Melissa Collings: Love, Lies, Memories & the Beautiful Mess We Call Romance
Featuring THE LOVE OPERATION
An exclusive Romanceaholic conversation about complicated hearts, questionable decisions, impossible choices, and why love refuses to follow instructions.
Dear Romanceaholics, we have a situation. And apparently, it’s surgical.
Imagine being brilliant enough to perform surgery, intelligent enough to understand the most complicated problems, and determined enough to believe that everything has a solution.
Now imagine taking that same energy into your love life.
Oh, sweetheart.
The heart did not agree to this treatment plan.
Welcome to THE LOVE OPERATION, where memories aren’t necessarily reliable, the past has some explaining to do, and Dr. Cordelia Wren is about to discover that matters of the heart don’t come with an instruction manual.
And the woman responsible for this deliciously complicated situation?
Melissa Collings.
Former surgical physician associate. Romantic comedy author. Devoted enemies-to-lovers enthusiast. A woman who believes everything is better with glitter—except surgical wounds, because apparently even chaos needs boundaries.
Honestly? We were intrigued before we even opened the interview.
But then Melissa started talking about memories, human imperfections, and the difference between loving someone and trying to turn them into your idea of perfection.
And suddenly, this wasn’t just a conversation about a romance novel.
It was a conversation about the uncomfortable, extraordinary, sometimes ridiculous things we do when we’re trying to figure out love.
So grab your coffee, cancel your imaginary plans, and settle in.
Our very first Meet the Storyteller is officially underway.
And trust us, Romanceaholics. We’re starting with a good one.
THE FIRST SPARK
What if your memories could testify against you?
We all have that one moment we’d revisit if we could.
The conversation we replay at 2 a.m. The almost-kiss. The breakup we still don’t completely understand. The person we remember a little more beautifully than perhaps we should.
But what if we could stop remembering and actually see what happened?
No romanticizing. No selective memory. No conveniently edited version of events.
Just the truth.
Terrifying? Absolutely.
A brilliant setup for romantic chaos? Oh, we’re listening.
ROMANCEAHOLIC: Every romance begins with an idea. What first inspired this story?
MELISSA COLLINGS:
Several months ago, I was at a friend’s house and tried virtual reality goggles for the first time. I was blown away. I’d already been thinking a lot about memory, the past, and human nature, and when I put those goggles on, the story took firmer shape. This was it. I wanted to combine all of those ideas with the experience of stepping into another reality—except this time, that reality would be our own past—and explore what it would be like to re-enter our memories as an observer, seeing things exactly as they happened.
Two people can remember the same moment completely differently. Memory is subjective. But what if it didn’t have to be? What if you could go back and know for sure? No he said, she said, they said. Just the woah-is-this-really-happening truth.
OUR ROMANCEAHOLIC HEARTS HAVE QUESTIONS.
Because imagine discovering that the moment you’ve spent years romanticizing happened completely differently.
That the person you thought broke your heart wasn’t entirely responsible.
Or worse…
That the person you’ve been defending in your memories was never quite who you believed them to be.
Melissa didn’t just create an intriguing premise. She handed her characters a front-row seat to their own emotional history.
And we’re already concerned for everyone involved.
PERFECTLY IMPERFECT
She’s brilliant. She’s stubborn. She’s about to make some decisions.
We love a strong heroine.
We especially love a strong heroine who has absolutely no idea what to do with her own feelings.
Enter Dr. Cordelia Wren.
Intelligent? Yes.
Ambitious? Absolutely.
Emotionally uncomplicated?
Oh, bless her heart.
ROMANCEAHOLIC: Before readers fell in love with these characters, what made you fall in love with them?
MELISSA COLLINGS:
Their imperfections.
Dr. Cordelia Wren is brilliant, ambitious, funny, stubborn, and sometimes incredibly frustrating. She has spent years believing that if she works hard enough and thinks logically enough, she can solve almost anything—including people. I loved writing a woman who is extraordinarily capable professionally but has much less certainty when it comes to her own heart.
But like real people, everyone around her has faults too. I love a good mess because life is messy. The circumstances my characters find themselves in might be a little extraordinary, but their emotions, flaws, and mistakes are very human. They love people they probably shouldn’t, make choices they later question, hurt people they care about, and sometimes get things spectacularly wrong. That’s what made me fall in love with them, and hopefully what makes readers recognize a little of themselves in them too.
And THIS is exactly the kind of character we love getting emotionally tangled up with.
Not the perfect heroine who always knows what to say.
Not the woman who makes every correct decision.
But the one who makes us whisper, “Girl, please don’t do this,” while simultaneously understanding exactly why she’s doing it.
Because sometimes the characters who frustrate us the most are the ones holding up a mirror.
