"The story will
draw a reader in and will not let go until the very last page. It is a novel
that will live in the hearts of its readers for a very long time." A Night Owl Top Pick:
Virginia has more ghost stories than any other state
in the Union, umpteen volumes of them. Not because Virginians have a more
fertile imagination,(although we may) but sadly because the Old
Dominion has seen more bloody battles over the centuries than any other.
Think back, Jamestown (founded 1607) was the site of the oldest
successful English settlement and its history is a violent one. And on we go to
the many heart-rending wars fought with the usurped Indians, a number of them
waged on Virginia soil. March on to the Revolution; anyone heard of Yorktown,
to name just one famous battle? And let’s not forget that horrific most uncivil
of wars, much of it fought in, you guessed it, Virginia.
This
multitude of hauntings doesn’t only feature soldiers caught in an endless fray
who haven’t gotten word the war’s over, although there are legions of tales
that do and entire companies of ghosts said to battle on. Many tales center on
the myriad of people, great and small, who dwelt in our richly historic state.
The old Virginia homes and plantations have accumulated a wealth of such
stories.
It was while touring some of these English styled manor homes
with my dear mother that the kernel of a story first came to me for Somewhere My Love (Somewhere in Time Series). Added
to this meld of vintage Virginia is my own heritage. On my father’s side, I
descend from old Southern gentry, impoverished after the Civil
War, Great Depression, and other misfortunes, including the untimely death
of my brilliant grandfather. But the gracious Georgian home his ancestor built
(circa 1816) still stands in the countryside near historic Staunton. My
Christmas novella, Somewhere the Bells Ring (Somewhere in
Time Series), was inspired by this wonderful old home. (*Image below of me on old steps I used to wander)
Since childhood, I felt the family home place was haunted and
wove stories through my fevered mind, along with my continual search for Narnia
which entailed frequent treks into the old wardrobe. But I digress.
Frequently. The magnificent ancestral portraits in my family and on
display in other Virginia homes held me transfixed, wondering. And it was just
such a portrait of a striking dark-haired gentleman who embedded himself in my
thoughts. Who was he? Why did he die so young? That other painting of the fair
young lady…did she love him?
Often, the guides at these old homes are brimming with tales.
But other times we are left to wonder, and ask ourselves are these folk who’ve
gone before us truly gone, or do some still have unfinished business in this
realm? And what of the young lovers whose time was tragically cut short, do
they somehow find a way? Love conquers all, and so I answer ‘yes.’
Blurb For Somewhere My Love:
Fated lovers have a rare chance to
reclaim the love cruelly denied them in the past, but can they grasp this brief
window in time before it's too late?
Two hundred years ago Captain Cole Wentworth, the master of
an elegant Virginian home, was murdered in his chamber where his portrait still
hangs. Presently the estate is a family owned museum run by Will Wentworth, a
man so uncannily identical to his ancestor that spirit-sensitive tour guide
Julia Morrow has trouble recognizing Cole and Will as separate. As Julia begins
to remember the events of Cole's death, she must convince Will that history is
repeating, and this time he has the starring role in the tragedy. The blade is
about to fall.~
"As I read Somewhere My Love, I recalled the feelings I
experienced the first time I read Daphne DuMaurier's Rebecca long ago. Using
the same deliciously eerie elements similar to that gothic romance, Beth
Trissel has captured the haunting dangers, thrilling suspense and innocent
passions that evoke the same tingly anticipation and heartfelt romance I so
enjoyed then, and still do now." ~joysann for
Publisher's Weekly
***Somewhere My Love is one
of the novels included in the exciting new box set with nine romances by nine super authors, Nine Ways to Fall in Love--on sale now for only .99 at Amazon!
Thanks for being part of the boxed set, Beth. I love your writing and always enjoy reading your books. Wishing you continued success times ten.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Caroline, and to us all.
ReplyDeleteBeth, I'm from Louisiana, and I think the state could easily lay claim to most haunted. *g* I could tell you some stories -- all experienced at my first husband's home -- that would make you shiver. The home was haunted by Norman Frisby, an ancestor from the 19th century. When my ex's family built the house in 1963, they used bricks gathered from the ruins of the old Frisby Plantation for the fireplace and hearth in the den. Over the years, they noted scores of incidents including seeing a ghost dressed in 19th century dress in the bedroom suite situated over the den. Spooky, n'est pas?
ReplyDeleteGood luck on the boxed set!
Wow, Joan. That really is creepy!
ReplyDeleteWow, Joan. That really is creepy!
ReplyDeleteFascinating post, Beth. I love ghost stories, and look forward to reading "Somewhere My Love" and the rest of your "Somewhere In Time" series.
ReplyDelete