Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: The Fisher King
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.melissalenhardt.com/
CITY: Dallas
STATE: TX
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2016007568
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2016007568
HEADING: Lenhardt, Melissa
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053 _0 |a PS3612.E529
100 1_ |a Lenhardt, Melissa
370 __ |e Dallas (Tex.) |2 naf
373 __ |a Sisters in Crime |a DFW Writers’ Workshop
374 __ |a Novelists |2 lcsh
375 __ |a female
377 __ |a eng
670 __ |a Her Stillwater, 2015: |b title page (Melissa Lenhardt) jacket flap (Melissa Lenhardt writes mystery, historical fiction, and women’s fiction ; lives in Dallas, Texas)
670 __ |a Sawbones, 2017: |b ECIP t.p. (MELISSA LENHARDT) data view (on the board of directors for the North Dallas chapter of Sisters in Crime, as well as a member of the DFW Writers’ Workshop; she lives in Texas)
PERSONAL
Married; children: two sons.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer.
MEMBER:Sisters in Crime (president, board of directors of North Dallas chapter), DFW Writers’ Workshop.
WRITINGS
Contributor of short stories to publications, including Heater Mystery magazine and the Western Online. Contributor to anthologies, including Christmas Nookies.
SIDELIGHTS
Melissa Lenhardt is a writer based in Texas. She is an active member of the Sisters in Crime organization, for which she has served as president and board member for the North Dallas chapter.
Stillwater
In an interview with Ognian Georgiev, a writer on the Land of Books Web site, Lenhardt discussed her first book, Stillwater: A Jack McBride Mystery, the introductory work in a series featuring the character of Jack McBride. She stated: “Stillwater is the story of an ex-FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] agent who takes the job as chief of police in small-town East Texas thinking it will be a nice, easy gig, but who ends up investigating two murders, fifty years apart, that share a surprising connection that will rattle the town to its core.” Lenhardt told a contributor to the Operation Awesome Web site: “There’s a reason Jack is an ex-FBI agent; when I started writing the book, … I didn’t have an FBI agent contact to interview about their job. So, I spoke to local police officers about small town policing, read books about police procedures, and took a Citizen’s Police Academy class through my local PD, which gave me more contacts.” In the same interview, Lenhardt noted: “I grew up in a small East Texas town so of course everyone will think Stillwater is based on it. It is, to a degree. But, it could also be based on the suburban neighborhood I live in now, which is close-knit and like a small town in many ways.”
In the book, Jack moves with Ethan, his teenage son, to the small town of Stillwater, Texas, hoping to escape the pain and rumors that have haunted him since his wife went missing a year before. Jack, who spent years as an FBI agent, will serve as the town’s chief of police. He expects the job to be a simple one, but he is quickly immersed in an investigation of the murder-suicide of Rosa and Gilberto Ramos, which may have been staged, as well as a cold case. Other crimes begin occurring in the sleepy town. Meanwhile, Jack becomes acquainted with Ellie Martin, a woman with a scandalous past. The two are instantly attracted to one another, and a romantic relationship between them develops. Ethan initially has trouble adjusting to his new home, and he holds his discomfort against his father, further complicating Jack’s life. A reviewer on the Buried Under Books Web site suggested: “Jack and Ethan may have some difficulty fitting in but they’re both vividly drawn characters. … Many of the other characters in Stillwater are just as memorable for a variety of reasons from the bank president to teens Olivia and Troy, … [while] Ellie is a woman with issues that are easy to understand and to commiserate with.”
The Fisher King
Jack, Ethan, Ellie, and other characters return in The Fisher King: A Jack McBride Mystery. In this volume, Jack is shocked when his missing wife, Julie, resurfaces. Julie claims she wants to start over with Jack, who is conflicted because of his budding relationship with Ellie. Meanwhile Eddie, Jack’s twin brother, moves in with them and begins working for the daughter of a shady businessman who is connected to the drug trade in the county. Eddie and the daughter, Michelle, begin having an affair. Michelle’s father, Joe Doyle, is running for city council against Ellie. One night, after a local party, Joe’s son and his wife turn up dead. Jack must investigate their murders, which puts him at risk of gaining dangerous enemies.
“After a slow start, this combination of police procedural and romance puts the pedal to the metal and revs up the action,” remarked a Kirkus Reviews critic. Michele Weber, a contributor to Booklist, described The Fisher King as “a fast-moving whodunit with compelling subplots and an appealing protagonist who’s likely to keep winning fans.”
Sawbones
In 2017 Lenhardt released Sawbones: A Laura Elliston Novel, the first volume in another series. In an interview with a contributor to the My Bookish Ways Web site, Lenhardt explained: “My father loved watching Westerns, especially Lonesome Dove. When he died in 2008, I spent the summer watching his favorites and read Lonesome Dove for the first time. Being a writer, I wanted to read more Westerns, but the books I found were traditionals featuring male heroes with token women. (I didn’t discover Sandra Dallas until later.) So, I decided to write what I wanted to read, and Sawbones is the result.” Lenhardt summarized the book’s plot in an interview with a contributor to A Writer of History Web site, stating: “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.”
In the book, Catherine leaves New York in 1871, changing her name to Laura Elliston. She begins heading west on a wagon train. When her group is attacked by Comanches, Laura worries that she will be killed. However, soldiers arrive, fighting off the attacking Comanches. When the battle ends, Laura is still alive. The solders take her and another traveler, Captain William Kindle, to a military fort in Colorado. Laura stays in Ft. Richardson, volunteering at the hospital there. She and William soon become romantically involved. Laura is enjoying her new life and budding relationship when she sees her image on a wanted poster. Laura considers leaving town, but she chooses to stay with William. Jeanne Greene, a reviewer for Booklist, commented: “This action-packed western … introduces a courageous new heroine—one that readers won’t likely forget.” Writing on the Zest Quest Web site, Dorine Linnen asserted: “An excellent depiction of the western frontier in all its gory details, Sawbones will shock and fascinate with the characters’ ability to endure the worst fate mankind can deliver. Melissa Lenhardt is a master at selective dialogue, moving the story forward at a convincing, fast pace.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, October 15, 2016, Michele Leber, review of The Fisher King: A Jack McBride Mystery, p. 20; April 15, 2017, Jeanne Greene, review of Sawbones: A Laura Elliston Novel, p. 35.
Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2016, review of The Fisher King.
ONLINE
A Writer of History, https://awriterofhistory.com/ (March 30, 2016), M.K. Tod, author interview.
Buried Under Books, https://cncbooksblog.wordpress.com/ (October 7, 2015), review of Stillwater: A Jack McBride Mystery.
Dallas Morning News Online, https://www.dallasnews.com/ (April 5, 2017), Valerie Wigglesworth, author interview.
Land of Books, https://landofbooks.org/ (February 20, 2016), Ognian Georgiev, author interview.
Melissa Lenhardt Home Page, http://www.melissalenhardt.com (July 13, 2017).
My Bookish Ways, http://www.mybookishways.com/ (April 3, 2016), author interview.
Operation Awesome, https://operationawesome6.blogspot.com/ (October 21, 2015), author interview.
Zest Quest, http://thezestquest.com/ (December 11, 2016), Doreen Linnen, review of Sawbones.*
About me.
Melissa Lenhardt writes mystery, historical fiction, and women’s fiction. Her short fiction has appeared in Heater Mystery Magazine, The Western Online, and Christmas Nookies, a holiday romance anthology. Her debut novel, Stillwater, was a finalist for the 2014 Whidbey Writers’ MFA Alumni Emerging Writers Contest. She is a member of the DFW Writers’ Workshop and president of the Sisters in Crime North Dallas Chapter. Melissa lives in Texas, with her husband and two sons.
Contact
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Frisco author Melissa Lenhardt didn't like what she saw in Westerns, so she wrote her own
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You could peg Sawbones, the newest book from Frisco author Melissa Lenhardt, as a Western. It has wagon trains, Comanche attacks and military men aplenty. You could also file it under romance: The heroine's budding relationship with a man from her past constantly encounters obstacles.
But it could just as easily be categorized as feminist fiction. That heroine, Laura Elliston, is a doctor who battles sexism and traditional views to pursue her profession while on the run in post-Civil War Texas after being accused of a murder she didn't commit.
Sawbones is the first in a trilogy of historical fiction books by Lenhardt, who will launch the paperback version on April 11 (the publisher is Redhook; a digital version was released in March 2016) with an event at Half Price Books. The book's sequel, Blood Oath, will be released May 23, followed by Badlands on June 27.
Lenhardt says that too much historical fiction is written from a man's perspective, with plots revolving around gunfights, horses and machismo. Sawbones is told entirely from the heroine's point of view as she starts a new life under a new name.
Frisco author Melissa Lenhardt will host a book launch for Sawbones on April 11 in Dallas.(Courtesy Melissa Lenhardt)
Frisco author Melissa Lenhardt will host a book launch for Sawbones on April 11 in Dallas. (Courtesy Melissa Lenhardt)
Lenhardt never planned to be an author. The stay-at-home mom went looking for a creative outlet and got hooked on fan fiction. She discovered she had a knack for writing. With encouragement from a fellow author, she eventually shifted to creating her own material.
Like many beginners, she struggled.
"I was writing, but I never finished anything," she said. "I would get to a certain point, and I would get a new idea and move on. Or I would start editing something and take all the advice anybody gave me and try to change it and ruin the book."
She buckled down and finished Sawbones. A rookie mistake at a writers' conference had her pitching to an agent specializing in nonfiction. Needless to say, there was no deal.
She set Sawbones aside and turned her attention to another idea, a mystery about former FBI agent Jack McBride, who took a job as police chief in a small Texas town. A year later, she found an agent for what would become Stillwater, which was published in October 2015 by Skyhorse. That debut novel was a finalist for the 2014 Whidbey Writers' MFA Alumni Emerging Writers Contest. Last year, the second book in the series, The Fisher King, came out.
But the unpublished manuscript for Sawbones still called to her.
She has her father to thank for the idea. A fan of Westerns and particularly Lonesome Dove, her father died unexpectedly in 2008. And as part of the grieving process, Lenhardt immersed herself in the Larry McMurtry books, the miniseries and the genre in general. She wasn't satisfied with what she found.
"I had a hard time finding any Westerns that I really liked," she said. "It was just so male-focused."
That sparked the main character in Sawbones. She's smart and aggressive. She stands up for herself, critics be damned. More than anything, Lenhardt said, "I see what I want to be in my characters."
With the Jack McBride series under her belt, she pulled Sawbones off the shelf and pitched it again. Redhook snapped it up and asked for two more books featuring the female physician.
The cliche write what you know doesn't hold water for Lenhardt. For her, it's about writing the kinds of books she wants to read: strong women, complicated characters and a thrilling tale.
Her next book continues in that vein of historical fiction with a gang of outlaw women. Think Thelma and Louise meets the Magnificent Seven, she said.
Another Jack McBride mystery is on her to-do list along with a couple standalone novels. A lot of variety, for sure. Said Lenhardt: "I don't really ever want to get pigeon-holed in one genre."
Valerie Wigglesworth is a member of the Sisters in Crime North Dallas chapter, where Lenhardt serves as chapter president.
QUOTED: "My father loved watching Westerns, especially Lonesome Dove. When he died in 2008, I spent the summer watching his favorites, and read Lonesome Dove for the first time. Being a writer, I wanted to read more Westerns but the books I found were traditionals featuring male heroes with token women. (I didn’t discover Sandra Dallas until later.) So, I decided to write what I wanted to read, and SAWBONES is the result."
An interview with Melissa Lenhardt, author of Sawbones
Kristin April 3, 2016Interviews, Mystery
melissalenhardtPlease welcome Melissa Lenhardt to the blog! Her new book, Sawbones, just came out, and she kindly answered a few of my questions about the book, and more!
