Melissa Lenhardt's Blog, page 4

SAWBONES to be released in trade paperback in 2017!

 

Since SAWBONES was released in March, I've been asked by many people when they can buy a physical book. I've always had to answer this question with a ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, a mostly ineffective explanation of ebook only contracts, and "As soon as I know, you will, too!"

Well, today is that day!
 

    SAWBONES, BLOOD OATH and BADLANDS* will be released in trade paperback in April, May and June 2017, respectively.  

I have everyone who bought SAWBONES, as well as everyone who took time to write a review, to thank for this wonderful news! (As well as my awesome editor, Lindsey, and everyone at Redhook who have been so excited and enthusiastic about my gritty feminist Western.) Your support made this happen.

In the good news/bad news department, you'll have to wait a little longer to find out what happens to Laura and Kindle. The BLOOD OATH and BADLANDS ebooks will be released with the print versions in May and June 2017. But, SAWBONES will continue to be available as an ebook, in case you haven't downloaded it yet. There's a handy link below to help you remedy that situation.

But, really, the best part of all of this means there will be a huge, blowout launch party to celebrate the series in April. 

The first rule of publishing: CELEBRATE EVERYTHING!

I'll have more news as we get closer to the release date - new cover reveals, book signings information, launch party details, giveaways - April 2017 seems like a long time away, but time is a flat circle, after all.** It'll be here before you know it!

*BTW, this is also the title reveal for the third and final book in the series, BADLANDS. Yea BADLANDS!

**Yeah, I don't know what that means either. But, it sounds better than, "the older we get the faster time passes."

Sawbones (A Laura Elliston Novel)







By Melissa Lenhardt

Casting STILLWATER

It's a pretty reliable question from readers: "Who would you cast in the movie of your book?" or "What actor/actress do you see as Jack?" It's always Jack, interestingly enough. My answer always surprises them: When I'm writing, I don't see my characters' faces. To me, they are a combination of personality traits and tiny physical characteristics: Jack's long eyelashes, the chicken pox scar above Ellie's eye, Kelly's blonde hair, Buck Pollard's barrel chest, Miner's sallow complexion, Ethan's vampire dude hair. As a writer, I don't like describing my characters in too much detail. I prefer the reader to envision the character themselves. It gives the reader ownership of the characters, ties them to the character in a way my detailed description wouldn't.

Still, I get the appeal of casting the movie. (Personally, I'd love to see STILLWATER as a TV series.) There have been dozens of times I've watched a tv show or movie and thought, "She would make a good Ellie." There was one time in Starbucks when Jack McBride literally walked in the door. As soon as I laid eyes on that man I knew he was Jack come to life. You know what's funny? I can't describe him to save my life, except he was tall, dark and handsome and knew how to wear a suit.

The other day when I was pulling together my list of Cowboys & Cowgirls You Want to Ride Off Into the Sunset With (if you haven't checked it out, or shared it on social media, you should!), I decided to cast STILLWATER and blog about it so my STILLWATER readers don't think I've completely forgotten about them, what with all the SAWBONES promotion.

Remember, these aren't who I see when I write, but the actors/actresses I'd like to play the parts. 

Jack McBride - Patrick Wilson

I know, I know. He doesn't have dark hair. But, Patrick Wilson sold me with his performance as Lou Solverson on Fargo Season 2. You gotta admit, he looks good in a suit.

Ellie Martin - Carrie Coon

Ellie Martin is one of those people who you meet and think, "she's attractive" or maybe you don't think about her one way or the other. But, the more you get to know her, the more beautiful she becomes. Ellie might be the most complex character in the STILLWATER world, a complexity you haven't gotten the full view of. A phenomenal actress would need to play all the highs and lows that are coming her way. Carrie Coon is a total bad ass on The Leftovers, and Ellie Martin is nothing if not a bad ass (just wait until THE FISHER KING; you'll see what I mean).

Ethan McBride

I've totally forgotten this child actor's name, but he's got the brooding good looks and attitude that Ethan has.

Kelly Dudley Jackson Kendrick - Kristen Bell

This is the one character I visualize as a real person. There are three choices for Kelly, and each one would be amazing, but I'm going to go with Kristen Bell because there's just something about her that makes me want to be her best friend, which is Kelly's superpower - making people want to be around her. (The other two actresses are Reese Witherspoon & Elizabeth Banks.)

Miner Jesson - John Hawkes

John Hawkes, man. He's such a great character actor and plays hangdog very well, which is how I think of Miner most of the time.

Buck Pollard - Jeff Bridges

This isn't who I imagine Buck Pollard as at all. Honestly, I picture Robert Duvall from 20 years ago, or Will Patton with 20 extra years on him. But, Jeff Bridges is one of the best actors of his generation and has the perfect mix of gruffness and charisma to play a manipulator like Buck Pollard. 

