Melanie Dobson, June Releases, and Free Books!

Heather Toulson returns to her parent’s cottage in England to find answers to secrets that have haunted her family for fifty years.

Before we visit today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the signed copy of Whenever You Come Around, by Robin Lee Hatcher, is:

christianbookreviewer@ . . .

Congratulations! I'll email you today to get your mailing address, and we'll get your book to you right away.

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 revisit with novelist Melanie Dobson, author of the "time-slip," historic-romance-suspense novel, Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor (Howard Books, June 2015).

Melanie Dobson is the award-winning author of fourteen historical romance, suspense, and contemporary novels including Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor and Chateau of Secrets. Two of her novels won Carol Awards in 2011, and Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana won Best Novel of Indiana in 2010.

Melanie has loved writing fiction since childhood, but it was a long journey to publication. After seven years of writing and rewriting fiction, her first novel (Together for Good) was published in 2006.

Melanie and her husband, Jon, have two daughters. After moving numerous times with work, the Dobson family has finally settled near Portland, Oregon, and they love to hike in both the mountains and the cliffs above the Pacific. When Melanie isn't writing or teaching at George Fox University, she loves to explore ghost towns and dusty back roads, line dance, pick blueberries, and read stories with her kids.

Please tell us three random things we might not know about you.

--I love exploring abandoned houses and old cemeteries.

--I think Settlers of Catan is the best board game ever!

--Before we adopted our girls, my husband and I spent a month backpacking through seven countries in Europe.

Great research for your novels! Please tell us a bit more about the plot of Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor.

This novel is about the secrets that haunt the ancient garden below Ladenbrooke Manor. More than forty years ago, Oliver Croft’s body was found in the shadows of this garden. While the English villagers have whispered for decades about what happened, no one knows for certain who killed the son of the respected Lord and Lady Croft.

When Heather Toulson returns to her parent’s cottage beside Ladenbrooke, she begins to uncover the story of a young woman who loved Oliver. And the truth about the families who tried but failed to keep Oliver and Libby apart.

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

Libby is a troubled young woman who loves to paint butterflies. Libby has a form of autism before people know much about it, and her parents love and fight for her even when they don’t understand what’s wrong. Libby grows up to be a beautiful artist with a secret that’s haunted her most of her life.

If you were the casting director for the film version of your novel, who would play your lead roles?

Maggie Doyle (Libby’s mom) would be played by Jessica Raine.





Walter Doyle (Libby’s dad) would be played by Matthew Goode.



Libby would be played by Molly Quinn.





Heather Toulson would be played by Jennifer Aniston.





Christopher Westcott would be played by John Cusack.





Share with us one line or paragraph from your novel that gives us a good feel for its tone.

From Libby’s Book of Butterflies

Autumn Dancer flutters among the flowers, chasing the last rays of sunlight until her haven is swallowed up by the night. Her sisters are asleep now, hidden under the fronds, but she doesn’t care. She dances alone in the twilight, embracing the warmth of the golden hour, her wings sweeping past silky petals of the late summer blooms. In the safe cocoon of her garden, she dares believe that no harm will ever enter the gates. This is her world of beauty and peace, of sweet nectar and life, completely unspoiled by the footsteps of danger or the silent mockery of time.

Sad foreshadowing in that.

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

I love old houses and unraveling family secrets in a novel. Sandra Byrd does an excellent job with both of these in Mist of Midnight . A beautifully written, haunting story.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on another time-slip novel set in England, and I’m in the midst of editing a magical middle grade series that I wrote with my girls.

How fun to be able to work with your girls!

Where else can readers find you online?

My website is www.melaniedobson.com or my author page on Facebook

The book can be purchased in fine book stores and online via the following buttons:






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

Do you prefer reading a book set in the United States or a European location?

Thanks, Melanie, for visiting with us and telling us about your novel. Readers, Melanie has offered to give a signed copy of her book to the winner of our drawing on Monday, June 8. To enter, leave a comment below in answer to Melanie's question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Leave your email address, in case you win, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.

Also, I'd love it if you'd connect with me on Facebook. Just click on my name at the right of today's post.

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 HERE.

As you scroll to the end of this post to leave your answer to Melanie's question, take a look at some of the fantastic Inspirational fiction being released this month!

