Book Review: The Maid's Quarters by Holly Bush

Hi all,

I was first drawn to reading Holly Bush novels with her book Train Station Bride. Since then, I’ve been hooked. She recently sent me a copy of her latest novella, The Maid’s Quarters, and I was thrilled to read it. This story is the third (or should I say 2.5) in the Crawford Family Series which includes Train Station Bride, and Contract to Wed – both novels that I enjoyed very much. Below is the book description and my review.

 

The Maid’s Quarters

(Crawford Family 2.5)

Holly Bush

 

Book Description:

 1893 . . . Alice Porterman is released from her duties as a maid and travels home to help her mother care for her sickly brother. But her mother and brother are not in their family home when Alice arrives and she learns the landlord, Albert Donahue, has evicted them into the harsh Boston winter. Alice goes in search of him and is surprised at what she finds.

Albert Donahue, an up-and-coming member of Boston’s elite, made his fortune through hard work and shrewd business deals. But his dreams of a family to share it with have not come true, perhaps until an impertinent young woman enters his home and won’t leave until she speaks to him.

The Maid’s Quarters novella is part of the Crawford Family Series, featuring Jolene Shelby’s maid, Alice.

 

Buy The Maid’s Quarters:

 

Amazon

 

B&N

 

Kobo

 

iTunes

 

My 5 Star Review:

 

Alice Porterman, Jolene Crawford Shelby’s former personal maid, goes home to Boston to help her mother care for her younger brother. When she finds out that her family has been thrown out of their rented home, Alice confronts the man who owns the property. What she doesn’t expect is for the very rich Albert Donahue to become fascinated with her. Can she really believe that such a man would be interested in her—a maid?

 

Once again, Holly Bush has created fascinating characters who draw you into the story immediately and make you want to keep reading. Without elaborate description, I could visualize the characters, the time period, and even their clothing. Alice is a strong female character, and you like her immediately. Albert is understanding and wise, a perfect match for Alice. And all the minor characters manage to be distinctive in their own right. It is not easy to write a story in a short format and still keep the integrity of the story, but Holly was able to do this with ease. Alice’s story is so complete, I felt as if I’d read a full-fledged novel. An excellent novella! I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical romance.

 

Connect with Holly Bush:

 

Website

 

Facebook

 

Twitter

 

More reviews of Holly Bush's books:

 

Romancing Olive

 

Reconstructing Jackson

 

Charming the Duke

 

Cross the Ocean

 

Red, White, & Screwed

 

Cheers!

Deanna

Author Interview: T.R. Heinan

Hi all,

Today I'm talking with T.R. Heinan, author of the novel L'Immortalité: Madame Lalaurie and the Voodoo Queen which will be published in October 2012. This interesting fiction novel is based on true events and is Mr. Heinan's debut novel. Mr. Heinan is also a fellow Minnesotan who has traveled extensively and has given of himself and his time for many worthwhile causes. I hope you enjoy this interview with T.R. Heinan and the excerpt from his upcoming novel.

 

Buy on Amazon

T.R. Heinan, Author

Please tell us a little about yourself

I was born and raised in the picturesque, frostbitten town on Duluth, Minnesota before moving to Milwaukee to attend Marquette University.  From there I moved to the Boston area where I worked for a few years as a journalist before beginning a long career in investment banking.  I specialized in financing the distribution of Hollywood motion pictures and discovered that I had some talent when it came to selecting scripts.  Since retiring from finance, I work full-time supporting an orphanage that I helped to found in Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico. My love for writing keeps me busy crafting manuscripts late at night and on weekends.  I am an avid traveler and have been honored with two European knighthoods.  I now reside in sunny Tucson, Arizona with my wife and two cats.

You have a debut novel coming out in October 2012. Please share a brief description of it.

By turns comedic and macabre, L'Immortalité: Madame Lalaurie and the Voodoo Queen is an irreverent horror story drenched in the excess of its nineteenth century southern Louisiana landscape. It is based on the real life events of New Orleans' Lalaurie Mansion, involving an elite society woman, and the barbaric treatment of her slaves. This novelization begins in the city's St. Louis Cathedral where lay sacristan Philippe Bertrand has become a recluse after the loss of his mother and wife. When a mysterious force upends his life and leads him to the shadowy mansion of Delphine Lalaurie, he meets Elise, a slave girl who has been brutalized by Delphine.

