Hi lovelies! It
gives me great pleasure today to host Linda Nightingale and her new book, “Her
General in Gray”! For other stops on her
Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of
the images in this post.
Be sure to make
it to the end of this post to enter to win a pair of Black Diamond Earrings and
an eBook of the featured book, “Her General in Gray,” – BOTH prizes to ONE
lucky winner!! In addition, there will
be a SECOND winner that will win a digital choice of one of the author's
backlist books!! Yep – that’s
right!! There will be TWO lucky
winners!! Also, come back daily to
interact with Linda and to increase your chances of winning!
Thanks for
stopping by! Wishing you lots of luck in
this fabulous giveaway!
Her General in
Gray
by Linda
Nightingale
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Paranormal Romance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Autumn Hartley
purchases Allen Hall at a steal, but the northern lass gets far more than a
beautiful plantation in the South Carolina Low Country. The house comes
complete with its own ghost, a handsome and charming Civil War General—for the
Confederacy. The stage is set for another civil conflict.
John Sibley Allen
died in battle from a wound in the back, the bullet fired by the turncoat, Beauregard
Dudley. The traitor’s reincarnation is Autumn the Interloper’s first dinner
guest. Sib bedevils her date and annoys her with fleeting, phantom touches,
certain he can frighten her away as he did previous purchasers. As time marches
on, her resident ghost becomes more appealing while her suitor, Beau, pales in
comparison. Autumn finds her ability to love didn’t perish in the divorce that
sent her south seeking a fresh start.
After over a
century in the hereafter, Sib discovers he is falling for none other than the
feisty Yankee girl, but what future could a modern woman and an old-fashioned
ghost possibly hope for?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
TWO:
In
an age of smart phones and tablets, she stood for a moment contemplating the
past. The temptation was almost too much
for her, but she’d started to fold the dress back into its resting place when a
hand landed on her shoulder.
Sib’s
voice was soft and tender. “The dress belonged to my mother. She wore it at a ball before the war. It appears to be in passable condition. Why
don’t you try it on? I’ve imagined you
so attired.”
“I’m
a Northerner, remember? I’m surprised you offer your mother’s gown to me.” She
turned, the green frock draped over her arm. “Where have you been anyway?”
“Here.
All the time. I was simply playing along with your game of asking for my
disappearance.”
She
stiffened. “Don’t play games with me. My
mother used to do that. It was disturbing and hurtful to a child.”
“You
reveal more of yourself every moment, and I’m enjoying getting to know
you. Very well, I’ll share something
about me. My father—what do you call it
today?—cheated on my mother. More than once.. I’d hear her crying at night.
Thus, I would have been true to my wife.” Eyes sad, he nodded at the
dress. “I’d like to see you in that,
Autumn. We are becoming friends. She
would have approved. I’ll assist with
the buttons.”
“Turn
your back. I’ll have to get undressed.” She motioned at him. “I’ve no desire
for a ghost to see me in my bra and panties.”
He
chuckled, his big grin enticing. “Such modesty. Actually, I was anticipating
that view. Anyway, I’ve seen you in your
underwear before.”
“You
Peeping Tom!” She accused, shaking a fist at him. “Will I have no privacy? Do you follow me to
the bathroom, too?”
“No,
Ma’am.” He shook his head, his hair
moving in soft waves. “I was simply in
my bedroom when you changed into your nightgown.”
“It’s
not your bedroom. This is my house, and don’t you forget it.” She glared at
him.
He
snapped a smart military salute. “Yes, commander.”
“Turn
around.” She slid her sweatshirt over her head and slithered out of her
sweatpants. “You are…such an annoyance.”
“Thank
you. I couldn’t be more offended.”
A
strange feeling of awe washed over her as she slid the beautiful gown over her
head. “Okay. I’m ready for help with the buttons.”
The
touch of his fingers filled her with an emotion she’d thought dead. A thrill actually rippled over her. Perhaps, because he was no threat. The
General couldn’t break her heart as Chad had done. That dreadful affair seemed as far in the
past as the dress of rustling satin. He was the VP at the agency, and their
brief association and parting had twisted her feelings into knots.
“You’re
tense.” Sib stroked her back. “I sense it isn’t the dress.”
“I’ll
tell you later.” She spun, swirling the skirt. “What do you think?”
“I
think you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
“You’ve
got to be kidding.” A very sweet emotion
seeped through her.
“Not
in the least.” He offered her an old-fashioned bow.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GUEST
POST:
The Inspiration for Her General in Gray
My inspiration for
Her General in Gray was a movie made
in the year I was born [no it wasn’t a silent movie!] but I hate to say it was
quite a long time ago. In 1947, Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison starred in the
film The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. I was born on December 27 of that momentous
year. So, needless to say, it was a few days before I watched the flick.
A very short
version of the story is: In 1900, a young widow finds her seaside cottage is
haunted...and forms a unique relationship with the ghost.
Rex Harrison was
dashing as the sea captain (deceased), and John Sibley Allen, the hero in Her General in Gray, is quite the
charmer too. Incidentally, John Sibley
Allen was my grandfather’s actual name, and like his namesake was called
Sib. He was tall, dark and handsome—part
Native American (Cherokee)—who loved the ladies and was loved by the ladies in
return. That’s why my aunt was born six
weeks after I came screaming into this world.
Once I have a name
and an overall idea of the character, I let him or her tell the story and
introduce the other stars of my storybook show.
