Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours Blog Tour & Guest Post: The Outer Banks House & Return to the Outer Banks House (Diann Ducharme's)

Publication Date: June 8, 2010
Crown Publishing

Formats: Ebook, Paperback, Hardcover
Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

As the wounds of the Civil War are just beginning to heal, one fateful summer would forever alter the course of a young girl’s life.In 1868, on the barren shores of post-war Outer Banks North Carolina, the once wealthy Sinclair family moves for the summer to one of the first cottages on the ocean side of the resort village of Nags Head. Seventeen-year-old Abigail is beautiful, book-smart, but sheltered by her plantation life and hemmed-in by her emotionally distant family. To make good use of time, she is encouraged by her family to teach her father’s fishing guide, the good-natured but penniless Benjamin Whimble, how to read and write. And in a twist of fate unforeseen by anyone around them, there on the porch of the cottage, the two come to love each other deeply, and to understand each other in a way that no one else does.But when, against everything he claims to represent, Ben becomes entangled in Abby's father's Ku Klux Klan work, the terrible tragedy and surprising revelations that one hot Outer Banks night brings forth threaten to tear them apart forever.With vivid historical detail and stunning emotional resonance, Diann Ducharme recounts a dramatic story of love, loss, and coming of age at a singular and rapidly changing time in one of America’s most beautiful and storied communities.

Download the Lost Chapter of The Outer Banks House.

Praise for The Outer Banks House

“...There's real darkness on the edge of this romance that hurls the lovers toward tragedy, as if the price to re-enter the innocence of Eden might afford Abby nothing but despair. This 2010 debut novel and portrayal of the historical Outer Banks offers a terrific option for beach reading; it's the sort of novel that can be charming without requiring an abundance of character complexity and depth. Abby's evolution ultimately parallels the positive aspects of how the South reconciled to change after the Civil War, a change that required a culture of ignorance to wash out to sea.” — Style Weekly Review

“It’s 1868, and the natives of North Carolina’s Outer Banks think the Sinclairs’ summer residence on the beach at Nags Head is right peculiar. Seventeen-year-old Abigail Sinclair is enlisted by her parents to teach Ben Whimble, her father’s fishing guide, to read. Abby is being courted by medical student Hector Newman and is appalled at the dirty and perpetually barefoot Ben. But Abby is also restless and slowly sees in Ben more than just a willing pupil. Ben might be getting sweet on his teacher as well, but her father has involved him in a matter that doesn’t sit right with the Banker, knowing that freedmen and runaway slaves have long lived contentedly out on Roanoke Island. It’s just three years since the end of the war, and for some, that isn’t long enough. VERDICT First novelist Ducharme has laced her novel with the sounds and the smells of the North Carolina shoreline. Racism and Southern tradition run along parallel paths in this affecting debut, where gentlemen can be less than honorable and enslavement doesn’t always involve chains. Highly recommended for fans of Southern fiction.” - Bette-Lee Fox — Library Journal, Starred Review

“A heart-felt and engrossing novel about the coming of age of two very different young people in the South just after the Civil War: a curious upper-class girl from an almost bankrupt plantation and a handsome young barefoot fisherman “made of sand and seawater” who comes to her to learn to read. What they learn from each other about tolerance and caring in those turbulent times will change their lives forever. A beautiful sense of this place by the sea, of a country in conflict, of death and redemption, and of new love.” - Stephanie Cowell, Author of CLAUDE & CAMILLE: A NOVEL OF CLAUDE MONET and MARRYING MOZART

“The Outer Banks House is a beautifully written and deeply moving story of a sheltered young woman's awakening to life, love and the injustice of discrimination against former slaves. In theme and impact, shades of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn; in the evocative setting and fresh voice, a unique novel all its own.” - Karen Harper — Author of THE QUEEN'S GOVERNESS

Buy The Outer Banks House

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Crown Publishing * IndieBound

Publication Date: December 10, 2014
Kill Devil Publishing
Formats: Ebook, Paperback

