it's out!
- Melissa Westemeier
- 24 hours ago
- 2 min read

It feels like Christmas morning--all the anticipation bubbling for weeks, even months--and it's finally here! You can buy your paperback or digital copy of Old Habits Die Hard at a bookseller near you! I'm so thrilled to share these characters and this wonderful mystery with readers and I look forward to reading the reviews you leave, too!
One funny thing about a book's publication is how the little world of characters and setting that only lived in my imagination will now belong to everyone who reads it, too. Each reader will picture Bernie and AJ, Rin and Meadow, Cliff and Taylor in their own way. Each reader will conceive The Abbey and the streets of San Francisco and the neighborhood in Eugene a bit differently than I did because everyone's unique experience and perception influences how they read the story. "Releasing" a book literally means I hand off the reins and lose control of the narrative while readers experience it for themselves. It's too late to edit for clarity, I can't sit next to each reader and answer their questions or argue "No, picture Bernie more like this..." The book is done, it's printed and bound, and that's that. (Or as we used to say on the playground, "No take backs!")
Buy a copy, tell your friends about the book, share your reviews online (quick links are all over my site!), buy a gift copy, ask your local library and/or bookseller to stock it, and THANK YOU for helping launch this new mystery series! Another funny thing about a book's publication is how word of mouth shapes its success. Readers have a bigger say in how this book is received than I do!
And if you're a super fan, bonus content is appearing in all kinds of places, starting today!
March 28 Chris Null’s Blog https://chrisnull.com/blog/
April 2 Auntie M Writes https://auntiemwrites.com/
April 3 Dru’s Book Musings https://drusbookmusing.com/
A DAY IN THE LIFE WITH Detective AJ Lewis
April 9 Lois Winston’s Killer Crafts + Crafty Killers https://anastasiapollack.blogspot.com/
INTERVIEW WITH SISTER B
April 10 Nan Reinhart Author https://nanreinhardt.com/
Real Places Behind The Abbey: Senior Living
April 29 Miss Demeanors https://www.missdemeanors.com/
EVOLVING FROM A PANTSER TO A PLOTTER
June 21 Ladies of Mystery https://ladiesofmystery.com/
The Ride or Die Behind Old Habits Die Hard
Congrats Mel!!
WOO HOO! Congratulations! I am so excited for you.