DESTINY ROAD by Melissa Wray

Writing for Children is happy to welcome Australian author Melissa Wray. Melissa's book, Destiny Road (Morris Publishing Australia), has been described as "intense" by Amazon reviewers.

 

Welcome, Melissa! What's your book about?
Destiny Road is my first published novel and I am very proud of it. The story is about Jessica who is 16 when she meets her father for the first time. She then makes the heartbreaking decision to leave her mum to live with her dad and get to know him better.

Jessica is an average teenage girl. She has lived her entire life with her mother and never worried about the fact her father wasn’t around. It’s not until she meets him that she starts to question her life, rather than just accept what is.

I like that Jessica goes on this journey of discovery about herself. But what I really like is through Jessica, you get to go on different journeys with the other characters in the story. It’s not just about Jessica. I want the reader to identify with her though and the decision she made and stuck with. No matter how hard it was to leave her mum she knew it was the right choice for her. In life we have to make tough choices sometimes.

What inspired you to write it?
The idea for the story came from when I was 16 because I made the same decision, to live with my father for the first time. Unlike Jessica I had known him all my life but my parents divorced when I was young. I was never able to say thank you to him for saying yes when I asked to live with him. He passed away several years ago and it has always bothered me that I could not get those words out before he died. Now, with Destiny Road, I feel like I have said them, so hopefully he knows.

 

Who's your publisher? Tell us your story-- how'd you come to be a published author?
I have been extremely lucky with my road to publication. I saw a competition to win a publishing contract with Morris Publishing Australia. It was just good timing that the competition came up when I had finished polishing the story. Also my maiden name is Morris so I thought the coincidence too much too ignore! I could not believe it when it was accepted. For the record, I have submitted other stories elsewhere without luck and received the dreaded rejection notes

You can read the first chapter for free.
http://www.morrispublishingaustralia.com/destiny-road.html


Are you a full-time writer or do you have a "day job"? What do you do in your "day job"?
I am the proud mum of two children. Master 7 and Miss 5, who keep me busy and entertained. I have been a primary school teacher for over 14 years and work around the kids schedules when I can. I love teaching and I am so lucky to have it for my career.

Writing started off as hobby for me. It was a way to remove myself from parental responsibilities and creep into my own creative world. Now it is part of my daily life and I can’t imagine not writing stories.

 

Why YA as opposed to some other genre?
It was around six years ago that I decided to complete a Professional Writing course. I had thought about it for a while but the timing was not right up until then. I started a Certificate of Children’s Writing, six months after I had my first child. I naively thought I would have a lot of time on my hands! Originally my intended audience was for a middle-aged reader but funnily enough I seemed to have found my voice in the Young Adult genre. Probably because I love YA books.

Visit Melissa at her blog Dream Big … Read Often. www.melissawray.blogspot.com.au

For a peek at the Destiny Road book trailer go to; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqNa07GVUtw

Goodreads. Add Melissa as a friend.
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6465945.Melissa_Wray

Facebook. Like the Destiny Road page.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Destiny-Road-By-Melissa-Wray/407031252661034?ref=hl

Thanks for joining me on Writing for Children blog, Melissa. Best of luck with Destiny Road!