Melita Wade Thorpe

Adventurer Stargazer Author Speaker

Melita Wade Thorpe is an international traveler, avid stargazer, and accomplished author.


Before embarking on her writing career, she owned and operated a tour company, MWT Associates, in San Jose, CA, that specialized in astronomical tours searching out eclipses, meteor showers, and northern lights. In search of these opportunities, she led these tours to every continent in the world including Antarctica. Her favorite continent, Africa, was the beneficiary of twenty-three different tours. And as an avid opera devotee, she escorted like-minded fans to London, Paris, New York, and Rome.

Thorpe’s other great interest has been improving the lives of those she met along the way in her travels. When thirty Sudanese Lost Boys arrived in San Jose in 2001, she organized a tutoring program that enabled them to move forward and graduate from college. She and her traveling contingent regularly brought clothes, etc. for local orphanages in the towns they visited.


Raised in South Mississippi, Thorpe graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg and holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of California, Davis. She is a Verger Fellow of the Episcopal Church and has authored nine liturgical dramas.  


In 2021, Thorpe moved from California back to her hometown in the piney woods of Jones County, MS, where she is an active participant in her community and church while embracing her passion for writing.

Current Novels and Book Shows

Ransom Theft Love


For years, Dr. Anne Wadsworth has led travelers to Africa’s far-reaching plains. Not only does she love the terrain, but she also considers Africa her second home. When she is invited to be the keynote speaker at Zanzibar’s Human Rights Conference, she has no idea that her ideal destination is about to be embroiled in an international nightmare.

Anne is kidnapped by unknown assailants and held captive as they travel from Zanzibar to Somalia. After the horrific experience of crossing from Zanzibar to Mombasa, her life is pitted in the balance of life or death. With little chance to fight back, she finds solace in nightly stargazing with her Sudanese guardian.

When she discovers the chilling truth, Anne realizes that it is no longer about saving herself but also, it’s about saving a country.

Photo of Sharra Reno

Now Available!

For Such a Time as This

For Such a Time as This, is a prequel to Ransom Theft Love that begins when Anne Wadsworth (the main character of Ransom Theft Love) is ten years old and living in Markel, MS. 


Caught up in one of the nation’s cruelest and spiraling epidemics, Anne (Ellie) Wadsworth, now twenty-five and working for the DEA in Washington, D.C., must revisit a childhood tragedy and face terrifying drug cartels and the pain they have caused throughout her beloved Mississippi. 


As she re-connects with the pilot who crash-landed on her grandfather’s farm when she was ten years old, Ellie comes face to face with the world of drug addiction and death. The two of them fly to Mexico to meet the evil where heroin factories exist. Her journey takes them to Oaxaca, Mexico where a former lover is now a police detective. 


The story is filled with horror, mystery, and romance.

Reviews and  Endorsements of Melita Wade Thorpe Books
   “First time novelist Melita Wade Thorpe hits all the right notes in the gripping adventure set against the natural beauty of East Africa and the indomitable spirit of its people." 
Richard Talcott, Contributing Editor, Astronomy Magazine        
   “Melita Wade Thorpe first Novel gives a suspense filled adventure with poignant insights into Africa's struggles for social and economic justice. Expect another book is in the works.” 
The Reverend David Jones
   “Thorpe's discerning and compassionate eye, intimate knowledge of the essence of Africa and knack for storytelling have resulted in a vivid, captivating, sobering, and must-read tale with her first book.”  
Ken Schultz 
   "For Such A Time As This is a page-turner to the end, from Washington, D.C. to Mexico, Thorpe addresses the
national crisis of drug addiction, while telling of Oaxaca's beautiful architectural wonders and splendid food. A must-read!
Dr. Alice Rahaim Laurendine 
   “For Such A Time As This is a fast-moving mystery novel that gives a comprehensive view of the drug epidemic our nation is facing today. Thorpe has researched the cartel industry and the tragic effect it has had on the lives of its victims. It will engage the reader.”
The Rev. Dr. Fellow C. Stearns, 
   “Melita Wade Thorpe's second novel, gives a detailed look at the deep South and the influence of the drug trade that infiltrates idyllic life.   Described in vivid detail each new location shows the author’s knowledge of all the places used to tell the story of Ellie and Paul and the countless unknown dead that have suffered from the ravages of America’s demand for cocaine.”
The Rev. Dr. Cliff Stratton

Ransom Theft Love (Book 2 of the Elizabeth Wadsworth Series) and author Thorpe's newest release, For Such A Time As This (Book 1 of the Elizabeth Wadworth Series) is available at your favorite bookstore or you can order it online from the following stores:


Barnes & Noble


Amazon Books

Scheduled Book Shows

2024


Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

April 20-21, 2024

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA




2023


American Library Association

January 27-30, 2023

New Orleans Convention Center


London Book Fair

April 18-20, 2023

Olympia London, England, UK

                         

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

April 22-23, 2023

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA


ReadersMagnet Book Confab 2023

April 28-30, 2023

1085 Howard St. San Francisco, CA


Speaking Engagements /Book Signings

American Library Association

January 27-30, 2023

New Orleans Convention Center


Hoover Book Club

October 2022

Birmingham, AL

Contact Information

Melita Wade Thorpe
408.921.9514
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