Usually, the first character to take the stage is the hero, but in this
instance, Autumn, the heroine, jumped to the foreground. The first chapter is from her POV, and the second
is from Sib’s.
One exchange on
the first page more or less sets the mood for the story:
“I don’t believe in ghosts.
You’re not welcome here. I bought this house and am struggling to pay
for it. Get your Halloween self out of
my living room.” [Autumn speaking]
He smiled. “It’s not
Halloween, and we share this house. It
was mine, you know, and still is. I’m
willing to share it with you—even if you are a Yankee. After all, the conflict is over, and I’ll
hold no grudge against the Northern aggressors. Even though the South will
never surrender.”
I wonder what
Grandpa would think of my using his name for a Confederate general. Mental snap
of my fingers—I must tell his daughter (my aunt) that I used her father’s name
in one of my flights of fantasy.
The tension is set
immediately between Autumn and Sib.
She’s from Massachusetts, and the plantation is his family home. The
Confederate general isn’t pleased that a Yankee has moved into Allen Hall.
I’m a South
Carolinian, transplanted to Texas (I love the Lone Star State bunches, too) and
set many of my tales in the Low Country near Charleston. If I could choose any place to own a summer
home, it would be on the Battery in Charleston.
The famous Battery faces the Atlantic and is a graceful street lined
with Antebellum mansions. I simply love driving back and forth on the Battery
looking at the homes and imagining their ‘lives’. Years ago, I did this, up and down, until the
residents must have thought I lived there.
I had the top down. The sun rushed in. The wind tossed my hair. (you get
the idea) This trip with no destination was dedicated to choosing the home of
my hero in one of my vampire novels, Sinners’ Opera, but that’s another story,
literally.
I’ve wandered a
long way from sharing my inspiration to discussing the setting, but Charleston
is also part of the inspiration for Her
General in Gray. The very fact that he is a blueblood from the Low Country
and she’s a Yankee is grounds for another civil war.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR
BIO:
Born in South
Carolina, Linda has lived in
England, Canada, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Atlanta and Houston. She’s seen a lot of this country from the
windshield of a truck pulling a horse trailer, having bred, trained and showed
Andalusian horses for many years.
Linda has won
several writing awards, including the Georgia Romance Writers Magnolia Award
and the SARA Merritt. She is the mother
of two wonderful sons, a retired legal assistant, member of the Houston Miata
Club, and enjoys events with that car club.
Among her favorite things are her snazzy black convertible and her
parlor grand piano. She loves to dress
up and host formal dinner parties.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CONNECT
WITH LINDA:
Website:
Visit
and look around. There’s a free continuing vampire story.
Blog:
Lots
of interesting guests & prizes.
Facebook:
Twitter:
Pinterest:
Goodreads Author Page:
Goodreads Book Page:
Amazon Author Page:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOOK BUY
LINKS:
Amazon Kindle:
Barnes and Noble:
Kobo:
Google Play:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY
INFO:
Linda will be awarding Black Diamond Earrings
and an eBook of Her General in Gray (International Giveaway) to one winner via
Rafflecopter, and a second winner will receive a digital choice of one of the
author's backlist during the tour.
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a
purchase made I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just
helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**
This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and
Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions. Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not
Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are
solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Linda ~ It is great to have you here! Congrats on your new book and good luck on the book tour! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ally, for such a wonderful introduction. I appreciate your letting us (my characters and me) visit your lovely blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the excerpt and awesome giveaway as well.
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you. Thanks for visiting!
DeleteSounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteHi Rita, thanks. I fell in love with Sib, but maybe because it was my grandfather's name. So glad to see you here!
DeleteGood Friday Afternoon! Have a great day and thanks for all you do for us.
ReplyDeleteA bright and sunny good morning to you! Thanks for the giveaway and all you do.
ReplyDeleteHello! Have a terrific day and thanks for the opportunity to win
ReplyDeleteHappy Hump Day! Thanks once again for the chance at winning!
ReplyDeleteRainy day here in Michigan Hope your day is full of sunshine & fun. Thanks for the chance at winning!
ReplyDeleteTGIF!!!! The best day of the week for so many. Hope it's a good one for you and thanks for the chance at winning.
ReplyDeleteHello!! Have a great Saturday and thank you once again for the giveaway and chance at winning.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the chance at winning, thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteGood Afternoon, Happy Friday! Thanks once again for the opportunity to win!
ReplyDeleteGood Morning! Wishing you a fun filled Saturday. Enjoy and thanks again for the giveaway
ReplyDeleteGood Monday Afternoon! Have a great week and thanks for all you do and bringing us this giveaway.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for bringing us this giveaway along with many others as well.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your Friday and thanks again for the chance at winning!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the chance to win, thanks so much and have an enjoyable Saturday!
ReplyDeleteSunday blessings to you and your family. Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteHope your Monday is terrific along with the rest of the week. Thanks for the chance at winning!
ReplyDeleteGood Afternoon! Been missing my entries between work and trying to fix up this old home I bought. Back today finally to once again thank you for the chance at winning.
ReplyDeleteHappy Sunday! Hope it's going great for you. Thanks for the chance at winning!
ReplyDeleteHave a great day and thank you for giving all of us the opportunity to win.
ReplyDeleteHappy Hump Day and thanks for the chance at winning.
ReplyDeleteNot such a nice day here in Michigan today. Hope it's sunny where you are. Thanks for all you do bringing us such terrific giveaways to enter.
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday! Hope it's a fun one for you and thanks for the opportunity to win.
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