GCC Presents Melissa Walker and UNBREAK MY HEART!

I'm so excited about all of the books I get to highlight this week, because I love them all SO MUCH!!! I was fortunate enough to have gotten my hands on an early copy of UNBREAK MY HEART by Melissa Walker, and I'm so thrilled to be able to spotlight this as part of the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit. It had me taken away from the first page to the last. And wait until you hear about the unusual setting: a sailboat!

Here's a little bit more about the book...

Summer will be the season for Melissa Walker fans to fall in love all over again. UNBREAK MY HEART is told in alternating chapters that chronicle the year that broke Clementine Williams’s heart and the summer that healed it. Inspired by Melissa’s own experience sailing with her family as a teen, this is the perfect beach read for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Susane Colasanti.

Usually Clem would dread the idea of spending an entire summer sailing with her family—two parents, one annoying little sister, and no internet, all on one tiny boat; however, right now escaping her life on land sounds pretty good. Clem did something bad during her sophomore year, even though she didn’t mean to. She fell for her best friend’s boyfriend and thought that he was falling for her too. Now the school year is over, the truth is out and he’s been excused while she’s been exiled, leaving her with no friends and zero social life.

When she and her family set sail the last thing Clem is looking for is another romance, but perhaps it found her anyway. His name is James. He’s cute, funny, and best of all, doesn’t know anything about her past. He and his dad are sailing the same route as Clem and her family for the summer and he's just the distraction Clem needs. Can he break down Clem's walls and unbreak her broken heart?

About the author

MELISSA WALKER is the author of Small Town Sinners, the Violet on the Runway series and Lovestruck Summer. She has worked as ELLEgirl Features Editor and Seventeen Prom Editor. Melissa manages I Heart Daily, an e-newsletter and blogs for ReaderGirlz, an online community for teens. A Chapel Hill, NC native, Melissa now lives in Brooklyn, NY.  www.melissacwalker.com

Melissa stopped by for a short interview...

Welcome! Tell me about your book in seven words or less.

M.W. - A year of heartbreak; a summer love. 

Other than your main character, who's a favorite character of yours in your novel and why?

M.W. - I love Clem's little sister, Olive. She entered the scene and totally took over when I wrote. I love it when that happens.
 What's one piece of writing advice you would give to aspiring authors?

M.W. - Read as much as you can and look for things that work and things that don't work within the books you're inhaling (I say inhaling because you should read a lot, and often). Each book has a bit of advice in it, if you look.  

What did you write when you were a teen? Did you journal? Write poetry? Write overly literary or emotional stories? Or avoid writing altogether?

M.W. - I kept a journal which is HUMILIATING to re-read. I also worked on my yearbook and school paper, so I did a lot of non-fiction, which I think was a great base when I switched to fiction in my 20s. 

What's the last book you read that you really loved?

M.W. - I just read a middle grade by Natalie Standiford called The Secret Tree that was totally charming and lovely!

Praise for UNBREAK MY HEART:

“A super cute love story! Melissa Walker will inspire readers to never stop believing in true love.”

—SUSANE COLASANTI, author of When It Happens and Keep Holding On

“A raw, real, and ultimately heartwarming discovery of what it means to be a true friend. Walker gets it exactly right.”

—JENNIFER ECHOLS, author of Love Story and The One That I Want

Praise for Small Town Sinners:

“…An unforgettable novel.” – Shelf Awareness

“Walker has written a credible and tender evocation of the moment when a young person's beliefs begin to emerge and potentially diverge from the teachings of a family's religion.” - New York Times

“Both tender and provocative.” – Publishers Weekly


Melissa is also promoting a big giveaway to coincide with Unbreak My Heart's release:
 Make a breakup playlist on Spotify for a chance to win an iPod loaded with the soundtrack to Unbreak My Heart (and the book!):
https://www.facebook.com/notes/bloomsbury-teens/announcing-the-unbreak-your-heart-playlist-contest-on-spotify/391423114232968