Q&A with Melinda Leigh

 

 

Melinda Leigh is the author of the new novel You Can Tell Me. Her many other novels include the Morgan Dane series.  

 

Q: Why did you decide to base a new series around your character Olivia Cruz? 

 

A: I first introduced Olivia in book four of the Morgan Dane series as a romantic interest for Lincoln Sharp. I liked Olivia so much that she ended up getting a larger role in Save Your Breath. When my editor asked me for a new series idea, Olivia came to mind immediately.

 

I’ve been writing Bree Taggert police procedurals for several years now, so a lead character who writes true crime gives me the opportunity for new storylines. I’m excited!

 

Q: What inspired the plot of You Can Tell Me?

 

A: I wanted the storyline to pull in Olivia’s trauma from Save Your Breath so that readers would understand her background in the first Olivia Cruz book. In order to achieve this goal, the plot also needed to be very personal. Therefore, having one of Olivia’s friends go missing seemed to be the logical starting point. 

 

Q: The novel is set in upstate New York--how important is setting to you in your writing?

 

A: I like to vary the season to provide variety both for me as a writer and for the reader. Different weather challenges can be used to complicate my characters’ adventures.

 

Upstate New York works because the region has four full seasons and because the area has elements of rural and suburban communities. It’s also just a few hours from New York City, so I can pull from any of those elements. I’ve written books in different settings. So, I can be flexible.

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Olivia and your character Zoe?

 

A: Olivia and Zoe are friends that have been through a lot together, including the end of their traditional journalism careers as news shifted from print to online format. They’re close in age, and they’ve been friends long enough to understand each other.

 

This is why Olivia knows that something bad happened to Zoe. She knows that Zoe would never just vanish and abandon her life and career.  

 

Q: What are you working on now? What’s next for Olivia?

 

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. 

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I’m planning at least three Olivia Cruz books, alternating them with installments in my Bree Taggert series. Join my newsletter, follow me on social media (I’m mostly on Facebook and Instagram) to keep up with my progress. Hope you all love the new series.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Melinda Leigh.