We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Melissa Brayden a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Melissa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
My mission as a writer of sapphic romance is to offer my readers an escape from the stresses of the real world. For queer women, sometimes that means an escape from hiding who they truly are depending on where they live or what kind of oppression or danger they find themselves in because of their sexuality. While I realize my books are traditional romances and are not going to change the world by any means, they just might mean the world to a young girl who’s not ready to announce her sexuality, but longs for a sense of community or to read stories about people like her. I once received an email from a female soldier in the Israeli army who read my books every chance she had, but had to keep them hidden because she’d be in great danger if anyone knew she was a lesbian. She thanked me for giving her small moments of her day when she could feel like herself. So even though my books might be a little bit fluffy, I’m well aware that the impact they might have on an individual is something far more important and substantial.
Melissa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Melissa Brayden and I’m an author of 26 sapphic romance novel in which two women fall in love and find their happily ever after. I grew up reading straight romance and loving every moment I found to sneak away and read books that were probably too advanced for a twelve year old. In my twenties, I realized I was bisexual and soon after stumbled upon a lesbian romance. I found the relationships between women to be much more emotional and two-sided (no aloof alpha male types that had been the staple of straight romances I’d grown up with). I knew I wanted to write one. Imagine my surprise when my first choice publisher accepted the manuscript in 2010. After about seven books and a few awards, I was making more than my high school teaching income and decided to go full time. I’ve never looked back!
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
When the sapphic fiction community got to know me a bit (or when I shared more about myself on my social media pages), I did not hide the fact that I was bisexual and had been married to a man for years. I honestly should have predicted that there might have been some blowback, but perhaps I wasn’t sophisticated enough at that point to understand optics.
The queer community (or at least a decent portion) felt that to write sapphic romance, I should be lesbian or at least in a lesbian relationship. I received quite a bit of hate mail and had some colleagues at conferences refuse to speak to me. I read horrible messages about myself on public message boards. There were a lot of people unhappy with my presence in the sapphic fiction world. They felt I didn’t belong. On the other side of the coin, my straight friends didn’t fully understand why I wouldn’t write straight books (calling them mainstream books) and downplayed my job because it wasn’t marketed to the masses. I felt like I couldn’t win and wasn’t welcome on either side of the fence.
At that point, I had to make a decision. I could give into the voices of all those other people, or continue on the path I knew felt right for me. “Just keep walking, Melissa,” was a phrase I often told myself when things felt tough. I’d write another book and move forward as best I could.
These days, the climate is much nicer. People are more accepting of bisexuals and everyday we take a step forward to inclusion. I couldn’t be more happy that I’d stuck it out.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
During the period in my life when my books were really beginning to take off – and sell really well – I was in grad school to obtain my MFA in Theatrical Directing. My plan had been to teach theatre at the university level, and I’d invested quite a bit of money in my education. However, this new and very unexpected opportunity had now presented itself to me in the form of my very popular books. I loved writing and wanted to explore a full on career in it, however, it was NOT the path I was on. Did I abandon my investment and go where the water was warm, or stay the course and not let what could be a temporary distraction ruin what I had going.
In the end, I took the leap. I DID finish my degree, but shortly after went full time into writing romance and I fully believe it was the best decision for me and my happiness. I’m my own boss, chart my own course, and decide when and how much I work. I find the freedom invaluable and it also offers me flexibility to raise my two young children (who are new since this decision)!
Contact Info:
- Website: www. melissabrayden.com
- Instagram: @mbraydenbooks
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissabrayden/
- Twitter: @melissabrayden
- Other: TikTok: @melissabrayden
Image Credits
They’re all credited to me.