Meet author Joy Avery Melville

Joy Avery Melville’s heart’s desire is to be the author God has called her to be by sharing Him with readers in such a way they long to have a deeply committed personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord. Surrendering to the genre God placed on her heart has given her new insight into the hearts and lives of those who too often hurt in silence. She loves to hear from her readers.

Tell us about your newest book.
My Contemporary Christian Women’s Fiction with a strong thread of romance is a character driven story, involving a young woman who’s been kidnapped, kept for weeks, assaulted by one man and raped by another repeatedly. She’s left in a woods in a freak snowstorm to die, but is found by a ten-year-old girl while she is out deer hunting with her father. The heroines’ journey to joy holds lessons in trust and love as her brother and his friend travel her road with her. 

What inspired you to write Meant for Her?

A television newscast in August 2011 about a local girl who faced the same situation, only in her case, resulting ultimately in death. It caused me to ask myself a LOT of What-If questions if the 20-something-year-old had lived and had to face life with that trauma haunting her.

What genre do you focus on and why?

An excellent question, Susan. I loved writing Historical Romance, but when I heard that newscast, God continuously brought it to mind, nudging me into those What-If questions, and kept prodding me to write Women’s Fiction, asking me to show that there can be joy at the end of a horrendous interruption to one’s journey. 

Whether He’s chosen to use me to help hurting readers or show hope to those who may not know or understand how. It took me several months to surrender my will to His and the outcome has been blessing upon blessing for having obeyed Him.

Why do you write? What drives you?

I write in answer to a call by God to write for Him. To share His message of hope, healing, ultimate joy with readers.

What is your work schedule like when you’re writing a book?

My schedule varies, dependent on research I may find myself needing to do as I get into the story line itself. Usually I write, starting between 7:30 am to noon, with the occasional trip out of doors with our 1-yr-old Yorkie. I grab something quick to eat but am back at my desk about 1pm. I write until time to fix supper for my husband of 46 years. Depending on how absorbed I am in the novel – how well the story is unfolding or is shaping up – I may go back to work in the evenings until about 8 pm.

Due to health issues, I’ve curbed writing time considerably these last couple of years due to issues caused by lengthy sitting and typing. My books are full length novels of over 100,000 words and once I get one started, I don’t have a lot of starts and stops, with the exception of finding I’m in need of more research in a specific area. I am determined to make sure, even though the book is a work of fiction, that I keep those things that are pure fact accurate.

What is the hardest part of being an author?

For me, the most difficult part of being an author in this day is the amount of marketing one has to do for their stories. I have a very active creative portion of my brain – techy -not so much. It takes someone with a promotional prowess to do a very good job of selling their stories. I much prefer writing them to promoting them. When it came time to begin marketing Meant For Her, panic set in. I asked God to please open doors of promotional opportunities. He reminded me, it was His idea I write the story, and I’m to leave the book in His most capable hands as to getting it where He most wants it. Again, once I surrendered the book to Him, He opened doors of opportunity to spread word about it. Praise His name.

What’s the best part of your author’s life?

I believe the ONE of the best parts of being an author’s life in my case, is seeing characters form and come to life on the blank page.
The OTHER best part of being an author is the way God has provided human resources. There have been writer friends of mine, who once they learn what my stories are about, say something to me about asking their relative or friend if I may interview them. In one instance of writing Meant For Her, I was interviewing an equine expert, and the gal with her asked what I was asking all the questions for. After she learned about my victim, she asked for my business card and later contacted me privately to tell me her story. There’ve been many contacts with people who have had their journeys interrupted, often by tragedy, and have shared how they’ve coped (or not) with what’s happened to them.

The reason I believe this is the best part of this author’s life is how often and how many different ways God has brought me close to people I’d have otherwise not met. Several have become like family over the course of time my books have been underway.

What’s one thing your readers should know about you?

I am a Christian first and an author second. I make no apology for the fact my characters are either transformed Christians or newly believing Christians by those last words of a book – THE END.

How have you changed or grown as a writer?

With each story I tell, I learn more about what motivates people who are hurting – deeply hurting – and it’s touched my life in unbelievable ways. My prayer life has changed, my tone toward those in dire circumstances is much more empathetic.

What is your favorite pastime?

Due to changes in my body, way beyond my control, I haven’t as much time to enjoy the knitting and crocheting I used to do regularly. I’ve done a lot more reading in place of those things and have several favorite authors I follow these days.

Do you have other books? We’d love to know.

I have three other books completed and two partially underway. Kept For Her is the second book in this Intended For Her Series, Promised For Her will be the third in the series with the potential for yet another one.

I have a wounded warrior story next up, waiting for edits/revisions, entitled Sown In Peace with a second book started in the Operation Return To Peace Series. 

I also have a third book completed, entitled Redefined, which was intended to be a stand-alone novel, but has since become the first in a series that has a bed and breakfast as an integral setting to each of the novels.

12 – What are you working on now?

Next up are the edits/revisions to Sown In Peace, which is to release in 2020 along with marketing and promotional work for Meant For Her 

Website: https://www.joyaverymelville.com

Link to book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Y8RJFJ1     (Ebook Pre-order)

Social media links: Email       joyjournaling@gmail.com

Twitter    https://twitter.com/Journeystojoy  

Website  https://www.joyaverymelville.com 

Blog        https://www.journeystojoy.net

Facebook Author Page http://facebook.com/jamauthor

Facebook Personal Page http://facebook.com/joy.averymelville

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/joyjournalinggmailcom