Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Nordhoff.

Hi Melissa, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
After graduating from William & Mary, I lived on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and joined the world of advertising, working for newspapers and magazines in Maryland and Delaware. I even had the privilege of working for Walter Cronkite on the Annapolitan magazine in Annapolis. Though I loved that field, it was fast-paced and required a lot of travelling. When my daughter was born, my husband and I decided to move to back to my hometown where I became the manager of my mother’s small retail business.

In 2008, I was seeking a way to promote our business and other small businesses and raise funds for a local charity. I combined my knowledge of advertising and marketing with my retail skills and created the Best Kept Secrets Tour—shopping, food, and fun adventures featuring small businesses. $1 per ticket sold is always given to a local charity, adding up to $156,167 donated so far!

With the huge success of the tour, I resigned as manager of my mother’s store and started organizing tours full time. Fast forward to today, (and thanks to the help of additional tour organizers) my company offers Best Kept Secrets Tours throughout PA, MD and DE.

Though I still LOVE my job, I was craving a more creative outlet. At age fifty, I decided to pursue my lifelong dream to be an author. I now have an award-winning, cozy mystery published by Headline Books (Last Will and Puzzlement) and three thrillers (Power Surge, Crackshell, Green Peeler) that I self-published under the pen name, lizzie Qnert. My newest thriller, PLAIN OFFENSE, releases January 28, 2025!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
All paths have hills and valleys, but I like to think of bumps in the road as stepping stones rather than obstacles. As a young woman, my biggest hurdle was fear. Fear of failure. Fear of risk. Fear of uncertainty.

After a very serious car accident, I developed a debilitating phobia of driving. Once again fear was in charge, but I didn’t realize how much of a hold it had on me until a trip to a Kripalu Center for Yoga (my dad had to drive me). I was walking in the woods alone, spooked by every crunching leaf, or swaying branch. When a chipmunk ran over my toes, I started spiraling. I was certain it must be rabid to come so close to me and I was sure it would attack. My chest tightened and I was gasping for breath, panicking over a ridiculous thought. A twig snapped behind me and I spun around. A doe and twin fawns stood only ten feet from me, tilting their heads as they considered what I was. Their calmness made something click in my brain, and it became clear to me that I was clipping my own wings. When my dad came to pick me up, I drove home, no longer willing to allow fear to limit my life. Obviously, I still have fear, but I no longer let it dictate my choices.

Starting my own business was scary. It’s sink or swim. There’s no guaranteed paycheck, no one to count on but myself. And the covid shutdown was devastating, shutting down my tours overnight. But I am so grateful I could push through the fear, because I now have a thriving company.

Sending out my manuscripts was terrifying, and I’ve received well over a hundred rejections. But I didn’t let the no’s stop me and now I’m an award-winning author.

Through struggles and turmoil, I learned I have resilience, and because of this, the ups and downs of life seem much less scary.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I write mysteries, thrillers, and suspense—some cozy and lighthearted and some dark and gritty. I specialize in realistic dialog (even using local dialects when called for) and dig deeply into each character’s mind, hopefully giving readers a living, breathing, fully fleshed-out person, while still keeping them turning pages. Though not typically the main plot, I weave women’s issues throughout all of my works—whether it’s what injustices working women in the 1930s faced, or sexual harassment, or domestic abuse, or the difficulty of being a stay-at-home mom or stepmom. And every book contains at least one strong, empowered female character. As a writer, I’ve often been told to write what I know, but I think it is more important to write what I feel. Experiences amongst people are diverse, but emotions feel the same.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
As an adult, I am only 4’ 10” tall, so you can imagine how tiny I was as a child. When I started school, I wasn’t big enough to get on the bus by myself. My size led to lots of bullying and always being picked last for teams. I tried to compensate for this by being book smart, making sure to always answer teacher’s questions and get good grades. I always loved to read and write.

By junior high, I was able to outsmart the bullies, and life became easier. Though I’m not shy, I am an introvert, rejuvenated by alone time.

Pricing:

• $12 Best Kept Secrets Tour Tickets
• $19.95 Last Will & Puzzlement
• $14.99 Power Surge
• $14.99 Crackshell
• $14.99 Green Peeler

Contact Info:

• Website: bestkeptsecretstour.com lizzieQnert.com MelissaNordhoff.com
• Instagram: @bestkeptsecretstour
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lizzieQnert/