***********************************
Will you give us a teaser for Sawbones, and tell us what inspired you to write it?
Outlander meets the American West.
My father loved watching Westerns, especially Lonesome Dove. When he died in 2008, I spent the summer watching his favorites, and read Lonesome Dove for the first time. Being a writer, I wanted to read more Westerns but the books I found were traditionals featuring male heroes with token women. (I didn’t discover Sandra Dallas until later.) So, I decided to write what I wanted to read, and SAWBONES is the result.
What makes Dr. Catherine Bennett/Laura Elliston a compelling character? Why do you think readers will root for her?
What makes Laura compelling is the same thing that makes readers want to root for her: modern day women can relate to her. It has been revelatory, and a bit depressing, to realize the challenges Laura faces in the 19th century are similar to challenges women face today. Laura wants to have a profession and make her own way, but society has different ideas. She has to be better than her male counterparts to receive half, or less, of the recognition. She has to balance her femininity with a masculine independence and assertiveness. If she’s too feminine, the men won’t take her seriously. If she’s too competent, she will alienate her male counterparts, who she relies on for admission into their professional ranks. Not to get too spoilery, but the reaction to the murder accusation and Laura’s flight from NYC is precisely the same sort of reaction women receive today. I won’t deny that women have made great strides in the last 150 years, but I think modern women will nod along in understanding at the sexism and misogyny Laura faces.
What kind of research did you do for the book, and what is your writing process like?
I read. A lot. When I started this book in 2008, I had no real intention for it to be published. I wrote it in fits and starts, and researched the same way. I would get an idea, write the scene, then research to fill in the historical details. It was a little hodge-podge, and the MS reflected that. I decided to take a few months off from writing it and read as much as I could about the time period. I read a book about the West Point class of 1846 to get an idea of the mindset of military men who served in the Civil War. I read a book on medicine during the Civil War. I read probably every article available on the Texas Historical Society website about the Red River War. I visited Fort Richardson State Park numerous times, talked to the park ranger there about the fort’s history. I took a road trip to Palo Duro Canyon and hiked the Lighthouse Trail, sat at the rock formation that is the setting for the climactic scene, and choreographed the scene in my head.
Have you always wanted to be a writer? Will you tell us more about yourself and your background?
I fell into writing, honestly. I started when my sons were toddlers. Creating stories in my mind helped distract me from poopy diapers and temper tantrums! One day I decides to write the stories down. Before being a stay-at-home mom and writer, I worked in the restaurant industry, and in human resources.
What’s one of the first things you remember writing?
The first scene I wrote for SAWBONES was Laura and Kindle, in an Army tent drinking whisky and flirting. I don’t even know how that turned into SAWBONES, but it did. I suspect I might be a romance writer at heart.
Why mystery? What do you enjoy most about writing, and reading, the genre?
Writing mysteries is a challenge. Making sure the motivations are realistic and understandable, dropping clues along the way without telegraphing the resolution. I don’t want my readers to figure out who the killer is, but to look back on the clues in the book and say, “Yep. That makes sense.”
What do you like to see in a good story? Is there anything that will make you put a book down, unfinished?
Character, character, character. I can hand wave away weak writing or a thin plot if the characters are compelling enough. The one thing that will make me put a book down, especially a mystery, is predictability. If I can figure out the killer before the halfway mark, I’m out (and that happens a lot).
If you could experience one book again for the first time, which one would it be?
The Last Time They Met by Anita Shreve. The last page of the book threw everything that went before into a new light. Absolutely unpredictable, and I loved it.
What are you currently reading? Are there any books you’re looking forward to diving into this year?
I just finished reading Styx and Stones, a mystery by James Ziskin, and Fallen Women, a historical fiction novel by Sandra Dallas. I can’t decide if I should read the second in Ziskin’s series next, or another Dallas novel. I loved them both, and want to read more of their work.
What’s next for you? Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I’ve been working on the two sequels to SAWBONES for the past year and haven’t had a chance to think of anything but Laura and Kindle. I will probably start working on the third STILLWATER mystery. I have a fair few historical fiction novel ideas and STILLWATER stories in my head, as well as long percolating serial killer mystery I really, really want to write.
QUOTED: "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, Catherin’s false identity serves her well."
Author Melissa Lenhardt on Writing Historical Fiction
30
Wednesday
Mar 2016
Posted by awriterofhistory in Connecting Readers & Writers, Historical Fiction, Inside Historical Fiction, Researching historical fiction, Writing Historical Fiction ≈ 1 Comment
Tagsdifferentiating historical and contemporary fiction, inside historical fiction, magic ingredients of historical fiction, Melissa Lenhardt author, Sawbones by Melissa Lenhardt, what makes historical fiction tick, what makes historical fiction unique, writing historical fiction
Sawbones_Quote[18][3]For the past year, I’ve been using the theme Inside Historical Fiction to explore what makes historical fiction unique – any many authors have obliged by answering a series of questions. Today, Melissa Lenhardt who writes mystery, historical fiction, and women’s fiction offers her take. Melissa’s latest novel, Sawbones, has just released.
MKTod: What are the ‘magic ingredients’ that make historical fiction unforgettable/irresistible? And in your opinion, what do the best historical fiction writers do to ‘get it right’?
Melissa Lenhardt: All fiction needs to have complex characters and an engaging story, but historical fiction that shines has an exceptional sense of time and place. It’s a difficult thing to balance. Too much detail and you’ll be dinged with, “your research is showing.” Too little and the story is generic, happening outside reality.
Are historical novels inherently different from contemporary novels, and if so, in what ways?
I don’t think so. To paraphrase Tolstoy: “All good novels are inherently alike; all bad novels are bad in their own way.”
In writing historical fiction, what research and techniques do you use to ensure that conflict, plot, setting, dialogue, and characters are true to the time period?