And we did not come here to be personally attacked, Melissa.
Yet here we are.
NOT EVERY LOVE STORY IS ROMANTIC
Sometimes the relationship that surprises you isn’t the one you expected.
Before we dive into the romantic complications, there’s another relationship worth talking about.
Because while we’re all here for the butterflies, stolen glances, and emotionally questionable decisions, friendships can leave just as much of a mark.
ROMANCEAHOLIC: Which relationship in this novel surprised you the most while writing? Romantic, family, friendship, mentor—every meaningful relationship counts.
MELISSA COLLINGS:
Cord’s relationship with her best friend Delenn, also the scientist behind the memory study. I initially thought of their connection primarily in terms of the experiment, but it became much more interesting to me as the story developed.
The book isn’t about their relationship, but it’s an undercurrent throughout the story. Their conversations and off-page history gave me another way to explore some of the book’s biggest themes—trust, betrayal, and forgiveness.
I loved discovering that one of the relationships I found most compelling wasn’t romantic at all.
And we love that.
Because the relationships that shape us aren’t always the ones that come with kisses and declarations of love.
Sometimes they’re the friendships that know our history.
The people who have seen our worst decisions.
The ones who understand exactly where we’ve been—and may have a few truths of their own to reveal.
THE LOVE OPERATION
Two men. One woman. And a heart that refuses to be solved.
Now, Romanceaholics…
TWO. MEN.
An old love returning.
A secret relationship.
A memory experiment.
And a heroine who thinks she can approach romance like a surgical procedure.
Somebody please tell Cordelia that the heart is not a spreadsheet.
Actually, don’t.
We want to see what happens.
ROMANCEAHOLIC: Romanceaholic believes the greatest love stories are earned. What challenges did your couple have to overcome before they truly deserved their happily ever after?
MELISSA COLLINGS:
Since this story is about a woman deciding between two men, I won’t spoil the ending, but I will say that both men had to overcome Cord. She approaches relationships the same way she approaches her work as a surgeon: analyze the problem, identify the variables, fix what isn’t working. That’s great for a doctor, but much less effective when it comes to matters of the heart.
There are plenty of external complications too—career ambitions, a secret relationship, an old love suddenly back in the picture, and a memory experiment that makes the past feel dangerously present. But Cord’s biggest challenge is learning that love isn’t something she can perfect her way into.
Both men had to overcome Cord.
Bestie, that sentence deserves its own dramatic soundtrack.
Because while we’re busy wondering which man deserves the heroine, Melissa turns the entire question upside down.
What happens when the greatest obstacle to love isn’t the other person?
What happens when it’s your own need to control the outcome?
And what happens when love refuses to be fixed?
We’re beginning to suspect Cordelia’s greatest operation might be on her own heart.
LOVE IS NOT A RENOVATION PROJECT
Repeat after us: We are dating a person, not their potential.
There is something painfully familiar about falling in love with the version of someone we believe they could become.
If they just changed this.
If they understood that.
If we loved them enough.
If we tried harder.
Oh, the emotional gymnastics.
Melissa has thoughts.
And we’re listening.
ROMANCEAHOLIC: What quality do you think makes this couple work so well together?
MELISSA COLLINGS:
Getting rid of the idealizations—seeing the real versions of each other, not who they think the other person could become. Cord has a tendency to analyze people and imagine how things might work if only this or that changed.
The relationship that ultimately works is the one where neither person has to be a project. They can challenge each other, make each other laugh, get frustrated with each other, and still allow the other person to be fully themselves. For someone like Cord, being loved without first having to optimize herself is a pretty radical thing.
“Neither person has to be a project.”
Excuse us while we write that on a sticky note and attach it to every fictional man we’ve ever tried to defend.
Because there is a difference between loving someone and loving who they might become.
And perhaps the most romantic thing in the world isn’t finding someone perfect.
It’s finding someone who doesn’t require you to become perfect to be loved.
WHEN THE CHARACTERS TAKE OVER
Even the author didn’t know who would get the girl.
We have a confession.
There’s something deeply satisfying about an author admitting that her characters didn’t follow the original plan.
Because sometimes a story has other ideas.
And apparently, Cordelia Wren had a few of her own.
ROMANCEAHOLIC: Was there one moment while writing when you realized, “They’re going to make it”?
MELISSA COLLINGS:
When I first started writing, I wasn’t sure which man Cord was going to end up with, but as the story progressed, I realized I had to make a really tough call. Well, I didn’t actually make it. Cord did. The story did. At a certain point, there was only one ending that felt true to who she had become. Once I realized that, I had to figure out how to bring the other relationship to an end in a way that still honored what it had meant to her.
