Lucky 13!

So Friday the 13th is coming up and I thought this was a perfect time to launch my new book, Fleischerhaus, which is my 13th book. This is my 12th novel, plus I have that 1 non-fiction that keeps rising to the top of the heap, but I will always be, first and foremost, a novelist. The stories just keep knocking on my brain and the only way to deal with them is to write them down.

Fleischerhaus is a story based on reincarnation and past lives (like Queen's Gold) but instead of involving ancient history, it revolves around very recent history: the Holocaust. Here's the blurb:

Julia Martin, newly-divorced but still reeling from her husband’s infidelity, takes a much needed vacation to visit old college friends in Germany. While touring a little-known concentration camp and museum, she spontaneously experiences a violent past life memory of being murdered in this very camp during the Holocaust. Efforts to understand her memories only lead to more questions, the largest being: is her killer still alive? Supported by her friends and comforted in the arms of a handsome doctor, Julia attempts to uncover the mysteries of her past life and find justice for the person she used to be.

As with most of my books, I have a hard time pigeon-holing them in the typical genre classifications. This one seems to range over multiple genres, from paranormal to mystery to romance to suspense. It certainly has elements of all of those. And it's already getting some great reviews:

Thoroughly enjoyed this book...immediately caught my interest, and I couldn't put it down!! -- TRB

This is a just another one of Melissa's great writings. ...One can feel the reality in it. She never gives any clue to the way it will end right up to that end, making it an excellent read. -- LP

I hope if it sounds interesting that you'll take a look. I'm happy to have my lucky # 13 take its place beside all my other books!

Memorial Day - Time to Remember Fallen Heroes

Memorial Day is coming up, a day set aside specifically to remember those who served our country and gave of themselves in ways we often cannot even imagine. It's a day to remember the worst of times our nation has faced and the best actions of our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. These days we have an entire generation growing up thinking that a dropped call is a tragedy, that waiting five seconds for a web page to load is pure anguish. Memorial Day is a day to remember what real challenge, real tragedy, real heroism and real inspiration are. 

In honor of this day, I'm discounting my book Marcia Gates: Angel of Bataan to 99 cents today through Memorial Day. This is the award-winning true story of a courageous Army nurse and prisoner-of-war, captured on Corregidor by the Japanese. It's a little-known story of the nurses who served and suffered alongside the soldiers they vowed to support. It's a surprising story of struggle, perseverance and hope, all the more inspiring because it's all true. 

The book is also available as an audio book, which brings a whole  new dimension to the story. If you spend a lot of time commuting or if you're going to be headed out for a summer vacation road trip soon, this audio book is the perfect companion for the road. 

And finally, if you're in Arizona, I will be talking about the book on May 22 on the Morning Scramble on AZTV-Prescott (channel 7) at 8:30am. If you're within the broadcast area, I hope you'll tune in. 

Happy Anniversary: Romance in the Air!

I have to brag just the tiniest little bit. This month marks my 43rd wedding anniversary with my husband, best friend and true companion, Bud. That's the kind of milestone not a lot of people ever get to, and it amazes me that we have, not because I didn't think we would but just because the years seem to roll away so quickly. Heck, I'm not OLD enough to be married 43 years! Oh, yeah, maybe I am. Okay.

But so to celebrate, I'm giving presents to YOU. In the spirit of romance, I'm putting all my romance books on sale for just 99 cents through May 11, 2014. Okay, some of you are saying, "Romance? Uh, no." But really, all these books have a strong story, strong characters and a lot of twists and turns. Try one; you might like it. Then another, and another ...

So without further ado, here they are:

HISTORICAL (Western) ROMANCE:

Superstition Gold 

Married and widowed within a 24-hour period, beautiful Leigh Banning watches as her storybook New Orleans life crumbles away piece by piece. In a heartbroken attempt to start over, she travels to the wilds of frontier Arizona in an effort to understand the father she never knew and is rewarded with gold from the legendary Lost Dutchman gold mine in the Superstition Mountains. The gold comes with a price tag, however—the murder of innocent people. Leigh’s quest for justice leads her to a remote Apache camp in the company of a proud Pima Indian and a handsome cavalry officer. Torn between the fiery kisses of the Major and the respectful love of the Pima, Leigh joins forces with the Apaches to battle gold-hungry killers and in the process discovers her true self and her one true love.

The Rare Breed 

The daughter of a white woman and an Indian brave, Catherine Boudry had spent the first thirteen years of her life among the Cheyenne. Restored at last to her mother’s wealthy parents, Cathy blossomed into womanhood surrounded by all the “civilized” comforts of the white man’s world. But at the age of twenty, the lure of her Indian heritage drew her back to the western plains. It was a journey that would awaken her to the joy and agony of passion in the arms of two very different men—Jory, the virile young trapper, and Barred Owl, the Cheyenne brave to whom she had been pledged in marriage long ago. Sensual.

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE:

Lightning Strikes 

Jessie Evans is a free-lance journalist, emphasis on the "free," with no plans to tie herself down. While researching a story in Flagstaff about Indian influences in Arizona, however, she encounters Lucas Shay, a smoldering paradox who is part Indian, part architect and all man. Whether igniting her temper with his arrogance or challenging her beliefs with his laser-like insight, Jessie can't deny that Lucas sets fire to her soul as well. Sizzling!

Remember Me 

Elly Cole wakes up bruised and battered in a hospital-and has no idea who she is or how she got there. Her brooding giant of a husband informs her that she had been fleeing with her lover who was killed in the car accident that left her injured, that she is pregnant with that lover's child and that she has nowhere else to go but home-with him. Struggling against the threat of her husband's dangerous rage and jealousy, Elly strives to regain her memory and reconstruct the life she left behind, wondering how she could ever have loved this man who hates her.

PARANORMAL ROMANCE:

Burning Through 

When Jennifer and Robert Stinson buy a beautifully restored Victorian house, the last thing they expect is to share their home with a ghost―especially one with a penchant for setting fires. Unfortunately the ghostly arson only creates more tension in their already strained marriage. Jen launches her own investigation into the history of her house and discovers a surprising ally in a sympathetic fire captain. But can she unravel the mystery of the fires before they consume her home, her marriage … and her life?

Stone’s Ghost 

Matthew Stone doesn't believe in ghosts … until he meets one. He owns a successful business in Lake Havasu, Arizona, home to the famed London Bridge that was brought over stone by stone and rebuilt over the Colorado River. He has a gorgeous girlfriend, a doting mother, and more money than he needs, but no time for stories about the ghosts who were transplanted from England with the famed bridge. When a chance encounter with a female ghost leads to unexpected friendship, Matt and the ghost are forced to rely on each other as they confront the pasts that haunt them.

AND FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, MAD SATIRE:

The Pits of Passion by Amber Flame (Satire)

Sealed to the man in an arranged marriage, Elizabeth rides the surging tide of shock and denial, lust and love, as she is swept from the manicured gardens of England to the savage shores of Africa and the wilds of the New World, never quite sure which Captain Elliott is the man she loves. Warning! This satiric romp is NOT your mother's romance novel! X-rated and sizzling!