‘The tough times are meant to be part of the overall package’

Melanie Blake has told The Book Insider that a working class voice can sometimes find it hard to break through because it is expected that the ‘tough times’ they have had in real life needs to be part of the package to promote the author.

Melanie has gone through a lot during her life but she was determined not to “sell out” to achieve her goal of being a bestseller.

She feels justified that she has stuck to her guns and has enjoyed success with her three titles so far – The Thunder Girls (2018), Ruthless Women (2021) and Guilty Women (2022).

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Her last two books are setting up a trilogy finale, with Melanie drawing on her experiences as a talent agent in the TV and music business to tell her tales.

Speaking about how hard it for certain voices to be heard, she told us: “I feel working class authors like mine are hardly ever heard or seen unless accompanied by a misery narrative, which I refused to play along with.”

These were principles that she stuck with, even if it meant that she was at odds with some in the industry.

Melanie continued: “I lost many major TV slots because I would not go into sympathy territory on-screen. One very famous show, well the producer, actually said ‘well take her if she cries and goes into X etc’ it would have sold a hell of a lot of books but I wasn’t prepared to forced into that sort of circus – so to have become a best seller without selling out was a lot more satisfying.

“I wasn’t surprised though, at the end of the day I write fictions stories about the cut throat behind the scenes world of TV and media – so nothing much shocks me. I’ve seen and survived it all.”

Melanie is planning to complete her trilogy soon but has decided that the small matter of her life story needs to come first and work on that has begun, so watch this space.

Ruthless Women is available to buy HERE.

Guilty Women is available to buy HERE.