Leila Meacham (1938–2021), a retired San Antonio high school English teacher became a New York Times bestselling author at 70 with her breakout epic, Roses. Her beloved novels also include Dragonfly, Tumbleweeds, Somerset, Titans and Dragonfly, as well as April Storm and You Had to Know Winona, both published after her passing. Rooted in the landscapes and legacies of Texas, Leila’s novels weave together family, love, ambition and the secrets that echo across generations. With a voice both sweeping and intimate, she invites readers into richly drawn worlds where every character carries a history, and every page draws you closer to home.
"A great lady. A beautiful writer with a big heart." - Adriana Trigiani
Coming Soon - Never before PUBLISHED murder mystery!
You Had to Know Winona
Deep within the Texas Panhandle, a friendly smile often masks a chilling truth, and local mysteries are buried further down than the oil fields.
Gina Norris is fleeing the wreckage of a marriage she wasn't prepared to abandon. In pursuit of a clean slate, she drives into a ferocious Panhandle gale and nearly perishes in the snow, only to be rescued by Winona Harding. As a rancher, mentor, and the unofficial matriarch of Kersey, Winona possesses an uncanny ability to understand what a soul needs long before they do. In short order, she provides Gina with a job, a residence, and the hope that a new chapter is possible. Then, suddenly, Winona is gone. As a shadow falls over the town, Gina finds herself drawn to the local sheriff, a man who shares her intimate acquaintance with loss. Yet, in this isolated community, every neighbor harbors a secret they would kill to keep hidden. Those who boasted of their bond with Winona Harding may actually be the ones who didn't know her at all.
You Had to Know Winona explores the precarious divide between the masks we wear for others and the reality of our private lives.
THE STORY BEHIND THE UNPUBLISHED NOVEL
After Leila’s passing in 2021, her cousin Dr. Melanie Ross Mills, who now carries on her literary legacy, reached out to Janice Thomson to learn more about the forgotten book. Janice and Leila were best friends for nearly fifty years. Leila dedicated Roses to her, and in the 1980s and 1990s the two of them talked through and edited this very story together. When Melanie asked Janice whether she would edit the manuscript once more, Janice said yes. Thirty years later, You Had to Know Winona reaches readers for the first time.
This never-before-published murder mystery offers a rare glimpse of a master storyteller in the making, with the authentic voice and signature pacing her readers would come to love.
We hope you enjoy this labor of love as much as we have enjoyed bringing it to you. If you were one of Leila’s close friends or students in the 1990s, you may remember her talking about a murder mystery set in a Texas Panhandle high school. Perhaps she described the handsome Sheriff Wyn, or Gina heading west after an unexpected divorce.
Returning to this novel has been a gift. We believe Leila would have brought it to readers herself, had she been given the chance. It comes to you now through the care of her cousin, Dr. Melanie Ross Mills, who promised Leila she would carry her stories forward.
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Finding Leila Meacham and her brilliant gift for storytelling is like striking gold. With this epic work (Somerset), she has secured her legacy as a true literary gem.
Huffington Post
Praise for Leila Meacham
“A delightful tale of love, obsession, and regret, Roses transports.”
— People Magazine
A Forbes “Best Historical Novels for Summer 2019”
A USA Today Bestseller
Multiple New York Times best selling author
“Thrilling!”
— Barnes & Noble July’s Best New Fiction
“I was immediately taken by the powerful and poetic storytelling of Leila Meacham. Dragonfly is a meticulously researched novel filled with unforgettable characters during the darkest time in history. Simply unstoppable!”
— New York Times
“Roses heralded as new Gone with the Wind.”
— USA Today
“Leila Meacham is a gift to readers everywhere.”
— Adriana Trigiani (Bestselling Author)
“A novel that screams mini-series.”
— USA Today
“An enthralling stunner….A compelling saga with echoes of Gone with the Wind.”
— Publishers Weekly
Titans succeeds by expertly drawing readers into its characters' personal journeys and maintaining a gripping pace as events unfold. This is a must-read for any enthusiast of sprawling Texas multi-generational family sagas.
— Historical Novel Society
“Tumbleweeds hits New York Times Best Sellers list at #25 within four days of its release, whereas it took Roses six days to hop to #29.”