Melanie Dobson and Free Books!

Inspired by an incredible rescue in Amsterdam during World War II, Memories of Glass shines light on Holland’s darkest history and her bravest heroes.

Before we visit with today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the free copy of my romantic-comedy novel set, Love at Millicent's Tea Shop, is:

quilting-lady@...

Congratulations! I'll get your book set right out to you. I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right (above my list of books) in order to learn about new releases! U.S. subscribers are entered in the drawings a second time when they comment.

And now let's chat with novelist Melanie Dobson, author of the time-slip novel (with stories from both the present and past), Memories of Glass (Tyndale House Publishers, September 2019).

Writing fiction is Melanie Dobson’s excuse to explore abandoned houses, travel to unique places, and spend hours reading old books and journals. The award-winning author of almost twenty books, Melanie enjoys stitching together both time-slip and historical novels including Memories of Glass, Hidden Among the Stars, and Catching the Wind.

Please tell us one random thing we might not know about you.

I love old cemeteries! My poor husband isn’t quite as enamored by this passion-of-mine, but I could spend hours upon hours reading epitaphs and wondering at the stories.

I so agree! I imagine as a historical fiction writer, you get a lot of story inspiration from the little information provided on the epitaphs.

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of Memories of Glass.

Memories of Glass is a time-slip novel inspired by the Dutch men and women during World War II who rescued more than six hundred Jewish children from a deportation center in Amsterdam.

Almost eighty years later, Ava Drake, the director of the prestigious Kingston Foundation, begins to uncover the devastating story about her family’s role in financing Hitler. As she and a child advocate named Landon West dig into the past, Ava discovers that her story is intertwined with the West family and an elderly Dutch woman who has spent a lifetime remembering a boy who was lost during the war. A boy she never expected to find.

What is it about your lead characters that will make your readers care about them?

Josie van Rees is a student in Amsterdam who delivers letters for the Dutch resistance. She wants to rescue the Jewish children being deported by their Nazi occupiers, but it seems impossible for her to help.

In the contemporary story, Ava Drake begins to research her great-grandfather’s work as an investor during World War II, but her entire family, it seems, is determined to stop her from finding the truth.

Who is one of your favorite mainstream authors?

Kate Morton is a master of the time-slip genre. I love how she weaves together a story with lyrical prose and a mystery that spans generations

What is the last novel you read that you would recommend?

I just finished the stunning time-slip novel by Amanda Dykes called Whose Waves These Are. This story takes readers on a journey to an island in Maine with characters that will—well, read the reviews and then the book. It’s one of those beautiful stories that’s impossible to summarize in a few words.

I don't think I realized how prevalent the time-slip genre was. I've loved every novel I've read in that style so far. They've always made history feel more relevant to what's happening in the contemporary world.

What are you working on now?

I just returned from a trip to Germany, researching for my next novel. This new story is about the Nazi quest to find their Aryan roots and a female archeologist in the 1940s who has to make some terrifying choices to survive. It’s also a story about a woman years later trying to out what happened to her family.

Where else can readers find you online?

I love connecting with my readers! The best places to find me are on my website: www.melaniedobson.com, on Facebook, and at @MelBDobson on Twitter

The book can be purchased online via the following button:




Finally, what question would you like to ask my readers?

A friend and I recently launched the new website timeslipfiction.com. Do you have a favorite time-slip (also known as split-time) novel?

Thank you, Melanie, for visiting and telling us about yourself and your novel. Readers, Melanie has offered to give away a free copy of her book. To enter, leave a comment and your email below in answer to her question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Remember that U.S. subscribers are entered an additional time in each drawing. The drawing is done by email, so leave your email address, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com. 

Only United States residents are eligible for the drawing, but anyone can subscribe to the blog posts via the GDPA-compliant Feedblitz box above my list of books, at right.

Also readers, I'd love it if you'd connect with me on Facebook. Just click on my name at the right of today's post title.

Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer, GDPA notice, and my Disclosure of Material Connection HERE

Melanie Dobson and Free Books!

Hidden Among the Stars is a time-slip mystery about a young Austrian man and woman who hide heirlooms for their Jewish friends and a bookstore owner almost eighty years later who finds a cryptic list about this missing treasure.

Before we meet today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the free e-copy of the Inspirational Romance novel, The Call of Indian Summer, by Linda Hannah and Deborah Dulworth, is:

carrie@...

