Interview & giveaway with Melinda Leigh

BnK:  Melinda, it is so nice to have you as a guest on the blog today.

Melinda:  Thank you for having me on Books-n-Kisses.

BnK:  Hey wait, today is release day for you isn’t it?  Midnight Sacrifice is book 2 in your Midnight Series right?

Melinda:  Yes!  <squee>

BnK: Well, Happy Release Day!!!

Melinda:  Thanks!  I am so excited to finally share this book with my readers. Writing Midnight Sacrifice was an emotional journey for me. The book turned out very different from how I’d planned. When I hit the midpoint, I got stuck. I couldn’t finish. The story refused to be shoehorned into my carefully constructed outline. Finally, I threw my synopsis away and let go.  I’m a plotter, so tossing my plot line wasn’t easy. But the story turned out so much better than I had envisioned.

BnK:  Let’s talk about your new book Midnight Sacrifice.  How about we open the book to a random page and you share with us what is happening. 

Melinda:  How about a snippet? In Chapter Two, Danny returns to Maine to hunt down the escaped killer who kidnapped and tried to kill his sister.  Upon arrival, the first thing he does is stop to see Mandy, who has mixed feelings about sexy Danny’s return to Huntsville. Let’s find out why.

“What brings you back to Maine?”

He set his coffee on the counter. “We got a call about the case.”

Mandy fumbled the plate. It dropped to the floor with a crash. Bits of ceramic flew in every direction. The muffin rolled across the tile.

“I’m sorry.” Danny rounded the island. “I shouldn’t have blurted it out like that.”

“No, it’s not your fault.” She grabbed a broom from the pantry and swept up the debris. She emptied the dustpan in the trash, the excited flutter in her belly giving way to nausea. She wanted to ask him what happened, but fear silenced her voice like sawdust smothered a fire. On one hand, paranoia was getting old. On the other, there were things no one knew. Things she didn’t want anyone to know. And for the sake of her family, things she hadn’t told the police…

BnK:   How did you come up with the idea for the Midnight Series? 

Melinda:   The plot for Midnight Exposure (book #1 in the series) started evolving after I watched a documentary on the ancient Druids. I’m a geek. Must to my teenagers’ dismay, I love to watch reenactments of the Roman invasion of Britain and read about archeological digs at Stonehenge.  After my initial concept was born, the rest of the story evolved over time. I set up the beginning of Midnight Sacrifice in book #1, so I couldn’t wait to pick up the plot line again and find out what happened to Mandy and Danny.

BnK:  How hard is it to get into the head of the bad guys?  Are there ever scenes that are sometime too hard to write?

Melinda:  Actually, the villain is often the easiest point-of-view for me to write. (Mwa ha ha ha ha).  When I plot out the book, I make sure my villain has goals and motivation just like the protagonists.  The villain is often simpler, because he usually isn’t encumbered by guilt or morals.  In the Midnight series, however, my villains are just as complicated as my hero and heroine. Nothing is black-and-white in this series.

BnK:  How many books do you see in the Midnight Series?

Melinda:  Probably at least 3.  I already have the seeds of Conor Sullivan’s story in my head. So I’d really like to write that book. Who knows after that?  I’ll have to wait and see how book #3 turns out before I decide if the series will continue beyond Conor’s story.

BnK: You do have another romance suspense series you write too called the “She Can” series (which I love).  Can you tell us a little more about this series?

Melinda:  The “She Can” novels are a very loosely connected series of books that centers on the residents of the fictional mountain town of Westbury, Pennsylvania.  I love to revisit main and secondary characters. So cameos from past heroes and heroines are common.  SHE CAN RUN was the first book in this series and my very first published novel. The book sold unexpectedly well, surpassing 100,000 copies in just 6 months.  SHE CAN TELL (#2) hit the Amazon bestseller list on release day.  The next book in the series is SHE CAN SCREAM, with a release date of September 17, 2013. And my current work-in-process is tentatively titled SHE CAN HIDE.

BnK:  Do you have any other series in the works?

Melinda:  Juggling two series is quite enough for the moment. I have enough voices in my head with the characters from six stories all talking at once and vying for my attention.  For instance, while I’m writing SHE CAN HIDE, Conor Sullivan keeps interrupting me with suggestions for his Midnight story.  He’ll have to make due with side notes until I finish this book.

BnK: What did you do before you became a writer and are you glad that you made the move to author.

Melinda:  I was a banker, then a stay-at-home mom. I don’t regret leaving banking for one second. It was the complete wrong career for me. Writing is my dream job. But it’s also much harder than I’d envisioned. I work six to seven days a week, and twelve hour days are common when deadlines approach.  But there isn’t a day that I don’t wake up grateful for this fabulous second career.

BnK: If you could be talented at anything (besides writing) what would it be and why

Melinda:  This is a tough one. I love books and constructing stories, and I know exactly how lucky I am to be a professional writer. I think achieving this success late in life (after working for many years at a job I despised) makes me appreciate it more. If I could pick a second talent, I’d pick music, for which I currently have absolutely zero talent. I couldn’t carry a tune if you offered me a billion dollars.

BnK:   What is the best piece of advice you would give to any inspiring writers?

Melinda:  Keep writing. Keep revising. Keep improving your craft. A book can always be better. I received many, many rejections for SHE CAN RUN. For four years, I accepted rejections and analyzed criticism. I used the writing of that book to polish characterization, to learn pacing, to improve story structure. I rewrote the novel 5 times, and it ended up a bestseller.  If I had stopped trying at revision #3, the book wouldn’t have been as good, sales wouldn’t have been as high, and more importantly, I’d have gaps in my writing skills I hadn’t known existed.

BnK:  Melinda, it was a great honor to have you on the blog today.  Is there anything we left out you would like the readers to know about you or your books?

Melinda:  I love to hear from readers.  So don’t hesitate to contact me through social media or my website.

BnK:  Please come back again and I hope everyone enjoys your books

Melinda: Thanks to Books-n-Kisses for hosting me on this very special day.

Melinda Leigh is a fully recovered banker, wife, mom, lifelong dog lover, and second degree black belt in kenpo karate. She is a 2012 Thriller Award nominee and the bestselling author of romantic suspense novels. Her next book, Midnight Sacrifice, releases in April 2013. Find out more about Melinda: website / facebook / twitter

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