Alix will be awarding a digital copy of Secrets of Nanreath to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Secrets of Nanreath Hall
by Alix Rickloff
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GENRE: Historical Fiction
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INTERVIEW:
What books/authors have
influenced your writing?
I couldn’t begin to list every author that has ever inspired me,
but I do have authors who hold a special place in my heart. I dedicated one of
my books to four of them; Mary Stewart, Lois McMaster Bujold, Jane Austen, and
Rosamunde Pilcher. These are my four go-to authors. Different in genre, style,
characterization, but I read their books over and over whenever I need to get
lost in a familiar story where the writing is flawless and the characters are
old friends.
What drew you to the
twentieth century and WWII as a setting?
My
interest in the war began while I was in college. I watched Greer Garson in Mrs. Miniver and was forever hooked on
the time period. But for twenty plus years and nine plus books, it remained
merely a side interest until a recent conversation with my agent during which
she asked the fateful question; “What do you really want to write about?”
Suddenly, I was confronted with all sorts of exciting possibilities in genres
and settings I’d never considered.
What inspired you to
write Secrets of Nanreath Hall?
The first kernel of the story came from watching an episode of Downton Abbey. I was intrigued by the fatherless heir and the child of a scandalous elopement. From that seed, my what-if process started as I tried to imagine what their lives would have been like as they grew to adulthood during WWII.
This is your first
straight historical fiction novel, though you write historical romance under
the pseudonym Alexa Egan. Was it a difficult transition to switch genres?
Not
at all, though the romance novelist in me insisted on a happy ending. And if a
love story turned up unexpectedly, well…old habits die hard.
What are you working on
now?
I’m
working on a follow-up to Secrets Of Nanreath
Hall. Lucy Stanhope is the spoiled daughter of an ex-pat socialite living
in Singapore who is sent to England in disgrace just ahead of the attack on
Pearl Harbor and Japan’s entrance into the war. There she befriends a young
evacuee and the unlikely pair end up heading to London in search of his mother.
Can you tell us what
you’ve got on your nightstand right now?
For
work, I’m reading West End Front; The Wartime Secrets of
London’s Grand Hotels by Matthew Sweet and for pleasure The
Forgotten Room by Karen White, Beatriz Willams, and Lauren Willig
BLURB:
Cornwall, 1940. Back in England
after the harrowing evacuation at Dunkirk, WWII Red Cross nurse Anna Trenowyth
finds herself unexpectedly assigned to Nanreath Hall-her dead mother's
childhood home. All Anna has left of her mother, Lady Katherine Trenowyth, are
vague memories that tease her with clues she can't unravel. Anna knows this
could be the chance for her to finally become acquainted with the family she's
never known-and to learn the truth about her past.
Cornwall, 1913. In the luxury of pre-WWI England, Lady Katherine Trenowyth is expected to do nothing more than make a smart marriage. When Simon Halliday, a bohemian painter, enters her world, Katherine begins to question the future that was so carefully laid out for her. Her choices soon lead her away from the stability of her home and family toward a wild existence of life, art, and love.
As Anna is drawn into her newfound family's lives and their tangled loyalties, she must decide if the secrets of the past are too dangerous to unearth…and if the family she's discovered is one she can keep.
Cornwall, 1913. In the luxury of pre-WWI England, Lady Katherine Trenowyth is expected to do nothing more than make a smart marriage. When Simon Halliday, a bohemian painter, enters her world, Katherine begins to question the future that was so carefully laid out for her. Her choices soon lead her away from the stability of her home and family toward a wild existence of life, art, and love.
As Anna is drawn into her newfound family's lives and their tangled loyalties, she must decide if the secrets of the past are too dangerous to unearth…and if the family she's discovered is one she can keep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
"I
am dying.”
Prue
puts down her sewing and eyes me through her cheaters, but in no other way does
she reveal the shock she must be feeling at my news.
“Cancer,
so Mr. Porter tells me.” I blunder on before she can gather herself to speak.
“He suggests I put my affairs in order while my strength remains, but what’s
there to organize? The last payment I received for modeling was just enough to
pay the doctor’s consultation fee. By the time Andre returns from Biarritz or
San Remo or wherever he’s gone in search of lucrative commissions, I won’t be
in any position to pose for him or anyone else.”
We
are taking advantage of a mild winter’s afternoon to take the air in Prue’s
small back garden. Laundry flaps on the line, and in the corner by Graham’s
potting shed, the earth has been turned in preparation for planting cabbages
and cauliflower. My journal lies open in my lap where I have tried to capture
the poignant intimacy of the scene, but my mind won’t focus. Memories laced
with regret and grief simmer too close to the surface for me to concentrate on
my work.
I
chose my moment carefully. Graham is at the pub, leaving Prue and me alone in
the little house on Queen’s Crescent. I know I can no longer hide my illness
from her. She is far too observant and has already noticed my lack of appetite
and how quickly I grow tired from the least strenuous of activities. It’s just
as well. I need her counsel and her quiet common sense. She’ll not burden me
with useless sympathy. That isn’t her way. For good or ill, life must be faced
head- on. She has taught me that if nothing else.
“There’s
Anna,” she says simply, as if reading my thoughts. “You must make arrangements
for her.”
Anna.
My daughter. My dearest treasure.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Alix Rickloff is a critically acclaimed author of historical and
paranormal romance. Her previous novels include the Bligh Family series
(Kensington, 2009), the Heirs of Kilronan trilogy (Pocket, 2011), and, as Alexa
Egan, the Imnada Brotherhood series (Pocket, 2014). She lives in Maryland with
her husband and three children.
www.alixrickloff.com
Buy Links:
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Alix will be awarding a digital copy of Secrets of
Nanreath to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f1854/
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the Angel's blog. I hope you have a great tour. Allana Angel
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