My story today begins with a brainstorming session last year. Nancy Fraser, Lisa A. Olech, and I - all friends - tossed around ideas about what we enjoy most as authors. Writing steamy romance, developing strong, stimulating characters, exploring history’s mysteries, and creating memorable settings were some of our biggies. We chose bits and pieces of those favorite things and wove them together to create Ghosts of New England: Skullery Bay. Intrigue, murder, and betrayal. Treasures, ghosts, and guises. Love, loyalty, and happily-ever-afters. All parts of this four-book collection.
"What if we invent a location that we would all love to visit?" A remote estate on the rustic coast of New England, for example. "What if we take up residence in that location during four different centuries?" How would Fairwinds—our imaginary, Georgian-style mansion with an iconic widow’s walk—look, and feel, and smell, depending on the timeframe? "And what if there were hidden passageways, deadly pirate curses, and even GHOSTS?!" Just a glimpse into how this all came to be for us. Let’s face it, it’s thrilling to allow your imagination to run wild as authors!
Turns out, it’s not so easy to write an anthology such as this one. In fact, it’s hard work to delve into the lifespan of a great house and the people who dwell there. From regal to ruin, Fairwinds rose and fell like the tides surrounding her. Readers meet our two “ghosts,” first as living, mortal lovers, coming together despite all odds. Follow them through the ages to modern days, when others join their story. Have the ghosts changed? Do they know what’s happening around them and who is living in their house? No spoilers from me, but let’s just say it’s never boring.
Funny thing about that never boring part. We created such a vast estate in Fairwinds that we needed maps, notes, genealogy lists, and special meetings to keep it all sorted out as we three wrote. "Does the hidden staircase look like this? What happens below the Butler’s Pantry and in the cellar? Are there ghosts in the library or just on the rocky cliffs above the beach? And why is there a keyhole but no door?"
You'll have to read this one-of-a-kind romance anthology to find out!
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