Please check out the lineup and see if any of these novels -- mystery, suspense, paranormal, romance -- from an award-winning author are your "cup of tea."
Best,
Gerrie Ferris Finger
Gerrie Ferris Finger, Author
Showing posts with label romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label romance. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Friday, May 4, 2012
The Artist and Whispering: The Year of 1920 Historicals.
I love historical novels and last year had published two that were set in the 1920s. I love the period because a great cultural change happened in America: World War I, then called The Great War ended, women got the vote, and that misguided law that created Prohibition and its ills - elevating gangsters to idols - went into effect only to be repealed when saner lawmakers got to Congress. These changes were reflected in the language, clothing, art and archetectural styles, to name a few, but mostly in the attitudes of young people. The Flapper Era had begun.
Whispering isn't The Artist. It's not about silent films or stars, it's a romance set on an island that reflected the cultural changes and a change or heart and mind in heroine, Cleo Snow.
It's 1921. Cleo travels with her cousin, Neill Connolly, to Sago Island, Ga. to lessen the sadness of her fiance's death in The Great War (later called World War I). He'd been missing, presumed killed in France, and his body recently returned home.
America's victory celebration is in full swing. Cleo is poised between her Victorian raising and post-war liberal ideas. Hemlines are rising. Jargon is spicier. Songs are racier. The fox trot is the cat’s meow. Everyone smokes coffin nails. The great experiment, Prohibition, has ushered in an epoch of fascinating gangsters and illegal speakeasies. Drinking and dancing go together like bathtub gin and painted dolls.
On Sago Island Cleo meets fly-boy hero Graham Henry, the dazzling son of a steel magnate. They fall in love dancing to "Whispering", the rage song of the year. Complicating their love-at-first-sight is Shafer and Josie Drake. Shafer is Graham's cousin. He lost his liquor business and knows he's about to lose his money-loving wife, Josie.
The morning after the dance, Josie is missing. A note she purportedly wrote says she's leaving the island to get a divorce and marry Graham. Graham swears the note's a lie and that he and Josie were nothing more than "boozing" companions.
Where did Josie go and when? Did she return to New York where she once danced in the Ziegfeld Follies? No one saw her leave the island. But Cleo knows Graham had nothing to do with her disappearance because Cleo was with him in the lighthouse the night Josie vanished. Cleo vows she will never confess to making love with a man she's known only two days. But Will Graham compromise Cleo to clear himself?
Island resident, the enigmatic Doc Holliday, who is said to be related to the infamous gunslinger, is a veterinarian and a falconer. His falcon, Billy, captures Cleo’s severely crushed heart. Cleo captures Doc’s heart, but she’s reeling over her gullibility. Will he win her with his darkly sensuous charm?
Everyone on Sago, it seems, has something to hide, even villagers who distill homemade "hooch" - and it all pivots around Josie and Graham. With her spirit firmed by shame and outrage, Cleo vows to uncover the truth and thus keep her own secret.
Happy Reading
Gerrie
On sale at: http://amzn.to/vnkv7u
Gerrie Ferris Finger
http://www.crimewritersblog.blogspot.com
The sequel to The End Game (titled The Last Temptation) will be relased in July 2012. These novels represent my contemporary writing period, which exists alongside my historical writing period. :-D
Friday, January 27, 2012
WHISPERING - a Night Owl Top Reviewer Pick
Night Owl Reviews
http://amzn.to/scXRp0
Score: 4.50 / 5 - Reviewer Top Pick
I love reading historical romance and mysteries set in the past, but I have never had a story so utterly transport me to another time and place as Gerrie Ferris Finger's WHISPERING.
The author manages to perfectly capture a sense of the past, in this case the 1920s, by writing with careful attention to the language the characters use, the descriptions of their clothing and the historical events that impact them, such as the effect of World War I.
In the story, interesting and independent heroine Cleo Snow travels with her cousin to Sago Island, Georgia. The trip is meant to be a vacation of sorts from her work as a nurse and a chance to get past the grief she feels over losing her fiance in The Great War
Upon arriving at the palatial home of her cousin's friend, Graham Henry, Cleo is struck with an instant attraction to the smooth-talking former fly boy. When a woman disappears from the island, claiming she'd been having an affair with Graham, Cleo sets about to solve the mystery of the woman's disappearance. Island resident, vet and falconer Doc Holliday, is another source of attraction and a bit of mystery for Cleo.
