Author Headshots:  Meet Melissa

Young Adult Author, Melissa Kline has a new fiction novel which will be released in July 2011.

A few weeks ago Melissa Kline was referred to me needing author headshots for a new Young Adult fiction book cover that is due for release in July, 2011.

When Melissa and I first met, I was immediately drawn in by her vibrant red hair and kind eyes.  Having a teenage daughter myself who is an avid reader of Young Adult fiction, I was interested to learn more about Melissa and why she wanted to update her author headshots.

I find that easy conversation during a photo session helps my client to relax and feel more natural, so here are some other things I learned during our photo session (published with her permission):

Melissa Kline lives with her husband and two sons amongst the foothills of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. She penned her first novel at the age of thirteen and has been writing consistently for over fifteen years. Her preferred genre is young adult, but she writes short stories and non-fiction as well.

Melissa’s calling is to connect with others and give hope through writing. She is the founder of the Rocky Mountain Women Writers and author of “Reflections on Writing,” a blog designed to inspire other writers.

Reason for needing author headshots

"Anissa did an incredible job at making me feel welcome, comfortable and "at home" during our photo shoot. She was very helpful in showing me how to pose and creative with backgrounds and colors. Not only was the photo shoot a blast, but the quality of my photos are amazing!"

Melissa’s latest young adult fiction novel “My Beginning” is scheduled for release in July 2011 by Lucky Press, LLC. Although she had a professional headshot that she had been using at book signings and on her Facebook page, she felt that it was important to update her author headshots to communicate a bit more about her personality to her audience.  She wanted to convey that she is vibrant and warm while being approachable and fun.

Melissa’s Favorite YA (Young Adult) Author

Melissa says that her favorite young adult author would have to be S.E. Hinton or Roald Dahl. She admires S.E. Hinton’s true-to-life voice and ability to write from a male perspective. And she notes that, “Roald Dahl’s zany, humorous, completely out-of-the-box stories never cease to delight and inspire me.”

She had a hard time naming her favorite book because she said she has so many.   But she did tell me that “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton was her favorite,  ”because that was one I enjoyed reading over and over again as a teen.”

Other favorites: ”The Giver” by Lois Lowry, “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett, ”Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson & “Sloppy Firsts” by Megan McCafferty.

Melissa needed a professional image for her book cover and PR that demonstrated her true personality.

I asked Melissa for some of her favorite links, and here is her list:

Rocky Mountain Women Writers: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rocky-Mountain-Women-Writers/140167472677035?sk=info

Reflections on Writing Blog: http://melissakline.blogspot.com/

Author Website for Book: http://www.luckypress.com/melissakline.html

Lucky Press: http://www.luckypress.com/ (Melissa’s publisher)

S.E. Hinton Website: http://www.sehinton.com/books/

Roald Dahl Website: http://www.roalddahl.com/

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