Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: Nothing better than a queer romance—except a queer romance that’s also a thriller! M. A. Melby’s got the book for us. M. A., can you tell us a bit about Bad Memory?

M.A.: The story is from the point of view of two roommates, Jaimes who is promiscuous and fun and Nik is shy and neurotic. The beginning sets you up for a sweet familiar story about opposites falling in love, you know, a roommate romance with friends to lovers. Even the event that starts the drama, a prank going wrong, seems in line with that type of story, but it spirals down into some pretty dark places…so be warned.

However, it’s not all gloom and doom. Friends come to the rescue. There’s also computer hacking, a sci-fi/fantasy convention, and a spattering of quippy dialog. I even included a couple references that Boy Love fans will get a kick out of.

Sabitha: That sounds like such a fun read. What inspired you to write this book?

M.A.: During the pandemic, I watched a ridiculous number of Thai Y-series (boy love stories). How could I not attempt to write a roommate romance that accidentally became a thriller? 

If you watch Thai Y-series, you’ll notice a few of the common scenes, character types, and plot devices, obviously with my own spin. I took the “wound tending” scene a bit far!

Sabitha: If you could meet your characters, what would you say to them?

M.A.: I’m so sorry.

I grew up watching shows where the characters would get horribly injured or abused but would be perfectly fine before the next episode. I was determined to avoid that and make recovery difficult and meaningful, not, at all, magically going back to “normal”.

Sabitha: I’m sorry for the characters—but not for us readers! How much research did you need to do for your book?

M.A.: One of the main characters is a phlebotomist, so I incorporated language and situations I remembered from being in the hospital, but also looked up several medical procedures and terms.

The plot also involves computer hacking. I’ve been around pretty intense computer folks, but my own knowledge is limited. I tried to avoid getting too technical.

Sabitha: Do you have any suggestions to help people in our community become better writers?

M.A.: Write so that you are proud of your work and enjoy it. Your skills will improve as you write and receive feedback, but find yourself, your own style and voice. Don’t try to be anyone else.

Sabitha: So true. So, M.A., what’s your next writing project?

M.A.: I wrote an epic fantasy novel before this one that’s very close to my heart. I wrote it very quickly, practically in a cathartic fugue state. So currently, it’s a little bit of a mess!

I’m working on revising it to make it beautiful, so that it can be meaningful to my readers and not only to me. I’m very excited about it, and I hope it finds an audience.

The working title is The Epic Threesome. I might be cheeky enough to keep the title, we’ll see.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?
M.A.: You can find Bad Memory at most online bookstores, at Amazon, or read reviews on Goodreads. I’m on Facebook, Mastodon, and BlueSky, and I have a website.