WAIT.
Even Melissa didn’t know?!
We are supposed to emotionally prepare for a love story when the AUTHOR herself was discovering the ending?
Ma’am.
The audacity.
But there’s something beautiful about allowing a character’s growth to determine the ending rather than forcing her toward a predetermined destination.
And we especially appreciate that Melissa wanted to honor the relationship that didn’t last.
Because not every love story is meant to be forever.
That doesn’t mean it wasn’t real.
THE MOMENT EVERYTHING CHANGES
Sometimes the biggest romantic revelation isn’t about another person.
It’s about yourself.
ROMANCEAHOLIC: Every relationship has a turning point. What scene changed everything for your couple?
MELISSA COLLINGS:
For a lot of the book, Cord treats her memories almost like evidence. If she can revisit enough moments, examine enough conversations, and figure out exactly what went wrong, surely the correct answer will reveal itself. But eventually she has to recognize that love isn’t a retrospective diagnosis. At some point, you have to stop studying the past and decide what you want in the present.
That shift changes everything for her, and I think it’s not one particular scene that gets her there. It’s a slow progression over the course of the book.
“Love isn’t a retrospective diagnosis.”
Oh, Melissa.
You cannot just casually drop a line like that and expect us to continue functioning normally.
Because some of us have been conducting entire emotional investigations into relationships that ended years ago.
Revisiting conversations.
Analyzing expressions.
Searching for the exact moment everything changed.
And sometimes, even if we find the answer, it doesn’t change what comes next.
At some point, we have to stop trying to rewrite yesterday.
And decide what we’re going to do with tomorrow.
CHARACTERS, CHAOS & ONE VERY UNFORTUNATE CHAMELEON
We were not prepared for this part of the interview.
Every great story has a character who unexpectedly steals the spotlight.
We just weren’t expecting ours to have scales.
ROMANCEAHOLIC: Which character would you trust with your own heart? Why?
MELISSA COLLINGS:
Tad Cooper. He’s a chameleon who’s as wise as a therapist, patient as a monk, and knows what’s good in life. I feel like he’d listen without judgement, offer exactly the right amount of advice, and remind me to stop overthinking things. Then he’d eat a cricket to seal the deal.
Let it be known: I don’t like lizards. But I had a chameleon as a kid and fell in love. Tad Cooper exists in memory of my chameleon, who was eaten by a cat and thrown up on my doorstep when I was in fourth grade. RIP, my scaly wonder. I hope I did you justice.
WE HAVE QUESTIONS.
Actually, no.
We need a moment of silence.
For the chameleon.
For fourth-grade Melissa.
For the fact that we just went from emotional vulnerability to a reptilian tragedy in approximately three seconds.
Tad Cooper, you have our respect.
And honestly? A wise little chameleon who listens without judgment might be exactly the relationship counselor this book needs.
ROMANCEAHOLIC: Which character challenged you the most to write?
MELISSA COLLINGS:
Cordelia. She was somehow both the easiest and the most challenging. I understood her immediately, but I didn’t always want her to make some of the choices she made. There were moments when writing her was genuinely painful because I could see the mistake coming and wanted to stop her—but I also knew she had to make it. Those mistakes were part of becoming who she needed to be.
And that’s how you know a character has become real.
When even the person writing her wants to reach into the manuscript and say, “Sweetheart, I am begging you to reconsider.”
But growth rarely happens when we make every decision correctly.
Sometimes the mistakes are the story.
ROMANCEAHOLIC: What’s one thing about your characters that readers may not immediately notice, but you secretly hope they do?
MELISSA COLLINGS:
They’re all more vulnerable than they want anyone to know. Underneath all the competence is a cast of characters who just want to be loved.
And there it is.
The soft, vulnerable heart beneath all the chaos.
Because underneath the ambition, the complicated relationships, the mistakes, and the determination to have everything figured out…
Sometimes all anyone really wants is to be loved.
Not fixed.
Not perfected.
Just loved.
THE ROMANCEAHOLIC CONFESSIONAL
Coffee, fictional men & other very important matters.
We’ve discussed memory, emotional vulnerability, and the beautiful disaster that is the human heart.
Now let’s get to the truly serious questions.
Like coffee.
And Mr. Darcy.
And whether Melissa has excellent taste in romance tropes.
Spoiler: She absolutely does.
Coffee or tea?
MELISSA: SO HARD! Coffee because I look forward to it so much! If I may quote my nephew: “Coffee is like a friend who whispers the answers in your ear.” Coffee helped me write this book. A glorious, dark-roasted friend who luxuriated in concepts, ideas, and execution.
I also love tea.
Morning writer or night owl?
MELISSA: That sweet, stolen 5am hour before the world begins, baby.
