Melanie Dobson and Free Books!

Enchanted Isle is a historical romance about a young woman who visits England's magical Lake District in the 1950s and begins to uncover what happened to a treasure lost in an abandoned amusement park there.

Before we meet today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the e-copy of The Case of the Clobbered Cad, by Debra Marvin, is:

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Congratulations! We'll get your e-book right out to you. I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right (above my list of books) in order to participate in future book give-aways! Subscribers are entered a second time when they comment.

And now let's chat with novelist Melanie Dobson, author of the historical romance, Enchanted Isle (Waterfall Press, August 2017).

Writing fiction is Melanie Dobson's excuse to explore abandoned houses, travel to unique places, and spend hours reading old books and journals. She enjoys stitching together historical and time-slip stories, and her novels have won awards for historical romance, romantic suspense, and historical fiction.

Melanie lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two teen daughters.

Please tell us one random thing we might not know about you.

I love hidden places, and I enjoy exploring the world both aboveground and underground by climbing and crawling through caves.

Just reading "crawling through caves" triggers my claustrophobia! That's very cool that you enjoy that.

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of Enchanted Isle.

My main character in Enchanted Isle is an aspiring photographer named Jenny who sees beauty in unexpected places. With paper and a pen, I built an amusement park from the 1930s for her to explore, set on an island in England’s magical Lake District with a dozen old rides inspired by the sea—a wooden roller coaster that once surfed through the trees, a boat excursion around sunken ships in an ocean cave, and the Magic Lagoon, a merry-go-round with brightly colored sea creatures instead of horses, the eaves of the carousel plated with gold leaf and stained glass.

In the novel, Jenny and a British man named Adrian search together for ancient coins his father purportedly hid on the island. As she learns the legends in this district, Jenny begins to discover beauty among the ruins of the park and she ultimately determines to restore all that’s been lost—the hidden treasure, shattered dreams, and relationships broken in years past after one of the park’s owners disappeared.

That's a fascinating premise, Melanie. 

What is it about Jenny that will make your readers care about her?

Jenny is a unique young woman with a vivid imagination. Her grandfather is a domineering man, but her widowed mother wants Jenny to use the gifts that God has given her. In this novel, Jenny decides to embrace who God made her to be and her unique gifts ultimately lead to beauty and restoration.

What is the most positive thing you can tell my readers about the state of Christian fiction today?

When I was younger, there weren’t many novels being written that were founded in themes of faith. We are so blessed today to have a variety of well-written inspirational novels available online and through bookstores. As a writer, I’m continually grateful for the opportunity to be able to share the stories that God has placed in my heart.

What is the last novel you read that you would recommend?

I really enjoyed reading Lisa Wingate’s time-slip novel Before We Were Yours . I like stories that slip between the past and present, and I thought Lisa did a remarkable job pulling readers into her powerful fictional account of a true, heart-wrenching story from the mid-1900s.

Lisa's book has done so well, too! I'll have to put that on my massive TBR list.

And, readers, in case that term, time-slip, is new to you, time-slip is a plot in which a person or group of people seem to travel through time within the novel. Time-slip brings together different points in time, so events from one time might be experienced at another time.

What are you working on now, Melanie?

Fifteen years ago my husband and I backpacked across Europe, and our favorite place to explore was Hallstatt in Austria with its medieval village, alpine lake and castle. I’m now writing a time-slip story about Jewish heirlooms hidden near Hallstatt during World War II. The historical plot is about a young man and woman who determine to help their Jewish friends hide what the Nazis were trying to steal away. In the contemporary story, my main character discovers a list in an old book that connects her with the Austrian woman who was hiding this treasure for her friends—a woman who is guarding a secret of her own.

Where else can readers find you online?

The best places to find me online are on my website www.melaniedobson.com,  Facebook), and Goodreads.

The book can be purchased online via the following button:



Finally, what question would you like to ask my readers?

I love stories! I’d enjoy hearing something miraculous or surprising that God has done in your journey.

I look forward to hearing those stories too! I'll post one of my own in the comments section.

Thanks, Melanie, for visiting and telling us about yourself and your book. Readers, Melanie has offered to give away a signed copy of her novel. To enter, leave a comment and your email below in answer to Melanie's question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Remember that subscribers are entered an additional time in each drawing. The drawing is done by email, so leave your email address, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com. Many commenters are left out of the drawing because they forget to include a way for me to notify them of their win (their email).

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Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer, as well as my Disclosure of Material Connection HERE