Besides standard research, I think one way to keep the characters and dialogue from being anachronistic is to read fiction written during the period your novel is set. Another good source of character and dialogue is reading diaries from the time. Not only will you hear the language through their letters, you also get a sense of the mores of the time, direct from the people living then. Going to the source will also alleviate any worry about history changing over time, that historians have interpreted and/or highlighted different aspects of events.
What aspects do you feel need to be included when you are building a past world for your readers?
There is a tendency, especially with new writers, to over describe the setting. We’re so excited for the reader to know what we know, to fall in love with the world we’re creating that we vomit useless information on the page. I know I was guilty of it when I started writing SAWBONES. The reality is, most readers have images of past settings in their minds, either through reading, research or old photos. NYC in the Gilded Age, Henry VIII’s court, Nazi Germany, the American West. Our job as a writer isn’t to describe everything, but to highlight the details that relate directly to the character, or highlight a facet of their character, or move the story forward. Less is more seems counterintuitive, I know. But, describing fewer details allows the reader to come up with their own image and that, in turn, will invest them more fully in the world.
Do you see any particular trends in HF?
I love World War Two as a setting as much as the next reader, but I hope we’re moving away from it. I would like to see writers find different World War II stories to tell besides Vichy France, England during the Blitz, the D-Day invasion and the Holocaust. There were other fronts, and other stories to tell.
Please tell us a little about your latest novel.
SAWBONES: 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, Catherin’s false identity serves her well as she fills in as a temporary army doctor. But in a land unknown, so large yet so small, a female doctor can only hide for so long.
QUOTED: "STILLWATER is the story of an ex-FBI agent who takes the job as Chief of Police in small-town East Texas thinking it will be a nice, easy gig, but who ends up investigating two murders, fifty years apart, that share a surprising connection that will rattle the town to its core."
← WESTON OCHSE: GRUNT TRAITOR FOCUSES ON POST TRAUMATIC STRESS SYNDROME LAURA SPINELLA: GHOST GIFTS WAS INSPIRED BY THE THINGS WE CAN’T EXPLAIN →
MELISSA LENHARDT: STILLWATER STARTED AS A MODERN DAY RETELLING OF JANE AUSTEN’S PERSUASION
FEB 20
Posted by Ognian Georgiev
Melissa Lenhardt made the big break in the literary world with her novel Stillwater. The book was published in October 2015. The story received a lot of positive feedback with the readers giving an average of 4.5 Amazon stars. Melissa will have a very busy year, because two more novels by her are waiting for their premiere.
It’s a great pleasure to speak with our next guest for her amazing debut. Let’s welcome Melissa Lenhardt.
melissa
– Melissa, what is your book Stillwater about?
– STILLWATER is the story of an ex-FBI agent who takes the job as Chief of Police in small-town East Texas thinking it will be a nice, easy gig, but who ends up investigating two murders, fifty years apart, that share a surprising connection that will rattle the town to its core.
stillwater
– How did you decide to write the story?
– It originally started as a modern day retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Only the town and the main female character, Ellie Martin, remain. It evolved into a mystery one year during National Novel Writing Month. I have no idea why or how!
– What was the biggest challenge during the write up process?
– The biggest challenge is definitely the mystery. Dropping clues without giving the killer away too early, making sure the killer’s motivations are understandable and make sense. I stared at the wall of my office for weeks gaming out the mystery and its resolution.
– Tell us something more about your main characters Jack and Ellie? Are they close to someone from your real life?
– Not particularly. As I said, Ellie was inspired by Anne Elliot from Austen’s Persuasion. Jack is purely a figment of my imagination.
– How much time did you need to finish the story and to publish it?
– I started writing the original, abandoned story in 2005. I came back to it and turned it into a mystery in 2010, but I didn’t finish it and submit it to agents until 2013. We sold it to a publisher in 2014 and it was published in 2015.
– Why you waited so long before publishing your first novel?
– I wasn’t a good enough writer to be published.
– Who are you?
– I’m a stay-at-home-mom living in suburbia who started writing as a way to distract myself from poopy diapers and temper tantrums and to keep my mind sharp. Getting published never entered my mind.
– What are your writing habits?
– Poor. I procrastinate too much and waste time. I get serious when the deadline starts to make me wake up in the middle of the night in a panic.
– Are you satisfied by the sales of your book?
– I’m not dissatisfied, but I want more.
– What are you doing to promote your book by the best possible way?
– Social media, Q&As such as this one, attending conventions, participating on panels at the conventions, and book clubs. Social media is useful and critical, but I think the best way to sell a book is by meeting people and connecting with them. I wouldn’t be surprised if more books are sold by word of mouth recommendation than anything else.
the_fisher_king
– When we will see your next novel and would you unveil something more about it?
– The second Jack McBride mystery is titled THE FISHER KING and will be released in November 2016. It takes place six weeks after the end of STILLWATER and centers on the city council election, the local drug war and the investigation of two double murders.
– You are part of several writers’ organizations. What are the benefits for new authors to be part of such society and how they may benefit for being in touch with their colleagues?
– The two primary groups I’m associated with are very different. The DFW Writers’ Workshop is a read and critique group. They have helped me develop as a writer. Sisters in Crime North Dallas is part of a huge national group and has been critical for networking and meeting other writers. Publishing is a networking profession. An author’s success can be boiled down to three things, talent, luck and connections. Talent gets you invited to the party. Luck gets you in the door. Connections buys you a drink, or if you’re really fortunate, a steak dinner and a decadent chocolate dessert.
sawbones
– If you may ask yourself one question in the interview what it will be?
– Q: You write in two different genres (historical fiction & mysteries). Do you prefer one over the other? A: I love them both for surprisingly the same reason: I learn something when I write them. In mysteries, research is critical to creating a contemporary mystery that respects law enforcement and the process by which they solve crimes. Research is critical for historical fiction so you respect the time the story is set in. Historical fiction if probably more difficult because I have to be very careful I’m not giving my 19th century characters 21st century sensibilities. But, I love them both and hope I can continue to write in both genres throughout my career. (Sawbones, my first historical fiction novel, will be published digitally on March 28, 2016.)