After the mansion matriarch demands that the Voodoo Queen Maris Laveau giver her eternal fame, everything goes haywire.  A child slave dies under questionable circumstances, spurring Elise to escape the mansion. Philippe and his extended family head to the gator-filled bayou where they hide Elise at Maris Laveau's cabin and secretly teach her to read and write.

When Marie reveals a new spin on the meaning of zombies, the once reluctant sacristan is determined to find out what really goes on at the Lalaurie Mansion. To his horror, he will discover that Delphine and her physician husband carry out repugnant medical experiments on their slaves, even as they put on a refined social façade during their well-attended society balls.  Their monstrous private world may be exposed when a slave cook sets herself on fire, along with the mansion. Philippe must break the chains of his own conflicted spirituality as well as those that bind the slaves in the attic if he is to rescue the Lalauries' victims.

As the novel reaches its stunning climax, Philippe will come to understand the different paths people take in search of immortality.  A comedic meditation on what humans do to persist beyond their mortal lives, L'Immortalité is an inventive horror story that vividly brings to life the torrid landscape of New Orleans.

Your novel is based on a true story.  What inspired you to write about this story?

I discovered the Lalaurie Mansion on a walking "ghost tour" while visiting New Orleans.  What caught my attention was that one could see four or five tour groups at a time competing for sidewalk space just to view the exterior of  the Lalaurie Mansion, "New Orleans' most haunted house".  People from all over the planet visit the place night after night.  Actor Nicholas Cage owned the house for a while.  I was surprised that Hollywood hadn't been all over this story, but as far as I can tell, Delphine Lalaurie is only referenced briefly at the beginning of one film, The St. Francisville Experiment. As for my supporting character, Marie Laveau, it is reported that her grave is the second most visited gravesite in America.  I was, therefore, amazed to discover how little of the legend of Madame Lalaurie has appeared in novels or motion pictures.  Since I began writing my book, two non-fiction history texts have been published about Delphine Lalaurie and twelve years ago, Barbara Hambly involved some parts of the legend in her wonderful novel, Fever Season. Apart from that, the Lalaurie legend is all but absent in literature after the 19^th Century, except for a chapter in an out-of-print book from 1946 and a ten pages in Troy Taylor's Haunted New Orleans. Still, a myriad of web-sites, a popular exhibit at New Orleans' Conti Historical Wax Museum and the success of several tour companies indicate a continued interest in the story of Madame Lalaurie, so I decided to write a piece of historical fiction devoted entirely to the tale of her haunted house on Royal Street.

Have you always been fascinated with hauntings and the paranormal?

I do believe in life after death.  That is the theme I explore in my book from the very first sentence and I try to examine the many ways people pursue the goal of immortality.  I am not actively involved in ghost hunting, but have experienced some difficult to explain phenomena while accompany some friends who are paranormal investigators.

How long did it take you to write this novel?

It took two years and two months to write, with at least half of that spent in historical research.  While trying to keep the best parts of the "legend" alive, I wanted to remain as faithful as I could to the history of the period and discover the physical changes that have occurred to the locations mentioned in the book.

Have you always wanted to write a novel?

Yes, although I always thought my first book would be about something else.  I am fascinated with the history of medieval Portugal and still want to pursue a book in that setting.

Are you self-publishing your novel or going through a publisher?

I grew up when at a time when three networks monopolized everything that was available on television.  Now we have an almost endless number of choices on cable and on-line.  I believe book publishing is undergoing the same sort of sea change and started my own Indie publishing company, Nonius, LLC.  I am a strong supporter of Indie writers (and Indie bookstores).

Would you share with us a little about your work with orphaned and homeless children in the Mexican orphanage you helped establish?

I have been very blessed throughout my life with family, faith, freedom, friends, health and fortune. Like the protagonist in my book, I have come to believe that we are all called, not merely to "do no harm", but to take some risks and make some sacrifices to positively do some good.  Part of my effort to that end was to establish a non-profit organization to support orphaned and abandoned children.  This effort led to building and operating a modern orphanage in Sonora, Mexico, which, hopefully, will benefit from the sale of my book.

Now available in Paperback format on Amazon for $14.99

Where can readers find out more about you and your book?

