Author Spotlight: Melody R. Green

Welcome to the first in our series of Author Spotlights! Today, we’re thrilled to introduce Melody R. Green, a writer whose creativity and life experiences make her work truly extraordinary. Here’s everything you need to know about Melody and her literary journey.

Author Fact File

Name: Melody R. Green
Location: Armidale, NSW, Australia
Astrological Signs: Scorpio (Western), Monkey (Chinese)
Fun Facts:

• Melody is an introvert and empath with a highly sensitive personality.

• She’s a fully trained colour, sound, and flower essence therapist.

• She collects fountain pens—40 and counting!

• She loves tea, teacups, teapots, and a biscuit or two, so of course afternoon tea is her favorite meal.

Tell us about your latest book, Maggie McCready’s Travelling Tarot Adventures - The Omnibus!

Meet Maggie McCready, a travelling tarot reader who offers spiritual advice over a cup of tea and a charmed biscuit or two. The Omnibus brings together all three of Maggie’s adventures that will whisk you away into a world where mysticism and danger intertwine. Book 1 – The Angel Tea House Angel St., looks angelic but all is not as it seems! When dark forces stir only a tarot reader can read the signs, something is definitely brewing in Angel St. and it’s not just the tea! Book 2 – The Pilgrims’ Way Cafe In the heart of The Archangels’ Way, a mystery brews stronger than any tea. Mystic paths, ancient spirits and one tarot reader’s courage shines through on a supernatural quest to cleanse the haunted pathways of Dartmoor’s storied Pilgrim route. Step into the Archangels’ Way with Maggie and her celestial allies to find out more. Book 3 – The Pendragon Tea Rooms When the call of destiny leads Maggie to the heart of Britannia’s mystical sites, she must face both supernatural and earthly dangers to protect the sacred balance. The lines are blurred between good and evil; will Maggie’s tarot wisdom be enough to guide her through the darkness?

Featured Books by Melody R. Green

• The Omnibus: Maggie McCready's Travelling Tarot Adventures
  Meet Maggie McCready, a traveling tarot reader whose adventures blend mysticism and danger. Follow her journey through three captivating stories:

  • The Angel Tea House

  • The Pilgrims’ Way Cafe

  • The Pendragon Tea Rooms
    Get your copy here

• Wish Bombs Baking Spells and Recipes (coming April 2025)

• A Tipsy Man Goes Naked (Love Tales and Recipes, #1)
  Available now

• Beloved, I Love You So
  Check it out

• The Depression Relief Workbook: 6 Weeks to a Happier You
  Explore here

Fun Stuff

Five Favorites:

• Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

• Authors: Too hard to say just one! Jane Austen, Paulo Coelho, Laura Esquivel, Joanne Harris but also writers of political thrillers

• Movie/TV Show: Inception and any Jane Austen and I'm a fan of historical romance

• Place: Stonehenge, Glastonbury, Bath, and Italy

• Ice Cream Flavour: Hokey Pokey (you can tell I was brought up in New Zealand)

Author Q&A

1. Why do you write?

I was terrible at composition in English classes, I simply went blank when I saw the white page in front of me, but I had just had my 40th birthday and a couple of days later I announced to the world at large that I was going to become a published writer! 

And then I saw a small very dodgy advert: ‘Writer Wanted’ and a phone number. I followed it up and found a publishing company that provided tertiary training manuals. My first job with the company was to write a manual that no one else wanted on soft skills in the workplace - which ironically I was well versed in. I wrote these for a few years. I had been an ESL teacher for a few years so I was used to creating class notes and programs, and writing manuals was not too far removed, although the way the training manuals were formalised was. 

Then I wrote a couple of short stories and was told by an editor not to leave my day job! But I kept at it. My first collection of short stories took 20 years from the time I wrote the first story until I got it published. And then I wrote my first novel during NANWRIMO in November 2019. It was called The Angel Tea House.

And the rest, as they say, is history!

