Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melissa Keir. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Melissa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Is there a historical figure you look up to? Who are they and what lessons or values have you learned from them?

When I returned to college to get my teaching degree, I was a married, mother of two and not your typical student. During a class on American Literature, I was assigned Langston Hughes to write a paper about. It was important to me to find connections to the black poet. During research, I learned that he lived for a few years in Cleveland, Ohio and worked on his high school newspaper. That I could relate to since I had grown up in the shadow of Cleveland and had also been an editor and writer on my high school newspaper.

Langston became more important to me as I read through his poetry. Here was a man whose parents were too busy to deal with raising a kid. They shuffled him off to his grandmother. She was a woman who’d lost her husband to racial hatred and taught Langston about standing up for what was right. Langston took to putting his frustration about the racial inequalities into his poems, and shared how he felt being on the outside of society.

It was his way with words that drove me to create my own stories. I wanted to be someone who shared my own feelings of inadequacy and loss. And I wanted to become a person who helped others who felt marginalized or unheard to find their voices. With Inkspell Publishing, I’ve been able to help over 80 authors follow their dreams of becoming a published author.

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?

Growing up in a small town, I created stories in my head and lived them out with my sisters. We climbed through the quarries, built forts among the leaves and pretended we were out favorite television heroines.

Always trying to spread joy and happiness, I have written over 30+ stories of couples who eventually find their Happily Ever After. My award winning and best-selling books are filled with broken heroes and heroines who overcome real-life obstacles and come out stronger than ever. My children’s books (written under my childhood name- Missy Watling) feature endearing tales infused with important lessons about self-acceptance.

As the Chief Executive Officer of Inkspell Publishing, I have worked with over eighty authors to bring their amazing books to life. Inkspell authors have gone on to become best-selling and award-winning authors in their own right. Inkspell Publishing began as a dream and now shares outstanding contemporary and paranormal romances with readers. The hands-on approach and small publisher experience creates a family among the Inkspell authors. I enjoy helping others reach for the stars.

How’d you meet your business partner?

Originally, Inkspell Publishing was the dream of Shilpa Mudiganti, an author who like myself, who found that publishing houses weren’t always around for the long haul. After gaining a publishing contract, the publishing house closed so Shilpa decided to open her own publishing house. I met her online in an author’s forum and she hired me as an editor. Over the coming year, I edited the founding stories at Inkspell, then went on to learn all the different parts of the business from formatting to royalties and invoices, all while becoming a best selling author.

When Shilpa decided to leave the publishing business to focus on her family, I bought Inkspell Publishing from her and continued to handle all the day to day operations. Inkspell has grown under my watch with award winning authors and stories. We currently have four editors and two different cover designers, in addition our authors are some of the best in Contemporary Romance today.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I had to pivot in life more than one time. I firmly believe that if you aren’t adapting, you aren’t growing. So in addition to moving from author and editor to publisher, I’ve also pivoted from mom to teacher. When my children were younger, I went back to college to become an elementary school teacher. It was one of the hardest things I ever did. I spent every extra moment studying and writing essays while my children played with their Legos and ran in the sprinkler. But it was so worth it. Becoming a teacher was a calling. I taught elementary school for over 25 years and educated hundreds of children!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.inkspellpublishing.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inkspellpub/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InkspellPublishing/