A Horse of a Different Color: AN EVENT AT EPSOM is here!

 

Annabel and the lady patronesses of Almack's are about to embark on their sixth adventure, this time venturing farther from London for their latest investigation in AN EVENT AT EPSOM.

It’s June, which means that the fashionable of London are off to Epsom for the annual race meet. A newcomer is favored to win the Oaks Stakes—a mysterious filly who came from nowhere to win the spring races left and right. It will be up to the Lady Patronesses to discover her identity—while Annabel discovers what her true feelings are for Lord Quinceton… 

I knew almost nothing about Epsom and Regency-era horse-racing before writing this story, and barely scratched the surface of racing history. My favorite bit is probably the origin story around the Derby Stakes: in 1778 the Earl of Derby and a group of friends had sponsored the first Oaks Stakes, a race for three-year-old fillies, and decided the following year to establish a race for three-year-old colts--but what to name it? According to legend, a coin toss between the Earl and his friend and fellow racing enthusiast Sir Charles Bunbury decided the matter, though some think that Sir Charles deferred to his host--after all, the race was run on his land. Sir Charles's horse, Diomed, won the first Derby Stakes the following year--not a bad consolation prize!

And the larger story that's been simmering in the background of the series is about to come forward--so fasten your seatbelts!

An Event at Epsom is available directly from Book View Cafe as well as from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, Smashwords, and others, as well as in print from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Book View Cafe

Amazon (affiliate link)

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Apple Books

Smashwords

Books2Read

Enjoy!

* * * * *

In other news, What Lies Beneath, my WWI young adult fantasy, has been gaining some exciting recognition: it is a finalist in Georgia Romance Writers' Maggies Award, in Orange County Romance Writers' Book Buyers Best Award, and in the young adult category of the Silver Falchion Award (sponsored by Killer Nashville).

What Lies Beneath is a RONE Finalist!

You’re probably surprised to see a post from one of us on a Monday. But there’s a good reason for me to be posting today—I would very much appreciate your help!

My young adult fantasy What Lies Beneath is a finalist in InD’tale Magazine’s 2022 RONE Awards. Books achieve finalist status by receiving a 4 ½ or 5 star review from the magazine during the previous year—in my book’s case, it was a 5 star review (which you can read here.) The RONE Award is a three-step contest; once the finalists are announced (first step) then there’s a sort of “people’s choice” contest, where readers vote for their favorite books. In the final step, the top vote-getters in the middle round go on to be judged by industry professionals to decide the winner in each category.

So what I really hope is that you’ll take a moment to vote for What Lies Beneath, to help it move onto the final round. Here’s what you do:

• Sign up/log in at www.indtale.com Please note that you’ll have to sign up, but it’s not a difficult or lengthy process. 

• Click on 2022 RONE AWARD READER VOTING from the dropdown menu labeled RONES/CONTESTS at the far right of the header.

• Click on WEEK 4 (May 2-8, Mystery, Young Adult, Contemporary: Cops, Jocks, Cowboys)

• Vote!

I should add that What Lies Beneath is currently on sale at Book View Cafe for $2.99 for a limited time, available in both EPUB and MOBI (Kindle) formats.

And I’ll be very grateful for any votes from NineteenTeen readers. You’re the best—thank you!

-Marissa

Such Language, Part 31

More wordly wonderment and wackiness, with some help from the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. What's your favorite word this week?

Hugger-mugger: By stealth, privately, without making an appearance. (Lady Alice Lonesley is so shy that she only wanted to invite three people to her come-out ball, but the marchioness would not hold such a hugger-mugger affair.)

Sneaksby: A mean-spirited fellow, a sneaking cur. (Never invite Sir James Haynoose to dine when it’s raining; he’s such a sneaksby that you’ll find your umbrella stand is empty after he’s left.)

Clapper claw: To scold, to abuse, or claw off with the tongue. (The last time he did that, though, Mama so clapper-clawed him that he didn’t appear in public on cloudy days for an entire month.)

Jobation: A reproof. (He richly deserved that jobation, for he also absconded with my French silk parasol.)

Pickle: An arch, waggish fellow. (My aunt always buys jolly Uncle Frederick green waistcoats because he’s such a pickle.)

High water: To have plenty of money. (As he frequently loses buttons from laughing too hard, it is good that it is high water with them.)

Sparkish: Fine, cheerful. (But with buttons or without, we love the sparkish old gentleman.)

