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http://www.amazon.com/Blackbird-Fly-ebook/dp/B002E9IPSO

--This Author has been previously published by Minotaur, Walker & Co., etc.
--This book published by Thalia Press

Book Description:
A house in France connects three women together -- the woman who owns the house, the woman who lives in the house, and the woman who died in the house sixty years before. Merle Bennett inherits the house of her late husband, in a small village in the Dordogne. But when she arrives a deranged squatter won't let her inside.
Secrets from the post-war period, when southwest France was left to wither by Nazi occupation, and secrets of a newer kind, occupy what should be a fine French summer for Merle. With her teenage son in tow, a sexy roofer in her kitchen, and a nasty discovery in the pissoir, there is plenty to keep her mind off her endless to-do list. A story of murder, self-discovery, and family, deep in the heart of France.

In her first stand-alone suspense novel, Lise McClendon reaches deep into the past to find a France untouched by the outside world of tourism and fashion. Writing in a "lyrical, often humorous style," she brings both the pain and rewards of rebirth and the rich French countryside to life.

From the Author:
A novel has a distinct setting but it's the people who drive the action. I wanted to write about a part of France many Americans have never heard of, let alone visited. Through the internet Americans living in France provided answers to my questions, sent me photos, became pen-pals and then friends. Generous and friendly to a fault, one new pen-pal lived in Bergerac at the time. Later she moved to the Lot, to Cahors then Puy-l'Évêque, and sent me missives describing her adventures. One delightful consequence of writing this novel was almost life-imitates-art when I finally met Sharon in France. What a treat to meet her and her friends and find out more about the expat experience in southwest France. A veteran renovator, Sharon informs me the pace of house repairs in Blackbird Fly is strictly imaginary.

My research led me to seek out a picturesque bastide village. I used Monpazier as a home base, staying in the lovely Hotel Edward 1re. The village in the book, the completely fictional Malcouziac, is pretty but it is definitely not Monpazier. The only similarity is the structure of the bastide, the stone walls crumbling a bit, the hilltop location surrounded by vineyards and lush, tree-tangled ravines, the narrow pedestrian streets and half-renovated houses. Without the setting the story wouldn't have come alive in my imagination. When Merle Bennett dreams of France, she remembers the light: golden, warm, nourishing. And she can't stay away, even if it makes no practical sense to use her last nickel to go there.

Here's how the publisher summed it up: "The sudden death of her husband turns Merle Bennett's life upside down. Her work for poor legal clients isn't going to pay the bills and her son is kicked out of school. The blows just keep on coming. Merle finds herself doing what she least expected, decamping to France for the summer to fix up her late husband's ancestral home. The village in southwest France should be idyllic: warm sunshine, vineyards, and walls of golden stone. Merle gets an off-the-books job as a tour guide at a local winery and evicts a squatter. But the townspeople are more than merely unfriendly. As the past unravels, colliding with modern tensions and the filthy trials of renovation, the summer takes on a dark cast, full of secrets best left buried. In her first stand-alone suspense novel, Lise McClendon reaches deep into the past to find a France untouched by the outside world of tourism and fashion. Writing in a 'lyrical, often humorous style,' she brings both the pain and rewards of rebirth and the rich French countryside to life."
Whether you look out your real window, or the window in your mind, I hope Blackbird Fly brings it all to life for you. Pour a glass of wine and enjoy.

Editorial Reviews:
--A literary suspense novel. A great deal goes into character growth and change, and McClendon's love for the French countryside is evident. BLACKBIRD FLY is a rewarding read for the discerning.
--GenReview.com
--"A heartbreakingly beautiful story of love, loss, sisterhood, and the ties that bind us all together." --Jenny Siler, bestselling author
--The descriptions of the French village and house make them a character with very much influence on Merle's experience. Blackbird Fly has love and intrigue, and proof that family bonds are strong enough to reach beyond the grave. --LuxuryReading.com