It’s been years–so many, that I’ve forgotten most of the story–since I read Jane Eyre. When I started reading All Hallows at Eyre Hall, I was a bit hesitant. I wasn’t sure how much was flashback to the original book and how much was new. I stopped reading. Yet I was determined enough to begin again; the second time I decided to trust Ms. Gray to guide me through seamlessly, and I’m very glad I did.
Ms. Gray has a talent for prose and her ability to immerse me in the time in history when the story takes place was astounding. The continuation of Jane Eyre’s tale is quite believable. It left me wanting more. If there is one criticism I have of this book it’s the jumping back and forth of the first person narrative. I found myself rushing through the beginning of some chapters to find out whose head I was in. But that wasn’t enough to make me want to put it down.
My book–the one I’ve been saying I was going to publish for four years now (didn’t believe me, did you?)–is finally here!
It’s a story I spent months obsessing over, traveled for, went to outrageous lengths for–I sat in the Kingston Via Rail station, taking notes for the description of it; drove around the city looking for the perfect setting for the house in which the story takes place and then I parked my car there and walked halfway back to town to see what it would be like. I stayed in different lodgings – the university where my characters went to school, the house that inspired the one in the book, and a small motel near the train station. I even had a chance to interview a magician. I’ll be posting that interview soon.
But most of all I had a lot of fun writing The Magician’s Curse and its sequel. And I’m almost finished writing the third book. Not sure if there will be more: I’ve toyed with the idea of a prequel.
For now though, I can finally share part of this world I’ve lived in by myself for almost six years. I hope you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. Magic and romance await.
When Herman Anderson leaves home to make a better life for herself, she doesn’t expect to meet a tall, dark stranger with whom she’ll fall hopelessly in love.
Charming and mysterious, Stephen Dagmar is a stage magician seeking an assistant. The moment he sets eyes on Herman, he knows she’s the one. He brings her home to his Victorian mansion where they embark upon an extravagant romance. Yet a shadow hangs over their love. Will the curse on his family end Stephen and Herman’s happily ever after, before it really begins?
Amidst lace and leather, innocence and debauchery, The Magician’s Curse begins the Gothic tale of The Great Dagmaru. Magic and romance await.
Official release date: June 27, 2017! Pre-order your Kindle copy today here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0721ZH2KN
Available soon on Kobo, and on June 27th in paperback on Amazon.
An excerpt from Chapter 2:
The moment Stephen stepped out the door, the foyer fell silent again. He didn’t have to look at any of the interviewees perched, alert upon burgundy velvet-covered benches against both sides of the room, to know their eyes were on him. They were drawn to him as though he were a human magnet, just as Herman had been. He passed the stairs, turned right, and stepped into the dining room where his agent, Margaret, waited for him to arrive.
“Hey,” she said without looking up. She sat poring over the applications that were strewn across the large antique dining room table. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, staring at the top of her dark mane of hair shining in the light of the chandelier above her head. Her long, graceful fingers, poised to turn a page, were an elegant extension of the rest of her lithe body. Finally, she looked up and took in his appearance with icy-green eyes. She was every bit as beautiful as any of the women outside.
“What’s the matter with you?” she asked. Being inseparable for five years, both as best friends and then co-workers, made it easy for her to tell when there was something different, however subtle, about him.
“I found her,” Stephen said, his back still to the door.
“Who?”
“She has a perfect body and long, brown hair and the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen. And her lips! Full and beautiful. And the way they move when she speaks … absolutely captivating.”
Margaret narrowed her eyes. “You hired someone on the train again, didn’t you?” It was a statement more than a question.
Stephen nodded.
“Okay,” she said, sitting back in her chair. “Tell me more about her.”
“I think she’s running away from home. She has a job to go to, but she agreed to come and check this one out. She’s sweet and innocent and she’s almost eighteen.”
Margaret crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes even more.
“No, I didn’t audition her the same way I did the others,” he said.
“So you didn’t bang her in the limo on the way here.”
“No! She’s not of age. And anyway, I knew from the second I saw her that she’s the one.”
Margaret began to say something just as the door opened on the far side of the room to her left, and Nina came in from the kitchen. Both Stephen and Margaret glanced at the slight young woman and then at each other.
