So excited to announce several events.
On Sunday, January 12, I will be speaking at the East Fishkill Public Library at 1:30.
In February, February 8 to be exact, I will be speaking at Goshen Public Library.
Also, in preparation for the release of the next Will Rees: A Circle of Dead Girls,
I will be holding a Giveaway for Simply Dead throughout January on Goodreads.
In February, look for a giveaway for A Circle of Dead Girls.
Another
To celebrate the publication of my new book, The Shaker Murders, which is coming out in February, I am giving away copies of the book that comes before it. In the Devil’s Cold Dish, Rees and his family are targeted by someone who wants to destroy them. Rees is accused of murder and then Lydia is accused of witchcraft. As Rees’s hometown turns against them, mobs of angry men descend on his farm to capture Lydia and hang her. He spirits his family to safety and then returns to Dugard. On the run, he attempts to identify the person behind the harassment.
Because of my goodreads giveaway, I am behind on my blogging. Now that most of the books have been put in the mail to the winners, and the remaining ones ready, I can turn my attention to something else.
A few weeks ago, my husband and I went to an exhibition of Shaker items at the New York State Museum. I”d wanted to attend the program on Children and the Shakers, which was unfortunately canceled. But the display was still up and will be until March.
Despite all my research, I still learned some new facts. One of the pieces on display was a Granny Cradle. The explanation given was that it was used either to comfort the ill adult or to move them.
I did not know that some parents indentured their children to the Shakers. Several contracts were on display.
Here is the board listing a boy’s duties.
The morning began early, at 6:30, with many chores before breakfast and more after. School (from Dec to March for the boys) was fit into the mornings. Photos of smiling children on outings were also on display. It may seem harsh to modern eyes but hard work was usual even for very small children then.
We also paused on our way out to see the exhibit on the World Trade Center. Crushed trucks and heavy beams bent and twisted like licorice sticks. Even after the passage of more than a decade, this exhibit has not lost its power.
I am so happy to announce that I have broken the 400 mark. I still have a week to go. Will I break 500 requests? Only time will tell.
Beginning November 1, I am beginning a giveaway of twenty copies of Cradle to Grave.
This is my third book and of the four I have published, and the one coming out next spring, is the one with the most emotional resonance for me. My daughter had had a baby the year before. There were some problems and she had to have a C-section. Then there were some problems with the baby, most of which he has grown out of of. That poor kid was in the hospital more times than I can count.
I had already come across the practice of warning out in my research for A Simple Murder and Death of a Dyer but it wasn’t an appropriate topic for those books. (And I must say, the research for the first two and then Death in Salem were a lot more fun. I love Salem, the Shakers are fascinating and, for Death of a Dyer, I messed around with dyes for months. The research was pretty grim for Cradle.) But I started thinking, what happens to single mothers? How would I feel if I had children and was trying to feed and raise them? What happens to orphans? How could a single mother even try to fight the power structure?
At the same time, I read an article in the New York Times about the practice in Las Vegas of rounding up the homeless and shipping them to California. The more things change, the more they remain the same, right?
I was also babysitting some older children so their mother could work. So, I based Jerusha, Simon and Nancy on these kids, and the mixed race foundling that no one wanted is my first grandson.
I had to have a happy ending. Spoiler alert.
It may not be the best mystery of the lot but, for me, it has the most heart and the one that means the most to me.
How exciting it is to report that 1000 people put in their names for “Death of a Dyer”. Goodreads selected the winners and the books have all gone out. Happy Reading.
Just a few things I found interesting. I have already commented on how cold it was. The tour guides in every country mentioned a late and cool spring. That probably explains why we saw flocks and flocks and flocks of sheep. And why everyone was wearing a thick sweater.
Other notes about fashion.
Stripes are definitely in. I saw stripes on everything so I guess, without noticing it myself, stripes became the new orange.
The other thing is nail polish. When I saw a woman with polished nails she was almost always American. This does not seem to be a fashion in the Scandinavian countries. I didn’t really see nail salons or colored nails until I reached London. Not that important maybe, but interesting.
We also did not hit hot weather until London. The last time I was in the British Isles, it was cool and rainy even in London. Not this time. Not only was it hot, but the grass was brown and dry. We took a walk in Green Park and it was not that green. Everyone’s climates is undergoing some kind of change.
I also like to try the food of the region. Not a fan of herring. (At least guinea pigs were not on the menus – as they are in Peru) But I had the best cheese ever in Denmark and Norway and some really tasty bread.
One last thing. My Goodreads Giveaway for Death of a Dyer (learned a lot about the dye trade in Peru) lasts until August 23. So far 350+. Be sure and add yourself to the giveaway before it ends.
I am thrilled to announce that I have received my first copies of Death in Salem and they look stunning. Here is the cover:
The books look even better in real life. I will probably be having another Goodreads giveaway later in the summer.
To summarize the plot: Will Rees is on a weaving trip and stops in Salem to buy some imported cloth for Lydia. He gets stopped by a funeral and sees an old friend at the head. Anstiss Boothe, the deceased, has been ill a long time but the very next day her husband Jacob. a wealthy Salem merchant, is dead and this time it is clearly murder. Rees has already left Salem but his friend rides after him and draws him back to investigate.
Smuggling, piracy, prostitution, and of course all the dynamics of interpersonal relationships keep Rees investigating.
I had a lot of fun roaming Salem when I researched this book.
I am thrilled to announced that 880 people put their names in for “Death in Salem”. That is just about half the number in two weeks than “A Simple Murder” dd in four. Thanks everyone. Good luck!
I cracked the 500 level of requests. Yay! I am so close to 600 I am optimistic that I will cross that too. So, if you want a free book, put your name in. Reviews have been great.