Melinda Leigh

Melinda Leigh is a #1 Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author. Her books have sold over 16 million copies, and she has garnered numerous publishing awards, including nominations for an International Thriller Award and two RITAs. A martial artist and animal lover, Leigh lives near the beach with her family and two spoiled rescue dogs.

Her new novel is You Can Tell Me.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

You Can Tell Me as a title is meant to feel personal, as if someone is whispering secrets. The main character, Olivia Cruz, is a former investigative journalist turned true crime writer. One of her strengths is getting people to talk to her. They tell her their secrets. She is small and physically nonthreatening, and she uses this to her advantage. Since this is a series, the title of the first book must also establish the feel of the books yet to come.

What's in a name?

My protagonists are strong women, and I like to give them names that sound strong. Other than that, I choose names that are generally easy to say and read. I want readers to be comfortable with my characters, to feel like they’re family or friends, to be invested in their lives, and to want to know more of their story.

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your new novel?

Teenager me would not be surprised by my books at all. My grandmother had almost every Agatha Christie novel on her bookshelf, and I read them all. I consumed Flowers in the Attic by V. C. Andrews in middle school. By the time I reached high school, I was a solid Stephen King fan. So dark and mysterious books have always been my favorites.

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

Beginnings and the two-thirds mark are the two most difficult parts of a novel for me to write. First chapters are drafted at least five times. I need the beginning to feel right before I continue. Once I have the story voice established, then I typically cruise until I’m about sixty percent finished. I’m not a plotter. I start with a few ideas and let the story evolve organically as I write. So, when I’m ramping up toward the black moment, all the threads I’ve developed have to come together. Once I’ve decided on my black moment and how it will flow, then the rest of the book generally comes together quickly.

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

That depends on the character. My protagonists probably share some of my personality. I make an effort to give them individual characteristics, I’m sure a little bit of me leaks through, especially in my longer running series. It would be impossible for me to spend so much intimate time in my fictional world and remain separate from it. That said, I also write in the POVs of serial killers, etc., so I hope they’re not much like me.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

This might be the weirdest—or nerdiest—answer for this question, but math. As a kid, I was a math geek. For me, writing a mystery is like a logic problem. While I’m plotting, I sometimes envision multiple linear equations all converging at the same point—the black moment.

Visit Melinda Leigh's website.

--Marshal Zeringue