Romanceaholic verdict: We admire the dedication. We will be admiring it from beneath our blankets.
First draft or final edits?
MELISSA: I love the magic of edits. Trash becomes treasure. It’s like refinishing a piece of painted over furniture. You suspected there was something good going on there, but you had no idea until you stripped the paint and applied the silky varnish.
Favorite romance trope?
MELISSA: Enemies to lovers. Delicious!
Trope you’ll never get tired of writing?
MELISSA: Enemies to lovers. Again. Because…delicious!
One fictional couple you absolutely adore?
MELISSA: Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Because…delicious! Just kidding. I love a slow burn. I love when a couple tries hard to deny feelings when life clearly has another agenda.
A romance novel every reader should experience at least once?
MELISSA: There are so many good ones, but everyone should experience a Jane Austen novel at some point in life.
Let’s review.
Enemies to lovers? Check.
Slow-burn yearning? Check.
Mr. Darcy? CHECK.
An appreciation for two people desperately denying the obvious while everyone else watches their romantic downfall unfold?
Melissa, you are among your people.
ONE MORE CHAPTER
Before we say goodbye, let’s talk about the kind of love that stays with us.
Every romance leaves something behind.
Sometimes it’s a fictional man who has completely destroyed our standards.
Sometimes it’s a scene we replay long after closing the book.
And sometimes it’s a truth we didn’t realize we needed to hear.
ROMANCEAHOLIC: If readers remember just one thing after finishing this book, what do you hope it is?
MELISSA COLLINGS:
We can love someone deeply and still not be able to fix them, shape them, or make them become who we think they should be. Sometimes love means letting go of the version of a person—or a life—we imagined and choosing what is real instead.
Oh, that one stays.
Because loving someone doesn’t always mean holding on.
Sometimes it means recognizing that the future you imagined together isn’t the future you’re meant to have.
Sometimes it means accepting the truth, even when the fantasy was beautiful.
And sometimes it means choosing yourself without pretending that what you felt wasn’t real.
Which brings us to our final question.
The one we want every storyteller to answer.
Not with a perfect definition.
Not with something borrowed from a romance novel.
But with whatever their own heart knows to be true.
ROMANCEAHOLIC: Complete the sentence.
Love is…
MELISSA COLLINGS:
Beautiful work.
THE LAST WORD
Some stories give us butterflies. Others give us something to think about long after the final page.
And every once in a while, a storyteller reminds us why we fell in love with romance in the first place.
Not because love is always easy.
Not because the right person magically fixes everything.
And certainly not because our favorite characters always make sensible decisions.
We love romance because it gives us permission to believe in connection despite all the messy, complicated, gloriously imperfect parts of being human.
Melissa Collings understands that.
She understands that love can be funny and painful, hopeful and terrifying, ridiculous and profound—sometimes all in the same chapter.
And with THE LOVE OPERATION, she invites us to consider a deliciously uncomfortable possibility:
What if knowing the truth about the past isn’t nearly as important as deciding what kind of love we want in the future?
Melissa, thank you for bringing your humor, honesty, imagination, and wonderfully chaotic heart to our very first Meet the Storyteller.
Thank you for the imperfect characters.
For the romantic complications.
For reminding us that love isn’t a renovation project.
And, of course, for Tad Cooper.
We will never forget him.
To our Romanceaholics: If complicated hearts, emotionally messy choices, and a heroine who might need to put down her metaphorical scalpel sound like your kind of reading experience, keep THE LOVE OPERATION on your radar.
And remember…
You can analyze the past.
You can question every decision.
You can try to make sense of every heartbreak.
But love?
Love was never meant to be a perfect science.
Sometimes, as Melissa so beautifully reminds us…
Love is beautiful work.
Until the next chapter, darlings.
Stay hopelessly romantic, beautifully chaotic, and just a little obsessed.
With love,
Romanceaholic 💋
Where the stories are unforgettable, the fictional men are questionable, and our hearts are always one chapter away from trouble.
MEET MELISSA COLLINGS
Author of THE LOVE OPERATION
Before writing women’s fiction and romantic comedies, Melissa Collings worked as a surgical physician associate in Nashville, where one of her favorite procedures was reconstructing a lower-lumbar tattoo after back surgery.
Her stories embrace all the beautiful contradictions of life: laughter and tears, light and darkness, glitter and charcoal smears.
With an imagination that frequently gets her into trouble and a philosophy that nothing is impossible, Melissa believes everything is better with glitter.
Except surgical wounds.
Some boundaries are necessary.
MEET THE STORYTELLER | ROMANCEAHOLIC
Behind every unforgettable romance is a storyteller who knows exactly how to break our hearts—and put them back together again.