Guest Post: Melinda Leigh

Today, we have a guest post from author, Melinda Leigh, who is promoting her book, She Can Run.

Welcome Melinda!

Publisher: Montlake Romance
Publishing date: November 28, 2011

Elizabeth was a young widow with two small children when she met Congressman Richard Baker. Handsome and wealthy, with a sparkling public image, Richard seemed like the perfect man to provide the security that Beth and her kids were craving. But when she uncovers a dangerous secret about her new husband, Beth realizes he will go to any lengths—even murder—to keep it. After barely escaping with her life, she and her children flee. They eventually make their way to a secluded estate in the Pennsylvania countryside, where Beth dares to hope she has found a safe place at last…


Forced into retirement by an unexpected injury, Philadelphia homicide detective Jack O’Malley is mourning the loss of his career when his uncle abruptly dies, leaving Jack to dispose of his crumbling country house. Unbeknownst to him, his uncle engaged a caretaker just before his death, a mysterious woman with two children and a beautiful face that haunts his dreams. Determined to know her, Jack begins an investigation into Beth’s past. When he uncovers the shocking truth, and a local woman is viciously murdered, Jack puts his own life on the line to keep Beth and her children safe. 


She Can Run is a sexy, satisfying debut from award-winning author Melinda Leigh, packed with enough suspense and romance to get even the tamest heart racing! 

Melinda writes:

What inspired me to write my book?

I want to thank my hosts at From the TBR Pile for having me on their blog today to celebrate the recent release of my debut novel, SHE CAN RUN.  It’s so exciting to share this experience with readers.

How much impact can words have?  How can mere words on a page transport a reader into a whole new world? 

Questions like these fascinated me.  I’ve always been a rabid reader, devouring horror stories, mysteries, thrillers and romances by the scores. 

When my children were small, I didn’t have enough time to think about producing a story. I could barely stay awake long enough to read someone else’s book.

I’m not much of a TV person. Watching is too passive for me.  TV doesn’t hold my attention.  So I read.  A lot.  Reading kept me sane through 6 months of colic, though years of diapers and laundry, entire weeks when the most intelligent thing I did all day was identify a mystery stain on the carpet. 

But those years passed in a blur.  My kids went to school. As much as I love them, having a few hours to myself every day was bliss, especially on the heels of seven years of not being able to so much as shower without a small person in tow.  About 3 months into my youngest child’s first grade year, though I started getting antsy.  Again, it takes a lot to hold my attention.

So I turned all that energy and time into writing a book. For a long time, it was my secret and strange hobby.  For inspiration, I turned to the news.  A headline about how common it is for abusive husbands and boyfriends to defy protection orders gave me my heroine.  The fact that Beth could easily in real life suffer this same fate provided her motivation.  The dangerous nature of her situation is clear from the beginning. Her fear is real from the first sentence on page one.

I started this book as a mom with young children. The fact that it was easy to identify with Beth’s instinctive need to protect her children helped me infuse it with emotions as real as the tragic events that inspired her character.  

Want to know more about me or my debut book, SHE CAN RUN?  Check out my website, MelindaLeighAuthor.com. Readers can also connect with me on Facebook & Twitter.    

Thanks for reading!

About the Author:

More than a decade ago, Melinda Leigh left a career in banking to raise her children and never looked back.  She started writing when her youngest child entered first grade as a way to preserve her sanity. Her paranormal romance and romantic suspense fiction has won writing awards across the country, including The Gateway to the Best Contest, The Marlene Award, Where the Magic Begins, Put Your Heart in a Book, and The Golden Gateway 1st Round Grand Prize.

Melinda is also an avid martial artist. She holds a 2nd degree belt in Kenpo Karate, studies Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and teaches women’s self-defense. She lives in a messy house in the suburbs with her husband, two teenagers, a couple of dogs and one neurotic cat with an inexplicable fear of ceiling fans.  With such a pleasant life, she has no explanation for the sometimes dark and disturbing nature of her imagination.

Click Banner for tour website