Victorian Town
by Nancy Thorne
Date of Publication: March 28th, 2018
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
Cover Artist: Rae Monet
Genre: Paranormal Romance: with time travel and mystery elements
Tagline: Abby Parker has a modern life. Too bad someone in the 19th century needs it.
BLURB
Abby Parker planned out her whole life: complete her final year of high school, go to college, get a job, move away from her insane family, stay best friends with Jessica.
But, that was before she broke into the nearby tourist attraction and unwittingly answered a call from a centuries-old spirit who dragged her into the 19th century.
Now she must solve a Victorian mystery without getting herself killed, or worse, spend a lifetime trapped in the past, leaving behind everyone she loves and altering their lives forever.
When she meets gorgeous Benjamin, the future looks a lot like wreckage.
Excerpt
I waited for him
to make the next move, to tell me how inappropriate, how forward that was of
me. As I struggled to think of how best to offer an explanation, he turned to
me. Gently but deliberately, he moved his hand up my arm, stopping at the nape
of my neck beneath the ribbon of the bonnet.
The moment he
leaned in, I closed my eyes. His lips, soft and full, touched mine with the
modest pressure of an indecisive act. A warm energy coursed through my body,
but the strangest thing was that everything felt unbelievably familiar, like it
had all been rehearsed before that moment. I held onto this profound feeling,
not wanting it to leave, until Ben removed his lips from mine.
Even with the whistled
melodies from a pair of cardinals outside the church's entrance, the following
silence felt awkward. It persisted, and I assumed Ben was already regretting
kissing me.
"Miss
Abigail−"
I brought up a
hand and covered his mouth. "It's okay."
We walked down
the hill without saying another word. A lot of activity was happening on Main
Street: coaches lined the front of the Royal Hotel as travelers zipped in and
out of the main entrance; horse carts delivered goods in dashes of haste; store
merchants hurried beyond their open doors; street sellers sold goods out of
baskets; helpers swept the boardwalk; ladies could be seen purchasing last
minute necessities behind the windows of each shop.
Ben accompanied
me up the stairs of Town Hall's entrance and stopped on the landing before we
reached the front door. I peered through the window. Martha arranged
long-stemmed flowers in a vase on a table at the side of the ballroom. A young
man placed a candelabra on a table and then another on top of a piano. Ben had
already started back to the street when I turned. He waved. I waved back. Still
a chance he'll change his mind.
The gloves were
easier to remove now that one was missing its button. I placed them, and the
button, on the ledge of the window and took off the ring.
Jess was still
sitting on my bed when the haze cleared, but her tapping fingers had moved from
her chin, which now rested on her knuckles. It was obvious it had taken longer
for me to return this time. It made sense to me right then that the ring held
within it a finite amount of energy with which to transport me to the past and
back home, like a battery depleting its energy with each use. And, I had no
idea how to recharge it.
Author Info
Nancy Thorne is an award-winning author of fiction inspired by the romance and courage of youth.
Born and raised in a suburb of Toronto, she fostered a passion for creating stories in grade school but hid it much too well. Five years ago she decided to pursue her lifelong dream of telling them.
When she's not writing books or reading, you can find her going on road trips or cooking untested recipes for brave family members and friends.
Nancy lives outside of Toronto with her husband, two sons, and an energetic fox-red Labrador.
The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with Nancy Thorne . . .
- How would you describe your style of writing?
I would say that my style of writing is focused on emotion. My writing doesn’t go in a straight line. There are unexpected curves in my short stories as well as my novel. So, perhaps “unpredictable” would describe my writing well.
- Mindset or routine?
My routine when writing is scattered. For instance, I prefer to write night scenes at night, which means I’m sometimes working in my writing room right through the bewitching hours of midnight to three o’clock in the morning. Normally, though, I write in the mornings from around 9:30 (after my morning coffee) until noon. Then, I figure it’s time to get out of my pajamas.
- People watch, character building?
I people watch for sure, all the time. And I listen! It’s pretty amazing what you can glean from listening to conversations. Sometimes it’s hearing people at the next table in a restaurant, or simply standing behind others in a line. People chat in so many different ways and use many different tones, vibes and unique words strung together.
I do build upon my characters during story creation, but it would be more accurate to say that they build upon themselves. After living with my characters for a while, they seem to develop their own personalities right in front of my eyes.
- Having you found yourself bonding?
I wrote a short story that was published in a literary journal last summer. It’s called The Mushroom Farm. I felt strongly for the character called Maria. In the story, she’s the victim of tragic circumstances in the 1960s - an innocent. My heart broke for her but I felt the story shouldn’t be changed. Even though it is a dark tale, the sad ending felt organic to me. I definitely bonded with Maria.
- Do you have a character you are working on that you can’t wait to put to paper?
I’m currently working on a novel set in the 1970s when the Vietnam War was at its height. It’s the story of a romance between a hitchhiker in Canada and a draft dodger from the United States. I can’t wait to tell the main character’s story. She’s headstrong and determined to pull herself out of her poor family situation. A struggling draft dodger is in no way part of her plans.
- Have you ever felt that there was something inside of you that couldn’t control?
Sometimes I feel I can’t control my worrying as much as I’d like. Maybe that’s why I love writing. A story is ultimately within my control; a great part of life is not. But I’ve found that this same energy can be used to spur me on. I try to use it so I can write my characters with emotion and sensitivity.
She loves to hear from her readers, even just to say hi. Find her online at www.nancythorne.com
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