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My Lea by E. Mellyberry
(A Broken Love Story #1)
Publication date: November 11th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult
(A Broken Love Story #1)
Publication date: November 11th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult
Synopsis:
A simple girl.
A broken guy.
One horrible incident.
When Lea Amelia landed her feet in San Francisco for her overseas study, her idea of freedom was simple, like eating junk food ten times a day, sitting in front of the TV in her PJs, or going out late with her friends without the need to check in with her mother constantly.
Then she met Andrew Jaya, her brothers’ best friend. A twenty-two-year-old guy whose physical appearance looked like he was crafted straight from God’s heavenly hands, but possessed a past as bleak as if it was drawn by Evil himself. A conflicted guy who wore sadness like nobody’s business beneath his mask, a perfect-looking mask she slowly peeled away.
He was also the guy who hurt her.
Suddenly, everything about her was no longer simple.
Andrew Jaya had convinced himself that not feeling was good for him. He’d been doing it splendidly for almost his entire life. But that was before his best friend’s sister stepped into his life and ruined it. After weeks of knowing Lea, all of those warm and wonderful feelings he’d long ago denied to himself started to reappear. Problem was, the brighter the light, the bigger the shadows that came with it.
His traumatic past refused to let him go.
When the unthinkable happened, the easiest thing to do was to run. But life often proves that the easiest way is usually the hardest.
A broken guy.
One horrible incident.
When Lea Amelia landed her feet in San Francisco for her overseas study, her idea of freedom was simple, like eating junk food ten times a day, sitting in front of the TV in her PJs, or going out late with her friends without the need to check in with her mother constantly.
Then she met Andrew Jaya, her brothers’ best friend. A twenty-two-year-old guy whose physical appearance looked like he was crafted straight from God’s heavenly hands, but possessed a past as bleak as if it was drawn by Evil himself. A conflicted guy who wore sadness like nobody’s business beneath his mask, a perfect-looking mask she slowly peeled away.
He was also the guy who hurt her.
Suddenly, everything about her was no longer simple.
Andrew Jaya had convinced himself that not feeling was good for him. He’d been doing it splendidly for almost his entire life. But that was before his best friend’s sister stepped into his life and ruined it. After weeks of knowing Lea, all of those warm and wonderful feelings he’d long ago denied to himself started to reappear. Problem was, the brighter the light, the bigger the shadows that came with it.
His traumatic past refused to let him go.
When the unthinkable happened, the easiest thing to do was to run. But life often proves that the easiest way is usually the hardest.
When did
you start writing?
What makes you want to write?
‘Cos I love it. Writing puts me on a roller-coaster ride. Front seat, all year long :)
Do you ever get writer's block and what do you do to get over it?
Who, me? Nooo. Never. (Note: denial only hurts when you admit it).
My writer’s block is a combination of many things, for instance: lack of sleep, lack of coffee, or lack of sugar. However, on rare occasions, I did experience a blockage that had nothing to do with my calorie-intake or the sheer quietness around me. It was a wicked moment when I didn’t know how and what to write. I had no idea who my characters were; I had no clue how to bring the story forward, etc., etc. When that happens, the best solution for me is to step away from my desk and out of my house as soon as possible. A few minutes hanging out with my dearest friends usually brings my writing mojo back hours later.
Do you have a special way of going about writing?
I’m more of a pantser than a plotter J. Ideas come to me in a heap of a mess. They show up in a form of scenes. To make it more fun, they do not arrive in chronological order. What I usually do is to freeze that moment while frantically searching for a pencil/notebook/phone/recorder (whatever I stumble upon first), write it down, and store it. Then I connect them one by one. I feel like a detective trying to solve a mystery by putting scattered clues together than an author at work.
Do you have any works in progress?
One children book, one non-fiction book about parenting (yes, I’m that old), an MG fantasy, and of course, the sequel to My Lea.
What are your hobbies?
Reading mostly. Travelling. Singing (though I shouldn’t be allowed to), and
collecting books. I attach a picture of my bookshelf. Before you ask, the
answer is very. I take book-collecting very, very seriously.
How did you choose the character names for My Lea?
I usually ‘borrow’ my friends’ and family’s names. But Lea’s is different. Personally, I don’t know anyone named Lea. I love her name so much. It’s simple and sweet, just like the girl herself.
Who is your favourite character in My Lea?
Andrew. He’s difficult to write because he is not purely black (evil). He’s not purely white (good) either. He has this whole spectrum of color around him, within him, hanging above him. Capturing Andrew’s endless and erratic potential is what makes writing this book so emotional and exciting to me.
How did you get the idea for My Lea?
I always wanted to write something that would shake the readers’ emotion. We got plenty of perfect fairy tales out there, so I thought why not the opposite. How would a broken fairy tale feel like? How would it define itself?
I want my readers to question the basic principle of right and wrong, good and bad. I want them to re-evaluate the meaning of hope, forgiveness, and choices.
What was your favourite part of writing My Lea?
The jokes. I edited the joke parts more often than the rest of the book. They stressed the hell out of me, but they also made me laugh out loud.
What are you currently reading?
Jandy Nelson’s I’ll Give You The Sun. The setting is in San Francisco, just like the setting of My Lea. Yay!
What is your favourite book?
This.
This, I dread.
There are so many of them, it’s impossible to answer. Spreadsheets need to be made. Secret calculating formulas need to be invented. The books need to be sorted by genres, author, year of publication, cover art, and many other criteria before I could come up with a winner.
Who is your favourite author?
John Green has stayed undefeated for three years in a row. He’s an awesome individual, more than just an author. I’d love to meet him someday.
What is your favourite film?
As long as it’s not horror, I like them all J
What is your favourite TV show?
The Big Bang Theory! Bazinga!
Quick-fire questions:
Chocolate or ice cream? Ice cream
Paperback or ebook? Both
Dogs or cats? Dogs
Go out or stay in? Go out
Summer or winter? *Sings the way Olaf sings* In Summerrrrr….
AUTHOR BIO
Melly is a full-time mom, wife, and fangirl. She used to work in a school and she’s very passionate about education.
Melly has been writing children’s books since 2011 under the name mellyberry. She loves reading all kinds of books in her spare time, mostly MG, YA, NA, contemporary, paranormal, and fantasy. She avoids horror and sci-fi as much as she can.
Melly was born in Indonesia and grew up in a multi-language environment. When she talks to people, she could accidentally string words from different languages into one sentence. When she does that, simply reminds her to speak properly.
Her ideal vacation always involves a beach; usually it’s the Nusa Dua beach, Bali. She spent a few years in USA to complete her Master degree. It was during that time that she’d fallen madly in love with San Francisco and the Bay Area. According to her, San Francisco is no doubt the most romantic city in the world.
Melly has been writing children’s books since 2011 under the name mellyberry. She loves reading all kinds of books in her spare time, mostly MG, YA, NA, contemporary, paranormal, and fantasy. She avoids horror and sci-fi as much as she can.
Melly was born in Indonesia and grew up in a multi-language environment. When she talks to people, she could accidentally string words from different languages into one sentence. When she does that, simply reminds her to speak properly.
Her ideal vacation always involves a beach; usually it’s the Nusa Dua beach, Bali. She spent a few years in USA to complete her Master degree. It was during that time that she’d fallen madly in love with San Francisco and the Bay Area. According to her, San Francisco is no doubt the most romantic city in the world.
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