Author Interview
Before we get to the interview, can you tell our readers a little bit about yourself.
I'm a writer, a mom, a dog lover, and a caffeine addict. I was once a banker. I left my job to raise my kids and, being a lifelong book geek, I started writing as a hobby and gradually realized I'd found what I should have been doing all along. I was a terrible banker. I'm an equally bad cook and a disinterested housekeeper. Most days I spend time with my family, including the four legged members, and I write. I try to keep up with my martial art studies as well.
Do you have a day job, or is being an author your career?
I am lucky enough to write full-time. I doubt I could finish 2-3 books per year if I also had to work at a day job as well. Being an author is a dream come true. I was a banker for a number of years. It was awful. I know enough about the real world to appreciate the fantasy job I have now. Though I work more hours than I ever have in my life (the end of a book can mean 12-14 hour days), I absolutely love being a writer. Every day is casual day I work in my pajamas, often haven't showered at noon, and have a flexible schedule that enables me to be available for my kids when they need me. Plus, I get PAID to write stories. It just doesn't get any better than that.
Please give a brief description / storyline about She Can Tell.
A horse trainer’s homecoming turns deadly when a vicious stalker, a cold murder case, and a hot police chief threaten to expose family secrets that a killer wants to keep buried.
After a terrible accident ends her riding career, horse trainer Rachel Parker returns to her hometown to a hostile welcome. Her efforts to rebuild the family farm are hampered by her sister’s domestic crisis and a violent vandal who threatens Rachel’s new business and her life. She is also blindsided by the undeniable and unwanted attraction she feels for hot police chief handling her case. Someone is systematically trying to destroy her. Someone who knows private things about her. Someone who’s been watching her…
As his investigation uncovers the turbulent past Rachel keeps carefully hidden, Police Chief Mike O’Connell finds himself with too many suspects and too many feelings for his fiercely independent victim. His desire for Rachel is a conflict of interest that jeopardizes everything he stands for. Long buried family secrets, a skeleton, and a corrupt local official with a grudge against Mike complicate the case, but the escalating violence against Rachel convinces him he doesn’t have much time. Whoever is watching Rachel wants her dead. Mike and Rachel race to untangle a web of deceit and lies that stretches twenty-five years into the past—before her stalker strikes again.
How did it feel to have your first book published?
Surreal. My debut novel, She Can Run, was sold about a year before it was released. Shortly after She Can Run was published, Montlake bought a second book I'd already finished, Midnight Exposure. Honestly, I didn't feel like a real, full-time author until I'd sold She Can Run and Midnight Exposure, and my publisher offered me a 2 book contract for 1 book I'd barely started and a second book that was no more than an idea. To me, selling on proposal meant that people besides my family had faith in my abilities.
Do you have a special spot or area where you like to do your writing?
Though I write in many places: the car, waiting rooms, outside my kids' activities, I now have a dedicated office. Usually, it's pretty messy. I clean it between books, but I seem to function best in controlled chaos. My two favorite items are my widescreen monitor and my huge magnetic white board. The big monitor is a blessing late at night when my eyes are tired from 10 hours of staring at it. My plot board is a close second. Instead of writing a formal synopsis, I use color coded index cards to plot my story. I move them around as the story changes. This gives me more flexibility to write what the story wants to be. I used to write a 10 page synopsis, but found that it became a wasted week as the plot often changes as characters develop.
When you write, do you adhere to a strict work schedule, or do you work whenever the inspiration strikes?
When I'm in the middle of a book, I work every day. I rarely ever take a holiday off. It's too easy to lose track of all the different plot lines that must intersect through the story. Once I finish a draft, I try to put it aside for a solid week or two and catch up on paperwork. This isn't always possible due to deadline constraints, but I find a break from the piece helps give me new perspective during the revision process.
How do you usually communicate with your readers/fans?
I love hearing from readers! My website has a contact page. I'm also on FACEBOOK, TWITTER and GOODREADS.
Are you currently writing a new book? If yes, would you care to share a bit of it with us?
I'm currently writing She Can Scream. I'm only halfway through the draft, but here's my pitch:
A computer expert agrees to watch over his deployed friend's sister but finds more than his promise is at stake when she interrupts a brutal assault, and her fixation on finding the internet predator responsible provokes a serial killer who becomes equally as obsessed with her.
About The Author
She Can Run released in November 2011 and became the #1 Bestseller in Kindle Romantic Suspense. She Can Run has been nominated for a 2012 Thriller Award for Best First Novel.
Melinda is also an avid martial artist. She holds a 2nd degree black 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.
