Rising Stars: Meet Melissa George of Estes Park

Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa George

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’d love to tell you my story! I first fell in love with reading when I was in seventh grade and I read “The Hunger Games.” Before dystopian, I really despised reading. Nothing could get me into it! I was even skeptical of The Hunger Games at first because I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. But the second Effie Trinket read Primrose Everdeen’s name, I was HOOKED! As it turns out, I didn’t hate reading! I just didn’t enjoy realistic fiction. Dystopian became my bread and butter, and I loved everything from The Maze Runner to The City of Ember!
Well before this new fascination with the dystopian genre, my mother got me hooked on reality television. We watched anything from American Idol to Survivor, and my favorite: Big Brother. For those who have not watched Big Brother, 12-16 strangers are sent into a house for the chance to win half a million dollars! They compete and vote each other out until there is only one person standing. My family watched this show together three times a week LIVE! We couldn’t miss an episode, it was THAT good! One year, I even got the live feeds and kept up with behind the scenes footage!
Once I got into the Hunger Games, an idea struck me: What if when contestants got voted out in Big Brother, they were executed? I held onto this idea for a decade, not sure what to do with it. I went to college and got my bachelor’s degree in Health Science, still with this book idea on the back burner. However, once I moved out to Colorado and started my master’s degree in Public Health, the fire ignited.
I HAD to write my ideas. Characters popped into my head, and I ran with it! I started with the idea of Big Brother and transformed it into my own. I wrote 2,000 words a day, and finished my first draft in just over a year! Then the real work began…editing.
I was invited to join a writing critique group about 8 months into the writing process. Bright eyed and bushy-tailed, I went in with high hopes! And boy did this group meet those expectations! I fell in love with the writing and editing process, and was introduced to events and aspects I had never before imagined! From there, my writing grew, and I was able to go from writing my first draft to editing, getting suggestions from my critique group, having beta readers, getting an editor, and so much more to get where I am today: an official indie published author!!!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It wasn’t always a smooth road. I remember my first writing conference: the 2023 RMFW Colorado Gold Conference. The experience was absolutely incredible! But I had a moment where I realized: I didn’t even KNOW what I didn’t know! But that’s what this conference is for! The other writers were so kind, and the presenters were so welcoming. But there was one hiccup: presenter after presenter confirmed that Y/A novels (my genre) typically top out at 80,000 words. We were told that agents rarely look at a manuscript that is over this word count, and my word count…let’s just say, it’s at least double the requested amount. I felt hopeless! I always wanted to go the traditional publishing route because there had been a stigma with self publishing in the past. But the conference helped me realize something: the stigma against self-publishing is a thing of the past! Now, self-published authors can be just as successful as traditional published authors, and some traditional published authors actually prefer the self-publishing route! The conference and the wonderful writers there made me realize that I don’t have to do the traditional route to get my work out there. And how amazing is it that I listened, because I can now say that I am a published author! The writing community is one I’ve never seen before, and I couldn’t be happier to be a part of it!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a Y/A dystopian author based in Estes Park, Colorado! I also incorporate subplots of romance, and try to write drama reminiscent of reality television! Think: the Real Housewives franchise. Have you ever wanted to see that drama in a book? The answer may be no, but even if that type of drama is not your vibe, there are so many other elements to “The Enterprize”!
I am known for publishing my debut novel, “The Enterprize.” It’s a Y/A dystopian novel with elements of romance. It’s set in a future where every crime is punishable by death. When Iris and her brother are discovered living under the floorboards, they are sent with fourteen other teenage convicts to the Enterprize to compete for a chance to pardon their crimes on national television. The problem about the Enterprize? Get voted out, and you are executed.
I hope “The Enterprize” will start the revival of the dystopian genre and be considered the new “Hunger Games”! It follows a similar tone to Suzanne Collins’ franchise, but instead of physically killing other contestants, the convicts have to grapple with the diffusion of responsibility and psychological turmoil of voting for another person’s death, but not being the finger pulling the trigger. It’s a fresh take on the genre, and gives the reader a chance to get to know the characters so that when they are ultimately voted out, it’s heartbreaking.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
Estes Park is absolutely beautiful, no matter what time of the year it is! The falls are stunning! The winters may be cold, but the snow it delightful! I love the nature and how the elk roam freely about the city. Sometimes they sit in my yard and eat the leaves off my bushes!
There isn’t much to dislike about the city, but it does get rather crowded in the summer. But that’s what keeps the town thriving! I started out as a tourist, so I will never dislike those visiting for a peaceful mountain vacation. The wind is also rough…I’m a professional track athlete based in Boulder with the Roots Running Project, so the wind is definitely an added challenge to my daily runs. But that’s what makes Estes Park, Estes!

Pricing:

• The Enterprize Paperback is $19.99
• The Enterprize Hardback is $29.99

Contact Info:

• Website: https://melissageorgebooks.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissageorgebooks/ AND https://www.instagram.com/melissageorgebooks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissa.menghini.7/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@melissageorgebooks
• Other: Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/175886399-melissa-george

Image Credits
Steeple photo (jumping in the water): @jeffcohenphoto (instagram handle)
Photo running around the track in white jersey: @fastwomen (instagram handle)
Photo running in Mizzou Jersey: UNKNOWN

Previous page photo of Melissa smiling in a pink dress: @epicimagery (instagram handle) Danny & Allena Baker