QUOTED: "There’s a reason Jack is an ex-FBI agent; when I started writing the book ... I didn’t have a FBI agent contact to interview about their job. So, I spoke to local police officers about small town policing, read books about police procedures and took a Citizen’s Police Academy class through my local PD, which gave me more contacts."
"I grew up in a small East Texas town so of course everyone will think Stillwater is based on it. It is, to a degree. But, it could also be based on the suburban neighborhood I live in now, which is close-knit and like a small town in many ways."
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Wednesday Debut Interview: Stillwater by Melissa Lenhardt
This Wednesday, we're joined by debut author Melissa Lenhardt, who's telling us about her new mystery novel, Stillwater.
Thanks for agreeing to be interviewed at Operation Awesome! Your bio on Goodreads mentions that you did not want to be a writer when you were a kid! So what was your dream job?
Honestly, I never had a childhood dream job. I went to college a complete blank slate, got a degree in an industry I hated once I started working in it, and ended up a stay-at-home mom. Writing isn’t my second career, it’s my first.
STILLWATER is a mystery with a former FBI agent-turned-police officer as the protagonist. What kind of research went into writing a character with that background?
There’s a reason Jack is an ex-FBI agent; when I started writing the book, or this version (more on that later), I didn’t have a FBI agent contact to interview about their job. So, I spoke to local police officers about small town policing, read books about police procedures and took a Citizen’s Police Academy class through my local PD, which gave me more contacts. I have a friend in my Writer’s Workshop who’s a retired Secret Service Agent so he gives me general Fed information, such as no way in hell would Jack drink a latte. You know, the important stuff.
Tell us about the fictional town of Stillwater. Were there any towns you had in mind while developing your setting for this story?
I grew up in a small East Texas town so of course everyone will think Stillwater is based on it. It is, to a degree. But, it could also be based on the suburban neighborhood I live in now, which is close-knit and like a small town in many ways.
In the first draft, I had a lot of information about the town. I wanted to make the town a major character and I thought the way to do that was to load the MS down with history and detail. Trouble was, it was boring. I cut almost all of it. Over time, the reader will learn more about the town, but I can tell you Stillwater has a major inferiority complex and competitiveness with Yourkeville, the county seat. No matter how hard the town tries, it just can’t match the success and prosperity of Yourkeville and it chafes the Stillwaterites to no end.
Let's talk about your writing process. How long did it take you to draft this novel? How long from that first draft until publication?
I was looking through some old files on my computer and came across what I think is the first mention of Stillwater, the town, in another story outline. From 2003! I couldn’t believe it was twelve years ago, but that sounds about right. This particular story started as a retelling of Jane Austen’s PERSUASION, with Ellie being the main character. Unfortunately, I never could get the story to work because I wasn’t a good enough writer. I abandoned the PERSUASION plot and changed it to a mystery during NaNoWriMo one year. Of course, I set it aside, unfinished. I came back to it in 2012, after I tried to query my historical fiction without success, thinking a mystery would be more marketable. It changed considerably during that edit. I pitched it to my agent in May 2013, signed with her in July, and the book sold to Skyhorse in July 2014.
Can you tell us about how you got your book deal with Skyhorse and what makes them a good fit for your book?
STILLWATER is a little different from your “typical” mystery. It was gritty but not dark enough to be noir. It’s not a straight crime novel or police procedural. Sex, profanity, grit and multiple POV kept it from being cozy. One publisher liked it but had tried a mystery with a romantic element that didn’t do well so they passed. So much for it being more marketable! Skyhorse publishes all different genres so they aren’t constrained by making sure the mystery “fit their list.” My editor liked it, and they took a chance on it.
What about the title? Was STILLWATER the original title you had in mind? How did it come about?
I’m terrible at titles and, when in doubt, I name it after a location in the book. With STILLWATER it worked because the title brings to mind the saying, “still waters run deep” which I adapted into a tagline to fit the theme of the book: “Big secrets run deep.”
Your cover definitely evokes a feeling of disorientation, things not being quite right. How does the cover line up with what you envisioned for it? How much say did you have in it?
Ha! Covers! I have lots of cover ideas. Most authors do and we rarely get what we want, so it was surprising when my editor asked for my input from the beginning. I scoured the internet for photos, created a Pintrest mood wall, filled a lightbox with every photo I could find for the different ideas I had. The photo on the cover was one I sent her with the comment, “Stillwater is more dilapidated than this, but this is the ballpark.” I was also adamant that I didn’t want water on the cover. How pedestrian would it be to have a cover of still water on the STILLWATER cover? So, when she sent me the cover I was shocked and very happy. They managed to evoke water with the bright blue sky without having water on the cover. They were also able to show how the town isn’t quite what it seems with the upside down photo. We didn’t change a thing.
Tell us about your book launch! What, where, when, and how do you plan on celebrating?
I’m having two! Why? Because I love parties! We’re having one in the suburb where I live at a small bar downtown on October 3. I hope that little bar bursts at the seams from all the people we cram inside it! A few weeks later, I’m having a launch in my hometown at the local Arts Center.
It was recently announced on Publishers Marketplace that Skyhorse has picked up the second Jack McBride mystery — congrats! What's in store for our hero next?
Poor Jack. He thought he was taking an easy job and the bodies just keep piling up. He personal life is in shambles and his twin brother, Eddie, is in town and making his life difficult. Ellie is running for a vacant city council seat and Miner’s trying to redeem himself.
You also have a historical mystery coming in spring from Redhook called SAWBONES. Can you tell us a little bit about that? Which was written first — STILLWATER or SAWBONES? What are you working on next?
This is my chicken and the egg question. I honestly don’t know which one I started first, but I can tell you I finished SAWBONES first. It was the first MS I finished. SAWBONES’s one line is “Outlander meets the American West.” I love this book so much. SO MUCH. Right now, I’m editing the sequel and will start writing the third in the series as soon as I’m done.
