We’re in the throes of winter here in the northern hemisphere, so my guest today, Melanie P. Smith, is going to give us a little taste of summer with her #ThisorThatThursday interview.

A few of your favorite summer traditions:

Camping in the wilderness, playing softball, horseback riding, motorcycle trips.

Something summer-related that you’ll never do again:

Visit Zion National Park in July — the temps reached 112°F that summer and I’m pretty sure we suffered heat exhaustion.

Favorite summer treat:

Orange Julius and cold lemonade

A summer treat that makes you gag:

Hot dogs

Funniest summer story:

My grandmother owned a small mountain lot in a nearby canyon. She insisted the entire family had to get together at the lot to have a picnic every 4th of July. One year we experienced a summer downpour, but she wouldn’t cancel. We were gathered around the firepit with my grandmother insisting the fire would start if we just tried harder, lightning flashed all around us, and rain poured down in buckets. We were all completely soaked by the time we talked her into leaving.

Something embarrassing that happened during the summer:

I went to a local fun park with friends and agreed to race the Go-Karts. The attendant handed me a helmet, but I didn’t try it on. It was about three sizes too big. I was racing down the far end of the track when the helmet turned sideways, and I was completely blinded. Before I could stop, I left the paved track, darted across the lawn, and collided with a stack of hay bales. The car died and they had to push it back to the garage. I got to do the walk of shame back to the starting line.

Best thing you ever grilled in spring:

The first burger of the season after a long winter.

Your worst kitchen or grilling disaster:

I was making potato casserole for a large family gathering and one of my glass dishes exploded destroying that dish and launching shards of glass into the second dish. I ended up with a gooey mess in the oven and nothing to take to the family gathering.

Most favorite place to write/edit in the summer:

I love to write outside at night on my back patio with a fire burning in the fire pit.

The worst place to try to write in the summer because of all the distractions:

On vacation.

Favorite thing to do on a summer evening:

Relax in front of a campfire – preferably in the mountains.

Least favorite thing about summer:

Heat — here in Utah, the highs can get over 100°F.

The thing you like most about being a writer:

Creating a story that entertains my readers and provides a means of escape for a little while.

The thing you like least about being a writer:

All the non-writing stuff that comes with being an author. It’s hard to balance what I want to do (write) with the things I know I need to do.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done:

Skydiving, rappelling from the Snowbird Ski Tram, or cliff diving at Lake Powell — I can’t decide which was the most daring.

Something you chickened out from doing:

Rappelling off the Red Rock Cliff in St. George, Utah at night. I didn’t trust the guys rigging the line.

The nicest thing a reader said to you:

A reader told me she loved my Thin Blue Line series so much she read it several times and was still reading it again.

The craziest thing a reader said to you:

I was told that because I grew up in a loving Christian home, I shouldn’t write criminal suspense because the subject is too dark and violent.

The funniest thing that happened to you in an airport:

I went skydiving the first time I ever flew in a plane and the instructor thought I was crazy.

The most embarrassing thing that happened to you in an airport:

My flight was changed and rerouted to a different airport in Italy from France. The staff didn’t realize I was rerouted and didn’t stamp my passport. I got stuck wandering around trying to find someone that could speak English because they wouldn’t let me leave and couldn’t understand what I was trying to tell them.

The best summer job you ever had:

Working as a job coach for special needs young adults

The worst summer job you ever had:

Working on an assembly line scraping the excess rubber from door stoppers

About Melanie:

Melanie P. Smith is a multi-genre author of criminal suspense; police procedurals; and paranormal, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah and has always loved adventure. Melanie spent her childhood playing sports, water-skiing, horseback riding, and tending to the many animals on her family farm. She’s been skydiving, rappelling, and loves to explore backroads on her Harley, venture into the wilderness on her ATV, and capture that next amazing photo.

Melanie has an Associates of Science degree in Marketing, a bachelor’s in Business Management, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution, Negotiation and Mediation. She’s on the editorial staff of two bestselling, international eMagazines, coordinates an annual writing competition, and works as an administrator / mentor for multiple writing groups.

Long before she delved into the world of fantasy and suspense, Melanie served nearly three decades in the Special Operations Division at her local sheriff’s office supporting SWAT, Search & Rescue, K9, the Motor Unit, Investigations, and the Child Abduction Response Team. She now uses that training and knowledge to create stories that are action-packed, gripping, and realistic. You can find more about Melanie and her books on her website and social media platforms.

Let’s Be Social:

Visit Melanie on her website at www.melaniepsmith.com

Find her on Facebook at https://geni.us/MPSFacebook

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YouTube https://geni.us/MPSmithYouTube

Locals Community https://geni.us/MPSLocals

BoobBub https://geni.us/MPSBookBub

LinkedIn https://geni.us/MPSmithLI

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