Congratulations! We'll get your book right out to you. I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right (above my list of books) in order to learn about new releases! U.S. subscribers are entered in the drawings a second time when they comment.

And now let's chat with novelist Melanie Dobson, author of the time-slip novel, Hidden Among the Stars (Tyndale House Publishers, September 2018).

Writing fiction is Melanie Dobson’s excuse to explore abandoned houses, travel to unique places, and spend hours reading old books and journals. The award-winning author of almost twenty books, Melanie enjoys stitching together both time-slip and historical novels including Hidden Among the Stars, Catching the Wind, and Chateau of Secrets.

Please tell us one random thing we might not know about you.

Dancing makes me happy! Every week, my daughters and I attend at least one dance class at the YMCA. Not only is it great exercise, it sparks a whole slew of ideas in my mind.

What a wonderful idea! I love the concept of such a creative way to exercise.

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of your novel.

In 1938, as Hitler’s troops sweep into Vienna, Austrian Max Dornbach promises to help his Jewish friends hide their most valuable possessions from the Nazis, smuggling them to his family’s summer estate near the picturesque village of Hallstatt. He enlists the help of Annika Knopf, his childhood friend and the caretaker’s daughter, who is eager to help the man she’s loved her entire life.

But when Max also brings Luzia Weiss, a young Jewish woman, to hide at the castle, it complicates Annika’s feelings and puts their entire plan―even their very lives―in jeopardy.

Eighty years later, Callie Randall is content with her quiet life, running a bookstore with her sister in Ohio and reaching out into the world through her blog. Then she finds a cryptic list in an old edition of Bambi that connects her to Annika’s story . . . and maybe to the long-buried story of a dear friend. As she digs into the past, Callie must risk venturing outside the safe world she’s built for a chance at answers, adventure, and maybe even love.

What is it about Annika that will make your readers care about her?

Annika Knopf lost her mother when she was young and has taken over the housekeeper role at Schloss Schwansee (Castle of Swan Lake). She’s loved Max Dornbach, the son of the estate owner, since she was a girl, and she will do almost anything to help him. When Max brings home Luzia Weiss, a Jewish violinist from Vienna, Annika must decide whether or not to help this woman that Max adores.

Those triangles! So intriguing.

How do you restart the creative flow when you feel a block coming on?

Usually I push myself to write through the walls standing in my way. The words may not flow well at first, but the best way for me to overcome the affliction of writer’s block is to put something—anything—on paper. When the words begin to flow again, I’ll go back and edit my initial work.

As difficult as that can be, I've done that before and actually found in reviewing my work, I wasn't able to see where the block was. 

What is the last novel you read that you would recommend?

I really enjoyed reading Charles Martin’s novel Long Way Gone. It’s a beautifully written story about a prodigal son who runs far away and then slowly begins to find his way back home.

What are you working on now?

I recently returned from the Netherlands and am finishing up a time-slip novel based on an incredible rescue mission that happened in Amsterdam during World War II. The heart of this story is about forgiveness, and I hope it will capture again the power of seemingly ordinary people doing extraordinary things to fight evil and rescue those in need.

Where else can readers find you online?

The best places are on Facebook and @MelBDobson on Twitter.

The book can be purchased online via the following button:



Finally, what question would you like to ask my readers?

I’d love to know: Where in Europe would you enjoy visiting on the pages of a novel?

Thanks so much, Trish!

Thank you, Melanie, for visiting and telling us about yourself and your book. Readers, Melanie has offered to give away a signed copy of her novel. To enter, leave a comment and your email below in answer to Melanie's question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Remember that U.S. subscribers are entered an additional time in each drawing. The drawing is done by email, so leave your email address, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com. 

Only United States residents are eligible for the drawing, but anyone can subscribe to the blog posts via the GDPA-compliant Feedblitz box above my list of books, at right.

Also readers, I'd love it if you'd connect with me on Facebook. Just click on my name at the right of today's post title.

Remember, if you'd like information on additional new releases, check out Christian Book Heaven, a new email newsletter for Christian book deals in whatever genres you select. You can subscribe here: ChristianBookHeaven

Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer, GDPA notice, and my Disclosure of Material Connection HERE

Melanie Dobson and Free Books!

Enchanted Isle is a historical romance about a young woman who visits England's magical Lake District in the 1950s and begins to uncover what happened to a treasure lost in an abandoned amusement park there.

Before we meet today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the e-copy of The Case of the Clobbered Cad, by Debra Marvin, is:

wpd_2@...