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

  She was the spirited daughter of a North Carolina plantation owner, and he was a poor fisherman who she tutored on the porch of her family’s Nags Head cottage. When we last saw Abigail Sinclair and Ben Whimble at the close of The Outer Banks House, they’d overcome their differences in life stations and defied convention to begin their new life together.
But now it’s seven years later, and Return to the Outer Banks House finds the couple married and in hard times—riddled by poverty, miscarriages, and weakened family ties. The strong bonds that once held them together have eroded over time, and their marriage threatens to unravel, particularly when relationships from the past and ambitions for the future find their way into the mismatched couple’s present predicament.
Can their love survive? Or are the challenges they face insurmountable? Return to the Outer Banks House carries readers back to 1875 to answer these questions and explore the ebb and flow of a rocky marriage set against the enchanting North Carolina shoreline. Replete with history, intrigue, and plenty of maritime drama, it’s an evocative tale of struggle in the Reconstruction-era South.

Praise for Return to the Outer Banks House

“...Set between 1875 and ’76, Ducharme’s story—this being the sequel to The Outer Banks House (2010)—is about love and its many faces, from young and reckless to unrequited. Specifically, she explores the unlikely passion that forms between smart, affluent Abigail Sinclair and uneducated, penniless Benjamin Whimble. The people of this tightknit island community on the Outer Banks, off the coast of North Carolina, are connected by their collective poverty and abiding love for the sea. Outsiders are generally unwelcome...” - Kirkus Reviews

Buy Return to the Outer Banks House

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * IndieBound

Diann was born in Indiana in 1971, but she spent the majority of her childhood in Newport News, Virginia. She majored in English literature at the University of Virginia, but she never wrote creatively until, after the birth of her second child in 2003, she sat down to write The Outer Banks House. She soon followed up with her second book, Chasing Eternity, and in 2015 the sequel to her first novel, Return to the Outer Banks House.
Diann has vacationed on the Outer Banks since the age of three. She even married her husband of 10 years, Sean Ducharme, in Duck, North Carolina, immediately after a stubborn Hurricane Bonnie churned through the Outer Banks. Conveniently, the family beach house in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina provided shelter while she conducted research for her historical fiction novels.
She has three beach-loving children and a border collie named Toby, who enjoys his sprints along the shore. The family lives in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia, counting down the months until summer.
For more information visit Diann Ducharme's website. You can also follow Diann on her blog, Twitter, and Goodreads.

The Outer Banks Series Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, May 25

Spotlight & Giveaway at Raven Haired Girl

Tuesday, May 26

Guest Post & Giveaway at Susan Heim on Writing

Wednesday, May 27

Review (Book One) at Back Porchervations

Thursday, May 28

Review (Book One) at In a Minute

Friday, May 29

Interview & Giveaway at Historical Fiction Obsession

Spotlight at The Never-Ending Book

Saturday, May 30

Spotlight at Becky on Books

Sunday, May 31

Review (Book One) at Book Nerd

Monday, June 1

Review (Book Two) at Let them Read Books

Spotlight at I'd So Rather Be Reading

Tuesday, June 2

Review (Book One) at Book Lovers Paradise

Wednesday, June 3

Review (Book Two) at Back Porchervations

Thursday, June 4

Spotlight & Giveaway (Book One) at View from the Birdhouse

Friday, June 5

Review (Both Books) at Bibliotica

Sunday, June 7

Review (Book One) at Carole's Ramblings

Monday, June 8

Review (Book One) at Ageless Pages Reviews

Guest Post at Curling Up With A Good Book

Tuesday, June 9

Review & Giveaway (Book One) at A Literary Vacation

Wednesday, June 10

Review (Both Books) at Unshelfish

Spotlight at CelticLady's Reviews

Thursday, June 11

Review (Book Two) at Book Lovers Paradise

Interview at Boom Baby Reviews

Friday, June 12

Spotlight at Caroline Wilson Writes

Sunday, June 14

Review (Book Two) at Carole's Ramblings

Monday, June 15

Review & Giveaway (Both Books) at Genre Queen

Tuesday, June 16

Interview at Books and Benches

Spotlight at The Lit Bitch

Wednesday, June 17

Review (Both Books) at Luxury Reading

Thursday, June 18

Review (Book One) at Books and Benches

Interview at Layered Pages

Friday, June 19

Review (Book One) at Build a Bookshelf

Review (Book Two) at Ageless Pages Reviews

Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tour, Interview, & Giveaway: A Tangled Web (Sandra Schwab)

Publication Date: July 14, 2014
eBook; 104p
ASIN: B00LXU6EWE

Series: Allan's Miscellany
Genre: Historical Romance

Lawrence Pelham works as a comic artist for Allan’s Miscellany. A chance meeting with a young woman dressed in mourning changes Pel’s whole life, and without his even knowing, he is thrown into a world of mystery and intrigue, where nothing is as it seems to be—especially not the woman he has given his heart to.

