Melissa Lenhardt's Blog, page 5

SAWBONES review from NYT Bestselling Author Jane Kirkpatrick!

Sawbones







By Melissa Lenhardt

“Raw, gritty and sometimes graphic, Melissa Lenhardt has crafted a page-turner. In Sawbones , the women are smart, brave and at times ‘incorrigible.' The plot twists, unique characters and intriguing story of passion and betrayal make this a book well worth discovering.” - Jane Kirkpatrick,  New York Times  bestselling author of A Light in the Wilderness

Outlander meets post-Civil War unrest in this fast-paced historical debut.

When Dr. Catherine Bennett is wrongfully accused of murder, she knows her fate likely lies with a noose unless she can disappear. Fleeing with a bounty on her head, she escapes with her maid to the uncharted territories of Colorado to build a new life with a new name. Although the story of the murderess in New York is common gossip, Catherine's false identity serves her well as she fills in as a temporary army doctor. But in a land unknown, so large and yet so small, a female doctor can only hide for so long.

STILLWATER Photo Contest Running Through November 10

It's football season and what better way to celebrate my debut mystery, STILLWATER, and its small town setting than with a football themed photo contest? 

Texas Forever

Those words were immortalized by Tim Riggins in the phenomenal television show, Friday Night Lights. Free of caricature or derision for its setting and the people who live there, FNL is the best representation of small town Texas I've ever seen or read in fiction. 

The Contest

Take a photo of a football game - Pop Warner, middle school, high school, college, pro, intramural, backyard - or anything related to football - equipment, cheerleaders, the band, the fans, the concession stand, Halloween costumes - and post it to social media with the hashtag

#StillwaterTxForever

and you'll be entered to win a

Dallas Cowboys helmet signed by Jason Witten.

The contest ends

November 10, 2016Enter as many times as you want on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram!

AVAILABLE TO U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY

Want to know more about STILLWATER?

Click here.






Stillwater: A Jack McBride Mystery



$19.07



By Melissa Lenhardt

One More Day!

Tomorrow is the day I meet the ridiculous goal I set for myself three years ago: to be published by 45. I wouldn't be here without so many people, but especially my husband and sons, my friends and family, the generous writers I've met through DFW Writers' Workshop, critique groups and conventions, and my editor at Skyhorse, Nicole Frail. But, especially I wouldn't be here without my awesome agent, Alice Speilburg. I wrote the books, set the ambitious goal, and she made it happen. She's a rock star.

The Launch Party

I am humbled by the great turnout at Saturday night's launch party. Of course I knew I had supportive friends, but there was a tiny part of me that worried no one would show up. Sometimes I'm a silly, silly girl; there was a bar and cake. Of course my friends were going to show up.

I've been trying since Saturday to figure out how to adequately put into words how wonderful it was and here I am, 5 o'clock Monday afternoon, still speechless. Instead, I'll let the pictures tell the story. Sorry there aren't captions; it involves CSS and I don't have the time or patience to deal with it. 

Stillwater: A Jack McBride Mystery



$18.86



By Melissa Lenhardt

STILLWATER Pre-Order Promotion - Exclusive Annotated Scene

"We'll have finished books on or around 9/15, by the way."

I'll be honest, I'm flailing around a little bit here, peeps. My novel, my baby, my debut, STILLWATER, is a real physical thing I will be able hold in my two hands, open and smell the pages, hug, put under my pillow at night, and carry around, cover out, everywhere I go so people will ask me, "What's that you have there?"

My book is in the warehouse, which means there's a very good chance retailers will start shipping out pre-orders next week. Before pub date!

LET'S CELEBRATE!

To thank those who have pre-ordered STILLWATER, and to encourage those who haven't had a chance yet, I'm running a promotion from today through the first week of publication. Email me your order receipt and I will email you the link and password to a webpage that contains an annotated deleted scene of Miner giving Jack a tour of Stillwater.

Annotated deleted scene? Translation, please?

It's sort of like pop-up video for a movie blooper reel. Bits of the manuscript that didn't make it into the final version with footnotes about writing, characters and the town. 

Sold! What do I do?

Pre-order STILLWATER and forward the receipt to info (at) melissalenhardt (dot) com with PROMO in the subject line. I'll reply with the link and password. Read and enjoy!

Don't worry if you plan on purchasing a copy of STILLWATER at my launch on Octobere 3. I'll make sure you get the link and password that night!

Thanks for going on this journey with me! We are almost there!

~Mel

Stillwater: A Jack McBride Mystery



$18.62



By Melissa Lenhardt

STILLWATER available for pre-order on iBooks

A heads up for the iBooks users out there: STILLWATER is available for pre-order in the iBooks store.

And, for convenience, the other outlets it's available for pre-order:

Amazon 

Barnes & Noble 

Indie Bound

 

Jack McBride & Ellie Martin live to see another book...

It isn't much of a spoiler to tell you my two main characters survive STILLWATER, the first book in my mystery series. It wouldn't be much of a series if they didn't, would it? Whether or not my readers would get to see their future adventures? Well, that wasn't a sure thing.

Until today.

