A Child Lost by Michelle Cox - Book Tour + Giveaway
Join Us For This Tour from April 14 to May 11, 2020
BOOK DETAILS:
Series Title: A CHILD LOST (A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel #5) by Michelle Cox
Category: Adult Fiction (18+)
Genre: Historical Mystery
Publisher: She Writes Press
Release dates: April 2020
Content Rating: R: My book is rated R for 2 sex scenes
that are somewhat explicit but which are tastefully done. There is
periodic swearing (not excessive), but no violence.
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
A spiritualist, an insane asylum, a lost little girl . . .
When Clive, anxious to distract a depressed Henrietta, begs Sergeant
Frank Davis for a case, he is assigned to investigating a seemingly
boring affair: a spiritualist woman operating in an abandoned
schoolhouse on the edge of town who is suspected of robbing people of
their valuables. What begins as an open and shut case becomes more
complicated, however, when Henrietta―much to Clive’s dismay―begins to
believe the spiritualist's strange ramblings.
Meanwhile, Elsie begs Clive and Henrietta to help her and the object of
her budding love, Gunther, locate the whereabouts of one Liesel
Klinkhammer, the German woman Gunther has traveled to America to find
and the mother of the little girl, Anna, whom he has brought along with
him. The search leads them to Dunning Asylum, where they discover some
terrible truths about Liesel. When the child, Anna, is herself
mistakenly admitted to the asylum after an epileptic fit, Clive and
Henrietta return to Dunning to retrieve her. This time, however,
Henrietta begins to suspect that something darker may be happening. When
Clive doesn’t believe her, she decides to take matters into her own
hands . . . with horrifying results.
ORDER NOW:
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Amazon.com~ Barnes & Noble ~ Apple iBooks
IndieBound ~Google Store
Guest Post
Getting the Details Right
People
often tell me that my historical details (such as the furniture, music,
clothing, and settings) add so much to their experience of the series. Naturally, they then ask me about my research
process.
I wish
I had a good answer.
Something
like . . . I spent two years doing intensive research before I even started the
series, but, alas, no. Many of these details just already live in my head. I’ve
always had an affinity for the past and collect details the way other people
might collect sea shells.
I think this is something that started for me when I was a kid. I was always that kid that was sitting on the periphery listening to grandparents and aunts and uncles tell stories about “the old days,” which my siblings and cousins were off playing. I think I was cataloging details even then.
I think this is something that started for me when I was a kid. I was always that kid that was sitting on the periphery listening to grandparents and aunts and uncles tell stories about “the old days,” which my siblings and cousins were off playing. I think I was cataloging details even then.
Another
thing that helps, I think, is the fact that I adore big band music . . . to the
point that it can make me cry. That’s not normal! A while back, I compiled a
playlist of 1930s and 40s music and have been continuously playing this in my
car for about three years now. (Can I just say that my kids hate me?) But
listening to these songs not only transports me, but it adds to my
understanding of people’s mindsets back then and also gives me hints about
dialogue.
As for the furniture, one of the things I like to do on vacations is to tour old mansions or estates (another reason the kids hate me), and I try to catalog what I’m seeing as I walk through, though sometimes I cheat and buy the guide book in the gift store to jog my memory later.
The clothing is the only part I need help with. I can picture what they’re wearing, but I don’t have a fashion vocabulary in my head, so I did buy a giant book about fashion of the era which I refer to frequently.
As for the furniture, one of the things I like to do on vacations is to tour old mansions or estates (another reason the kids hate me), and I try to catalog what I’m seeing as I walk through, though sometimes I cheat and buy the guide book in the gift store to jog my memory later.
The clothing is the only part I need help with. I can picture what they’re wearing, but I don’t have a fashion vocabulary in my head, so I did buy a giant book about fashion of the era which I refer to frequently.
As for the settings, I
sort of did a blend of fictional and real places. At first I was trying to do a ton of research
to find out the name of a bar on a certain corner in Chicago in 1936, and I
realized that it wasn’t necessary to have that level of accuracy. That was something I gave myself permission
to fictionalize. The bigger landmarks,
such as The Green Mill, Dunning Asylum, or The Aragon Ballroom are enough, I’ve
found, to place people back in that time.
Lastly,
I’m a period drama junkie. Being an anglophile and also married to a Brit, I
think I’m watched every period drama ever made. Some of them don’t get the
details right, but many do, and I borrow their research. While I’m watching
what is happening with the characters on screen, a part of me is always looking
and collecting the detail in the background.
I’m always on a permanent fact-finding mission.
I
simply love the past. I feel like a part
of my brain always lives there, while the rest of me lives in this strange
modern world.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Michelle Cox is the author of the multiple award-winning Henrietta and
Inspector Howard series as well as "Novel Notes of Local Lore," a weekly
blog dedicated to Chicago's forgotten residents. She suspects she may
have once lived in the 1930s and, having yet to discover a handy time
machine lying around, has resorted to writing about the era as a way of
getting herself back there. Coincidentally, her books have been praised
by Kirkus, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist and many others,
so she might be on to something. Unbeknownst to most, Michelle hoards
board games she doesn't have time to play and is, not surprisingly,
addicted to period dramas and big band music. Also marmalade.
Connect with the Author:
TOUR SCHEDULE:
April 14 – Working Mommy Journal – book review / giveaway
April 15 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
April 16 – It’s All About the Book – book review
April 17 – Laura's Interests – book review / guest post / giveaway
Apr 17 - Books,Dreams,Life – book spotlight / guest post
April 20 – Hall Ways Blog – book review / giveaway
April 20 - I'm All About Books – book spotlight / giveaway
April 21 – T's Stuff – book review / author interview / giveaway
April 21 - eBook Addicts - book spotlight / giveaway
April 22 – Books and Zebras – book review
April 22 - Olio by Marilyn – book review / author interview / giveaway
April 22 - Book Corner News and Reviews - book review / giveaway
April 23 – Sahar's Blog – book review
April 24 – The World As I See It – book review
April 24 - Just Another Reader - book review
April 27 – Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway
April 27 - The avid reader - book spotlight
April 28 – She Just Loves Books – book review / giveaway
April 28 – michellemengsbookblog – book review
April 29 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
April 29 - A Madison Mom - book review / giveaway
April 29 - Mowgli with a book - book review
April 30 – Library of Clean Reads – book review / author interview / giveaway
May 1 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
May 3 - Jessica Belmont – book review
May 4 - Gwendalyn’s Books – book review / giveaway
May 4 - Adventurous Jessy – book review / giveaway
May 4 - Books, Tea, Healthy Me - book review / author interview / giveaway
May 5 - Falling Into A Good Book - book review / giveaway
May 6 - Leels Loves Books - book review / giveaway
May 6 - Down the Rabbit Hole - book review / guest post / giveaway
May 7 - Karma Readz - book review / author interview / giveaway
ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:
2 Comments
Thanks for spotlighting A Child Lost, Jasmine!! Excited to be featured by you!
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome! :)
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.