Her whole life Sarah Browne has been told how plain she is, how nondescript, destined to become an old maid. For years she has been her family’s dutiful nursing maid and caretaker, but now a secret inheritance and an encounter with the charming Mr. Pelham seem to offer her a chance to break out of her life of duty and drudgery—if she dares to take it. Yet how could such an interesting, witty man like Mr. Pelham be possibly interested in her boring self?

And so, Sarah soon finds herself entangled in a web of lies and deceit, which might even cost her the love of her life.

Praise for A Tangled Web

"Once again [Schwab] weaves brilliantly researched historical details into a story that not only is irresistibly romantic, but also sparkles with wit. To top it off, she has come up with an enchanting couple that truly earns their happy ending." ~ Tina Dick, LoveLetter

Praise for The Bride Prize

"The Bride Prize is, in a word, delightful. [...] I smiled for a long time when it was over. I cannot wait until the next installment in this series." ~ Michelle Boule, www.wanderingeye.com

Allan's Miscellany Series Titles

Book One: The Bride Prize

Book Two: Falling For a Scoundrel

Book Three: A Tangled Web

Book Four: Devil's Return

Award-winning author Sandra Schwab started writing her first novel when she was seven years old. Thirty-odd years later, telling stories is still her greatest passion, even though by now she has exchanged her pink fountain pen of old for a black computer keyboard. Since the release of her debut novel in 2005, she has enchanted readers worldwide with her unusual historical romances.

She holds a PhD in English literature and lives in Frankfurt am Main / Germany with a sketchbook, a sewing machine, and an ever-expanding library. Her new series about the fictional magazine Allan's Miscellany combines her academic research on Victorian periodicals with her love for story-telling.

For more information please visit Sandra Schwab's website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and GoodReads.

A Tangled Web: Allan's Miscellany 1846 Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, September 29

Review at Book Nerd

Spotlight at Just One More Chapter

Tuesday, September 30

Interview at Curling Up With a Good Book

Spotlight at Romantic Historical Reviews

Wednesday, October 1

Spotlight & Giveaway at Peeking Between the Pages

Thursday, October 2

Guest Post at Book Babe

Friday, October 3

Review at Unshelfish

Spotlight at Flashlight Commentary

Monday, October 6

Review at Reading World

Tuesday, October 7

Spotlight at CelticLady's Reviews

Wednesday, October 8

Guest Post & Giveaway at Historical Tapestry

Thursday, October 9

Spotlight at Historical Fiction Connection

Friday, October 10

Review at Back Porchervations

Spotlight & Giveaway at Susan Heim on Writing

Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tour, Review, & Giveaway: Goddess Born (Kari Edgren)



Publication Date: May 29, 2014
Carina Press
eBook; ISBN: 9781426898365

Genre: Historical/Fantasy/Paranormal/New Adult

2013 RWA Golden Heart© Finalist
2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semifinalist
The power to heal is her divine gift, the fear of discovery, her mortal curse.
Selah Kilbrid is caught between two worlds. A direct descendant of the Celtic goddess Brigid, she is bound by Tuatha Dé law to help those in need. Yet as a human, she must keep her unique abilities hidden or risk being charged for a witch. In 1730 Pennsylvania, the Quaker community of Hopewell has become a haven for religious freedom—and fanaticism—and there are those who would see her hanged if the truth were revealed.
For eighteen years, Selah safely navigates the narrow gap between duty and self-preservation, until the day a prominent minister uncovers her secret. Obsessed with her power, Nathan Crowley disregards her betrothal to a distant cousin from Ireland and demands marriage in exchange for his silence. Selah stalls for time, but when news reaches the Colonies of her cousin’s death, time has run out.
Rather than submit to Nathan, Selah coerces a stranger to pose as her husband. It’s a good plan—her only plan—even though Henry Alan harbors his own dark secrets. But when she returns to Hopewell a married woman, the real fight has just begun. As unseen forces move against her, Selah doesn’t know which poses the greater danger—a malignant shadow closing in from outside or the internal fire that threatens to consume her heart.
Book Two in the Goddess Born series will be published in November 2014 and Book Three in June 2015.

