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On tour with Prism Book Tours...
by Taylor Dean
Paperback, 304 pages
Published June 7th 2012 by Createspace
Premise:
Zoe Grayson needs a change. So, she moves to another state, purchases
an old, dilapidated 1920s Victorian Mansion, and sets out to restore it to its former glory. As she begins the restoration, she finds herself falling in love with the old house . . . not to mention its illustrious builder, Mr. Lancaster. Zoe becomes obsessed with the house as she discovers its secrets; hidden rooms, secret passageways . . . and a mysterious man who seems to think the house is his. Who is he? More importantly, how does he live in her home unseen and unheard?
The unexpected answers leave her reeling—and questioning everything she’s ever known. To her dismay, Zoe’s actions land her in the local psychiatric hospital, scheming for ways to return to Lancaster House . . . and the love of her life.
by Taylor Dean
Paperback, 356 pages
Published November 26th 2012 by Create Space
Premise:
Zoe Grayson is back in Lancaster House, ordered to bed rest for the duration of her unexpected pregnancy. Doctor Wade Channing, her overzealous psychiatrist, is living in Lancaster House, taking care of her, waiting on her, and tending to her every need. It seems to be the perfect arrangement.
There’s just one catch.
She has to tell him her story—everything that has happened in her life since the moment she escaped from Serenity Hills. It’s been quite an adventure to include renovating another home and a walk down the middle aisle.
But, that’s all over now. Nothing is real. It never was.
How did she end up in this miserable situation?
An excerpt that
describes Lancaster House
*To learn about the
mansion that served as inspiration for writing Lancaster House . . . creep
back to the mysterious bedroom at Colorimetry and see where it takes you . . .
This excerpt is when
Zoe first enters Lancaster House. The Winchester Mystery
House definitely inspired
me to add secrets to Lancaster House!
Barbara
seemed hesitant to enter, but Zoe walked in enthusiastically, followed by Mrs.
Pearson. The entrance was grand with a large foyer and a magnificent staircase.
The upstairs landing was open to the floor below, providing a feeling of space.
Zoe zigzagged through the house, taking in every detail, commenting excitedly,
deliberately seeking out the oddities and squealing with delight when she
discovered them. The downstairs held three spacious living areas, each boasting
small built-ins, some with shelving, some with window seats. As she wandered
through the rooms, she opened every door she came across. Most revealed storage
closets or coat closets. However, the next door she discovered opened simply to
a wall. It was wallpapered like the wall surrounding it. The shock at seeing a
wall where you would normally see a room of some sort was disconcerting. Zoe
found herself wishing the door led to some kind of amazingly interesting alcove
she could investigate. Still, she laughed aloud at the craziness of it all and
continued her search for bizarre features. She wasn’t disappointed as she found
three more doors that opened to blank walls. The downstairs was somewhat of a
maze and it took her a few minutes to get her bearings. She loved the
mysterious nature of the floor plan; it didn’t follow the usual norm. The
hallways had alcoves that seemed to serve no purpose other than to provide
interesting architecture. Every unexpected twist and turn led you to a new area
of the house. In one corner, a circular staircase led straight up to a small
landing with one window, and that was it. It served no purpose whatsoever.
It
was fantastic.
Zoe
spent several minutes scrutinizing the kitchen. It was brilliantly modern and
updated which pleased her immensely. The previous owners had obviously spent
much of their budget here. Off the kitchen, she noticed another staircase.
Hoping this one really was another way to get to the second story, she
approached it with mounting excitement. Two
staircases? How cool is that? Instead, she found a staircase that
simply led to the ceiling. Just for the heck of it, she walked up it till her
head hit the ceiling and she had to hunch over to go any higher. Zoe sat on one
of the stairs with a satisfied smile on her face. Never in her life had she
discovered a house like this. It made her positively giddy.
Next,
she tried the door just off the kitchen. It was a huge butler’s pantry, lined
with useful deep shelves. At the back was a second door leading to another
staircase. This one went down, she assumed to the basement. Upon opening the
door at the bottom of the stairs, there was simply a brick wall. Her laughter
echoed off the walls. She should have known. Nothing is what it seems in this
house.
Once
the excitement of finding the eccentric features was over, she began to study
the intricacies of the home. She was fascinated with the woodwork. Once sanded
and polished it would be beautiful again. The floors were amazing, done with
hand-inlaid parquet. Elegant chandeliers still graced the ceilings, but they
were missing crystals and hung dejectedly. Marble fireplaces with heavy gold
mirrors above them graced each room. The mirrors seemed to have a fog over
them. It would take some elbow grease to bring them to life once again.
Frescoed ceilings with elaborate cornices kept her walking from room to room
just staring at the amazing ceilings—a work of art in and of themselves. Some
walls still held the original damask wallpaper, faded and peeling, but evident
nonetheless. Rich, dominant wainscoting covered the bottom half of nearly every
wall. The damage and neglect throughout the home was evident, but Zoe saw it
through rose-colored glasses. She didn’t see the disrepair, she saw what it
could be—she saw its potential.
She
fell in love with the house almost immediately.
They
made their way up the overly long staircase with Barbara sticking close to Zoe.
