The delicate flutter of her fingers glide against the keyboard as the sound of whispers reminisces in the pages of Rise of the Witches. Wife, mother, cosplayer, and author Melissa Jewell, 28, spends her days being a stay-at-home mum while also typing away at her computer. The world of imagination is an essential key to Melissa, and doing what she loves has and will always be a part of her. Since she could remember, her parents have always encouraged her to be creative, and so she has. She hasn't always had a passion for writing, but one day she went out for dinner and joked with her husband that she might just become a writer. So, she sat down at her laptop and wrote ten chapters of her book in one sitting, which began the adventure of her up-and-coming novel Rise of the Witches.
While Melissa spent five years working in insurance before becoming a writer, she had no idea what she wanted to do beyond that. However, as her time in the industry ended, she left on maternity leave and never looked back. Why go back when there are so many other paths to take? After maternity leave, she became a stay-at-home mum to her now daughter Emily, 4, and son Oskar, 2. Initially, she neither wanted to work insurance nor be a writer. Her ultimate dream was to be an events planner. However, life doesn't always work out. Melissa knew life would work out the way it was supposed to. After all, she got her book boyfriend. He even likes to remind her when she reads and boasts about the men in books that, 'Mel, I am them. I am the ultimate book boyfriend.' So, you could say that in more ways than one, books and writing are heavily integrated into Melissa's life. Not only through her writing but through her partner.
Being an author for Melissa has proved difficult, as pitching her own story sometimes has come to a dead end. Coming up with the perfect pitch and putting into words what the story makes or breaks everything at the end of the day. So instead of traditionally publishing her book, she has chosen to Self-publish and help others like herself in the future to publish on their own. Her book Rise of the Witches has seen a long but incredible journey as it comes to an end, and hopefully will be in the hands of readers by the end of the year. But it's been a long time; some take years, others take months. So, to see such an expedition take place has been a massive accomplishment for Melissa.
Melissa hasn't just taken to writing; in recent years, she joined TikTok to show her love and passion for books, writing, and cosplay. Reading every chance, she gets, one of Melissa's downfalls is her procrastination through reading…but don’t we all do it? Apart from the author and booktok community, spice is a big topic on her TikTok. When we think of spice, we think of Fifty Shades of Grey. However, Melissa is all about that fantasy romance or should I say Monster and alien romance. As seen in her posts about current reads, she’s read books such as Her Soul to Take, Ice Plant Barbarians and even a Court of Thorne and Roses. All which add a little kick to spice up our lives. I mean by the time you’ve finished that read you may not think straight again about romance. She sure doesn't shy away from discussing anything and everything. As seen on her social media she’s an open and free spirited person with a book stack as tall as herself. So much so it makes some of us want to buy more books to compete.
In Melissa's novel, a woman named Eliana is cast as the main protagonist. Eliana faces a hurdle of challenges as the town of Orland is put at risk by Flesh eaters, or what Melissa likes to call Kailadons 'A budget zombie monster,' she says.
In the beginning, Melissa intended this book to be a quick, snappy, action-packed read that helps readers out of their reading slump. Throw in elemental magic, a little spice, love, and adventure you get Rise of the Witches. Melissa says, 'I hope to get it published by Christmas’. So, sit back and relax and look out for Melissa’s first best-selling novel Rise of the Witches.
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