Buy the eBook

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Carina Press

Kari Edgren did not dream of becoming a writer. Instead, she dreamed of everything else and was often made to stay inside during kindergarten recess to practice her letters. Despite doting parents and a decent school system, Ms. Edgren managed to make it through elementary school having completed only one book cover to cover – The Box Car Children, which she read approximately forty-seven times. Things improved during high school, but not until she read Gabrielle Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude in college, did she truly understand the power of a book.
Ms. Edgren aspires to be a Vulcan, a world-acclaimed opera singer, and two inches taller. She resides in the Pacific NW where she spends a great deal of time torturing her husband and children with strange food and random historical facts. Ms. Edgren hasn’t stopped dreaming, but has finally mastered her letters enough to put the stories on paper.
For more information please visit Kari Edgren's website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.
Sign Up for Kari Edgren's Newsletter.

GREAT plot!!! Loved this book! Set in the late 1600's in Pennsylvania this book had it all...witchcraft, romance, and mystery! Selah Kilbrid comes from a long line of "healers". Her grandmother and mother had both meet an early death...now attempts are being made on Selah's life. Why is this happening?! Now that Selah's father has dies all she has left is the staff from her families estate, Brighmor. Can she trust all of them with her secrets?! I loved the ending! Left the reader hanging a little bit and definitely wanting to know what will happen to Selah next! I give this one 4.5 stars!     

Goddess Born Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, September 22

Review at Peeking Between the Pages

Tuesday, September 23

Review at By the Book Reviews

Spotlight at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, September 24

Review at The Readers Hollow

Interview at Manga Maniac Cafe

Thursday, September 25

Review at Book Babe

Friday, September 26

Review at Curling Up With a Good Book

Sunday, September 28

Spotlight & Excerpt at Casual Readers

Monday, September 29

Review at Unabridged Chick

Review at The Mad Reviewer

Tuesday, September 30

Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Interview & Giveaway at Unabridged Chick

Wednesday, October 1

Review & Excerpt at Book Lovers Paradise

Thursday, October 2

Review at Books, Etc.

Review at 100 Pages a Day - Stephanie's Book Reviews

Friday, October 3

Review at So Many Books, So Little Time

Monday, October 6

Review at Bookish

Guest Post at Historical Fiction Connection

Tuesday, October 7

Spotlight & Giveaway at The Flashlight Reader

Wednesday, October 8

Review at A Bookish Affair

Thursday, October 9

Review at The True Book Addict

Friday, October 10

Review at CelticLady's Reviews

Monday, October 13

Review at Book Nerd

Interview at The Maiden's Court

Tuesday, October 14

Review at I'd So Rather Be Reading

Wednesday, October 15

Review at Let Them Read Books

Thursday, October 16

Review at A Book Geek

Guest Post at Historical Tapestry

Friday, October 17

Review at Historical Tapestry

Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours Spotlight: Love & Treasure (Ayelet Waldman)

Please join Ayelet Waldman as she tours the blogosphere for Love and Treasure from May 27 to July 3.

Publication Date: April 1, 2014
Knopf Publishing
Formats: Ebook, Hardcover, Audio