Is there any other advice you'd like to pass on to others pursuing publication? Anything you would have done differently?
Two pieces of advice: learn to finish and learn to move on. Finishing isn’t just writing THE END, it’s editing, sending the MS off to beta readers, more editing and revising and polishing. When you send queries off for your polished MS, start working on the next project. You won’t grow as a writer by reworking the same project over and over.
And, just for fun! Which other small-town law enforcement agent do you think your protagonist Jack McBride would most like to sit down and have some coffee and donuts with: Andy Taylor (from The Andy Griffith Show), Rick Grimes (from The Walking Dead), Cordell Walker (from Walker, Texas Ranger), or Nicholas Angel (from Hot Fuzz)?
Rick Grimes, for sure. Jack would probably take him aside and tell him to take a damn shower, put on some clean clothes, and shave his beard.
QUOTED: "This action-packed western ... introduces a courageous new heroine—one that readers won't likely forget."
Sawbones
Jeanne Greene
Booklist.
113.16 (Apr. 15, 2017): p35.
COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
Sawbones. By Melissa Lenhardt. Apr. 2017.432p. Redhook, paper, $14.99 (9780316505390).
Female doctors are rare in 1871, even in New York City. When Dr. Catherine Bennett is wrongfully accused of murder, absent any defense she
flees the city where she is known. Changing her identity to become Laura Elliston, she joins a wagon train, hoping to get to California--but the
Comanche attack the wagons. Laura hides, terrified. Then soldiers arrive and, after a fight, they escort Laura and Captain William Kindle to Ft.
Richardson, Colorado. Laura recovers quickly, and, unsure where else to go, she helps in the hospital, where she and Kindle fall in love. Laura
feels safe until a wanted poster with her picture turns up at the fort. Fear tells Laura to run--someone wants to kill her--but, when Kindle is
threatened, love tells her to stay. This action-packed western (first in a proposed trilogy) introduces a courageous new heroine--one that readers
won't likely forget.--Jeanne Greene
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Greene, Jeanne. "Sawbones." Booklist, 15 Apr. 2017, p. 35. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA492536172&it=r&asid=26eff7b5907f6e678e86c98f4e0c1032. Accessed 1 June 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A492536172
---
QUOTED: "After a slow start, this combination of police procedural and romance puts the pedal to the metal and revs up the action."
6/1/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
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Melissa Lenhardt: THE FISHER KING
Kirkus Reviews.
(Sept. 15, 2016):
COPYRIGHT 2016 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Melissa Lenhardt THE FISHER KING Skyhorse Publishing (Adult Fiction) 24.99 11, 1 ISBN: 978-1-5107-0729-0
A small-town police chief and his bad-boy twin brother have a conflicted relationship.After his wife, Julie, vanished for a year, leaving him to
care for his son, Ethan, and fight off accusations that he had murdered Julie, former FBI agent Jack McBride figured he was entitled to an easy
job. On the surface, Stillwater, Texas, seems like many small towns, but as Jack has learned (Stillwater, 2015, etc.), a thriving drug trade is
causing all kinds of problems. Jack’s relationship with attractive businesswoman Ellie Martin has been stalled by the return of Julie,
saying she wants to repair their marriage. Now Ellie’s running for a city council seat against Joe Doyle, successful businessman and
Yourke County drug lord. Joe’s tough, promiscuous daughter, Michelle, runs the day-to-day business while her husband, Chris, plays
golf. Jack’s twin brother, Eddie, has recently arrived in town and is working for Michelle and having sex with her while living in his
brother’s home. He doesn’t even consider Julie out of bounds. While all this is going on, Jack and his team are investigating
the misdeeds of the former police chief, whose knowledge may have earned him a watery grave. When Doyle’s favorite son and his wife
are murdered after a boozy night at a neighborhood party, Jack thinks he’ll have to put all his other problems aside to find the killer. But
it turns out that most of those problems are connected to the murders and the drug trade. So he may just be able to get his life back on track if he
can solve the case.After a slow start, this combination of police procedural and romance puts the pedal to the metal and revs up the action.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Melissa Lenhardt: THE FISHER KING." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Sept. 2016. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA463216110&it=r&asid=a61ffc3fddbd4a76e2afd89194f65eb5. Accessed 1 June 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A463216110
---
QUOTED: "a fast-moving whodunit with compelling subplots and an appealing protagonist who's likely to keep winning fans."
6/1/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
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The Fisher King
Michele Leber
Booklist.
113.4 (Oct. 15, 2016): p20.
COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
The Fisher King. By Melissa Lenhardt. Nov. 2016. 272p. Skyhorse, $24.99 (9781510707290); ebook (9781510707313).
Jack McBride, the police chief of Stillwater, Texas, has both professional and personal problems to contend with after just six weeks on the job.
His initial reputation of attracting crime to the quiet town is reinforced when two charred bodies are found in the ruins of a ramshackle house
after it burns down. And just before Jack files for divorce from his wife, Julie, she returns, after taking off for a year and leaving Jack and their
13-year-old son, Ethan. But Jack, digging into records linking his predecessor with Stillwater's major employer, Joe Doyle, who also runs an
undercover drug business, wants to make a new life with Ellie Martin, local bookshop owner running for city council against incumbent Doyle.
Two more murders lead to increased criticism of the new chief and may signal the end of his career in Stillwater. The second in Lenhardt's Jack
McBride mysteries, after Stillwater (2015), is a fast-moving whodunit with compelling subplots and an appealing protagonist who's likely to keep
winning fans.--Michele Leber
Leber, Michele
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Leber, Michele. "The Fisher King." Booklist, 15 Oct. 2016, p. 20. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA468771247&it=r&asid=fcc928c6ac47945b05f4773e4ea58869. Accessed 1 June
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A468771247
QUOTED: "Jack and Ethan may have some difficulty fitting in but they’re both vividly drawn characters. ... Many of the other characters in Stillwater are just as memorable for a variety of reasons from the bank president to teens Olivia and Troy and Ellie is a woman with issues that are easy to understand and to commiserate with."
