What happens when you combine the heart of a middle-schooler, the insight of a journalist, and the deep compassion of someone who’s held space for hundreds of struggling teens? You get Melissa Roske, a fellow Mixed-Up Files team member and middle-grade author whose storytelling is rooted in lived experience, emotional truth, and a whole lot of empathy.
In this special MUF member spotlight, Melissa shares the heart behind Kat Greene Comes Clean (Charlesbridge, 2017), a novel that thoughtfully explores mental health, family dynamics, and finding your voice when the world gets messy. As a former advice columnist and life coach, Melissa brings a rare kind of tenderness to her writing. She doesn’t shy away from tough topics, and she doesn’t talk down
to her readers. Instead, she meets them with honesty, humor, and a deep respect for their emotional world.
Get cozy. This one’s special.
Let’s start at the heart. What drives you to write for middle-grade readers? Is there a deeper thread—emotional, personal, or otherwise—that keeps calling you back to this space?
I’ve never felt my age. I came by this naturally, because my dad was the same way. At the age of 96, he said he felt like a teenager inside. I thought this was a stretch for a man pushing 100, but he meant it. For me, I feel about 12 or 13 inside. That’s the age when my memories are the most vivid; when my best friend, China, switched schools and I didn’t think I’d cope without her. When I shaved my legs for the first time and almost passed out after cutting myself. (There was so much blood in the bathroom, it looked like the prom scene from Carrie.) When my bratty little cousin sat at the head of the table at my own Bat Mitzvah, just because he always got his way.
Maybe that’s why I gravitate toward MG. It feels natural to write about all the deeply uncomfortable, excruciatingly embarrassing, and shockingly horrifying moments that happened to me as a tween. I get how hard it is, and I hope my readers feel the empathy and understanding I try to convey on the page.
Your debut novel, Kat Greene Comes Clean, gently weaves in mental health themes. What was your emotional entry point into that story, and how did you navigate writing about OCD for young readers?
I know I’ve already spoken about my dad, but I need to mention him again. Although I didn’t realize it growing up, my dad had OCD. Every night before bed, he’d check the locks on the front door and the knobs on the kitchen stove, over and over again. Back and forth he’d go, from the front door to the kitchen, checking, rechecking, and re-rechecking. I thought it was odd, but my father’s behavior was never discussed openly in my family. Instead, my mom would say, “That’s your father!” and leave it at that.
It wasn’t until after I’d finished writing Kat Greene Comes Clean, in which Kat’s mom suffers from a cleaning compulsion, that I thought: “Hang on a minute… I’m writing about my dad.” It honestly hadn’t occurred to me, at least on a conscious level, that Kat’s mom shared obsessive-compulsive similarities with my father. Unlike Kat’s mom, though, my dad didn’t care about tidiness. His office looked like a crime scene, with files and documents piled everywhere. He saved everything, too: out-of-date planners; matchbooks from old restaurants; dried up rubber bands; swizzle sticks; magnets; old pens; coffee stirrers; expired credit cards…
I now know that hoarding was a manifestation of his OCD, and I have a better understanding of it, thanks to the research I did for the book. I also wanted to show young readers that OCD isn’t just hard on the sufferer; it affects families as well. That’s why empathy, for all parties involved, is key.
As creatives, we often process our own inner world through story. Have you ever discovered something unexpected about yourself while writing a book or character?
As above, I only realized after having written Kat Greene that my dad’s OCD had a huge effect on me. Because it was never discussed in my family, I felt like the odd one out for letting it bother me. But I had a right to find my dad’s behavior disturbing, and I had a right to talk about it. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option. I think OCD is better understood now, and the stigma attached to mental illness is greatly reduced. Sadly, it still exists, but I’m hoping things will change.
Also, writing about my dad’s struggle with OCD helped me better understand my own mental-health struggles. Several years ago, I was diagnosed with ADHD, and it was as if a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. It explained why I had so much trouble concentrating and organizing things. Thanks to medication, I can now sit at my desk without getting up every few minutes to raid the fridge or check my phone. It’s a miracle!
So much of middle-grade writing is about holding paradox—joy and sorrow, curiosity and confusion. How do you hold space for emotional complexity in your stories?
Life is complex. It’s messy and confusing, joyful and wondrous. Sad, frustrating, boring, exciting… It runs the gamut, and situations can change on a dime, especially if you’re a tween. That’s why it’s essential for me as a middle-grade writer to be clued into my readers’ emotions. They feel things deeply, and it is my job to be mindful of that. That’s not to say I get it right all the time, but it’s important to try.
What helps you stay creatively grounded when doubt creeps in? (Or: What’s something you return to again and again that reminds you why you create?)
