Chapel Hill native returns after writing debut novel
By: MaryAnn Barone, Staff Writer
Issue date: 9/19/07 Section: University
Melissa Walker returns to her hometown of Chapel Hill today to promote her new novel.
Walker's debut novel "Violet on the Runway" came out Sept. 4, and she will be on campus at 8 p.m. today in Carroll Hall to discuss it.
Following her presentation, Walker will hold a book signing, sponsored by the Bull's Head Bookshop, and a question-and-answer session.
"Violet on the Runway" is about a South Carolinian girl named Violet who stands 6 feet 1 inch tall and wears a size-two dress. She suddenly is thrown into the New York fashion scene, where her height and size make her a perfect fit.
The book was inspired by Walker's behind-the-scenes look at the good and bad sides of the modeling world. She said she used realistic characters, not stereotypes, to show readers that the fashion industry is indeed glamorous but not all it's cracked up to be.
"I wanted to attract people with this world," Walker said.
Walker, a Chapel Hill High School graduate, also drew on her own life to add to the book, interjecting her former job at a movie theater and years working for fashion magazines.
Walker was an ELLEgirl features editor and a Seventeen Prom editor. For ELLEgirl magazine Walker investigated the Miss Hawaiian Tropic International Pageant to see what goes on behind the scenes.
In another article, she uncovered the Texas "Hell House," a graphic Christian play intended to discourage homosexuality, porn and abortion, revealing that churches hold such an event in an attempt to lead followers to a more Christian way of life.
Walker said the change from magazine writing to novel writing was difficult at first.
"I had trouble making stuff up," she said. "I pretended to interview characters to get a sense of who they were."
Her transition proved successful, however, and her novel has received critical acclaim.
Nylon magazine, which focuses on popular culture and the fashion industry, gave "Violet on the Runway" a positive review in its September issue, calling the novel "simultaneously funny and painful."
COSMOgirl! magazine has published an excerpt from "Violet on the Runway" in its August issue. And The New York Post noted Walker's work in an article titled "Beauties, Beware," which details the lives of the elite social echelons in the fashion, art and film industries.
That article was published Sept. 8, during this year's Fashion Week in New York City.
Today's event is not Walker's first public appearance. She also has done readings in New York City and at Chapel Hill High School.
And senior LaToya Evans, co-founder of Carolina Association of Future Magazine Editors, which is promoting the event, said that at least 40 people are expected to attend.
Walker has been signed to a three-book deal with Berkley Trade. The second book in the series, "Violet by Design," will be in stores March 2008.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
Walker's debut novel "Violet on the Runway" came out Sept. 4, and she will be on campus at 8 p.m. today in Carroll Hall to discuss it.
Following her presentation, Walker will hold a book signing, sponsored by the Bull's Head Bookshop, and a question-and-answer session.
"Violet on the Runway" is about a South Carolinian girl named Violet who stands 6 feet 1 inch tall and wears a size-two dress. She suddenly is thrown into the New York fashion scene, where her height and size make her a perfect fit.
The book was inspired by Walker's behind-the-scenes look at the good and bad sides of the modeling world. She said she used realistic characters, not stereotypes, to show readers that the fashion industry is indeed glamorous but not all it's cracked up to be.
"I wanted to attract people with this world," Walker said.
Walker, a Chapel Hill High School graduate, also drew on her own life to add to the book, interjecting her former job at a movie theater and years working for fashion magazines.
Walker was an ELLEgirl features editor and a Seventeen Prom editor. For ELLEgirl magazine Walker investigated the Miss Hawaiian Tropic International Pageant to see what goes on behind the scenes.
In another article, she uncovered the Texas "Hell House," a graphic Christian play intended to discourage homosexuality, porn and abortion, revealing that churches hold such an event in an attempt to lead followers to a more Christian way of life.
Walker said the change from magazine writing to novel writing was difficult at first.
"I had trouble making stuff up," she said. "I pretended to interview characters to get a sense of who they were."
Her transition proved successful, however, and her novel has received critical acclaim.
Nylon magazine, which focuses on popular culture and the fashion industry, gave "Violet on the Runway" a positive review in its September issue, calling the novel "simultaneously funny and painful."
COSMOgirl! magazine has published an excerpt from "Violet on the Runway" in its August issue. And The New York Post noted Walker's work in an article titled "Beauties, Beware," which details the lives of the elite social echelons in the fashion, art and film industries.
That article was published Sept. 8, during this year's Fashion Week in New York City.
Today's event is not Walker's first public appearance. She also has done readings in New York City and at Chapel Hill High School.
And senior LaToya Evans, co-founder of Carolina Association of Future Magazine Editors, which is promoting the event, said that at least 40 people are expected to attend.
Walker has been signed to a three-book deal with Berkley Trade. The second book in the series, "Violet by Design," will be in stores March 2008.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
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