Book Review: Stillwater by Melissa Lenhardt
OCTOBER 7, 2015 BY LELIA T
6
StillwaterStillwater
A Jack McBride Mystery
Melissa Lenhardt
Skyhorse Publishing, October 2015
ISBN 978-1-63450-226-9
Hardcover
From the publisher—
Big secrets run deep.
Former FBI agent Jack McBride took the job as Chief of Police for Stillwater, Texas, to start a new life with his teenage son, Ethan, away from the suspicions that surrounded his wife’s disappearance a year earlier.
With a low crime rate and a five-man police force, he expected it to be a nice, easy gig; hot checks, traffic violations, some drugs, occasional domestic disturbances, and petty theft. Instead, within a week he is investigating a staged murder-suicide, uncovering a decades’ old skeleton buried in the woods, and managing the first crime wave in thirty years.
For help navigating his unfamiliar, small-town surroundings, Jack turns to Ellie Martin, one of the most respected women in town—her scandal-filled past notwithstanding. Despite Jack’s murky marriage status and the disapproval of Ethan and the town, they are immediately drawn to each other.
As Jack and Ellie struggle with their budding relationship, they unearth shattering secrets long buried and discover the two cases Jack is working, though fifty years apart, share a surprising connection that will rattle the town to its core.
At first blush, Stillwater seems like a typical small town in Texas, the kind where everybody knows your name and most of the details of your life. It seems like the perfect place for a former FBI agent to get his own life back together after some heavy events on the job and in his home. It seems like a good place to be a single father to his young teenaged son.
It takes less than two days for Jack McBride, the town’s new police chief, to decide Stillwater isn’t such a typical low-crime town after all when two bodies are found and even less than that for thirteen-year-old Ethan to be absolutely sure he’s going to hate everything about this place and, by extension, his dad for making him move here. Fortunately, Ethan can’t sustain a serious hatred but he can certainly make his intense displeasure felt. Jack’s first day on the job hasn’t started well and the next week is going to be chockful of stuff guaranteed to make his head swim. Solving the murders of Rosa and Gilberto Ramos is the bare beginning.
Jack and Ethan may have some difficulty fitting in but they’re both vividly drawn characters and I like them both very much, warts and all. Ethan does his best to annoy his dad but that’s what unhappy teens do and I had a lot of sympathy for him. When bad things happen to a kid, he needs his familiar surroundings to help him cope; it’s just Ethan’s bad luck that familiar surroundings are the wrong place for his dad to handle the disappearance of his wife and the consequences of a case gone sour. The whispers and speculations have driven Jack to find a new home and a new job.
Many of the other characters in Stillwater are just as memorable for a variety of reasons from the bank president to teens Olivia and Troy and Ellie is a woman with issues that are easy to understand and to commiserate with. She, too, is beginning a new phase of her life and the coming week will hold a surprise or two for her. In fact, surprises are in store for quite a lot of people in Stillwater and one in particular will have some lasting effects. Those lasting effects are going to hover in my mind until Ms. Lenhardt‘s next book in what I hope will be a long series comes out and I’m sorry I have to wait.
Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, October 2015.
************
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************
An Excerpt from Stillwater
CHAPTER ONE
Thursday
A line of flashing blue and red lights led the way to a pale green single-wide trailer on the north edge of Stillwater, Texas. Firemen, sheriff deputies and EMTs huddled in front of the house, talking, looking around, and laughing. All eyes turned to Jack McBride’s car as it pulled into the dirt packed front yard, which doubled as the driveway.
Jack set the alarm on his phone and said, “Stay in the car,” to his 13-year old son, Ethan. He opened the door, got out and leaned back in. “I mean it.”
“I know, Dad.”
Neighbors grouped behind yellow crime scene tape. Some wore pajamas, others wore work clothes, women held babies, children craned their necks to see better, eager for information to share at school. A young officer guarded them.
It was Officer Nathan Starling’s file that fell from Jack’s lap when he was startled awake by the early morning call. If Jack hadn’t read Starling was the youngest and newest member of the force he would have guessed it from his role as crowd control. Starling shifted on his feet and looked over his shoulder at the crowd, as if debating whether he should leave his post to introduce himself or stay put. Jack waved an acknowledgement to him and moved toward the trailer.
Jack nodded at the group of first responders as he walked by and received a couple of muttered hellos in return. Some looked at Ethan and back at Jack. Jack climbed the uneven concrete steps, stopped at the door and put on paper booties and gloves. Behind him, he heard a low conversation start back up, the words “alone,” “wife,” and “no one knows” carrying across the yard as if announced through a bullhorn. He walked into the trailer. The screen door slapped shut behind him, cutting off the rest of the conversation.
The smell of chili, paprika and cumin hung in the air of the trailer. Flimsy wooden cabinets topped by a chipped orange Formica counter were wedged against the back wall of the main room by a strip of ugly, peeling linoleum. Brown shag carpet, flattened by years of traffic, marked off the living area of the room. Left of the door, under a loud window unit dripping condensation, sat a couch of indeterminate color too large for the room. A black haired man with blood-shot eyes and a green tinge underneath his dark skin sat on the couch, chewing his nails. He looked up at Jack and stopped chewing, the signal for his leg to start bouncing. A bull-necked police officer, his thumbs crooked underneath his gun belt, stood guard over the man.
“Officer Freeman,” Jack said.
If Michael Freeman was surprised Jack knew who he was, he didn’t show it. His face remained expressionless.
“Chief McBride.”
A third officer stood at the mouth of the hallway to the right with a portly elderly man. Relief washed over the officer’s face. He moved forward, hand outstretched. “Chief McBride,” he said. “Miner Jesson. This here is Doc Poole.”
Jack shook their hands. “Sorry to meet you under these circumstances, Dr. Poole.”