“Should I leave the two of you alone?” Margaret asked.
Stephen shook his head almost imperceptibly and walked over to have a quiet word with the girl. After a few seconds she bowed and backed out of the room, and Stephen turned back to his friend.
“Well then,” Margaret said, throwing her hands up and glaring down at the stacks of paper in front of her. “Tell them all to go home.”
“No, I still want to interview them.”
“What the hell for?”
“Herman might not take the job.”
Margaret raised her eyebrows. “Herman?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, let me get this straight. You’re telling me she’s the one you want but that she might not stay. I’m confused.”
He stood, silently pleading with his friend to understand what he had only begun to comprehend himself.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Stephen? I’ve never seen you undone like this before …”
Margaret put her hand up to her mouth, realization dawning on her face. “Oh my God,” she said quietly.
He closed his eyes as he spoke. “It doesn’t matter whether or not she’ll be my assistant, Margaret.” He opened his eyes and swallowed hard. “She’s the girl I’m going to marry.”
When you see me staring blankly into space and it takes several seconds for me to answer a simple question, I’m in the zone.
For the final post of this year’s A to Z Challenge, I chose from my thesaurus the word “zone.” The first thing the word always brings to my mind is the zone I need to be in, in order to create. Free from most outside distractions, particularly ones that require concentration on things I’m worried about. I’m able to do mindless things and stay in the zone: I can get up and make a grilled-cheese sandwich for my son, but not answer any questions; I can let the dog out, but God forbid the phone rings. Having said that, sometimes I burn the sandwich and the dog will scratch at the door to come back in for half an hour.
Getting into my little bubble of creativeness is often difficult. I can’t do it when I know I’ll be distracted in the near future–I’m okay if Alex is due home from school in an hour, but not if I expect him in forty-five minutes. But there is one thing that always helps: my inspiration, my muse. Buck-Tick.
This song inspired my upcoming novel, The Great Dagmaru. The lyrics tell the basis of the story. I can’t not disappear into the world of my creation when I listen to this song and watch this video. The English captions are available when you watch it (please do–it’s a fantastic performance), but I’ve copied them out below.
Within the heat wave,
a goddess alights
Now no longer lonely,
grant my wish
I’m going mad in this overwhelming emotion
consoled many times
I sin and wait anxiously for punishment
just getting corrupted
I’m in an agony of immorality,
shivering with a premonition
She smiles at me
and grants my wish
Screaming out, I explode
It’s maddening, precious
Even that profile distorted by fear
is beautiful, precious
Turn into chaos before my eyes
Hold me… I can’t see anything
It’s a quiet night, isn’t it?
Such a beautiful night
She smiles at me
–my wish did not come true.
Screaming out, I explode
It’s maddening, precious
Even that profile distorted by fear
is beautiful, precious
Turn into chaos before my eyes
Hold me… I can’t see anything
It’s official! For one week only, I’m in competition for the best book cover on Author Shout’s Cover Wars. Please head over and vote for my amazing cover, designed with love by the equally amazing and lovely Belinda Borradaile of https://idiotwriting.wordpress.com/
Here’s the link to vote: http://authorshout.com/cover-wars/ Even better, you can vote once a day for the next week. Do it now! 😀 Thank you!
This is lovely, little gobble-up-in-one-go novella. It is the second book this week that I have reviewed that is definitely out of my genre but it is also the second that I thoroughly enjoyed. This story is light and fluffy, not too sweet, slightly quirky.
Xavier and Jupiter are just very good friends who support one another although Xavier would like things to be a bit more serious. When Jupiter begins an internet relationship with Bob, Xavier is immediately suspicious and wants Jupiter to end it. He is worried for Jupiter and also for himself. This new relationship makes him realise just how much he cares for her.
The story takes a couple of unexpected turns before this romantic comedy ends as it should. The suppporting characters are unusual and memorable and the writing is fluid and assured.
A very nice, little break from longer, grittier novels.
All Hallows at Eyre Hall by Luccia Gray
This is lovely, little gobble-up-in-one-go novella. It is the second book this week that I have reviewed that is definitely out of my genre but it is also the second that I thoroughly enjoyed. This story is light and fluffy, not too sweet, slightly quirky.