.
I wrote You Can Hide in two years. I sent it to a publisher, and days before my father passed away, I got an email saying they wanted it.
What I write: Mystery romance. Psychological suspense with sweet romance. When I really started writing, I had a twelve-year-old daughter and a ninety-eight-year-old grandmother. I wanted both of them to be able to read my books without blushing and without making me blush. So I write tension, not graphic shock. Love, not lust.
I write about places I’ve lived, people I’ve loved, and the little quirks only family would recognize. Each year, I grow a little more: author events, book clubs, Twitch read-throughs, and even my first podcast. Since 2020, I’ve released one book a year. My latest, Tennessee Wishes, came out in April, and for the first time, I’m hoping to release a second title in the same year—The Truth Lies at the Edge, coming this December.
And to think it all started with a box under the bed.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
First and foremost, you need the desire to write, the spark of inspiration, and the perseverance to see it through. Writing isn’t easy. If it were, everyone would do it. And I don’t just mean stringing words together. I mean writing anything, a hundred words or ninety thousand, and making them interesting, coherent, and compelling enough that someone won’t put the page down.
The best advice I can give is to start with what you know: a place, a person, a memory. Just write: a sentence, a paragraph, something every day. Write even when you don’t feel like it. If you can’t finish the thought, write enough that you can return to it later and keep going. The story will grow. It might be rough at first, and that’s fine. Everything can be fixed, but only once it exists.
And when it does, give it to someone you trust for honest, constructive feedback.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
The biggest challenge I’m currently facing is marketing something I believe every writer deals with. How do you get your book in front of readers? That’s the million-dollar question. I’ve been experimenting with different approaches. Recently, two of my books were read live on Twitch by “The Bookfather,” Jason Atkinson. It was both fun and nerve-wracking to interact with the audience in real time as they chatted with the host. I also appeared on public television for an interview on Pubdate with an Author, hosted by Marilyn Klimcho, and I was recently featured on The Thriller Pitch Podcast with host Mark Nadon. Beyond that, I’ve been building a newsletter, attending book clubs and author events, and staying active on social media.
Still, it remains a challenge to stay relevant and discover new ways to engage readers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.melissaroosauthor.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissaroosauthor/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMelissaRoos
- Other: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19914578.Melissa_Roos
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