I am especially proud of my trailer

Book Trailer for L'Immortalité: Madame Lalaurie and the Voodoo Queen  

Website 

Blog  

Facebook  

Twitter 

 

Excerpt from L'Immortalité: Madame Lalaurie and the Voodoo Queen

Here's a little scene in which Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau encounters my protagonist, Philippe Bertrand, in New Orleans' Congo Square and explains her blending of Voodoo with Catholicism:

Philippe watched as a heavyset man approached Marie.

          “Madame Laveau,” the man pleaded, “I need your help.”

            Marie cupped the man’s hands in her own. “It’s about your wife, isn’t it?” she asked.

            “Why, yes. Yes, it is,” said the man, who now appeared to be convinced that everything he had heard about the voodoo queen must be true.

            “I’m afraid your suspicions are correct. She is being unfaithful. It’s that Spanish cobbler who lives down the street.”

            “I’ll kill him!” the man shouted before noticing Sheriff Dubois was standing less than thirty meters from him.

            “No,” Marie advised in a calming tone. “Take no revenge. Instead, I want you to do this…” She whispered something in the man’s ear.

            He blushed and grinned. “Oh, Madame Laveau!”

            “Of course, it works better if you place this under your mattress,” said Marie as she held out a red gris-gris bag. “Powerful gris-gris,” she said, “and hard to come by.”

            The man handed Marie five silver dollars, took the little red bag, and walked away smiling.

            Philippe walked over to Marie wagging his finger at her. “Is that your voodoo?” he asked. “Just a cheap Gypsy trick I used to see in France.”

            “M’sieu Bertrand!” said Marie with sudden indignation.

            “I’m sure a hairdresser hears more confessions than the priests at the cathedral. Plus, half these slaves tell you whatever they overhear in their masters’ homes. Nothing supernatural about that.”

            “The power of the spirits is very real,” insisted Marie. “Perhaps I help them along, but it’s real.”

            Philippe knew that voodoo was an ancient religion, sacred to those from the islands and from Africa who practiced it. He also knew that Marie was beginning to modify the cult by introducing new elements, such as veneration of the Virgin Mary. What bothered him was her use of a network of spies to convince others that she had supernatural powers.

            “Do you claim you are contacting some loa?” asked Philippe.

            “Does it matter if a person prays to Saint Patrick as patron of the enslaved or kneels before the same statue and calls him by another name?”

            “Is that what you do?” asked Philippe.

            “No, I believe that only a priest reaches to the Good Maker, but the loas hear every invocation. Dr. Lalaurie doesn’t believe it, but even the rituals at his lodge are heard by certain spirits and can affect the things around us.”

 ****

Thank you to T.R. Heinan for sharing his new novel with us. I will be sure to add links where you can buy his book when it is available for sale.

Cheers,
Deanna

 

Book Release: All For Love by Ann Swann

Hi all,

Ann Swann, acomplished author of The Phantom Pilot, The Phantom Student and various short stories is releasing her first romance novel, All For Love today! I am pleased that she is announcing her book release here on my blog as well as her contest. And as an extra surprise, she has added an excerpt from the first chapter of All For Love. Ann's writing and storytelling abilities are exceptional so you will definately enjoy this new novel. Here is the message and excerpt from Ann:

Buy now at Amazon!

All For Love
Ann Swann

Yay! It's almost here.  My newest novel, All For Love, will be released in digital format on August 23, 2012 from 5 Prince Publishing.  The print version will follow soon after! To celebrate the launch, I'm running a month-long contest:

CONTEST     CONTEST     CONTEST    

Send me a picture of yourself reading a copy of ALL FOR LOVE and be entered to win a $25 gift certificate to Amazon or Barnes & Noble.  You may photograph yourself reading either the digital or print copy.  Send pics to swannann76@yahoo.com and I will post them on the blog as well (unless you tell me otherwise).  The contest starts August 23rd and ends September 23rd.  Have fun ~ I can't wait to see you!  All names will be entered into the computer for a random drawing.  

All For Love will be available at

Amazon

Barnes & Noble 

iTunes

Smashwords

Now, read on for a preview of the book!

Book Description:

Liz falls in love with Quinn the moment they meet in college.  He professes to love her, too.  She begins to think about the future, but his past rips them apart.  What Liz does next impacts the rest of their lives.  She feels it is the only way… she does it all for love.

