Books-n-Kisses is pleased to welcome Melinda Leigh to the blog today. We are going to be talking about her new book She Can Run.
Melinda: First of all, thanks to Books-n-Kisses for hosting a stop on my blog tour. She Can Run is my debut romantic suspense, and I’m thrilled to celebrate its release with you.
Q1) Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Melinda: I’m a fully recovered banker and stay-at-home mom turned writer. I love kids and dogs, so my house is usually chaotic. Housekeeping isn’t my forte. When I’m not taxiing kids to the mall and guitar lessons, I write and practice martial arts.
Q2) Have you always wanted to be an author?
Melinda: Yes, but writing is something I didn’t have time for until my kids went to school. Once I started, I was hooked. The process is challenging, fascinating, frustrating, and immensely rewarding all at the same time.
Q3) Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?
Melinda: I’ve always been drawn to murder, mystery, and mayhem in fiction. When other girls were reading Judy Blume, I was working my through my mom’s collection of Agatha Christie mysteries. In high school, I discovered I preferred Stephen King to classic literature. Lately, I’ve been reading Jim Butcher and Lisa Gardner.
Q4) Can you tell us what a typical writing day for you is like.
Melinda: I try to write while the kids are at school. I like quiet when I work. I don’t listen to music. The TV is off. If I could only get my dogs to stop barking… Sometimes I work in the evenings and/or early weekend mornings. There are a lot of things writers have to do besides write.
Q5) Can you tell us a little about you book She Can Run?
Melinda: The heroine is a young widow with two children. Beth makes the terrible mistake of marrying a powerful politician who isn’t what he seems. She accidentally learns a secret about her husband, and he tries to kill her to keep it. With luck, she escapes with her kids. Months later, under a false identity, she takes a job as caretaker on a secluded estate. Unfortunately, the elderly man who hired her dies, leaving the estate to his nephew, a former homicide detective. Jack isn’t buying Beth’s story, but his conscience won’t let him send her away. Instead, he begins to investigate. Her secrets, his suspicions, and their desire clash when a killer strikes nearby.
Q6) How did you come up with the idea for this story?
Melinda: My stories evolve slowly. News headlines often give me ideas. I find that rooting characters in reality is a great way to make their stories plausible. I wanted to write an emotionally charged story, so I started by putting a character into a terrible situation. What could be worse than a threat to one’s children? It’s the parent’s fault they’re in danger! Once I established Beth’s situation, I moved forward into developing a worthy hero and villains. The plot built into its final complexity over five rewrites. That’s not a typo.
Q7) What is up next for you?
Melinda: I’m currently working on a story that is loosely connected to SHE CAN RUN through secondary characters. The book takes place in the same small town and focuses on the local police chief and a disturbing stalker case.
Q8) What is the next book on your To Read Pile that you are dying to jump into?
Melinda: The Night Eternal by Chuck Hogan and Guillermo Del Toro, It’s the third book in The Strain horror trilogy. These aren’t poor, misunderstood vampires or sexy immortals. They’re pure evil, and they have a plan to take over the world. There were lots of sleep-with-the-light-on moments in the first two books. I love monsters!
Q9) Is there anything else you would like to add?
Melinda: Readers can find more information about me and my book at my website, melindaleighauthor.com. I love to hear from readers. So, please connect with me on Facebook & Twitter.
Books-n-Kisses: Melinda, again thank you so very much for making Books-n-Kisses a stop on your book tour. I have enjoyed learning more about you and your book. I look forward to reading and see what you come up with next.
Melinda: Thanks so much for having on the blog.
Want to learn more about Melinda? Keep Reading…
She Can Run Book Summary
Elizabeth was a young widow with two small children when she met Congressman Richard Baker. Handsome and wealthy, with a sparkling public image, Richard seemed like the perfect man to provide the security that Beth and her kids were craving. But when she uncovers a dangerous secret about her new husband, Beth realizes he will go to any lengths—even murder—to keep it. After barely escaping with her life, she and her children flee. They eventually make their way to a secluded estate in the Pennsylvania countryside, where Beth dares to hope she has found a safe place at last…
Forced into retirement by an unexpected injury, Philadelphia homicide detective Jack O’Malley is mourning the loss of his career when his uncle abruptly dies, leaving Jack to dispose of his crumbling country house. Unbeknownst to him, his uncle engaged a caretaker just before his death, a mysterious woman with two children and a beautiful face that haunts his dreams. Determined to know her, Jack begins an investigation into Beth’s past. When he uncovers the shocking truth, and a local woman is viciously murdered, Jack puts his own life on the line to keep Beth and her children safe.
She Can Run is a sexy, satisfying debut from award-winning author Melinda Leigh, packed with enough suspense and romance to get even the tamest heart racing!
Melinda Leigh’s Bio:
More than a decade ago, Melinda Leigh left a career in banking to raise her children and never looked back. She started writing when her youngest child entered first grade as a way to preserve her sanity. Her paranormal romance and romantic suspense fiction has won writing awards across the country, including The Gateway to the Best Contest, The Marlene Award, Where the Magic Begins, Put Your Heart in a Book, and The Golden Gateway 1st Round Grand Prize.
Melinda is also an avid martial artist. She holds a 2nd degree belt in Kenpo Karate, studies Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and teaches women’s self-defense. She lives in a messy house in the suburbs with her husband, two teenagers, a couple of dogs and one neurotic cat with an inexplicable fear of ceiling fans. With such a pleasant life, she has no explanation for the sometimes dark and disturbing nature of her imagination.
Paperback
Price: $13.95
ISBN: 9781612181516
Pages: 326
Release: November 28, 2011
Amazon buy link | Barnes&Noble.com buy link
Kindle buy link
eBook
Kindle buy link
Publisher’s Weekly Review:
“In her debut romantic suspense, Leigh carefully weaves the subplot of a serial killer with the main plot of an abused wife on the run and successfully ties the threads in a thrilling conclusion… Leigh’s tight, consistent plotting marks her as an author to watch.”
“In her debut romantic suspense, Leigh carefully weaves the subplot of a serial killer with the main plot of an abused wife on the run and successfully ties the threads in a thrilling conclusion… Leigh’s tight, consistent plotting marks her as an author to watch.”
No comments yet.