Cleo is an utterly charming heroine, intelligent and curious about every new experience. She comes to the island with personal wounds, but a cunning and perceptive eye that helps her to discover the secrets of its residents. Most impressive, after great loss, she has the courage to risk her heart again. The ending of the story gives me hope that there are more Cleo Snow stories to come, and I can't wait. WHISPERING is the perfect blend of romance, suspense and a vivid historical setting.
Jan 26, 2012
http://www.nightowlreviews.com/nor/Reviews/Christy-Carlyle-reviews-Whispering-by-Gerrie-Ferris-Finger.aspx
Happy Reading,
Christy Carlyle
The Night Owl Reviews Team
WEtap Media, LLC
2459 SE TV HWY, #153
Hillsboro, Oregon 97123
http://www.nightowlreviews.com
http://amzn.to/scXRp0
Sunday, December 18, 2011
WHISPERING - an Excerpt
It's 1921, the Great War (WWI) is over, Prohibition is the law of the land. Women now have the vote, the flapper era has begun.
After cognac had been served and Neill and Teddy yawned themselves to their feet pleading exhaustion, she found herself next to Graham, walking down the hall to the bottom of the staircase. She swallowed the knot at the back of her throat.
“Would you like a moonlight walk on the beach?” he asked.
She stood with her hand on the banister, unable to meet his eyes. “I need sleep.”
“I bet. Traveling can give one the screaming meemies.”
She grinned at him. “More like swooning.”
He covered her hand with his. “No swooning, it’s out of fashion.”
“I see you’re a slave to fashion.”
“Absolutely. My own idea of fashion.”
“You dress very smart.” What a dumb thing to say.
“That’s because a smartly-dressed man can hide a multitude of idiocies.”
“What idiocies?”
“Ummm, I don’t confess everything to a woman I’ve just met, no matter how gorgeous. Wait until tomorrow.”
“I shall.” She placed a foot on the first step. “Time …”
“Teddy has taken to you, too, you know.”
“Teddy is fun.”
“If fun’s not included, Teddy doesn’t do it.”
“Like you?”
“I look for a little fun in my life.”
“I guess so, after that beastly war.”
“It was beastly, but there were happy times.”
“You can say that now you’re safe at home.”
“I say, Cleo, I am sorry about …”
She bobbed her head trying to see William in her mind, but his image didn’t come. How could it, she thought, with all the unfocused emotions swirling there?
He drew in a breath. “I want to see happiness in those marvelous green eyes.”
How could she forget the sharp pain of those unhappy days? “I am happy.”
“But sometimes a little melancholy?”
“What’s wrong with melancholy?”
“We at Southerness do not tolerate melancholy.” He lifted her chin with a finger. “Got that, little Bearcat?”
She was not sure if she could get the words out of her mouth to say that her mood was beyond categorizing. She drew away from his finger. “Good night, Graham.”
“Can I ask you something?”
She held her breath for a second. “Yes.”
“Promise a walk on the beach tomorrow night? The lighthouse shows best by moonlight.” He sensed her hesitation because he squeezed her arm. “I’m harmless.”
She gave him her best I-don’t-believe-that-for-a-minute smirk. “What if it rains?”
“It wouldn’t dare. What say?”
“Let’s see about tomorrow.”
“That’s not a no.”
“No, it’s not a no.”
“I’m a happy fella then.”
“Good night.”
“Golf after breakfast?”
“I shall give it my best,” she said.
He went off singing, Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina
Finally – she could take a deep breath.
*****
Thanks for reading. I'd appreciate your comments.
Gerrie Ferris Finger
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
THE GHOST SHIP - Blending history and fiction
A famous tall ship and an adventurous woman...what they could do for the world
What if you could go back to 1921 and climb aboard a great five-masted schooner on her maiden voyage?
You’d be a witness to history; you’d be on her decks when her keel smashed into an Outer Banks shoal. You’d get to know the villains who caused the tragedy. Was it pirates, Russians, rumrunners? Or something else?
Would you dare?
Ann Gavrion did and her life was never the same.
