Lise McClendon's Blog

I recently had someone buy 8 paperbacks of ‘Blackbird Fly.’ Yay, readers! This made me wonder, not for the first time, if a book club is reading the book. (I once had my own book club read it, nerve-wracking!)

It seems like a good time to post a few Book Club Questions for the book. I’d love to hear from you if your book club is reading/has read any of the books. (I am available for a Zoom drop-in– write me at Lise @ lisemcclendon . com — remove the spaces). More to come on other books… stay tuned!

Book Club Questions for ‘Blackbird Fly‘

How did Merle’s actions impact the plot or other characters?What are the main themes explored in the book?How does this book relate to current events or social issues? What was your favorite part of the book? What was your least favorite?What did you think about the flashback chapters?Are there any characters you wish you could have given advice to? What would you tell them?How did the secondary characters impact or influence the main character or story?What did you think of the author’s writing style?Did any particular passages or quotes stand out to you?How did the author’s choice of setting or tone affect the story?How did this book make you think about your own life?How did the author create suspense and intrigue throughout the book? What techniques did they use to keep you engaged and guessing?Were you satisfied with the ending? Did it make sense and tie up all the loose ends?Give yearbook titles like ‘most likely to…’ to each characterMerle: Most likely to…AnnieStasiaTristanPascalFather AlbertMadame SuchetThe MayorThe Gendarme

• If it was a film, who should be cast as each character?

Have fun at book club!

Like the deluxe edition e-book? Look over here at the shop

For years folks have heard about all sorts of weird ways to hurt yourself in Yellowstone National Park. From jumping into a hot pool to save your dog (nope) to being dragged from a tent by a grizzly bear (yikes) — dangers abound. So when I was planning a new mystery anthology– and living just 30 miles from the park– my choice was easy. Yellowstone it was.

I spent last year developing this book, putting out feelers to mystery writers who might want to take the leap into the dark recesses of Yellowstone for fun and good reading. A great group answered the call and I choose 13 to be in the anthology. They hail from Canada to New Mexico, New York to California. And a couple of us from Montana.

Now the time has come to announce and launch! It releases on March 1 on most platforms and, crucially, through your favorite hometown bookstore. (Where you will have to special order it, I think. Tell them the title or use this ISBN #: 9781960556042) If you are willing and able to order online may I suggest one of these two independent bookstores that are set up to take your order now. Or Bookshop.org, always a good alternative.

This House of BooksOnce Upon a Crime BooksSupport your local bookstore on Bookshop

So who is in this anthology? A diverse group, men and women, old and young, all avid mystery writers. A few are making their “in print” debuts, we’re proud to say. Here’s the lineup:

Here’s the promo copy, in case a tantalizing bunch of Yellowstone stories about criminals, wild animals, and murder isn’t enough for you!

THIRTEEN STORIES OF WILDLIFE, MYSTERY, AND MAYHEM, ALL SET IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

Explore the treacherous and awe-inspiring landscape of America’s first national park in this new anthology, Deadly Yellowstone. With scalding geysers, stampeding buffalo, and ravenous grizzlies, danger lurks at every turn.

As a global tourist magnet, Yellowstone National Park attracts not only nature enthusiasts but also those with sinister intentions. Unravel the mysteries within the park’s boundaries as these thirteen gripping short stories delve into baffling events amidst the beauty and danger of Yellowstone.

The wonders of Yellowstone — the geysers and mudpots, the wildlife, the incredible landscape — have fascinated visitors for over 150 years. The hydrothermal features in the park number more than half the world’s total. Before — and after — its early 19th-century discovery by mountain men, Native American tribes hunted and traversed the region for over 11,000 years. It was named America’s first National Park in 1872, and visitation continues to grow today.

These thirteen short stories are fictional, and bear no relation to real people or events. Some are amusing, some scary or mysterious, some fantastical. Yellowstone is like that: something for everyone.

From authors all over North America, tales to keep you reading through the chilly forest nights.

AMAZONBarnes & Noble

The paperback will be available this summer in Yellowstone proper, as the authors are doing several in-person events at the inns and hotels. Stay tuned in case you’re in the area.

How to stay tuned? Please subscribe to my newsletter here:

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Just a quick note to tell you that my fourth Alix Thorssen mystery, BLUE WOLF, is on sale at Chirp for just 99 cents. Narrated with dulcet tones by Naomi Rose-Mock, this story takes place in the autumn, in Jackson Hole, while Alix is preparing a wildlife art auction. One of her artists asks her to investigate a long-ago hunting accident in exchange for two paintings. It’s a slow time of year in town, Alix can’t resist. But old wounds and old grievances are stirred up, along with controversies about wolves and the ranchers they provoke. I hope you enjoy it.

Just 99 cents until October 4, 2024. 

Blue Wolf on Chirp – click here

Yes, I have been writing away this year. It was only January when Monsieur Moonlight shined his light on the world. And now, I have a new one almost wrapped up in a bow, coming out July 19. The Last Letter from France is the Bennett Sisters Mystery #20… yikes! It will be available first on my store, shop.lisemcclendon.com, then on other retailers on August 2.