A spellbinding new novel of contraband masterpieces, tragic love, and the unexpected legacies of forgotten crimes, Ayelet Waldmans Love and Treasure weaves a tale around the fascinating, true history of the Hungarian Gold Train in the Second World War.In 1945 on the outskirts of Salzburg, victorious American soldiers capture a train filled with unspeakable riches: piles of fine gold watches; mountains of fur coats; crates filled with wedding rings, silver picture frames, family heirlooms, and Shabbat candlesticks passed down through generations. Jack Wiseman, a tough, smart New York Jew, is the lieutenant charged with guarding this treasure, a responsibility that grows more complicated when he meets Ilona, a fierce, beautiful Hungarian who has lost everything in the ravages of the Holocaust. Seventy years later, amid the shadowy world of art dealers who profit off the sins of previous generations, Jack gives a necklace to his granddaughter, Natalie Stein, and charges her with searching for an unknown woman, a woman whose portrait and fate come to haunt Natalie, a woman whose secret may help Natalie to understand the guilt her grandfather will take to his grave and to find a way out of the mess she has made of her own life.A story of brilliantly drawn characters, a suave and shady art historian, a delusive and infatuated Freudian, a family of singing circus dwarfs fallen into the clutches of Josef Mengele, and desperate lovers facing choices that will tear them apart, Love and Treasure is Ayelet Waldmans finest novel to date: a sad, funny, richly detailed work that poses hard questions about the value of precious things in a time when life itself has no value, and about the slenderest of chains that can bind us to the griefs and passions of the past.

Buy the Book

Amazon US

Audible.com

Barnes & Noble

Book Depository

IndieBound

Watch the Book Trailer

Praise for Love and Treasure

Love and Treasure is something of a treasure trove of a novel. Its beautifully integrated parts fit inside one another like the talismanic pendant/ locket at the heart of several love stories. Where the opening chapters evoke the nightmare of Europe in the aftermath of World War II with the hallucinatory vividness of Anselm Kiefers disturbing canvases, the concluding chapters, set decades before, in a more seemingly innocent time in the early 20th century, are a bittersweet evocation, in miniature, of thwarted personal destinies that yet yield to something like cultural triumph. Ayelet Waldman is not afraid to create characters for whom we feel an urgency of emotion, and she does not resolve what is unresolvable in this ambitious, absorbing and poignantly moving work of fiction.

Joyce Carol Oates

One is quickly caught up in Love and Treasure with its shifting tones and voices at times a document, a thriller, a love story, a search telescoping time backwards and forwards to vividly depict a story found in the preludes and then the after-effects of the Holocaust. Waldman gives us remarkable characters in a time of complex and surprising politics.

Michael Ondaatje

Love and Treasure is like the treasure train it chases: fast-paced, bound by a fierce mission, full of bright secrets and racingly, relentlessly moving.

Daniel Handler

Complex and thoughtful, moving and carefully researched, this is a novel to love and treasure.

Philippa Gregory

This lush, multigenerational tale traces the path of a single pendant. Inventively told from multiple perspectives, Waldmans latest is a seductive reflection on just how complicated the idea of home is and why it is worth more than treasure.

Publishers Weekly

A sensitive and heartbreaking portrayal of love, politics, and family secrets . . . Waldmans appealing novel recalls the film The Red Violin in its following of this all-important object through various periods in history and through many owners. Fans of historical fiction will love the compelling characters and the leaps backward and forward in time.

Mariel Pachucki, Library Journal

Ayelet Waldman is the author of the newly released Love and Treasure (Knopf, January 2014), Red Hook Road and The New York Times bestseller Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities and Occasional Moments of Grace. Her novel Love and Other Impossible Pursuits was made into a film starring Natalie Portman. Her personal essays and profiles of such public figures as Hillary Clinton have been published in a wide variety of newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Vogue, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. Her radio commentaries have appeared on "All Things Considered" and "The California Report."

For more information please visit Ayelet's website. Her missives also appear on Facebook and Twitter.

Her books are published throughout the world, in countries as disparate as England and Thailand, the Netherlands and China, Russia and Israel, Korea and Italy.?