Congratulations! We'll get your e-book right out to you. I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right (above my list of books) in order to participate in future book give-aways! Subscribers are entered a second time when they comment.

And now let's chat with novelist Melanie Dobson, author of the historical romance, Enchanted Isle (Waterfall Press, August 2017).

Writing fiction is Melanie Dobson's excuse to explore abandoned houses, travel to unique places, and spend hours reading old books and journals. She enjoys stitching together historical and time-slip stories, and her novels have won awards for historical romance, romantic suspense, and historical fiction.

Melanie lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two teen daughters.

Please tell us one random thing we might not know about you.

I love hidden places, and I enjoy exploring the world both aboveground and underground by climbing and crawling through caves.

Just reading "crawling through caves" triggers my claustrophobia! That's very cool that you enjoy that.

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of Enchanted Isle.

My main character in Enchanted Isle is an aspiring photographer named Jenny who sees beauty in unexpected places. With paper and a pen, I built an amusement park from the 1930s for her to explore, set on an island in England’s magical Lake District with a dozen old rides inspired by the sea—a wooden roller coaster that once surfed through the trees, a boat excursion around sunken ships in an ocean cave, and the Magic Lagoon, a merry-go-round with brightly colored sea creatures instead of horses, the eaves of the carousel plated with gold leaf and stained glass.

In the novel, Jenny and a British man named Adrian search together for ancient coins his father purportedly hid on the island. As she learns the legends in this district, Jenny begins to discover beauty among the ruins of the park and she ultimately determines to restore all that’s been lost—the hidden treasure, shattered dreams, and relationships broken in years past after one of the park’s owners disappeared.

That's a fascinating premise, Melanie. 

What is it about Jenny that will make your readers care about her?

Jenny is a unique young woman with a vivid imagination. Her grandfather is a domineering man, but her widowed mother wants Jenny to use the gifts that God has given her. In this novel, Jenny decides to embrace who God made her to be and her unique gifts ultimately lead to beauty and restoration.

What is the most positive thing you can tell my readers about the state of Christian fiction today?

When I was younger, there weren’t many novels being written that were founded in themes of faith. We are so blessed today to have a variety of well-written inspirational novels available online and through bookstores. As a writer, I’m continually grateful for the opportunity to be able to share the stories that God has placed in my heart.

What is the last novel you read that you would recommend?

I really enjoyed reading Lisa Wingate’s time-slip novel Before We Were Yours. I like stories that slip between the past and present, and I thought Lisa did a remarkable job pulling readers into her powerful fictional account of a true, heart-wrenching story from the mid-1900s.

Lisa's book has done so well, too! I'll have to put that on my massive TBR list.

And, readers, in case that term, time-slip, is new to you, time-slip is a plot in which a person or group of people seem to travel through time within the novel. Time-slip brings together different points in time, so events from one time might be experienced at another time.

What are you working on now, Melanie?

Fifteen years ago my husband and I backpacked across Europe, and our favorite place to explore was Hallstatt in Austria with its medieval village, alpine lake and castle. I’m now writing a time-slip story about Jewish heirlooms hidden near Hallstatt during World War II. The historical plot is about a young man and woman who determine to help their Jewish friends hide what the Nazis were trying to steal away. In the contemporary story, my main character discovers a list in an old book that connects her with the Austrian woman who was hiding this treasure for her friends—a woman who is guarding a secret of her own.

Where else can readers find you online?

The best places to find me online are on my website www.melaniedobson.com,  Facebook), and Goodreads.

The book can be purchased online via the following button:



Finally, what question would you like to ask my readers?

I love stories! I’d enjoy hearing something miraculous or surprising that God has done in your journey.

I look forward to hearing those stories too! I'll post one of my own in the comments section.

Thanks, Melanie, for visiting and telling us about yourself and your book. Readers, Melanie has offered to give away a signed copy of her novel. To enter, leave a comment and your email below in answer to Melanie's question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Remember that subscribers are entered an additional time in each drawing. The drawing is done by email, so leave your email address, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com. Many commenters are left out of the drawing because they forget to include a way for me to notify them of their win (their email).

Also readers, I'd love it if you'd connect with me on Facebook. Just click on my name at the right of today's post.

Remember, if you'd like information on additional new releases, check out Christian Book Heaven, a new email newsletter for Christian book deals in whatever genres you select. You can subscribe here: ChristianBookHeaven

Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer, as well as my Disclosure of Material Connection HERE