Jane's Melody by Ryan Winfield
I've been looking forward to this novel since it was announced earlier this year. I didn’t know exactly what to expect when I opened Jane’s Melody. I’ve read all of Ryan Winfield’s previous work but this was a new genre to explore.
What you will find right away is that Mr. Winfield is one very talented story teller. Before long, the words and paper fall away and you will see and feel everything the characters do. I found it to be fun, romantic and heart wrenching all at the same time. Perfect balance of angst, love, humor and sorrow.
Be sure to read the interview at the bottom of the post for more information on this inspirational author.
You can also find Ryan on Facebook to connect with him here
Review
When our story opens we find Jane, a grieving mother, and a man alone, paying his last respects to Jane’s daughter, Melody. Jane has just buried her estranged daughter and feels compelled to find out more about her before her young life was cut short. Jane seeks out the solitary man she found at her daughter's grave in hopes that he might have some of the answers she needs to understand her daughter.
What transpires is a journey of self-discovery, and a tale of forbidden love. As the book description suggests, there is an age difference between our characters that plays a heavy role in their journey. Does love know age, or time? I loved this story because it was so unique to anything I've read before. It feels different from any other out there.
As the story unfolds we learn more about Jane and Caleb. Everything I thought would happen, didn't happen. I love the unexpectedness in the tale. Something that stood out to me was the gentleman that Caleb was. Manners and chivalry are often lost in today's world but you wont find that here. I loved the man that Caleb turned out to be. Every character is relate-able in a sense that they could be your friend or a friend you wish you did have.
The characters are beautiful and diverse. Like all of Mr. Winfield's books, I cried and laughed and felt like I knew the characters personally. The very best part? There's so much more to this story than what it looks like on the surface. Thank you for this powerful story.
I felt an interview was important here. I want everyone else to know what I already know about this author. He is the real deal. I love that all of his novels are like nothing I've ever read before and he has the ability to give the reader a true escape!
The interview
· Since your writing career began, what has surprised you the most about your novels? Your readers?
I’ve been surprised by how real the characters and their journeys feel to me after I’ve written them. Almost as if I had the honor of reporting someone else’s story rather than creating it. I take credit only for doing the work—where the stories come from is a mystery and a gift. Readers have surprised me with their willingness to suspend disbelief and read those stories as if they were true. I’ve also been surprised by their generosity with me.
· Jane’s Melody is the third different genre in which you’ve published (South of Bixby Bridge, literary fiction; The Park Service, young adult dystopian; and Jane’s Melody, romance). Do you have a favorite go-to genre to read yourself?
I have favorite authors I love to read, but not genres. Genre comes up a lot, but to me it seems more a tool for cataloging a work once it’s completed rather than something that should drive the creation of the work. When a story comes to me, I try to tell it as honestly as I can. I’ve never really given genre any thought.
· Because of the diverse genres in which you have written, you’ve gained a large audience of readers in a wide range of ages. What have you thought of this?
I think it’s great. I know it might not be the best business model, but I love the diversity of the audience my different books have enjoyed. A few of my books have touched on themes of addiction or alcoholism, and possibly the biggest reward for me has been interacting with readers who have been moved by those stories, either to understand themselves or a those they love better.
· Your last book, Jane’s Melody was your first romance novel. Where did your inspiration and story come from for this story?
I wish I knew. I think I was taking a bath when Jane came to me. I had the opening image of her sitting in her car watching the rain fall on her daughter’s grave. I started writing about her right away. Caleb’s character had been with me for a long time in the form of a notebook filled with songs I had been writing over the years, but I had no idea it would be him who would show up to change Jane’s life.
· Music plays a big role in Jane’s Melody, not to mention, the double meaning in the title itself. Did you listen to music while writing the book? If so, was it the same tunes we “heard” in the story?
I never listen to music while writing. Stories come to me largely in images, and the words themselves make the music. I’d hate to have someone else’s melody slip into or influence my prose. I wrote Caleb’s songs in the book. The few that are mentioned when Caleb plays covers just happened to be songs that I love.
· Did you learn anything about your characters while writing Jane’s Melody?
Yes. Almost everything the reader learns. Writing is a very exploratory process for me and I’m often surprised by my characters and the choices they make.
· Can you relate to any of the main characters from Jane’s Melody, through personality, preferences or struggles?
I relate in some way to every character I write. The protagonist, in this case Jane, takes on most of my own struggles dealing with family dysfunction, grief, and finding the courage to start over, although in different ways, but each character has some kernel of my own experience working in them.
· Is there a message in this story that you want people to know?
I never set out to teach anyone anything when I write. I do, however, set out to learn things for myself. Sometimes all I end up with are more questions, but I’m always better for having written it anyway. I’ve received many messages from readers who take away wonderful life lessons from Jane’s journey to freedom, and some of those mirror my own. But I think ever reader has to have their own experience with the story.
· Is there anything about you that your readers would be surprised to learn (quirks, rituals, habits)?
I love sea salt baths. At least once a week I run a bath, light candles, and set my sound machine to ocean waves before sinking into the water to dream. I get some of my best ideas there.
· Your writing style is so colorful and descriptive, do these lines come naturally to you at the first writing or do you go back and edit them?
The best lines come naturally in the first draft, although I have no idea where they come from or how they get across my pen. Editing is more about reducing and cutting away what is unnecessary, which can be difficult because sometimes my favorite lines have to go.
· Aside from the third and final installment of The Park Service coming out in October, is there anything you can share about what you’re working on next?
I have notebooks full of ideas, and even a few projects half started, but I never know which of these will grab me and make me write until I have a finished book. I’m planning a month long research trip in the fall, directly after State of Nature comes out, and I hope to come home with something demanding to be finished.