My publisher, Skyhorse, has picked up THE FISHER KING, the sequel to STILLWATER. I am so stoked to share this story with you. In THE FISHER KING, I get the chance to dive deeper into the town, the people, and all the messy stuff that's going on beneath the placid surface, as well as ask the question, Are you willing to turn a blind eye to corruption if it makes your life easier and safer?

The release date for THE FISHER KING is fall 2016. Stay tuned. More details to come.

-Mel

Welcome to my new website.

For months now, I've been listening to the Book Riot Podcast (and if you're a book lover, you should, too!) and heard all about Square Space, as they're a frequent sponsor. When I needed a website with a little more bells and whistles, Square Space was the obvious choice. Set up has been a breeze, with a slight learning curve, of course. I'm sure I'll add some bits and bobs as I become familiar with the program, but until then, look around. Let me know what you think!

-Mel

Two More Blurbs for STILLWATER!

I promise I’m not going to post a link to every positive review STILLWATER receives. Pinky swear. But, I have to tell you about the blurbs I’ve received from awesome mystery authors Harry Hunsicker & Diane Vallere.

“Dangerous things lurk beneath the placid surface in Stillwater, Texas. Secrets shunning the light of day, decades-old betrayals, lies that have taken on a life of their own.  Moody and atmospheric, utterly compelling, you don’t want to miss Melissa Lenhardt’s marvelous debut novel, STILLWATER.” —Harry Hunsicker, former Executive Vice President of the Mystery Writers of America, author of THE GRID

“Secrets, lies, and betrayals run through STILLWATER like irrigation through dry land. Melissa Lenhardt’s writing drips with detail to create a story that rushes like a wave toward an ever-twisting ending. Don’t let the name fool you; STILLWATER’s threats lie right below the surface.” —Diane Vallere, bestselling author of the Material Witness, Madison Night, and Style & Error Mysteries

I mean, seriously. How can I not squee just a little bit about these awesome blurbs? Thanks so much, Harry & Diane, for taking the time to read my book.

STILLWATER receives blurb from award-winning mystery author Catriona McPherson!

I love blurbs. When I pick up a book, I skim the names of the writer’s who blurbed the book. If it’s a writer I like, I’ll read the book.

So, imagine my excitement when Catriona McPherson, award-winning author of The Day She Died, as well as a series of “ten and counting preposterous 1920s detective novels” agreed to read STILLWATER. Multiply that excitement by 100 when I received her feedback:

“Crisp and pacy writing pulls you in deep from page one, when Jack McBride strides into a crime scene and a world of trouble. STILLWATER is the perfect combination of a tightly plotted tale peopled by rich, complex characters (plus one or two deliciously hateful true baddies). Slashed budgets, racial tensions, messy pasts – this small town is anything but cozy. The mystery itself is a classic puzzle, though: clever and convincing. Roll on Jack #2!” —Catriona McPherson, Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity–winning author of the Edgar-nominated The Day She Died

Thanks, Catriona!

If you’re looking for something to read before STILLWATER is released on October 6, you should check out Catriona’s stand-alone novels and her series. You won’t be sorry!

FYI, I’ll have news soon about the Jack #2 she speaks of. Stay tuned!

SAWBONES, Historical Fiction novel, sold in 3-book deal

Promotional material, Not the cover.

On June 1, I posted on the Swamp that some news was coming. Last Tuesday, I announced the news to my newsletter subscribers. Today, I’m posting it here for those who aren’t subscribed.

If the one-line pitch, “Outlander meets the American West” sounds like a novel you’d want to read, you’re going to be very excited about this deal. SAWBONES, the first novel in a historical series featuring a female surgeon from New York who flees out West after being falsely accused of murder, will be released digitally in March 2016. The remaining two novels will be released in six month increments.

This book has been a seven year labor of love. Not only was it the first manuscript I finished but it was also what I worked on after my father died in the summer of 2008. Dad loved watching Westerns, especially Lonesome Dove. All that summer after he died, I read McMurtry’s novel, watched the mini-series, and took a deep dive into classic Hollywood westerns. I played around with a few scenes, not liking much of anything except the characters. What put this story into motion to become what it is now was reading EMPIRE OF THE SUMMER MOON by SC Gwynne.

I love all my books, but there’s something special about this one. It’s my favorite child and I absolutely cannot wait to share it with you all next spring! #Sawbones

 

Hang on, didn’t you tell us about this book? It’s coming out in October.

STILLWATER and SAWBONES are two entirely different books set in a different time periods with completely different characters.

I have two novels in two genres being released within months of each other.

It’s okay to be shocked.

I CAN’T BELIEVE IT MYSELF!

STILLWATER, my contemporary mystery, will be released in FOUR MONTHS!

FOUR MONTHS!

I cannot believe it is almost here. Things are about to move fast and furious for this novel so expect the next newsletter to be chock full of STILLWATER news, including the cover and information about the book launches. #BigSecretsRunDeep

 

If you’d like to read more about SAWBONES, click HERE.

If you’d like to subscribe to my email newsletter and receive news early, as well as get exclusive content and contests, click HERE.

If you share this post on social media, please use these hashtags:

#Sawbones

#BigSecretsRunDeep