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Skate Cute is here!

Release Date: May 16, 2022

E-book available for pre-order now

hi there!

My name is Melissa J. Roche, and I’m a novel writer from Colorado with a PhD in astronomy. I write books for teens and adults, and I’ve got several novels in various stages of the writing and publishing process. If you’d like to follow along, my quarterly newsletter highlights skating videos, cool science, and book news (including giveaways!). You can also find me on TikTok or Instagram or drop a note in the contact form — I’d love to connect!

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“I know that look.”

He snapped his gaze back up to her face, raising an innocent eyebrow. “This look?”

“You’re wondering if you can keep up with my mad skills on the dance floor.”

Kriss and Chase, The Prom Redo

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my selves

About Me

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” – Albert Einstein

Author

I write small-town sweet romance novels as Melissa J. Roche, young-adult sci-fi/fantasy and paranormal novels TBA, and occasional reflective essays on life and everything. I can neither confirm nor deny any claims that I write poetry.

Visit my writing page here.

Artist

I see art as everywhere and irresistible. I’ve dabbled colors on canvases, scribbled sketches in my notebook, spun swirls in the skating rink’s dust, and hacked together a musical instrument from old PVC piping.

Scroll through my art gallery here.

Scientist

I’m an asteroid girl, and I’ve been digging up the dirt on space rocks for over a decade. I’m especially fond of the series of cool 321Science! asteroid education videos I created for NASA’s asteroid sample return mission, OSIRIS-REx.

Discover more fun science here.

My first skate dance music video – March 2021

Latest skate dance video – Jan 2022

321Science! Asteroids: Fact vs. Fiction

321Science! What is the Yarkovsky Effect?

yeah write

My Projects

Here’s a snapshot of the writing projects I’m working on!

Skate Cute

Contemporary Sweet Romance

Astronomy PhD student Kriss finds an escape from her dissertation work in artistic skating at the neighborhood rink in her old hometown. But she can’t escape the attention of two familiar admirers from the nearby fire station.

Status: Available Spring 2022!
Read an excerpt here

A Bookstore HEA

Contemporary Sweet Romance

Romance author Angie knows that happiness doesn’t come in ever after doses. But when her favorite bookstore is threatened by redevelopment, she launches a daring writing project to help save the shop… and the cute shop owner.

Status: NaNo success! Editing…

Photo credit: Lucas George Wendt

Ellie Goes to Prom

YA Paranormal

Senior prom is a big deal. Ellie’s dad said “you can’t go, it’s too dangerous,” but what he really meant was “use the forbidden magic stuff stashed in the basement to dredge up a magical bodyguard to bring along.” Obviously.

Status: Plotting

Photo credit: Janko Ferlič

Fugitive Star

YA Sci-Fi

Aylin Starr is weird, and so is her starship. She’s also fleeing for her life. The only hope for her and her ship is to pretend to be as normal as possible, at an old-fashioned military training school that’s bad at keeping secrets.

Status: Re-writing someday…

Photo credit: Alek Kalinowski

Connect with me on Instagram!

See this? This is not a picture of a robin. The

Tomorrow would have been my grandpa’s 90th birth

Another five-star review for Skate Cute - thank yo

#karatebeginner practicing #heianshodan #kata on m

It's Friday, and it's time to show some love for a

4 ways to stop on skates #trainingtuesday #inlines

Can you see them? The rainbows? I guess they don’t come through in the pictures. They barely made it to our eyeballs, just flecks of sparkling color here and there that took our breath away last Thursday morning on our walk to school.

Here’s the fascinating thing: the rainbows weren’t everywhere.

The snow was everywhere. The sunlight was everywhere. The sparkles were everywhere. But the rainbows were only visible in the patches of snow at specific angles between our eyeballs and the origin point of the Sun’s rays. Somewhere between parallel and perpendicular.

Which is not surprising, if you’re a physicist with an advanced degree. But it’s mind-blowing if you’re a child, or a child at heart.

So we stopped. Stared. Wondered.

For less than 30 seconds, and then we hurried on our way to school, because we were a tad late already and we didn’t want to miss the bell. It’s important, they tell us, for every child to be in their spot in their class when the bell rings. It helps them be ready to learn.

I love our school. Rainbows and snowflakes aren’t the only beautiful things my children see day after day at their bilingual, multicultural elementary school. Just this past week, we’ve talked about justice, isms, bullying (of all ages), amiable competition, friendship, politics, faith, self-compassion, medication, failure, and so much more. I love the learning that happens within and beyond those walls.

And I also love the sometimes snowy path on the way. I love knowing that I can stop and exclaim, and they’ll stop with me, no matter the rush. I love the quiet reassurance, in our hearts and minds, that sometimes learning doesn’t happen in a box. Sometimes beauty waits on the way from here to there, from goal to checkbox, between parallel and perpendicular.

Sometimes we just have to stop and see it.

My #homeworkout 💪 #bodyweightworkout #trainingt

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Create with me on TikTok! @skatersings

fun stuff

My Blog

Check out my blog for occasional science news, author advice, book reviews and creativity!

Skate Cute blog tour

Writing

Posted on August 6, 2022 / 0 comments

Skate Cute and I went on tour! Read the posts to learn my book and author secrets.

How to pre-order from the CBG website

Uncategorized

Posted on May 3, 2022 / 0 comments

What's that? A new novel? Oh, that sounds lovely! How do I pick up a copy, and help spread the news?

Supporting my local wildfire relief fund