Eddie McBride - Josh Holloway

I know, right? 

Eddie McBride #2 - Josh Lucas

On the other hand, if you wanted an actor who looked like he could legit be Jack's twin, Josh Lucas is your man.

Those are my choices. Who would you cast in a tv/movie adaptation of STILLWATER? Or, who do you see in your mind's eye when you're reading? Reply in the comments, or on my Facebook or Twitter.

SAWBONES Blog Tour Starts Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the big day! SAWBONES, my labor of love, will be released into the world! Here's a list of the blogs where I will be answering questions, giving away Amazon Gift Cards & digital copies of SAWBONES, and sharing a photo of a Texas landmark featured in the novel. You'll also be able to read chapters one and two! 

I'll be sharing these posts on social media, but check out the blogs today, if you get a chance. Fair Warning: lots of book lovers and great content below!

3/29

Books and Broomsticks -- Author Interview #1

Club Hen House Blog Post on Writing Process

3/30

Lucylicious Reads -- Chapter 1 Reveal

Q &A A Writer of History

3/31

My Book Fix Blog  -- Review

4/1

A Novel Reality  -- Author Interview #2

Spotlight/Giveaway

4/2

The Crazy Booksellers -- Promo

4/3

Blogging for the Love of Authors and Their Books -- Review

My Bookish Ways Q&A

4/4

It's a Jenn World -- Promo

4/5

Texas Book Lover -- Author Interview #3

Shelf Pleasure Photo Post 

4/6

Margie's Must Reads -- Review

4/7

All for the Love of the Word -- Chapter 2 Reveal

 

BLOOD OATH (Laura Elliston #2) Cover Reveal

One of the most exciting events during the long process of having a book published is seeing the cover for the first time. I've been so lucky with the designers for both of my series. I've loved the covers and have had very few suggestions to make them "better." (I've heard some horror stories about covers from other authors so I know how good I have it!) 

Before we get to the cover, the book summary:

Outlander meets post-Civil War unrest in this action-packed follow up to Sawbones.

Laura Elliston and William Kindle are on the run -- from the Army and from every miscreant in the West eager to claim the $500 bounty for Laura's capture as their own. But the danger isn't just from those pursuing them. Laura and Kindle have demons of their own and a past that won't stay dead. Exhausted, scared, scarred and surrounded by enemies, neither realize the greatest danger is yet to come.

When I sent the MS to my editor last year, this is how I described it:

Well, here it is. The sequel. It has bounty hunters, whisky traders, Quakers, frontier photographers, Indians, whores, gamblers, nuns and orphans. There's killing, drinking, gambling, good sex and bad sex, dreaming, tripping, doctoring, revenge, and physical and mental healing.

I mean, seriously. Who wouldn't want to read that?

Are you sold on BLOOD OATH yet? Do you need to see the cover to make up your mind? Are you ready for me to stop talking and get on with the reveal already? Did you scroll down and look at the cover before reading all of this? (I would have, too.) 

Okay, okay. I'll stop rambling. Here it is:

 

Whatcha gonna do with that gun, Laura? :)

I love this cover, and I love this novel.

I've been working on this book, and the third in the series, for the last year and the more I work on them, the deeper I fall in love with Laura Elliston. I hope you enjoy reading about her adventures as much as I've enjoyed writing them. 

Here are a couple of handy little links to pre-order the books so they'll be sent straight to your device at midnight on the release date! One of the best features of e-readers, IMO, is having a new novel ready for you when your alarm goes off in the morning. Well, that and the ability to increase the text size to ginormous without anyone knowing. At least, that's what my friends say. ;)

Oh, and FYI: the first chapter of BLOOD OATH will be included at the end of SAWBONES!

THE FISHER KING: Jack McBride #2 Cover Reveal!

Last week at writers' workshop, I passed out bookmarks for my upcoming historical fiction novel, SAWBONES, and announced that STILLWATER would be on sale for $1.99 this week. Later, a friend asked me what I'm working on. I told her, and she looked puzzled. "Which book are you working on right now? The mystery or the historical fiction."

Yes.

When I signed the deals for the mystery novels and the historical fiction series, I never considered how confusing it would be to talk about five books being published within fifteen months of each other. Hey, I'm not complaining; it's a great "problem" to have! I considered sitting on THE FISHER KING (Jack McBride #2) cover news until after SAWBONES comes out (March 29!) to reduce the possibility of confusion, but I can't wait. It's too exciting and I love the cover too much. 

How awesome is that? I love, love, love the colors! And the trees and sky reflecting in the water. And how the trees look a little bit like a gash, which represents...well. You'll have to read the book to find that out, as well as the importance of the fire. 

MWAHAHA!