THE HISTORY:
One cold, foggy morning in January, 1921, a five-masted schooner in full sail plowed into Diamond Shoal in the infamous Graveyard of the Atlantic. Known to history as The Ghost Ship, her officers and crew were not on board and their bodies never washed ashore. The only living thing on board was a six-toed cat. Also, her anchors and lifeboats were missing. Six agencies investigated the mystery, but it was never solved.
THE NOVEL:
Ninety years later, Ann Gavrion travels to Cape Hatteras to get over the loss of her fiancé in an airplane crash. She meets the enigmatic, yet charming, Lawrence Curator on the beach.
Behind her she hears the cries of villagers. “Shipwreck!”
A surfman runs up and shouts that the missing schooner, her sails set, is aground on the shoal. Ann recognizes the enormous ship from a photograph she’d seen the night before.
So begins her journey back to 1921 with the man the Navy sent to investigate the grounding of the great ship.
When Lawrence and Ann solve the mystery, Ann must return to her world. On the very beach where she’d begun her voyage with Lawrence, she meets his great-grandson, Rod. Exhausted, wet, she spills an account of her fabulous sea adventure. He calls her a charlatan and accuses her of using his famous ancestor to write a first person account of the tragedy for her magazine.
How many times, how many ways, must she prove that her voyage was real to Rod and the unbelievers of the world?
Available at: http://tiny.cc/9hrsy
Gerrie Ferris Finger
http://www.gerrieferrisfinger.com
What if you could go back to 1921 and climb aboard a great five-masted schooner on her maiden voyage?
You’d be a witness to history; you’d be on her decks when her keel smashed into an Outer Banks shoal. You’d get to know the villains who caused the tragedy. Was it pirates, Russians, rumrunners? Or something else?Would you dare?
Ann Gavrion did and her life was never the same.
THE HISTORY:
One cold, foggy morning in January, 1921, a five-masted schooner in full sail plowed into Diamond Shoal in the infamous Graveyard of the Atlantic. Known to history as The Ghost Ship, her officers and crew were not on board and their bodies never washed ashore. The only living thing on board was a six-toed cat. Also, her anchors and lifeboats were missing. Six agencies investigated the mystery, but it was never solved.
THE NOVEL:
Ninety years later, Ann Gavrion travels to Cape Hatteras to get over the loss of her fiancé in an airplane crash. She meets the enigmatic, yet charming, Lawrence Curator on the beach.
Behind her she hears the cries of villagers. “Shipwreck!”
A surfman runs up and shouts that the missing schooner, her sails set, is aground on the shoal. Ann recognizes the enormous ship from a photograph she’d seen the night before.
So begins her journey back to 1921 with the man the Navy sent to investigate the grounding of the great ship.
When Lawrence and Ann solve the mystery, Ann must return to her world. On the very beach where she’d begun her voyage with Lawrence, she meets his great-grandson, Rod. Exhausted, wet, she spills an account of her fabulous sea adventure. He calls her a charlatan and accuses her of using his famous ancestor to write a first person account of the tragedy for her magazine.
How many times, how many ways, must she prove that her voyage was real to Rod and the unbelievers of the world?
Available at: http://tiny.cc/9hrsy
Gerrie Ferris Finger
http://www.gerrieferrisfinger.com
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
WHEN SERPENTS DIE, a Long and Short Review
When Serpents Die: Laura Kate Plantation Series Book I
Author: Gerrie Ferris
Publisher: Desert Breeze Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense
Length: Full (171 pages)
Heat: SensualRating: 5
Reviewed by Stephantois
Laura Kate O'Connell left her life of excitement as an overseas news correspondent to return to her Georgia hometown to raise her two young cousins. When Royce Lee, Laura Kate's attorney, supposedly commits suicide, too many pieces of evidence tell a different story. Her instincts as an investigative reporting are tingling, and she just can't leave it alone.
She meets Jack Rhodes, Royce's business partner. Sparks fly, but can she really trust a man she knows nothing about? And why is it that every time something new develops in the case, he seems to be there? Warnings to back off escalate to an attempt on her life. Now, for Laura Kate, it's more than just a mystery.
Depending on Jack might be a mistake, but if Laura Kate can get past his southern charms and the nervous way Jack makes her feel, she may get the facts, solve the case, and even save her own life.