I’ve actually been struggling with this issue lately, and I won’t lie: it’s hard. On days when I feel particularly doubtful of my creative ability—after disappointing news, for instance, like a rejection—I remind myself that life has its ups and downs, and riding the waves is part of the process. That doesn’t make it any easier; rejection is soul destroying no matter how many times it happens to you. But it’s important to give yourself grace and breathing room, if you can. Having writer friends to lean on is also key. When I’m having a particularly bad writing day, I can always call up my critique partner, fellow MUF member Lisa Schmid, and vent. Lisa has a way of lifting me up, and encouraging me to keep my eye on the prize. I’d honestly be lost without her.
You’ve worn many creative hats: journalist, advice columnist, novelist. How do those past lives show up in your fiction today?
Yes, I often feel like a cat with nine lives! I started as a magazine editor in New York before moving to Brussels, where I continued to edit and write for magazines and newspapers. Then I moved to London and landed a job as an advice columnist for a teen magazine. When I moved back to the U.S., I selected jokes and humorous anecdotes for Reader’s Digest, got certified as a life coach, and then started my own coaching business, Wheels in Motion Coaching. That’s when I realized that I wanted to write a novel, my life-long dream. So, I hired my own life coach and got to work. My first novel was for adults, and it’s safely locked away in a drawer. (I threw away the key, thank goodness!)
Everything I’ve experienced in my life is reflected in my fiction, whether I’m conscious of it or not. It could be a reference to an old friend or work colleague, a description of a specific street or neighborhood in New York, or a recipe for strawberry Jell-O pie—a dessert I’ve never made but definitely want to try. Memories and lived experiences are an essential part of being a writer. Turning them into fiction is where the magic happens.
Do you feel like your work has changed over time? If so, what inner shifts or life experiences shaped those changes?
My work has changed significantly. Over the years, I’ve written countless magazine and newspaper articles, interviewed politicians, TV actors, and pop stars, and worked as a life coach. I always worked hard, and I took pride in everything I did. But my most important job—the one that’s shaped my life, and my writing—is being a mom. It gave me the strength and maturity to put myself out there, and to take creative risks. My daughter, Chloe, is now 25 and doesn’t need me the way she used to, but motherhood is always a work in progress—just like writing.
You spent time as an advice columnist, listening to people’s real-life struggles and questions. How has that experience shaped the way you write for kids—especially when it comes to emotional honesty, tough topics, or giving characters the space to wrestle with big feelings?
During my stint as an advice columnist at J17 magazine, I received hundreds of letters from teens each week. Some wrote to me with the usual teen dilemmas, like coping with crushes, dealing with annoying siblings, or wanting a bra, while others struggled with more serious issues, including bullying at school and sexual abuse. Those letters were particularly heartbreaking, because the teen writing the letter often suffered in silence. (Sadly, many victims of sexual abuse are instructed by their abuser not to tell anyone. As a result, they stay silent out of fear.) Although it was hard to read those letters, I provided a listening ear to kids who felt invisible. I did this as a volunteer telephone counselor as well—at Childline, a support service to troubled and abused young people.
In terms of how this experience impacted my writing, to say it’s huge is an understatement. I think of these kids every time I sit down to write, and I hope in some small way my stories can provide a sense of comfort. Or, at the very least, an escape.
If your younger self—say, middle-school Melissa—could read your book, what do you think she’d say? What would you want her to feel?
I think Middle-School Melissa would have enjoyed Kat Greene Comes Clean, because it’s based on my own experience growing up. Like Kat, I went to a hippie-dippy progressive school in Greenwich Village—City & Country School, which was founded by educator Caroline Pr
att in 1914, where we called our teachers by their first names, didn’t have tests or homework, and didn’t receive grades. The OCD component, which I spoke about earlier, would have resonated with my younger self as well.
The only thing Middle School Melissa wouldn’t have appreciated is how I chronicled the awkward kiss Sam Teitelbaum (names have been changed to protect the innocent) planted on her. She really hated it! I mean, I hated it. ☺
What’s lighting you up creatively right now, and what’s next for you?
I have two novels out on sub now, and I’m cautiously optimistic about both. While I’m waiting for (hopefully good) news, I’ve started a new MG novel about a girl who reinvents herself in the aftermath of an accident involving her best friend’s little brother. I’m only 13K words in, but I’m enjoying the story and can’t wait to see where it goes.
Thank you Melissa.
Join me in celebrating Melissa Roske’s contribution to the middle-grade world. She’s not just funny, wise, and sharply observant, but she writes from a place of emotional honesty and compassion. As a cherished part of the Mixed-Up Files community, she reminds us that middle grade isn’t just a genre, it’s a place to tell the truth gently, and help young readers feel seen in all their messy, magical becoming.
We’re lucky to have her as one of our own.
To learn more about Melissa or follow her creative journey, visit melissaroske.com.
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