Monday, February 24, 2020

BLOG TOUR & AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Melanie A. Smith for "Never Date a Doctor"

Never Date a Doctor
by Melanie A. Smith
Publication date: February 25th, 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
From best-selling author Melanie A. Smith comes the first book in a new series of steamy contemporary medical romance standalone novels about life lessons that break all the rules. 
What’s the first rule of nurse’s club? That’s right: Never date a doctor. Which Sasha Suvorin has no intention of doing anyway, since she’s a nurse at Rutherford Hospital by day and working on her master’s degree by night. Who has time for dating, much less dating someone you work with? Bad idea much? 
That is, until the sexy British Dr. Caleb Thompson starts at her hospital. It also doesn’t help that he’s exactly her type with his dark hair, blue eyes, and rockin’ bod. Or that he’s not your typical arrogant and bossy surgeon. But Sasha isn’t so easily convinced, and she soon discovers Dr. Hottie has a past that puts a stop to whatever she might have been feeling before anything ever starts between them. 
Unfortunately, working together means facing temptation. Every. Single. Day. Is Sasha strong enough to resist what might just be the perfect man? And if she gives in, will Cal’s past stay in the past? Sasha may be used to playing it safe, but life has a way of teaching its lessons … one way or another.

~AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Melanie A. Smith~

1) What gave you the inspiration for the storyline?

The core idea started when I had some blood pressure issues last summer (I swear I’m not that old. Turns out a pickle addiction is bad for your blood pressure. Who knew?) In any case, I ended up at a cardiologist’s office. And the cardiologist was ridiculously attractive. My writer brain started working on that immediately, and the idea grew from there!

2) Are there any hidden (or not so hidden) themes in the book that you hope readers will discover?

That sometimes the lessons we learn in life aren’t the ones we expected to. That it’s important to challenge yourself instead of becoming complacent or accepting the status quo. That learning about yourself and what you really want and need is a process. These are all pretty consistent themes in all of my books, and I think romance in general. I think it’s why I write romance. Not just because it’s emotionally satisfying, but because the process of finding “the one” is chock full of lessons, challenges, and growth that layer beautifully for a truly meaningful read.

3) Are any of the characters based on real people you know?

Definitely, though to varying degrees. I think it’s natural to incorporate elements of people you know, and yourself, for that matter, into characters. The trick is never to admit who they’re based on and always leave people guessing in a “You’re So Vain” kind of way. ;)

4) Who has influenced you most as a writer?

To an extent, I think my writing is influenced by everything I read as I study the various story aspects, though particularly so by other indie authors I've read in my journey this last year and change. But nobody has shaped my writing more than Anne Rice. I’ve been reading her books for two decades (yeesh, my age is showing) and watching her continue to entertain and evolve is beyond inspirational.

5) If you could have any three literary characters over to your place for game night, who would you invite, what would you play, what would you serve, and why?

I simultaneously love and hate this question. I love it because there are so many literary characters I love. But I hate having to choose (haha). I’ll go with Mr. Darcy, Gandalf, and Thursday Next. We’d play Clue, because what else would you play with an aristocratic snob, a wizard, and chronoguard? I’d serve finger sandwiches and tea, naturally, as they’re all British or the brain-child of a Brit. Darcy would hate the whole affair, which would intrigue Thursday, and Gandalf wouldn’t care so long as he had his pipe. And I’d have died and gone to heaven.

6) Do you feel that you can ever have too many books?

Is there really someone out there saying you can have too many books? And what’s their damage? No. Decidedly not. Books are everything – teachers, places to escape to, a way to connect with others, fuel for imagination … I could go on, but I think you get the idea.

Author Bio:
Melanie A. Smith is the best-selling author of The Safeguarded Heart Series and other contemporary romance fiction. Originally from upstate New York, she spent most of her childhood in the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to Los Angeles for college. After that, she spent almost fifteen years in the Seattle Area, and now lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas with her family. 
A voracious reader and lifelong writer, Melanie’s writing began at a young age with short stories and poetry. Having completed a bachelor of science in electrical engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a master’s in business administration at the University of Washington, her writing abilities were mainly utilized for technical documents as a lead engineer for the Boeing Company, where she worked for ten years. 
After shifting careers to domestic engineering and property management in 2015, she eventually found a balance where she was able to return to writing fiction.
Melanie is also a Mensan and enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, and driving with the windows down and the stereo cranked up loud. 
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