Booking & Speaking
I’m available for author events, book clubs, festivals, libraries, and conferences. I speak about storytelling, creative work, and reader connection, with a focus on emotionally immersive fiction and building meaningful relationships with readers.
Popular talk topics include:
Why Readers Turn the Page: the art of emotional investment in fiction
Building compelling email newsletters that connect with readers
If you’re interested in hosting a talk or discussion, I’d love to hear from you.
Upcoming events:
Parnassus Books- Conversation with Katie Garaby
Join Melissa R. Collings and Parnassus’s Katie Garaby to celebrate the launch of The Love Operation with romance, memories, and a few behind-the-scenes stories from the operating room. Expect a lively conversation about love, memory, and medicine, reader giveaways, and the opportunity to anonymously share a favorite memory for Melissa and Katie to read throughout the night. (Audience participation is not required!)
This is a free event which will take place IN STORE on Wednesday, November 4th at 6:30pm Central Time. Because space will be limited, registration is required to attend this event. Please register for free here:
https://parnassusbooks.net/event/2026-11-04/melissa-collings-love-operation-katie-garaby
Sheffield Library with Jennifer Sellers
Join Melissa R. Collings and Jennifer Sellers, creator of Scattered Words, as they discuss The Love Operation, memory, medicine, friendship and more! There will be fun giveaways too!
The Memory Lab @ Warren County Public Library
Bob Kirby Branch: 175 Iron Skillet Court, Bowling Green. More info
Join Melissa R. Collings for The Memory Lab, an interactive evening inspired by her forthcoming novel, The Love Operation. Part author talk, part memory experiment, and part storytelling night, the program explores why certain moments stay with us, how memory shapes love and identity, and what happens when the past still has a pulse. Guests are invited to bring an old photo or small memory-linked object to share, listen, or simply enjoy the conversation.
50 copies of The Love Operation will be given away at the event!
Register here!
Plenty Bookshop with Jennifer Moorman
Celebrate The Love Operation, Melissa R. Collings’s new romantic women’s fiction novel about love, memory, ambition, and what happens when the past refuses to stay in the past at Plenty Bookshop!
Melissa will be joined by author Jennifer Moorman for a lively conversation about writing, romance, medicine, memory, and the real-life experiences that helped inspire the novel. Expect plenty of behind-the-scenes stories, laughs, and a peek into the making of a book that asks: If you could revisit your past relationships with perfect clarity, would you really want to?
FoxTale Book Shoppe with Grace Helena Walz
Please join us in welcoming Melissa Collings, in conversation with Grace Helena Walz, with her new romance novel, The Love Operation.
Melissa writes both Romance and Thrillers. She will be back in January 2027 for her new Thriller, Kill The Thing You Love!
RSVP for this event HERE.
Coffee Talk with Melissa @ Read It Again Books!
Tue, 11/17/2026
1:00pm - 2:00pm
Read It Again Bookstore
3630 peachtree pkwy
suite 314
Suwanee, GA 30024
Come have coffee with an author! Join us at Read It Again Bookstore for a relaxed afternoon with author Melissa R. Collings, who will be in town to celebrate and promote her new book, The Love Operation.
The Love Operation is a witty and emotional story about the intersection of medicine, memory, and the messy reality of loving imperfectly. Melissa will share more about her new novel, her writing journey, and the inspiration behind this heartfelt story.
Grab a cup of coffee, meet the author, and spend an afternoon talking books with us. Everyone is welcome!
We hope you'll join us for coffee, conversation, and a little literary love.
Gwinnett County Public Library with Dawne McCurry
Author Melissa R. Collings discusses her new book The Love Operation with Dawne McCurry.
Tuesday, November 17
6:30pm - 7:30pm
Collins Hill Branch: 455 Camp Perrin Rd NE, Lawrenceville, GA 30043
Registration is requested. Register here.
Bound Booksellers with Melissa Grace
Join Melissa R. Collings at Bound Booksellers for a conversation with author Melissa Grace celebrating The Love Operation, her new romantic women’s fiction novel about love, memory, ambition, and the danger of treating people like problems to be solved.
Melissa and Melissa will talk about the real operating room experiences that helped inspire the novel, the surprising journey from medicine to writing love stories, and what happens when a woman who is very good at fixing spines tries to apply the same logic to her heart.
Expect behind-the-scenes stories, a few things your spine secretly wishes you knew, plenty of book talk, and probably a few things neither Melissa intended to say out loud.
Because the best books—and the best people—have a spine.
Midwest Bookish Fest
A book lover’s dream of meeting authors, having fun, and talking all things books. Come find me!
Books, Authors, & Publisher's Fair
The BAP Fair is for Readers, Book Lovers, (of all ages) Authors and anyone connected with the wonderful, inspiring world of books. Meet tons of authors and bookish vendors.
Wine & Words
A book fair at DelMonaco Winery & Vineyards by Plenty Bookshop! Enjoy it all in this stunning vineyard setting in the hills of Tennessee.
I’ll be doing a panel with 3 other Nashville authors.
WriterFest
WriterFest is as a creative gathering for aspiring writers, published authors, screenwriters, poets, and songwriters in Nashville. Attendees enjoy keynote talks by the best book, song, and screenplay writers in the business as well as in-depth break-out sessions with professional editors, literary agents, filmmakers, and music industry insiders.
Books By The Banks
The 17th annual Books by the Banks Cincinnati Regional Book Festival will take place Saturday, November 16, 2024 10am – 4pm at the Main Library of the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library.
The day-long festival, which is free and open to the public, features national, regional, and local authors and illustrators; book signings; panel discussions; and activities for the entire family to enjoy.
Kentucky book Festival
The Kentucky Book Festival is a celebration of reading, writing, and publishing which takes place each fall. Festival events seek to connect book-lovers and authors, spark engaging conversations, and empower readers by providing access to new books as well as opportunities to learn more about writing in a fun, supportive environment. It’s the biggest bookish celebration in Kentucky!
Southern Festival of Books
The Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written Word is among the oldest literary festivals in the country, annually welcoming hundreds of authors and thousands of visitors to downtown Nashville each October.
The Louisville Book Festival
I can’t wait to see you in Louisville! (Details and my panel time coming soon!)
For more information click here.
2024 RSJ Romance Conference
Virtual Romance Book Conference celebrating diversity in books!
Appearance at Arts, Reads, & Tunes Festival
FREE Admission. Melissa’s author panel will be at 4:00pm, The False Flat book signing between 4:30-5:30pm, then Romance discussion with author Donna Madden.
205 S. Main Street
Dickson, TN 37055
Book Signing at Bound Booksellers
Join Melissa and her bestie Bluey for a book signing at Bound Booksellers! Meet Melissa, get your book signed, have some snacks and champagne, take your photo with Bluey! There will be self-care goodies with each book purchase, and Bluey themed snacks for the kiddos and Bluey stickers and tattoos.
The False Flat Launch Event!
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Live Podcast
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.