But, I will tell you this: the evil little cliffhanger I left you on at the end of STILLWATER? That will be resolved one way or another in this book.

THE FISHER KING is available for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble & IndieBound. It will be released in November.

If you want to be one of the first to see the cover for the second historical fiction novel, BLOOD OATH, you need to sign up for my newsletter! I've seen the cover draft and it's amazing. I'm so lucky with the artists, editors and publishers I have working on my novels.

Eleven Weeks!

2015 was crazy. 2016 will be insane

With my debut novel, STILLWATER, hitting the shelves, 2015 it will always be a banner year for me. Even now, nearly three months after publication, I still have a hard time believing it's real, remembering I'm a published author. It all seems so strange, like all the crazy great stuff that's happened - getting pre-publication blurbs from bestselling authors, meeting fans and making friends at Left Coast Crime, Historical Novel Society Conference, Bouchercon & DFW Con, the fantastic launch party for STILLWATER, all the wonderful reviews - has happened to another person. Being able to say, "I'm a published author" is the coolest thing in the world, but it's also weird.

Well, things are about to get even weirder. I have three novels being published in 2016, and a fourth being published in January 2017. For those of you thinking, "I didn't seen Melissa much last year..." now you know why! 
 

March 29, 2016 

SAWBONES 

will be released across all digital formats (Kindle, Nook, Google Play, iBooks). 

Cost is $3.99 and it’s available for preorder now.
 

August 16, 2016

BLOOD OATH

will be released across all digital formats (Kindle, Nook, Google Play, iBooks)
Cost is $3.99 and it's available for preorder from Amazon
. 

November 8, 2016

THE FISHER KING
(Jack McBride #2) 

will be released in hardback & digital on Election Day!
 

January 2017

SAWBONES #3 

will be released cross all digital formats (Kindle, Nook, Google Play, iBooks).

Y'all have been wonderful as I've traveled the road to publication. The outpouring of support and encouragement has been humbling. STILLWATER's success is due to every one of you buying my book, telling friends and family, writing reviews, retweeting, pinning, and sharing posts on Facebook, and inviting me to your book clubs. I appreciate it all.

As I settle in to this new career and learn how to best manage my time—being your own boss has it's benefits, but it's not necessarily the best thing for someone who's generally lazy and a master procrastinator like me—I hope to be able to deliver on the exclusive content I promised when you signed up for the newsletter. Short stories, missing scenes, special promotions, they're all on the agenda for 2016.

With four books being released in the next thirteen months, you're going to hear from me a little more often. I'll have three book covers to reveal, a launch party or two to invite you to and hopefully a book signing or three to promote. No spam, but keep an eye out on your inbox. It's going to be a crazy-busy, exciting year.

GIVEAWAY - 3 Audible Versions of STILLWATER

Need a Christmas present for someone who spends all their time driving? Or an audio book lover in the family? Enter below to win one of three Audible versions of STILLWATER!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GIVEAWAY - 3 Audible Version of STILLWATER

Need a Christmas present for someone who spends all their time driving? Or an audio book lover in the family? Enter below to win one of three Audible versions of STILLWATER!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

STILLWATER receives starred review from Library Journal!

“*Lenhardt, Melissa. Stillwater: A Jack McBride Mystery. Skyhorse. Nov. 2015. 288p. ISBN 9781634502269. $24.99;
ebk. ISBN 9781510700710. M

Seeking to get away from his soon-to-be-ex-wife and his disintegrating career with the FBI, Jack McBride moves to the small east Texas town of Stillwater with his son, Ethan. Unfortunately, on his first day as the new police chief, there is a double homicide at a trailer park; Rosa and Gilberto were hardworking but undocumented laborers who may or may not have uncovered something worth killing for. Then another body is uncovered, buried for more than 50 years under a tree down by the creek. Something is definitely rotten in Stillwater.

VERDICT A finalist for the 2014 Whidbey Writers’ MFA Alumni Emerging Writers Contest, this debut crime novel, spanning decades of Stillwater’s history, features an ingenious plot and a complicated protagonist with inner depths worth plumbing. Readers who miss Donald Harstad will appreciate this well-done police procedural, which is also a good choice for fans of Terry Shames’s “Samuel Craddock” mysteries, Lee Martin’s “Deb Ralston” series, or Tricia Fields’s “Josie Gray” novels.”

Stillwater: A Jack McBride Mystery



$19.07



By Melissa Lenhardt

Library Journal is the trade magazine libraries across the country use to determine what books to include in their collection. A review is good, but a starred review is exceptional and means the chances are good STILLWATER will be included in libraries across the country.

If you want to help get STILLWATER in your local library, you can request it through the website. There is usually an easy form to complete to request a book. Include the news about Library Journal's starred review for good measure.