“Helluva case to get on your first day, eh?” the doctor said.
Jack nodded and gave a brief smile. He pulled gloves and more paper booties from his coat pocket and handed them to Jesson and the doctor. Jack walked down the hall and entered the room. Jesson stopped at the door.
“Gilberto and Rosa Ramos,” Jesson said. “Found dead this morning by Juan Vasquez.” He jerked his thumb in the direction of the man sitting on the couch. “Says he’s Rosa’s brother. He don’t speak much English but from what I gathered, he came to pick Gilberto up for work and heard the baby screaming. When no one answered, he let himself in. Door was open. Found them just like that.”
They were both nude. The woman lay facedown, covering half of man’s body. The right side of the man’s head was blown across the pillow. Blood and brain matter were sprayed across the bed, under the woman and onto the floor. A clump of long dark hair was stuck to the window with blood. Her right arm was extended across the man’s chest, a gun held lightly in her grip.
Jack walked around the bed.
Doc Poole stood next to Officer Jesson. “It takes a special kind of anger to kill someone you are in the middle of fucking, doncha think?” Doc Poole said. “Ever see that in the F-B-I?” Derision dripped from every letter.
Jack ignored him. “Where’s the baby?”
Jack hoped the revulsion on Jesson’s face meant scenes like this were rare in Stillwater. If he wanted to deal with shit like this on a regular basis, he would have taken a better paying job in a larger town.
“Officer Jesson?” Jack said. “Where’s the baby?”
“Oh. It’s with a neighbor.”
“Has anyone called CPS?”
“Why?”
“To take care of the baby.”
“The neighbor offered.”
“And, what do we know about this neighbor?”
He shrugged. “She didn’t speak much English.”
“So, she could be in the next county by now?”
“Oh, I doubt that,” Jesson said. “She seemed like a nice sort. Very motherly.”
Jack cocked his head and puzzled over whether his most senior officer was ignorant, naive or an amazing judge of character.
He turned his attention to Doc Poole. “What’s the time of death?”
“Sometime last night.”
“Can you be more specific?”
“Didn’t see the need. Seems pretty obvious what happened.”
“Oh, are you a detective?”
“No. I’m a general practitioner.”
“You’re the JP, aren’t you?”
“No. I used to be.” He chuckled. “Too old for this now.”
“Yet, here you are.”
“JP is on the way, Chief,” Jesson said.
Jack kept his focus on Doctor Poole. “So you heard this over the radio and decided to come? Or did someone call you?”
“Well, I —”
“Do you have the instruments necessary to establish a time of death?”
“Not with me, but —”
“Then get off my crime scene.”
The little man straightened his shoulders and lifted his chin. “I can see why Jane Maxwell liked you.” He started to leave but turned back. “We do things different here in Stillwater.”
“Not anymore we don’t,” Jack said.
QUOTED: "An excellent depiction of the western frontier in all its gory details, SAWBONES will shock and fascinate with the characters’ ability to endure the worst fate mankind can deliver. Melissa Lenhardt is a master at selective dialogue, moving the story forward at a convincing, fast pace."
Sawbones by Melissa Lendhardt
December 11, 2016by Dorine Linnen
REVIEW: Sawbones by Melissa Lenhardt
A perfect example of a well-written, western historical thriller, SAWBONES by Melissa Lenhardt will renew your love of authentic historical fiction. Although its gritty realism may offend some readers, I was captivated by the genuine characterization.
Accused of murder, Dr. Catherine Benton joins a wagon train heading west. Her only alibi is the resurrection man who provided the corpses she practiced surgery on. Catherine doesn’t have much choice but to flee the corrupt legal system in New York. Having disguised herself as a man during the Civil War, so that she could practice medicine alongside her surgeon father, makes disappearing again seem the logical choice. Even if it rankles the years of struggling to become accepted as a female doctor.
Dr. Catherine Benton becomes Laura Elliston as part of her disguise and considers becoming a midwife. As part of her cover, a family friend arranges for her supposed demise by burying a Jane Doe using Catherine’s name in her family’s plot. When she lands in Texas, Laura and her Irish maid discover their next contact for their escape plan has been arrested. With no strategy for their next move, while assuming no one will look for a doctor who died, Laura becomes Dr. Laura Elliston, hoping to begin a practice in California.
Their journey is not easy, especially since Laura cannot seem to escape her past. Laura’s life is not her own for a large part of the book. She’s deluged with one conflict after another, during and after traveling by wagon train to a fort in the Colorado Territory to await the next leg of her journey. It’s her inner strength and will to survive that consistently champion this story.
Laura is an engaging heroine who captures the reader’s heart with her willingness to serve in the medical field that denies her. When Laura meets Captain William Kindle, I began to hope that she’d ignore her vow to stay away from any emotional relationship. They’re perfect together but their conflicts are above and beyond what most romantic leads endure. Their experience can be very uncomfortable as author Melissa Lenhardt doesn’t soften the blow. Laura and William suffer through violence and heartbreak in vivid details. It’s emotional and devastating. I laughed and cried with them, as well as feared for their annihilation by an exemplary evil villain.
I loved this book even though I cringed through some of the ghastly scenes. It’s dark and gritty, funny and sorrowful, adventurous and beautiful. Exactly what this reader has been craving.
SAWBONES smoothly becomes a favorite with its thrilling pace and authentic characterization. I’m anxious to continue this unique saga in BLOOD OATH in May 2017. An excellent depiction of the western frontier in all its gory details, SAWBONES will shock and fascinate with the characters’ ability to endure the worst fate mankind can deliver. Melissa Lenhardt is a master at selective dialogue, moving the story forward at a convincing, fast pace. I devoured this exhilarating western. The $3.99 digital price should convince you to take my word for it. It’s worth far more. Unpredictable and addicting – a recommended read!
Review by Dorine, courtesy of Romance Junkies and The Zest Quest. Digital copy provided by the publisher through Netgalley for an honest review.