Zoe didn’t comment, but knew instinctively that Barbara was uncomfortable in
the close confines of the house. She had to suppress a giggle. Imagine that—a
real estate agent who was scared of old houses. It would appear she was in the
wrong business. Meanwhile, Mrs. Pearson spoke almost non-stop, fluttering about
with useless chatter. Barbara and Zoe both ignored her.
The
lengthy staircase was a striking feature that commanded attention. Unusual to
Victorian homes—it wasn’t merely functional—it was the centerpiece of the
house. Zoe was immediately taken with the banister. She ran her hands over it
respectfully, letting out her breath in wonder. It had obviously been hand
carved and the detail was incredible.
“The
builder of the house hand carved that banister himself. It was his pet project.
The history of the home states that it took him nearly a year to complete it.”
Barbara went on, oblivious to Zoe’s reaction. “I realize it’s now marred,
scraped, dented, and filled with dust in all the crevices of the carvings, but
it could easily be re-created. After all, in this day and age, new railings can
be made with machines, then delivered and installed in a matter of days.” Zoe
was so fascinated with the handiwork, she hardly heard her. “You could use the
old banister for firewood. Waste not, want not,” she added with a glittery
laugh.
“Bite
your tongue. This banister can easily be restored to its original
majesty. It’s so beautiful. I just can’t get over the detail. What an
amazing man he must have been.”
I
think peculiar fits him to a T,” Barbara muttered under her breath, perhaps
hoping Zoe wouldn’t hear her. But Zoe did hear and considered her revenge for
such blasphemous words. Perhaps she should hide in a closet and jump out at
her. The reaction would be priceless.
Once
upstairs, Zoe again searched out the oddities first. She loved them and found
they gave the house character. The upstairs held eight bedrooms of irregular
sizes and proportions. Zoe found three secret passageways between bedrooms.
They were obviously meant for children to crawl through for fun and were never
meant for nefarious purposes, removing all the mystery surrounding them, but
she loved them all the same. In some rooms, the only way to the next room was
through a door in the closet. If you didn’t look in the closet and discover the
door, you would never know the room existed. It was amazing and fun and she
felt as though she’d just discovered the funhouse at a carnival. Barbara found
no need to give the standard tour, nor did Zoe want one. Zoe was like a
hummingbird, flitting from room to room. She could hardly contain herself,
feeling akin to a child on Christmas morning. Some of the bedrooms were shaped
as octagons, and some seemed as though a wall had been built right down the
center, with the express purpose of cutting the room in half. Most of the rooms
had vaulted ceilings and interesting windows, some in circular shapes and
several with stained glass. Each work of stained glass was designed with open
buds of red roses, beautifully crafted as though the sun had just graced the
flower with its presence. Several rooms held dormer windows with window seats
that begged you to come and relax, bask in the sun, or curl up and read a book.
The design was remarkably creative. The upstairs architecture was just as
ornate as the downstairs.
Kinda
creepy, huh? To be honest, I scared myself while writing this book!
*To
learn why I scared myself while writing this book, come back and visit
tomorrow’s post . . . go for it, climb up this hidden stairwell . . . see
you on the other side at Beck Valley Books . . .
(Pictures can be sourced through http://pinterest.com/burgandyice/secret-passageways/)
About the Author:
Taylor Dean lives in Texas and is the mother of four grown children. Upon finding herself with an empty nest, she began to write the stories that were always wandering around in her head, quickly finding that she had a passion for writing, specifically romance. Whether it's paranormal, contemporary, or suspense-you'll find all sub-genres of romance in her line-up.
Lancaster House & The Middle Aisle, available in print or eCopy from Smashwords or Amazon:
Tour-Wide Giveaway:
5 WINNERS will receive....
Open only to those who can legally enter. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced on Rafflecopter and Grand Finale posts as well as emailed and the winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Burgandy Ice @ Colorimetry and Prism Book Tours and sponsored by Taylor Dean. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
The Tour:
2/12 – I Am A Reader, Not a Writer – Guest Post
2/13 - Fundinmental Guest Post
- Letters to the Cosmos – Review
2/14 – Oh, The Books You’ll Read – Review
- Proud Book Nerd – Guest Post
2/15 – LDS & Lovin’ It – Review
2/17 - Phantasmic Reads - Review
- Lavender & Camomile Press Guest Post
2/18 – The Reading Diaries – Guest Post
2/19 - Living a Goddess Life – Review
- Beck Valley Books – Guest Post
2/20 – Living the Goddess Life – Recipe
- Colorimetry
2/21 – Passion and Life – Guest Post
- Books Mystify – Goodreads Review
2/22 – Christy’s Cozy Corner – Review
2/24 – Christy’s Cozy Corner – Review
-
A Buckeye Girl Reads – Guest
Post
2/25 – Living a Goddess Life – Review
- Icultgen – Guest Post
2/26 – Who’s Thanny? (Byzinha) – Review
- Letters to the Cosmos – Review
2/28 – A Buckeye Girl Reads – Review
3/1 – Grand Finale TBA...
Thank you for featuring both Lancaster House and The Middle Aisle on your blog, Mandy! Thank you, also, for your amazing reviews! Much appreciated!
ReplyDelete-Taylor