AUTHOR WEBSITE
GOODREADS
Join Melinda's Facebook Street Team Group
Book Review
She Can Tell by Melinda Leigh
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Publication Date: December 4, 2012
Format: Paperback - 337 pages / Kindle - 519 KB
ISBN: 1612185657
ASIN: B00818J18A
Genre: Romantic Suspense
BUY THE BOOK: She Can Tell
*RELEASE DATE - DECEMBER 4, 2012!*
Disclaimer: I received an ARC edition of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review, and for hosting a virtual book release event on my book review blog site.
Book Description:
After a terrible accident ends her riding career, horse trainer Rachel Parker returns to her hometown to a hostile welcome. Her efforts to rebuild the family farm are hampered by her sister’s domestic crisis and a violent vandal who threatens Rachel’s new business and her life. She is also blindsided by the undeniable and unwanted attraction she feels for hot police chief handling her case. Someone is systematically trying to destroy her. Someone who knows private things about her. Someone who’s been watching her…
As his investigation uncovers the turbulent past Rachel keeps carefully hidden, Police Chief Mike O’Connell finds himself with too many suspects and too many feelings for his fiercely independent victim. His desire for Rachel is a conflict of interest that jeopardizes everything he stands for. Long buried family secrets, a skeleton, and a corrupt local official with a grudge against Mike complicate the case, but the escalating violence against Rachel convinces him he doesn’t have much time. Whoever is watching Rachel wants her dead. Mike and Rachel race to untangle a web of deceit and lies that stretches twenty-five years into the past—before her stalker strikes again.
Book Excerpt:
In a lucky spell of moonlight, the Watcher navigated
the tributary that connected the Blue River that flowed
near Rachel's farm with Lost Lake. He crossed the
calm lake, secured his aluminum boat, and hurried
up the dock to his cabin. Everything was fine. Rachel
hadn't even gotten a glimpse of him. Even if she had
turned around in time, the shadow under his brimmed
camouflage hood concealed all his features. Planning
things down to the smallest detail was essential.
She didn't know it was him.
My Book Review:
Twenty-five years ago in Northeastern Pennsylvania, a mysterious man, the "Watcher," liked to watch people and see the secret, private things they did when they thought they were alone. He has been watching a man named Harry Boyle, who he felt had betrayed him. He stabs Harry to death, sets the man's house on fire, and disposes the body. But there was a witness to the disposal, a little girl named Rachel Parker.
Fast-forward to the present day, horse boarder/trainer and riding instructor Rachel Parker returns to rebuild her family's horse farm in Westbury, Pennsylvania after an injury has ended her riding career. But not everyone is happy that she has returned home: the farm is vandalized, and a stalker leaves ominous warnings telling her to leave town scrawled on the walls of the barn, which leaves her scared. And just when you think what else could happen, Rachel's younger sister Sarah Mitchell is in an abusive marriage, and she reaches out to Rachel for help.
As the threats escalate, Westbury Police Chief Mike O'Connor is determined to protect Rachel, her family and his community. An intense attraction between Rachel and Mike is ignited, but secrets from the past have a way of making things become complicated, dangerous and potentially life-threatening for them.
Just when you think author Melinda Leigh couldn't top the heart-stopping riveting romantic suspense drama she created in She Can Run, she pulls out another ace from her sleeve and weaves another romantic suspense thriller in She Can Tell, the second book of the She Can series.
This fast paced riveting thriller is told in the third person narrative with alternating character points of view that draws the reader in and keeps them guessing what will happen next. Rich in detail and vivid description of the scenic northeastern Pennsylvania farm country setting, the reader is transported to the picturesque small town of Westbury, where a stalker/murderer is on the loose and buried secrets are coming back to haunt Rachel and Mike. I love the author's style of writing, the intensity of the drama, romance and suspense is gripping, and the multitude of twists and turns makes you hold your breath and keeps you sitting on the edge of your seat as you turn the pages. I love the mixture of romance and suspense, it provides a nice balance to the story, and it fills all the reader's senses while taking them on one heck of thrilling roller coaster ride.
I loved how the character development of Rachel and Mike progresses as the story unfolds. Both are realistic and complex people who the reader can relate to. They draw you into their lives and you can't help but feel for them as the intensity of the threats build, as well as the romance, electricity and passion that develops between them. With engaging and humorous dialogue and interactions; a great secondary cast of characters that add to the storyline, including the cameo appearances of some of the characters from She Can Run; and a wonderful sense of suspense and surprise that keeps the identity of the Watcher a secret until the end; makes She Can Tell a mesmerizing story that romantic suspense fans are sure to love!
Each book in the She Can series can be read as a stand alone story. Be sure to look for the upcoming release of the third book in the series, She Can Scream.
RATING: 5 STARS *****
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