Secrets of
Nanreath Hall
by Alix Rickloff
GENRE: Historical Fiction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talking with author Alix Rickloff!
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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2bCd4qj
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY:
Alix will be awarding a digital copy of
Secrets of Nanreath to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the
tour.
Thanks for hosting!
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