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Tuesday, May 27

Review at Kinx's Book Nook

Review at A Bibliotaph's Reviews

Wednesday, May 28

Guest Post at Passion for Novels

Thursday, May 29

Review at Mari Reads

Friday, May 30

Review at She Reads Novels

Review at Dianne Ascroft's Blog

Monday, June 2

Review at Flashlight Commentary

Tuesday, June 3

Interview at Flashlight Commentary

Wednesday, June 4

Review at Seaside Book Corner

Thursday, June 5

Review at Oh, For the Hook of a Book

Friday, June 6

Interview at Oh, For the Hook of a Book

Monday, June 9

Review at Closed the Cover

Tuesday, June 10

Interview at Closed the Cover

Wednesday, June 11

Review at A Bookish Girl

Review at Peeking Between the Pages

Friday, June 13

Review at Ageless Pages Reviews

Monday, June 16

Review at So Many Books, So Little Time

Guest Post at Historical Fiction Connection

Wednesday, June 18

Review at Let Them Read Books

Thursday, June 19

Review at Book Nerd

Friday, June 20

Spotlight at Curling Up with a Good Book

Monday, June 23

Review at 100 Pages a Day

Tuesday, June 24

Review & Giveaway at Luxury Reading

Wednesday, June 25

Review at Lit Nerd

Thursday, June 26

Review at The Little Reader Library

Friday, June 27

Review at Man of la Book

Monday, June 30

Review at A Bookish Affair

Review at Just One More Chapter

Interview at Layered Pages

Tuesday, July 1

Interview at Jorie Loves a Story

Wednesday, July 2

Review at From L.A. to LA

Review at Mina's Bookshelf

Thursday, July 3

Review at Jorie Loves a Story

Review at CelticLady's Reviews

Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours Book Blast: Puritan Witch (Peni Jo Renner)

Publication Date: September 17, 2013
iUniverse
Formats: Ebook, Hardcover, Paperback

Amazon Rating: 4.5 (34 reviews)
Goodreads Rating: 4.29 (24 reviews)

On a cold night in 1692, two young girls are caught up in the divining games of a slave woman-and then begin to act very strangely when the game goes wrong. Suddenly, Salem Village is turned upside down as everyone fears that witches may be involved. Six months later, as news of the girls' strange behavior becomes known, fear and suspicion overwhelm a nearby farming community, pitting neighbors against neighbors and turning friends into enemies. When Rebecca Eames makes one careless utterance during a verbal attack on her family, she is falsely accused of witchcraft. After her fate is decided by three magistrates, Rebecca must endure a prison sentence during which she and her fellow captives have no choice but to valiantly struggle to find humanity and camaraderie among dire conditions. In this novel based on a true story, a woman wrongly imprisoned during the seventeenth-century witchcraft trials comes full circle where she must determine if she can somehow resume her life, despite all she has endured.

Buy the Book

Amazon US

Barnes & Noble

iUniverse

Peni Renner is the author of "Puritan Witch: The Redemption of Rebecca Eames", an award-winning historical novel based on the true-life account of Peni's 9th great grandmother. The book is Renner's first published work, and follows Eames' life and struggles in 1692 Massachussetts during the Salem Witchcraft Trials.
Writing historical fiction has always been a lifelong dream of mine. I was discouraged for many years after receiving multiple rejection slips, and turned to other creative outlets like crocheting, quilting and cross-stitch for many years. Then I met a 3rd cousin of mine online who is also into geneology and history. She told me we shared a common ancestor who was involved in the Salem Witchcraft Hysteria of 1692, and her story had never been told. My love of writing was rekindled and I began to research this ancestor, Rebecca Blake Eames. In August of 2012 I had the privilege of visiting her grave in Boxford, Massachusetts.
After months and months of research, writing, rewriting and revising, Puritan Witch came into being, featuring a lovely sketch done by my sister-in-law, Jane Sisk.
I have several other story ideas I am working on at the moment, all pertaining to interesting ancestors my 3rd cousin has introduced me to.
For more information please visit the Puritan Witch Facebook Page. You can also follow Peni Jo Renner on Twitter.

Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours Book Blast & Giveaway: The Towers of Tuscany (Carol M. Cram)

Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and author Carol M. Cram are excited to announce The Towers of Tuscany Book Blast! Join us from April 7-13 as The Towers of Tuscany is featured around the blogosphere, along with a chance to win one of three copies of this amazing new novel! Called "a beautifully crafted masterpiece of historical fiction", "lush", and "page-turning" Cram's debut novel will appeal to readers who enjoy a strong female lead who, against great odds, dares to follow a dream. The Towers of Tuscany includes a Reader's Guide making it a perfect Book Club pick! In honor of the Book Blast we are giving away three copies to three lucky readers, see below to enter.

