I have some exciting news to share: Hand Me Down was featured in four major newspapers today! It’s not exactly world domination, but I’ll take it! Each paper said wonderful things and I’m so honored to have my name and photo in such reputable publications.
- I talk about the truth behind the fiction in Hand Me Down and how writing helped me reach that truth in this Salt Lake Tribune interview: A Debut Novel Finds the Truth in Writing Fiction.
- Al Pierleoni The Sacramento Bee gives the book a shout-out and talks to John Lescroart about the Maurice Prize in Fiction that he founded and Hand Me Down won.
- There is a great review in the Deseret News that says, among many other great things, this:
“Hand Me Down” is a gritty tale of a determined young woman who really wants to make a better life for herself and protect the little sister she dearly loves. It is also a story of triumph over desperation and the ignorance of those who live in the world of selfishness.
- And, finally, there was a review in the San Francisco Chronicle that featured a color photo and lots of nice comments. The full review should be available online by Monday.
What a great day for me and my book baby! The timing is perfect as I’m set to do an event in Sacramento on Tuesday and one in Salt lke City on Thursday. (See my Events page for more details.)
I’m super excited and also super nervous about these two hometown events. I lived in each of these places during formative years and I expect to see people who knew me before I decided I wanted to be a writer; who remember the awkward girl I used to be. People I let call me “Mel.” It should be tons of fun. I hope you’ll join us!
Melanie Thorne 
I am raising a nine year old since she was five . She and her sister were victims of a sex offender whom there mother chose over them. They live in seperate homes but I am the nine year olds stepmother and along with her dad raising her. Your book is a complete replica of her life. My only prayer is sheer future is bright. She lives with the misunderstanding of why her mom chose to marry a registered sex offender not to mention her own chiIdren. Thank you for the book it is very
inspiring
Bless you
Thanks for your comment, and for your commitment to a young girl who needs you. I hope she is able to have a bright future, and I think that’s possible with good people to care for her and guide her choices. Thank you for reading.