Behind The Book With Melinda Leigh
About 2 years ago, I did a Q&A with both Melinda Leigh & Kendra Elliot discussing their book Echo Road intertwining their characters Bree Taggert & Mercy Kilpatrick from their separate series. Rachel Tarlow Gul, Melinda’s publicist, has now reunited me as we discuss her upcoming novel You Can Tell Me, which will be available on May 12th wherever you get your books!
Q: Welcome back to Book Notions Melinda! I can’t believe it’s been two years since I interviewed you and Kendra discussing Echo Road! Would you please give a brief description of You Can Tell Me?
A: Oliva Cruz is a true crime writer with a traumatic history of her own. She was kidnapped in one of my previous books, Save Her Breath (Morgan Dane #6). In You Can Tell Me, Olivia is determined to get her life and career back on track when her friend, podcaster Zoe March, disappears. The police don’t initially think foul play is at hand, but Olivia knows Zoe and she wouldn’t just vanish. Still haunted by her own abduction, Olivia is determined to find her friend.
Q: I know You Can Tell Me, is a spinoff of the Morgan Dane mysteries & I know you don’t have to read Morgan’s mysteries to know what’s going on in Olivia’s. What made you write You Can Tell Me in this way?
A: This is the way I’ve been writing for a long time. Scarlet Falls spun into Morgan Dane, which spun into Bree Taggert and also into Olivia Cruz. I get attached to my characters and the worlds in which they live, but I also want to write fresh stores. The spin-off strategy has worked for me since Hour of Need was published in 2014.
Q: My favorite part of the book was how close Olivia & her niece Nicki were and how they bonded trying to solve the mystery of what happened to Zoe. Which scenes were your favorite to create?
A: I also enjoyed writing the scenes between Olivia and Nicki. My career started in romantic suspense, so I’ve done plenty of male-female relationships. In this series, I wanted to explore a female relationship, something generational, that would add a new, interesting element to my books. My book plots tend to be quite dark, so I used their relationship to balance the overall book with some light humor as well. When your day is full of murder, murder, murder, writing a humorous scene feels refreshing.
Q: Since your character Zoe has a true crime podcast, how do you feel about all these true crime podcasters and their podcasts? We live in a world where true crime has become a dangerous obsession that people forget that the victims of these crimes are real human beings.
A: I agree, and I hope that making Zoe a victim also reminds readers that she’s human. We must always remember that every victim is a parent, child, sibling, and/or loved one deserving of respect.
Q: What can fans look forward to in the sequel to You Can Tell Me? Are you currently writing it right now or have you already finished writing it?
A: I’ll be starting Olivia’s second book, I Know Your Secret, shortly. At this moment, I do not know anything about the plot. It might be a cold case or another missing person. I don’t plot my books out ahead of time. I just come up with a scenario, start writing, and let the plot develop organically. This should be fun.