Excerpt from ALL FOR LOVE:

Part One—Now 

 Chapter One

            We were drinking iced tea at our favorite sidewalk café when the plastics plant exploded.

            One moment Ronnie was checking my left hand to see if my wedding ring was still there, and the next thing I knew she was crawling across the blistered sidewalk in slow motion, reaching out for me.       

            Ronnie and I have been friends since college.  She and Carol were my dorm mates.  The best friends I’ve ever had.  But college was a long time ago.        

            “How long do you think it takes to fall out of love?”  I had just asked.

            Stalling for time, Ronnie gazed about The Sidewalk Café.  The strong breeze should’ve been cool, but it was dry and hot.  Instead of our usual twelve inches of rain for the year, we’d received just less than two.  The drought in our area of West Texas had been catastrophic; a simple spark from a piece of machinery could start a wildfire that might burn for days or even weeks. The weather channel delighted in telling us we were smack dab in the middle of the worst dry spell since the nineteen fifties.

            In a way, it was fitting.  I seemed to be smack dab in the middle of a drought myself.  My nest felt as empty as the prairie, and my husband, who could’ve been the spark to light my world, was also brittle and dry.  In fact, he was so dry he was practically nonexistent, like the prairie grass hiding in the earth, waiting for moisture.

            Ronnie swished a fly away from her drink.  “What’s going on, Lizzie?”

            I hesitated.  She was so good at taking the wind out of my sails.  In fact, I’d swear she was using “wait time” on me, a technique we had learned in our education classes at the university about a hundred years ago. 

            Shrugging nonchalantly, I forged ahead.  I really wanted her input.  I still valued it every bit as much as when we were nineteen.  “I think he’s screwing around again.”  I sipped my tea.  Mine was sweet, hers was not.  She was usually the sensible one—at least when she wasn’t toasted on Mexican red.

            She smoothed the shiny fall of hair off her face.  It was still the fresh reddish color of a blood orange. 

            “Are you sure?” she asked.  “Or is it just suspicion?”  She swirled her tea, giving me a moment to answer.  The amber liquid climbed the inside of her glass like a tiny tsunami.  She reached across the table to touch my hand.  We weren’t very demonstrative anymore, not like when we were in school.  I don’t know why, but I suspected it was my fault.  A hug upon meeting was the extent of our physical relationship.  Sometimes one of us would hug the other when we parted—it all depended upon our emotional altitude at the moment.  But this time, she wasn’t being demonstrative by clasping my hand, she was simply checking to see if my wedding ring was still in place.   She turned my hand over and pushed it flat down on the table.

            The emerald-cut diamond was in the same place it has resided—almost continuously—for over thirty years.

            “Well, I guess you’re still together, so either no proof or you want to stay.”  She was blunt, as always.

            I opened my mouth to explain, but my words were cut short by the tremendous explosion that blasted my streaky sienna hair into a halo, shivering the plate glass window behind us.  Ronnie was on her feet in an instant, her own heavy hair standing out from her head like a fright wig as she stared toward the southwest, toward the Pan-Tex Plastics plant that has crouched there for years.

            “Oh My God!”  Her voice, though it should have been loud, was dim, as though the blast had flattened her words.  Later, I realized it was my eardrums that were flattened, not her words.

            I tried to stand but my wits were scrambled.  My scarf, the one Quinn bought for me in Italy during our one and only European vacation, was hanging from the little teal-striped awning.  My eyes darted here and there, searching for something to label.  Searching for some cause.  Terrorist?  Yes, that must be it.  Terrorist.  My eyes continued searching high and low, but there was nothing out of the ordinary except for the staticky condition of my hair, the tingling of my skin, and that pesky scarf hanging inexplicably from the awning above us.  And then I realized my insides were vibrating, tingling just like my skin.  Breakers of air rolled in from the plant, thrashing me like the waves of tea had thrashed the inside of Ronnie’s glass.

            Up and down the street people poured onto the sidewalks, pointing southward.  That’s when I saw a great pillar of black smoke billowing from the place where there should have been only tall towers, slim columns, and fat boilers.  Inside the smoke, orange flames were eating the edges of the deceptively serene noontime sky.  Not many folks realized that raw plastic is made from natural gas.

