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Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Today, we're shining the BOOK SPOTLIGHT on the latest release from author Amanda McCabe with Rachel's Random Resources. It's a Historical Fiction with a tinge of paranormal, and a case of murder and mayhem! Sound like your cup of tea? GREAT...then read on, my friend...and once you have, KEEP READING for a special GUEST POST from the author herself on the inspiration for the story!
Flora Flowerdew and the Mystery of the Duke’s Diamonds
by
Amanda McCabe
About the book...
Flora Flowerdew has a secret. The former Florrie Gubbins, music hall dancer, is now Madame Flowerdew, one of London’s most renowned spirit mediums. But it’s actually her beloved Pomeranian dog, Chou-Chou, who can see the ghosts.
One of her most lucrative seances, for the wealthy Petrie family whose daughter is about to marry a handsome young duke, goes chaotically awry. The duke’s late, and very irate, grandfather demands Flora and his grandson Benedict find the long-missing family diamonds—even the search becomes littered with mayhem and murder! Can Flora discover the jewels before she loses her career, her sanity—and her heart?
Sparks fly as Flora, Benedict, and Chou-Chou pursue the truth of the diamonds’ disappearance in this lighthearted, cozy historical mystery set in foggy, gas-lit London
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~~~ GUEST POST ~~~
The Inspiration Behind the Story
...with Author Amanda McCabe
The inspiration for Flora Flowerdew and her world came from—a dog,
of course! I’ve always had wonderful pets myself, dogs and cats
(currently two dogs!), but never a Pomeranian like Chou-Chou. A
friend got a Pom puppy (Polly), and I loved her fluffy, foxy face and
her mischevious personality. She is always into trouble somewhere,
but is so adorable about it that she seldom gets into trouble. More
than that, my friend is convinced Polly can see things we don’t.
She growls at empty corners, tilts her head like she’s listening to
silent voices, and prances in circles like she’s welcoming new
visitors.
Polly is definitely a Character Dog, and I knew she needed her
own book! It just took a while to find just the right story, just
the right owner. Then Chou-Chou, Polly’s Pom, ghost-seeing
Victorian counterpart, as well as her owner Flora, a former
music-hall actress turned medium and businesswoman, came into my
imagination. They had to live on the gaslit streets of Victorian
London.
Because something else I love, besides dogs, is the Victorian
era. The fashion, the rapid changes in society, the architecture and
art (I am a huge fan of the Pre-Raphaelites), the eccentric queen,
it’s all fascinating. I enjoy reading steampunk, and even though
Flora Flowerdew and the Mystery of the Duke’s Diamonds
is not in that genre, I was so inspired by that kind of atmosphere.
I was also inspired to look beyond the upper classes and royal court
(though we glimpse them with Benedict and his family) to the world of
the lower theater, the circus, Evie and her newspaper career, village
life in Cornwall, and of course the flourishing interest in
spirutualism.
Though Flora’s tale is
light-hearted, and she’s built herself a good life with her work,
her comfortable home, her friends and dog, she started life in a very
uncertain way. I loved her sense of strength and adventure, not to
mention her humor and fashion sense! And I really want her dog…
If you’d like to look a little
more into the life of Flora’s Victorian London, here are a few
sources I enjoy:
--Christopher Hibbert, Life
in Victorian England (2016)
--Judith Flanders, The
Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens’ London
(2014)
--Michael Paterson, A
Brief History of Life in Victorian Britain
(2013)
--Jennifer Phegley, Courtship
and Marriage in Victorian England
(2011)
--Kelley Graham, Gone to
the Shops: Shopping in Victorian England
(2008)
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About the author...
Amanda McCabe wrote her first romance at the age of sixteen--a vast historical epic starring all her friends as the characters, written secretly during algebra class (and her parents wondered why math was not her strongest subject...)
She's never since used algebra, but her books (set in a variety of time periods--Regency, Victorian, Tudor, Renaissance, and 1920s) have been nominated for many awards, including the RITA Award, the Romantic Times BOOKReviews Reviewers' Choice Award, the Booksellers Best, the National Readers Choice Award, and the Holt Medallion. She lives in New Mexico with her lovely husband, along with far too many books and a spoiled rescue dog.
When not writing or reading, she loves yoga, collecting cheesy travel souvenirs, and watching the Food Network--even though she doesn't cook. She also writes as Amanda Allen...
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GIVEAWAY
Your chance to win an e-copy of Flora Flowerdew and the Mystery of the Duke’s Diamonds & a Victorian necklace!
(Open to US Only)
*Terms and Conditions –US entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
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Special thanks to
Rachel at
Rachel's Random Resources for the chance to bring this tour to you and to the author for the guest post. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, this promotion, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now, so click on over to your favorite online retailer to snag your copy today and be sure to check out the rest of the tour for more bookish fun!
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
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