...
I really enjoyed this book. I love a good mystery and this one didn’t disappoint me in any way. Laura Kate is a great sleuth. Every character jumps off the page. The dialogue sounds so natural it’s almost as if you’re overhearing a conversation. And the southern setting of this book added to the enjoyment. The smells, the manners of the South all added wonderful colorful layers to the plot.
There are the essential quirky characters, the red herring, and there’s even a trial going on in town while Laura’s trying to figure out if Royce took his own life.
Laura Kate is a series character and Ferris does a first class job of laying in back story and not giving away too much too soon. All the characters were likely suspects, there were twist and turns I didn’t see coming and it was a pleasure to read.
Ferris also added some romantic suspense elements into the mix by introducing Jack as a possible love interest for Laura. I can’t wait to see what happens between these two in the next book of the series. And for that matter, read more of Ferris’ work.If you like a good mystery with a cast of colorful characters, put this one on your must read list.
Author: Gerrie Ferris
Publisher: Desert Breeze Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense
Length: Full (171 pages)
Heat: SensualRating: 5
Reviewed by Stephantois
Laura Kate O'Connell left her life of excitement as an overseas news correspondent to return to her Georgia hometown to raise her two young cousins. When Royce Lee, Laura Kate's attorney, supposedly commits suicide, too many pieces of evidence tell a different story. Her instincts as an investigative reporting are tingling, and she just can't leave it alone.
She meets Jack Rhodes, Royce's business partner. Sparks fly, but can she really trust a man she knows nothing about? And why is it that every time something new develops in the case, he seems to be there? Warnings to back off escalate to an attempt on her life. Now, for Laura Kate, it's more than just a mystery.
Depending on Jack might be a mistake, but if Laura Kate can get past his southern charms and the nervous way Jack makes her feel, she may get the facts, solve the case, and even save her own life.
...
I really enjoyed this book. I love a good mystery and this one didn’t disappoint me in any way. Laura Kate is a great sleuth. Every character jumps off the page. The dialogue sounds so natural it’s almost as if you’re overhearing a conversation. And the southern setting of this book added to the enjoyment. The smells, the manners of the South all added wonderful colorful layers to the plot.
There are the essential quirky characters, the red herring, and there’s even a trial going on in town while Laura’s trying to figure out if Royce took his own life.
Laura Kate is a series character and Ferris does a first class job of laying in back story and not giving away too much too soon. All the characters were likely suspects, there were twist and turns I didn’t see coming and it was a pleasure to read.
Ferris also added some romantic suspense elements into the mix by introducing Jack as a possible love interest for Laura. I can’t wait to see what happens between these two in the next book of the series. And for that matter, read more of Ferris’ work.If you like a good mystery with a cast of colorful characters, put this one on your must read list.
Friday, February 12, 2010
BOOK OF THE WEEK FROM LASR
Received this email this morning: Won't add to the bank account, but am delighted to get a perfect review and the possible honor of Book of the Week.
From Long and Short Review:
We offer a weekend poll at The Long and the Short of It romance reviews-- we want to know which book or story sounds like the best read based on our reviews. The winning author gets a nifty button and the privilege of having their book or story featured at the top of that page the entire next week!
Your story "When Serpents Die" was reviewed by us this week and is up for Book of the Week honor this weekend (voting runs from Saturday, 2/13, through Sunday, 2/14). We thought you might like to know. You can find the information here on Saturday:
http://www.longandshortreviews.com/LASR/recentrev.htm
Thanks and good luck!
Judyhttp://www.longandshortreviews.com/"Reviewing Romance One Happy Ever After at a Time"
From Long and Short Review:
We offer a weekend poll at The Long and the Short of It romance reviews-- we want to know which book or story sounds like the best read based on our reviews. The winning author gets a nifty button and the privilege of having their book or story featured at the top of that page the entire next week!
Your story "When Serpents Die" was reviewed by us this week and is up for Book of the Week honor this weekend (voting runs from Saturday, 2/13, through Sunday, 2/14). We thought you might like to know. You can find the information here on Saturday:
http://www.longandshortreviews.com/LASR/recentrev.htm
Thanks and good luck!
Judyhttp://www.longandshortreviews.com/"Reviewing Romance One Happy Ever After at a Time"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)