             I shaded my eyes and looked away.  It was too much, too surreal.  But normalcy wasn’t found when I looked away.  On the ground, dozens of black smudges caught my eye, grackles knocked out of the air by the concussive blast; the smaller gray spots were undoubtedly sparrows. 

More of Chapter One can be found on my blog.  Hope you enjoy it!

About the Author:

Ann lives with her handsome hubby, Dude, and various neurotic (rescued) pets, in far West Texas.  All for Love, Ann’s first Contemporary Romance novel, is being published by 5 Prince Publishing on August 23^rd in digital format.  The print version will be released shortly thereafter.  It will be available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Smashwords.

Check out Ann’s Afterthoughts to enter the All For Love picture contest ~ it’s a chance to win a $25 gift certificate from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Her first book, ThePhantom Pilot, is a Middle Grade/Young Adult ghost story.  It is book one in The Phantom Series.  Book two, The Phantom Student, will be published in October.  The series is published by Cool Well Press.

Ann also has short fiction in the paranormal romance anthology, Timeless, edited by Denise Vitola.  Two other short tales are included in the upcoming anthology Campfire Tales (also by Cool Well Press).  She also has short fiction several literary magazines such as The Rusty Nail.

Chems is Ann’s first attempt at self-publishing (don’t laugh).  It is a Middle Grade/Young Adult pseudo-zombie tale, which is currently available on Amazon.

Connect with Ann:

Ann's Blog   

Twitter  @Ann_Swann 

Facebook  

Facebook Fan Page  

Where to buy Ann's Books:

                      The Phantom Pilot    

                      Timeless       

                      Chems

                     All For Love

I can't wait to read Ann's new book - I know it will be great!

Cheers,

Deanna

Book Review: Stevie-girl and the Phantom Student by Ann Swann

Hi all,

(This post has been modified 4/10/13 to reflect the republishing of Ann Swann's novel.)

Stevie-girl and the Phantom Student is book two in the Phantom Series by Ann Swann. You can read my review of the first book, The Phantom Pilot, here. I loved the first book, and Ann generously sent me a paperback copy of this second book to read in advance. I enjoyed this book as much as I did the first one. Below is my review of Stevie-girl and the Phantom Student. It is currently available. These books can stand alone too, so you don't have to read them in order - but I think it is better if you do!

Stevie-girl and the Phantom Student

Cover by Tugboat Design

Ann Swann


My Five Star Review:

Stevie and Jase befriend the new kid in school, Derol Pavey who has Tourette Syndrome, and soon strange things begin to happen. A little ghostly girl begins haunting Stevie and the kids wonder if she is somehow connected to Derol's arrival. Soon, the kids are involved in a tangled web of the past, bullying, and the consequences of mistreating those who are different.

The Phantom Student is book two in The Phantom Series by Ann Swann. We met Stevie and Jase in book one, The Phantom Pilot, and now we follow them on this new adventure. This is a wonderful book that holds your attention from the first page to the last. Ms Swann has a beautiful way with words and captivates her audience with her excellence in writing. I thoroughly enjoyed The Phantom Student and can't wait for book three in the series.

Buy the Stevie-girl and the Phantom Student:

Amazon Kindle

You can purchase the first book in the series - Stevie-girl and the Phantom Pilot - at:

Amazon Kindle

 

About the Author:

Ann Swann was born in the small West Texas town of Lamesa. She grew up much like Stevie-girl in Stevie-girl and the Phantom Pilot, though she never got up the nerve to enter the haunted house. Ann has done everything from answering 911 Emergency calls to teaching elementary school. She still lives in West Texas with her husband, Dude, two rescue dogs, and one rescue cat who rules the roost.

Stevie-girl and the Phantom Student, Book 2 of The Phantom series, will be published in October, 2012. Her story, Soul Gardener, is in the anthology, Timeless. And her new stories, Skeleton Rock, and The Blister Bear, will be included in Campfire Tales (which should be out in September). You may visit Ann at Annswann.blogspot.com where there are even more stories to read!

Connect with Ann:

Amazon Author Page

Goodreads

Twitter: @Ann_Swann

Hope you all get a chance to enjoy Ann's books. She also has a brand new romance novel coming out August 23rd titled "All For Love". You can find out more about it on Goodreads.

Cheers,
Deanna