Forms of Things Unknown by Elizabeth Ireland - Book Blitz
Forms of Things Unknown
Recently returned to Chicago after a
successful tour of Hamlet, Lillian
Nolan is awakened in the dead of night by a strange voice. She is shocked to
learn that well known and admired actress, Louise Hawthorne, has fallen to her death
from the sixth floor of the Tremont House. Was it an accident? Did she jump or
was she pushed? Louise’s former lover, and the main suspect, pleads with
Lillian to uncover the truth and clear his name.
In the process of learning to trust
her intuitive abilities, Lillian attempts to find balance between relying upon
her gift and uncovering the truth in her own way. But the menace of death
pursues her and soon her own life is at risk. When she finds herself in a trap
from which she cannot escape, her only hope of survival is to call upon the
metaphysical world.
Forms of
Things Unknown is based on an actual event which occurred in June of 1876
in Chicago. It is the third standalone book in the Backstage Mystery Series.
THE BACKSTAGE MYSTERY SERIES
Tagline:
Life upon the wicked stage can be deadly.
Set against the backdrop of
the Gilded Age, the Backstage Mystery Series stars Lillian Nolan, an
unconventional member of Chicago’s upper class who dreams of a career of
fortune and fame in the theater. Talented and ambitious, she possesses a hidden
skill which she is extremely reluctant to use—the ability to communicate with
those who have died and now live in the world of “The Beyond.”
The series chronicles her
adventures in which she continually becomes enmeshed in solving mysteries which
often require her accessing the realm of the paranormal. Filled with an
incredible cast of characters—factual, fictional, and sometimes
non-physical—who either help or hinder her quest for the truth, the stories
take place during a period considered to be the golden age of both acting and
spiritualism in America.
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Excerpt
In the summer of 1876, Lillian
Nolan, actress and sleuth, visits the mausoleum where Louise Hawthorne is
interred, expecting to meet with her friend and colleague, James O’Neill, who
she believes is innocent of Louise’s murder:
As
I turned back to the mausoleum, a wave of panic poured over me. It was so
strong, so forceful that I almost lost my balance and fell to the ground. It
seemed to flow over my heart and then spread out from there, taking my breath
away. What was happening to me?
The
bench that Jimmy and I had sat on before was not too far away and I forced
myself to move toward it. As I got further away from the mausoleum, the alarm I
felt dissipated slightly. I sat down and tried to take a deep breath. It didn’t
make sense. The intense panic lightened, then quickly faded away and was gone.
A feeling of unease remained in its place but I could catch my breath now. I
checked my pin watch. I wondered if Jimmy had been delayed.
There
was no other sound but the chirping of the birds in the elm trees and the faint
sound of the waves hitting the shore
of Lake Michigan. It was
so peaceful here, so quiet and warm. There was a soft breeze coming in off the
water and I closed my eyes for just a moment. Suddenly, I was jolted awake by a
noise.
I
checked my pin watch. Half an hour had passed! Where could Jimmy be? What had
happened to him?
The
noise became clearer now. It was the sound of someone weeping inconsolably. I
got up from the bench and walked toward the Ramsey mausoleum. The sound became
stronger. The ornate double doors were wide open and there was a figure
standing inside bent over the stone crypt in the middle of the room. It was a
tall woman, completely dressed in mourning including a veil over her face.
I
stood in the doorway and said, “Excuse me, can I help you?”
The
woman pulled back the veil off her face and I saw that it was Anne Reed.
“Anne?
Anne. Are you all right?”
She
stood up straight. She had a crisp white linen handkerchief in her hand that
marked a stark contrast to her black clothes. She dabbed at her eyes. “No. I’m
not. I will never be all right again.”
“What
are you doing here?”
“I
come here often.”
I
took a step into the dim room. “I didn’t expect to see you here this morning.
Did you come with Jimmy O’Neill?”
While
it was cooler in the tomb than outside, I suddenly felt a chill go up my arm.
Author Bio –
Elizabeth Ireland discovered her passion for theater early. After
receiving undergraduate and graduate degrees in Theater, she accepted a
teaching position in a vibrant performing arts department at a college in
northern Illinois. For ten years, she taught, directed and ran front-of-house
operations. American Theater History—particularly that of the 19th
century—has always been of particular interest to her.
She has been a quarter-finalist and a semi-finalist for the Don and
Gee Nicholl Fellowship in screenwriting sponsored by the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences. Two of her screenplays have been optioned, but
remain unproduced. Her nonfiction work, Women of Vision: Ordinary
Women, Extraordinary Lives, was published in 2008. Her work has
also been published in a collection of paranormal short stories, Paramourtal:
Tales of Undying Love and Loving the Undead. She lives in metro Atlanta
with her ever-patient husband, and two quirky dachshunds.
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2 Comments
Thank you for having me this morning. I am in the final four for 2019 Georgia Author of the Year- Essays. Winner to be announced later this month. So, somebody found my humor funny, I guess. If you are looking for some fun reading this summer, please check my book out. Thank you. ~Lee
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome! :) And congratulations! Good luck!
DeletePlease try not to spam posts with the same comments over and over again. Authors like seeing thoughtful comments about their books, not the same old, "I like the cover" or "sounds good" comments. While that is nice, putting some real thought and effort in is appreciated. Thank you.