 

Paperback, 388 pages
Published February 19th 2014 by New Arcadia Publishing
 

Set amid the twisting streets and sunlit piazzas of medieval Italy, the Towers of Tuscany tells the story of a woman who dares to follow her own path in the all-male domain of the painter's workshop. Sofia Barducci is born into a world where a woman is only as good as the man who cares for her, but she still claims the right to make her own mistakes. Her first mistake is convincing her father to let her marry Giorgio Carelli, a wealthy saffron merchant in San Gimignano, the Tuscan city of towers. Trained in secret by her father to create the beautifully-crafted panels and altarpieces acclaimed today as masterpieces of late medieval art, Sofia's desire for freedom from her father's workshop leads her to betray her passion and sink into a life of loveless drudgery with a husband who comes to despise her when she does not produce a son.
In an attack motivated by vendetta, Sofia's father is crushed by his own fresco, compelling Sofia to act or risk the death of her soul. The choice she makes takes her on a journey from misery to the heights of passion-both as a painter and as a woman. Sofia escapes to Siena where, disguised as a boy, she paints again. When her work attracts the notice of a nobleman who discovers the woman under the dirty smock, Sofia is faced with a choice that nearly destroys her.
The Towers of Tuscany unites a strong heroine with meticulously researched settings and compelling characters drawn from the rich tapestry of medieval Italy during one of Europe's most turbulent centuries. The stylishly written plot is packed with enough twists and turns to keep readers up long past their bedtimes.

READ AN EXCERPT.

Praise for The Towers of Tuscany

The Towers of Tuscany is a delightful escape to the Siena we all love. Carol Cram has crafted a delicious story about a strong woman torn between her secret past, her love of painting and the forbidden charms of her rich patron. Hard to resist and highly recommended! - Anne Fortier, Author of The Lost Sisterhood and the New York Times bestseller, Juliet Carol Cram's lush descriptions and intriguing characters bring this dramatic tale of medieval Tuscany to life. If you love Italian art, a feisty heroine, and a page-turning plot, you will adore this novel. Deborah Swift, Author of A Divided Inheritance "The Towers of Tuscany has all the elements of a wonderful historical novel?a talented, frustrated heroine, a treacherous, feckless husband, and a promise to a dying, much loved father who orders the heroine on a dangerous mission. Carol is a first rate storyteller. The research is well done. Every chapter displays a fine knowledge of painting technique of the 14th century, and customs and mores of the age. The details of dress, fabric, food, are flawless. The clever dialogue and fast pace make the novel zing along." - Roberta Rich, Author of The Midwife of Venice and The Harem Midwife Sofia will set your heart racing as she attempts to find what we all, in our own ways, strive to seek: love, resolution, and artistic freedom. The legacy of this story will leave you yearning for more. Cathleen With, award-winning author of Having Faith in the Polar Girls Prison

Buy the Book

Amazon (Ebook) * Amazon (Paperback) * Barnes & Noble * Book Depository * IndieBound

Carol M. Cram has enjoyed a great career as an educator, teaching at Capilano University in North Vancouver for over twenty years and authoring forty-plus bestselling textbooks on business communications and software applications. She holds an MA in Drama from the University of Toronto and an MBA from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. Carol is currently focusing as much of her attention as she can spare between walks in the woods on writing historical novels with an arts twist. She and her husband, painter Gregg Simpson, share a life on beautiful Bowen Island near Vancouver, Canada.

Author Links

Website * Blog * Goodreads * Facebook * Twitter

Book Blast Schedule

Monday, April 7 Literary Chanteuse Bibliophilia, Please Cheryl's Book Nook A Bibliotaph's Reviews Confessions of an Avid Reader 

  Tuesday, April 8 Mari Reads Peeking Between the Pages History From a Woman's Perspective

Wednesday, April 9 Reviews by Molly Susan Heim on Writing Oh, For the Hook of a Book

Thursday, April 10 Passages to the Past Book Lovers Paradise To Read or Not to Read Curling Up With a Good Book 

  Friday, April 11 Words and Peace The Mad Reviewer Historical Fiction Obsession 

  Saturday, April 12 Book Nerd Layered Pages Princess of Eboli Kelsey's Book Corner

  Sunday, April 13 West Metro Mommy The True Book Addict Caroline Wilson Writes

To enter to win one of 3 copies of The Towers of Tuscany please complete the Rafflecopter giveaway form below. Giveaway is open internationally. Giveaway ends at 11:59pm on April 13th. You must be 18 or older to enter. Winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter on April 14th and notified via email. Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway