NW Book Talk – Melanie Dobson – 11-04-2026

Oregon author Melanie Dobson joins host Patty Grasher on Northwest Book Talk to discuss The Lost Story of Via Belle, a historical mystery connecting a vanished novelist with a screenwriter searching for answers decades later. The author of more than thirty novels, Dobson shares her love of stories that bring past and present together through mystery, faith, and hope.

Their conversation explores how childhood bookmobile visits and Nancy Drew mysteries sparked a lifelong love of storytelling. Topics include:

• How novelist Grace Livingston Hill’s life helped inspire Via Belle.
• Connecting two timelines while keeping readers immersed in one unfolding mystery.
• Visiting historical locations and uncovering stories through research.
• Developing characters who take a novel in unexpected directions.
• The reader connections that make writing especially meaningful.

Dobson also reflects on her bestselling novel Catching the Wind and why Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor remains the book of her heart. From an Ohio bookmobile to a friendship with a reader in Austria, this conversation celebrates the ways books bring people together. Readers who enjoy historical fiction, literary mysteries, and stories of redemption will find plenty to add to their reading lists.

Discover more author conversations at NorthwestBookTalk.com.