Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes: Melissa Gorzelanczyk (Interview + Giveaway)

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes is a blog event featuring debut authors answering questions that I have sent them as they talk  about their Valentine's day routines, love, book crushes and more. For a list of all the participating authors, check it out here.

Melissa Gorzelanczyk is a former magazine editor and columnist who believes love is everything. She is a proud member of the SCBWI, The Sweet Sixteens and the Class of 2k16. She lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with her husband and family.

Find Melissa: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

1.    Have you always seen Valentine’s as an important event? What do you usually do on Valentine’s Day?

• My husband and I try to go out for a nice dinner and exchange gifts. I think it’s easy to become complacent in a serious relationship—especially if you live together—because holidays can just be one more expense and one more thing to do. But it’s important to go out of your way and be thoughtful no matter how long you’ve been together.

2. What is your fondest memory about Valentine’s Day? Can you go into details about it?

• Oh wow, let me think. Probably the first Valentine’s Day with my now husband. We’d only been dating a week, but he gave me red roses and chocolates in a heart-shaped box. To me, that was a sign he was a good guy who understood how to treat a girl.

3. What has always been your idea of the perfect date?

• Anything to do with music, food and art, preferably all three. 

4. Can you tell us about your first love? What was he/she like? 

• Oh man, well I guess there were a few guys I thought I loved, and maybe some that I did in different ways than my husband. But really, Shea is my true love. He loves me for me, tells me I’m beautiful every day and believes in me. We’ve been together for more than twelve years.

5. Are the characters in your upcoming novel big romantics or total party poopers?

• Definitely a mixture of both. 

6. If you can go out on a date with a character in your book, who would it be and why?

• I definitely have to say Aaryn, because he has a lot of the same qualities of my real-life true love Shea.

7. What would you like to say to any reader out there this Valentine’s season?

• Love should feel good, so don’t force it. The right person for you is out there and their love is worth waiting for.

RT + FOLLOW me and @MelissaGorzela for a signed photo and bookmark of ARROWS.
INTL---Ends Feb. 19 (2/19) pic.twitter.com/ket7zHMAjj

— Vee x Kylo Ren (@jayvwrites27) February 6, 2016

Title: Arrows                              

Author: Melissa Gorzelanczyk

Publication: January 26th 2016, Delacorte Press                      

Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Bookstore / Fully Booked (PH)

People don’t understand love. If they did, they’d get why dance prodigy Karma Clark just can’t say goodbye to her boyfriend, Danny. No matter what he says or does or how he hurts her, she can’t stay angry with him . . . and can’t stop loving him. But there’s a reason why Karma is helpless to break things off: she’s been shot with a love arrow.

Aaryn, son of Cupid, was supposed to shoot both Karma and Danny but found out too late that the other arrow in his pack was useless. And with that, Karma’s life changed forever. One pregnancy confirmed. One ballet scholarship lost. And dream after dream tossed to the wind.

A clueless Karma doesn’t know that her toxic relationship is Aaryn’s fault . . . but he’s going to get a chance to make things right. He’s here to convince Danny to man up and be there for Karma. But what if this god from Mount Olympus finds himself falling in love with a beautiful dancer from Wisconsin who can never love him in return?

This fast-paced debut novel explores the internal & external conflicts of a girl who finds herself inexplicably drawn to a boy who seemingly doesn't reciprocate her feelings, touching on the issues of love, sex and responsibility, with a heroine struggling to control her destiny--perfect for fans of Katie McGarry's novels and MTV’s 16 and Pregnant.

Thanks so much to Melissa for being such a sport and for having such gorgeous answers! Do grab a copy of her book if you get the chance!!! Keep tuned in! Next week, we'll have Elise Kova! Thanks so much for reading!