Contemporary Romance:

Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Beth K. Vogt -- A couple who eloped during spring break during their senior year of high school -- and then divorced -- have to decide whether they should take a second chance at love. (Contemporary Romance from Howard [Simon & Schuster])

A Pinch of Promise by Elizabeth Maddrey -- To escape a painful negative image created by her father, physical therapist Rebecca Fischer has constructed an identity completely separate from her past. Helping Ben Taylor, her long lost love, to rehabilitate his knee threatens to shatter her intricate illusions. As Ben digs to uncover the truth of who she is, Rebecca must decide if she will trust any man with her wounded heart. (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)

Rodeo Reunion by Shannon Taylor Vannatter -- Slade Walker, the bronc riding rodeo chaplain breaks all of widowed Raquel's rules-find a father for her son with a safe occupation, who's home every night. (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin])

Cozy Mystery:

Murder Freshly Baked by Vannetta Chapman -- Amber Bowman, manager of The Amish Artisan Village in Middlebury, Indiana, and her young Amish friend Hanna Troyer must find a killer in order to clear an employee's name. The only clues they have are cryptic poems and pies from the "Poison Poet"-an individual who has been sending notes containing bad poetry to warn of poisoned baked goods. (Cozy Mystery from HarperCollins Christian Publishing [Thomas Nelson and Zondervan])

General Fiction:

Two Roads Home: A Chicory Inn Novel, Book 2 by Deborah Raney -- Can Corinne and Jesse pick up the pieces of what was once a wonderful life before an innocent flirtation and trumped-up charges of harassment crumble it all beneath them? (General Fiction from Abingdon Press)

Historical Romance:

Beyond the Ashes by Karen Barnett - In 1906 San Francisco, a city rising from the ashes, a young widow joins her brother in his cancer research, but Ruby Marshall doesn't anticipate finding new love. Dr. Gerald Larkspur dreams of filling his empty home with family, but when his friend's widowed sister arrives to help research, the close quarters seem close indeed. Ruby and Gerald's fledgling romance is challenged when Gerald develops symptoms of the very disease they're striving to cure. When time is short, is love still worth the risk? (Historical Romance from Abingdon Press)

Love's Rescue: A Novel (Keys of Promise) by Christine Johnson -- When her mother dies, Elizabeth Benjamin heads home to Key West, determined to transform herself into the perfect Southern belle her parents always wished her to be. But nothing goes according to plan. As family secrets come to light, Elizabeth is faced with a difficult choice: to do her duty and abandon her dreams, or to leave her life of privilege behind to chase the man her father sees as little better than a pirate. (Historical Romance from Revell [Baker Publishing Group])

Family of Her Dreams by Keli Gwyn -- A headstrong housekeeper who longs for a family of her own must convince a withdrawn widower she's the right person to care for his children-and help him learn to live again. (Historical Romance from Love Inspired

[Harlequin]) A Flying Affair by Carla Stewart -- Daredevil Mittie Humphreys navigates her heart as well as the skies in this beguiling adventure of grit and determination during the rollicking Roaring Twenties. (Historical Romance from Faith Words [Hachette])

Undercover Bride by Margaret Brownley -- Pinkerton operative Maggie Michaels travels to Arizona Territory as an undercover mail-order bride to track down the notorious Whistle-Stop Bandit. If she doesn't prove the suspect guilty before the wedding-she could end up as his wife! (Historical Romance from Barbour Publishing)

Now and Forever by Mary Connealy -- An accident in the wilderness results in a Matthew Tucker, a solitary mountain man, finding himself hitched to a Shannon Wilde, a woman with a passel of relatives, a homestead, and a flock of sheep to care for. Someone clearly wants to drive Shannon off, but whoever it is apparently didn't count on Tucker. Trying to scare Matthew Tucker just makes him mad--and trying to hurt the woman he's falling in love with sets off something even he never expected. (Historical Romance from Bethany House [Baker Publishing])

To Win Her Favor (A Belle Meade Plantation Novel) by Tamera Alexander -- A gifted rider in a world where ladies never race, Maggie Linden is determined that her horse will become a champion. But the one man who could help her has vowed to stay away from thoroughbred racing forever. (Historical Romance from Zondervan)

Romantic Suspense:

Permanent Vacancy by Katy Lee -- When Gretchen Bauer begins to renovate an old Victorian house with the help of a home improvement TV show, "accidents" start to happen. Could it be a harmful ploy to boost ratings? With many neighbors disgruntled about the inn bringing strangers to their shores, Gretchen has a list of likely suspects. Should she trust the TV show host, handsome Irishman Colm McCrae? She must if she wants to keep her new business venture from turning into a five-star death trap. (Romantic Suspense from Love Inspired [Harlequin])

Speculative Fiction:

Stealthy Steps by Vikki Kestell -- My name is Gemma Keyes. Other than my name, I am utterly forgettable-so those who never paid much attention to me in the first place aren't likely to notice that I've disappeared. Vanished. Oh, it's much more complicated than that. (Speculative Fiction, Independently Published)

Supernatural Thriller:

The Tuning Station by Chris A Crawford -- Atheist Ted Duncan finds himself face-to-face with a copy of himself from a parallel universe; his counterpart, however, is Christian. The pair are given controls to the Tuning Station, a machine that allows them to observe their pasts, and assigned a deceptively simple task: discover the exact moment their lives diverged. Ted believed that it was inevitable he'd leave faith and family behind. But his twin stands as a denial. What single event could have changed everything he knows to be true? (Supernatural Thriller, Independently Published)

Happy reading!