Also sparkish is some recent happy writing-related news: What Lies Beneath, my World War I young adult fantasy, is a finalist in the North Texas RWA chapter’s Carolyn Readers Choice Award, in the Specialized category (along with one of my first writing friends, Janet Raye Stevens, and her time travel mystery-romance Beryl Blue, Time Cop.) Very excited!

And also, if you have a moment, do stop in at Lady Catherine's Salon on Facebook, a group for lovers of Regency romance, where I'm guest-hostessing this week. So far we're talking about being history lovers, what we collect, Regency fashions, and more. Come say hello!

 

It’s Release Day for What Lies Beneath!

 

I’m delighted to present my new young adult historical fantasy novel, What Lies Beneath, out today from Book View Café!

War. Spies. Gossip and lies. Mythical Creatures. Falling in love. And it’s still only July.

It’s 1917, and everyone is doing their bit now that America has entered the Great War—everyone except 17-year-old Emma Verlaine. Her overprotective dad won’t let her go to nursing school while he’s off doing war work; instead, she’s been sent to stay for the summer with her Gran on an island off Cape Cod, and the most she’ll be able to do for the war effort is knit socks. Socks!

As it happens, island life isn’t so bad. There are the seals that seem even more fascinated by her than she is by them. There’s the new Navy Air Station that guards the coast from German U-boats where she’s determined to get a job. But most of all there’s Malcolm, whose family owns a resort hotel on the island and who gives her swimming lessons and delicious kisses.

But danger lurks in the waters off the island. Only Emma can save her new home—if she accepts that everything she thought she knew about her life is a lie, and that the seals are following her for a very good reason…

 

“Malcolm and Emma are appealing characters, and their sea-crossed romance keeps readers turning pages.... Engaging and fun.” –Kirkus Reviews

 

I’ve already talked about how different it was to write a story set firmly in the 20th century… and in a place that I know and love. That second part was especially important—to be able to use home in a story is both a delight and a challenge for any author, I think. There’s the desire to show what is beautiful and compelling about one’s home tainted by the fear that we won’t be able to communicate it to our satisfaction. I hope that I’ve done justice to my home world in What Lies Beneath.

And of course, selkies. You already know they’re my favorite mythical creature; it was exciting and challenging to dive a little deeper into their world and speculate about what might have happened if selkies lived near Cape Cod and how their world might intersect with the human world.

“What Lies Beneath beautifully knits patriotism, self-discovery, and bravery galore into a mystical pattern of young love and legendary lore!” –5 stars, InD'tale Magazine

 

What Lies Beneath is available in ebook direct from Book View Café as well as from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple, Google Books, and Smashwords, and in both paperback and hardcover from your favorite bookstore and from Barnes and Noble and Amazon. You can also read a sample on my website.

I hope you'll enjoy it!

What Lay Beneath Those Teaser Posts…

 

This!

 

I’m happy to announce that my new young adult fantasy, What Lies Beneath, will be out on September 14 from Book View Café!

War. Spies. Gossip and lies. Mythical Creatures. Falling in love. And it’s still only July.

It’s 1917, and everyone is doing their bit now that America has entered the Great War—everyone except 17-year-old Emma Verlaine. Her overprotective dad won’t let her go to nursing school while he’s off doing war work; instead, she’s been sent to stay for the summer with her Gran on an island off Cape Cod, and the most she’ll be able to do for the war effort is knit socks. Socks!

As it happens, island life isn’t so bad. There are the seals that seem even more fascinated by her than she is by them. There’s the new Navy Air Station that guards the coast from German U-boats where she’s determined to get a job. But most of all there’s Malcolm, whose family owns a resort hotel on the island and who gives her swimming lessons and delicious kisses.

But danger lurks in the waters off the island. Only Emma can save her new home—if she accepts that everything she thought she knew about her life is a lie, and that the seals are following her for a very good reason…

It was quite a change of pace to write a story set firmly in the twentieth century, after dwelling so long in the nineteenth. Telephones! Airplanes! Bathing suits! Working women! And as you saw, the research for this book was a lot of fun: 1917 had so many more similarities to our world, yet still some crucial differences. But some things will never change—young women striving to find their place in the world…and love. It was also great fun to set a book in a place I know and love so well, and to incorporate real bits and pieces of history, both national and local, into the plot.

What Lies Beneath is up for pre-order at Amazon (affiliate link), Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple, Googleplay, and Smashwords, and will also be available in print from your favorite bookstore. And if you're feeling impatient, there's a sneak peek over on my website to whet your appetite.

I hope you'll enjoy it!