 1. Congratulations on your new release junior fiction novel The Lost Loot of Lima, illustrated by Sandy Flett and published by Wombat Books. How did you get the idea for the book? What was the writing, and rewriting, process like? Thank you! The idea was originally a 3,000-word short story for a writing competition which was offered through Writers Victoria in 2016. The theme was ‘My Local Area’. Initially I wanted to showcase all the things that the beautiful coastal town of Queenscliff had to offer. As I researched the area, I discovered the story of Benito the pirate and his buried treasure. I’ve lived near Queenscliff for many years and knew nothing about it! The more I researched the treasure, the more I knew it had to be a key feature within the story. 2. How did The Lost Loot of Lima come to be published by Wombat Books and what was the publication experience like for you? In 2023 my third YA novel, Summer Change, was published by Rochelle Stephens and the incredible team at Rhiza Edge which is the YA imprint of Wombat Books. I had submitted The Lost Loot of Lima a couple of years prior with no response. Something must have jogged Rochelle’s memory about a pirate story I had written and she asked me about it. I quickly sent her the most recent version of the MS and after some backwards and forward edits, she offered me a publishing contract. Both experiences have been fantastic. I have learnt so much about the publishing process and have been involved every step of the way with both books. I was a little nervous this time to see my story brought to life through illustrations. It is the first time I have had pictures included, but Sandy nailed it! 3. Did the first draft change very much compared to the final product? What was your goal with the story when you began writing it? I still have a copy of the original submission. It’s not great, ha-ha! But the bones of the original story are there and have been included in the published version. With so many extra words I was able to add a lot more depth, tension and historical research into the storyline. The story line is much richer with many more layers included to connect with the reader. The challenge, once I started researching the history of the treasure, was deciding what to include and how to include it. 4. I love the intergenerational relationship between Ben and Nan and also what a special relationship Ben obviously had with his late grandfather. There is so much mystery, action, adventure and humour in the book. What do you see as the heart of the book? What do you hope readers feel or think when they read the book? Growing up I was very close to my great-grandmother. She raised my mother from the age of five so the connection between those two and the connection between Nana and myself was always very special. I cherish my memories of my great-grandmother, so I wanted the inter-generational connection to be important. For me, this is the heart of the book. The mystery, action and adventure were a beautiful bonus to be able to include so it appealed to the younger audience. Because the story has local connections, there are many adults that have taken an interest in the research notes and how it has been included into the story. I have been told by a few adults that they are enjoying reading it together with their young person. I love this because it is a great storyline to read together and discuss. 5. Do you have a typical daily writing process? And what is your writing space like? I’m embarrassed to admit this, but as a published author, I am not very regimented in my writing process. Life can get hectic! Sometimes I will write nonstop for days. But other times it can be weeks before I write anything. I used to have a much stricter approach, but sometimes it felt like a chore and took the joy of writing away. So, I took the pressure off, removed word count targets and now I rarely feel pressured to write. Except of course if there is a deadline with editing reviews. But to be honest, editing is my favourite part of the writing process. I learn so much from it. 6. What is in the pipeline? Can you share anything you are working on next? I have another historical fiction inspired story that I had written as a picture book but it’s just not working. So, I have started to extend it into a similar style to The Lost Loot of Lima. I also dug out a YA story I started years ago but never finished. When I started to read it again recently it made me laugh out loud and I got excited for what it could become so I have decided to play around with that as well. But I love all things literacy and as a teacher, I am passionate about supporting students in this space. I currently teach English as a second language (EAL) students so am about to begin study to complete a Graduate Certificate of TESOL. This will help me to understand literacy approaches for teaching second language speakers more and will take up a fair bit of my time.  7. Anything else you would like to add?
Thank you for this opportunity, Brenton. The kid lit community is so supportive and I'm grateful for the connections I've made over the years. I am constantly learning from those around me and always want to challenge myself in new ways. Also, if you ever go to Queenscliff, be sure to look for the sign that marks the area of the buried treasure. Melissa believes everyone should Dream Big…Read Often. You can follow her Instagram https://www.instagram.com/liss_wray and check out her website: https://melissawray.blogspot.com/ and her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DreamBigReadOften/
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