Hampton native publishes first novel with homage to home

Author Melissa Roos hasn’t lived in Iowa in 25 years but her love for the state is still apparent in her new novel.

The Hampton native on March 1 celebrated the release of her first published book, “You Can Hide,” a work of fiction that combines romance and suspense.

The plot tells the story of Jade Walker, who flees Pennsylvania after witnessing a murder and being left for dead herself. Walker eventually finds herself in Hampton with the killer still on the loose.

She said it was an easy decision to base part of the book in Pennsylvania and part of it in Hampton because those are the two areas she calls home. In the book, she strives to depict her native Iowa as a vast place with heart, because that’s what appeals to her about her home state.

“There are not enough books about Iowa to represent its beauty and I hope I portrayed that in there,” she said. “That was one of the things I wanted to portray – the vastness, the beauty and how good the people are. Iowa always has my heart.”

The plot itself, she said, is something she had experimented with in past writing efforts. Roos has had the goal to publish a book for years, with many starts and stops but the stars finally aligned to allow her to complete her first full novel.

“I kept on getting ideas but couldn’t get them down fast enough,” she said. “But I wanted to plow through this and made sure I finished it.”

She continued that her father provided an added boost of motivation to finish this particular novel.

“I made sure I got it finished because he was sick and I made sure he knew I submitted it to a publisher and everything,” she said. “That’s something he was excited for and only six weeks after he passed, I found out it had been published.”

With the book finally out on Amazon in both physical and e-reader formats, Roos said she’s excited to receive feedback, especially from those back in Iowa. So far, she said she’s received encouraging words regarding the novel and is anxious to continue to hear more.

“I’ve had several people outside of my family read the book and I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback from it,” she said. “I know not everybody is going to like it but so far, I have had nothing but compliments.”

Roos’ book can be found on Amazon.