Are you signed up for my newsletter over at Substack? Make sure you’re on the list so you’ll get the announcement that the book is live on the store: https://lisemcclendon.substack.com/

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So what is this new one about? Well, a fan, Allison J, wrote to me about the two decrepit little cottages that Pascal bought for Merle a few books back. When, she asked, was Merle going to remodel them? Good question! And also, how to make a mystery out of a messy project like renovating a 200 year old cottage (or two)? I contemplated that and came up with a plot. You can read about it over on my website at https://lisemcclendon.com/book/preorder-now/  You can’t preorder on my website for the July 19 release but you can preorder on Amazon if you wish. https://amzn.to/4br043u

 

 

 

The story deals with curiosity, the power of it, the manic strength of it at times, the way it grabs a person and won’t let go. That happens to Merle when she finds a packet of old letters in one of the cottages. Her sister Stasia is helping her with the renovation and dubs the cottages Cleo and Gladys.

 

“Their names came to me. This one is Cleo. She’s worn but very French. Still a bit of a flirt. That one—” She gestured at the other cottage through a small, dirty window. “That one is Gladys. Plain old Gladys. Ready for one last swing around the dance floor. Maybe.” She laughed at Merle’s expression. “Cleo and Gladys: unless they, or you, tell me otherwise.”

Gladys is a mess, full of smelly rodents and rainwater. It will take a monumental task to get her ready for tourists. Cleo, on the other hand, is not so bad. Uncomfortable during a heat wave perhaps but not awful. So the sisters set to work on Cleo but accidentally come across the letters in a cupboard in the other cottage, Gladys. These letters become the mystery in the story, who wrote them, who received them, who left them in France and what happened to them over a hundred years before, during World War One.

So we get to dig into history, into World War One, into England, into France, and yes, even Americans like Merle Bennett and her sisters. Merle’s curiosity about these people, about the origins of the letters and the fate of the writer and his girlfriend, run the story. She won’t give up. She can’t.

I used a quote to illuminate curiosity, written by Albert Einstein, as an epigraph to the book.

I hope I’ve made *you* curious! Be sure to preorder on Amazon or buy July 19 on my store. I will be sending out a newsletter on the 19th… watch for it!

Tra-la, it’s May, as the song goes.

I hope you’re making merry, wherever you are. I realize I haven’t been on the blog much this year, this is only my second post and the first was to announce Monsieur Moonlight. But I have been writing, mostly on my Substack newsletter– which unlike some is free for everyone. Are you a subscriber? If not, please check it out! There are often free stories and other cool things, mostly by me but often by other mystery writers as well.

Just last month we had a survey of your favorite title suggestions for the new book and last year subscribers gave me valuable feedback about my new book cover. Last week I celebrated 30 years in print over there! Virtual champagne. Lots of fun interaction.

Or go straight to the subscriber page CLICK HERE

The website and blog should look new and shiny as I’ve just had them professionally overhauled, re-designed, and torn down and rebuilt! I hope you can find whatever it is you’re looking for– sometimes I can’t! But I’m working on it, little by little building out the Shop so you can buy direct with confidence. No more of those embarrassing junior varsity moments with the other web store. The Shop is linked from the main website, or can be accessed directly at shop.lisemcclendon.com

Among the usual e-books I am also offering signed paperbacks on the shop. These come directly from me with whatever notation you’d like in the book, to you, your mom, your friend, anybody. I hope you’ll check them out HERE. If there is a book you don’t see listed and would like to purchase, please drop me a note.

I’ll be heading north with the birdies soon! Can’t wait to get back to Montana. But first a visit with our son and his family, including darling Cooper who is not quite three but plays a mean ukulele. My husband and I had a great camping trip, looking at wildflowers (and things) out in the Anza-Borrego desert. Hopefully the wildflowers will be busting out soon in Montana too.

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Monsieur Moonlight is here, lurking on a dark, spring night, deep in rural France. He shows up like a bad penny, intent on who knows what besides drinking his way through Pascal’s wine cellar. The half-brother who could hardly be less welcome after twenty years of estrangement. What is he really up to? Can it […]

Ah, France. I have been here about ten days and have only a few more to savor all that is delightfully French. Here are a few highlights. We spent a week dodging bicyclists in Paris… yes, it is a task not taken lightly! In the last few years Paris has tried to eliminate pollution from […]

Merci beaucoup for checking out the new web store here on my website. There has been a learning curve but I am satisfied that the glitches have been identified and eradicated! There are a couple new things for you to look at, besides the box sets for Bennett Sisters Volumes 1-8 and 9-18… there is […]

I have read many books over the years, and I’m sure you have too. So basically, every day is Book Lovers Day! But today is a “National” Book Lovers Day, when readers all over the country celebrate the magic that is a book. What is your favorite book? I have several: Alice Hoffman’s Turtle Moon, […]