Becoming Fenimore
by Rebecca
Bryan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Upon learning
she is the only living beneficiary of a late aunt's estate on far away Mackinac
Island, Elle Curtis finds an unusual array of items connected to 19th Century
writer Constance Fenimore Woolson—a discovery that will lead her on a journey
and change her forever.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
Henry
May 1894, Venice, Italy
The gondolier’s oar sliced
through the soft black water, parting the thick night fog with the bow of his
boat. His passenger, a stout, smartly dressed American, sat near the front as
if he were a dog sniffing for a scent. Beside him lay a heap of women’s dresses.
“There will be no return of the dead,” he muttered as he plunged each dress
deep into the water with an oar, only to have them rise to the surface, their
busts and sleeves swelling like balloons.
The dresses had belonged to his
friend, another American writer who had fallen from her third story apartment
window to her death only a few months before. She’d been sick, recently
suffering from influenza and a bout of depression passed on from her father. Or
was there another reason?
One that involved our American, a
close confidant and friend of many years.
Months passed and eventually our
well dressed American left Italy, but the speculation as to the cause of her
death rose on every corner in Venice.
“Some say she was desperately in
love with him,” a huddle of friends speculated in the San Marco plaza months
later.
“And he refused her?” a short,
stout woman asked.
“Maybe she refused him,” said a tall skinny English woman
with a nose resembling a crooked tree branch. “Miss Woolson had left him in England
only a few months before.”
“I heard she hadn’t answered any
of his letters,” said another.
The stocky woman whispered, “I
heard he burned all their letters.” Someone gasped. All eyes turned to Marie
Holas, a dark-haired woman with kind eyes who had been hired on as a caregiver
a few weeks before the author’s death and was the last to see Miss Woolson
alive.
Finally she spoke. “He was here
for four months going through her belongings with her niece. It was cold and
there was often a fire, but I never saw him burn letters. It is hard to say
what their feelings for each other were beyond that of a friend.”
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
Rebecca started writing one summer day in 2008 to escape
from the stresses of life, never imagining she actually publish one day.
Becoming Fenimore is her third novel. Her previous novels, The Sand Bar, 2012
and Far From Perfect, 2013 were runners up on Readers Favorites, in the
category of women’s fiction.
In a previous life Rebecca graduated from Brigham Young
University-Idaho in Interior Design. When she is not writing or taking care of
her five children, she can be found working in the theater and has been known
to do a commercial or two on the side.
Twitter handle : rebeccabryan2
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and
RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Rebecca Bryan will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a
randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the excerpt, sounds like a great read, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteFascinating excerpt. Leaves me wanting to know more.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great book, I'm looking forward to reading it! Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteI love this cover!! Great share.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this excerpt the cover makes perfect sense. Thank you for sharing the post and the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting Rachel and for everyone's comments! Good luck in the drawing!
ReplyDelete