2. What does your writing process look like?

My training as a tertiary training manual writer meant I probably was always going to be a planner rather than a panster, and years spent in performance and production (opera and theatre) meant I was used to the discipline of practice, rehearsal and getting things done to a timetable. 

My writing style is to keep a journal of ideas as they come to me - these could be dream fragments or ideas, or something I've read that I immediately think would make a good story. My work is always character driven... so I begin with the character. I kept seeing Maggie McCready in my peripheral vision for about a year until finally I said "Okay! Who are you and what do you want?" And then I had a series of 'conversations' with Maggie to get the idea of what the books were about. And I built the story from there. Of course in this genre (fantasy) because I'm a psychic counsellor, it's not uncommon for me to 'see or hear' people in Spirit. who have stories to tell. 

I work with book plans, character profiles and often the place is also a character in my books. Also I will blend historical content into my story. I do this for a couple of reasons: firstly very selfishly because I'm quite into history, but also because Spirit is not one dimensional but multidimensional. If you are sensitive and you place your foot on the earth you can pick up all kinds of information as to who lived on the land before, what was the history, have you lived there etc... and this added information gives more depth to characters and their motivations. 

When I first started writing my son was still at school and I was working a full time job, so I learned to write anywhere - including on the train in peak hour traffic! These days I usually write at home or in a cafe or the local library, so mostly it's during the day, but if I'm taking part in NANOWRIMO, I like to get the writing done first thing when my mind is fresh. When I'm writing a book I tend to write every day... but if I'm in other stages of the writing process, then my days can look quite different. If I write non-fiction I can write directly to the computer, but if it's fiction I like working on a book plan and on exercise books, with ink and fountain pens - did I mention I'm a collector of fountain pens and notebooks? I love the smell of paper, the scratch of the nib on the paper and the flow of the ink! It makes me happy to have inky fingers, although not so much inky clothes! 

These days I'm semi-retired so I can spend more time writing and of course reading. I am most fortunate to not seem to get writer's block, and I think this is due to working to a plan. But I do sometimes have too much going on mentally and so I need to clear my head - and for this I go to the kitchen and bake. It keeps me present, grounded and calms my mind.

3. Who is your biggest inspiration?

All kinds of people... and humanity at large. I've always been fascinated by people and what makes them who they are.

4. What do you want your readers to know about your book?

I wrote Maggie McCready's Travelling Tarot Adventures because I wanted to share how Spirit is so much a part of our worldly dimension even if most of us can't see Spirit. I have worked with the angelic realm for more than 30 years and so I also wanted to share what that's like. The series is meant to entertain you, give you a different perspective on Spirit and other beings and also keep you grounded in the mundane of life. This is why the series is set in tea shops. I personally have read in many different locations, and tea and coffee shops are a common place for tarot readers to hang out!

5. What is something you wish you’d known as an author just starting out??

Trust yourself. Trust your story and trust your voice. You don't have to second guess yourself. Not everyone will understand or like the way you write, and that's ok.

6. What is coming next for you?

1. Currently I'm working on finalising Wish Bombs, Baking Spells and Recipes, which is the companion book to The Omnibus and the Maggie McCready's Travelling Tarot Adventures trilogy. It came about because readers wanted to know more about the recipes mentioned in the book and learn more about how to create baking spells and bring spirit into the everyday. This is due out in April 2025 in time for Mother's Day. 

2. I find short stories are a great palate cleanser as a writer, especially when you are a series writer - which I seem to be! The next collection in the short story series, Love Tales and Recipes, is called Nuts About You and is due out in July 2025. 

3. Maggie McCready's Travelling Tarot Adventures is currently being shopped to TV production companies in the UK and USA - which is very exciting , but takes time to come about - so watch out for more details in 2025. 

4. I have done some plotting on a new historical series across major cities of Europe. This is some way off being published though.

Connect with Melody

• Website: melodyrgreenauthor.com

• Instagram: @melodyrgreenauthor

• Facebook: Melody R. Green Books

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