Release Date: August 17th, 2015
The Sullivans, a family of hard-working Irish lawyers, came from nothing and built a life they can be proud of. The Deschanels amassed incredible wealth by siding with the North during the Civil War, betraying their people. Both New Orleans families have a dark and rich history, painted with secrets, treachery, and colorful, supernatural abilities.
The House of Crimson and Clover unravels the mysteries surrounding both families, pulling us further into their tangled, enigmatic lives.
EXCERPT
Eventide
iving no longer
interested me.
This decision was a rare instance of
clarity in nearly thirty years of debaucherous living. I could not pinpoint the
exact moment when it initially crossed my mind. Hell, I couldn’t tell you when
it went from a whim to a done deal. Like most things in my life, it didn’t
occur to me slowly. The idea did not evolve,
although looking back, every moment leading up to my realization essentially
shouted the same forgone conclusion.
There were plenty of assholes who
expected something like this from me years ago, after the accident that killed
off most of my family.
I grew up with four half-sisters.
Products of my father’s inability to stop rutting with his French maid. Sisters
my father loved far more than he ever loved his only son. This didn’t bother me
the way it should have. I grew up doing whatever I pleased, whenever I pleased,
however I pleased, and there was no one who cared enough to stop me. Even my
own mother, who I loved despite her faults, was too self-absorbed in misery of
her own creation to tend to my emotional needs.
What should have been an exclamation point in my life was, in reality, more of a footnote. My entire family–except my youngest sister, Adrienne–died in a car accident deep in bayou country. At the ever-so-tender age of twenty-one, I was faced with unfathomable tragedy. Most of the family biddies were on edge, waiting for me to do something characteristically selfish like drink myself into oblivion and walk down the Mississippi River levee naked.
But I was too stubborn to give the
Deschanel Sewing Circle the satisfaction of being right. Besides, I’d already
done my share of drinking naked on the levee. I could think of far more
creative ways to go off the deep end.
It was easier to let them believe I
didn't care. I loved my father even if he was a prick. I loved my conniving
mother, even if it was her fault he excluded me. And I loved my half-sisters
too, though they probably never knew it.
My illusion was apparently very
convincing. I should’ve been on suicide watch; people should’ve been concerned
for my frame of mind and personal safety. The kitchen at Ophélie should have been swimming with shitty casseroles. But it
wasn’t. Because no one saw me mourn. Friends, other family, our lawyers, staff
all assumed I didn’t care. They mistook my lack of tears as a sign of apathy.
Although beyond their understanding, I
did experience sadness. I grieved for what I could have had, but never did. And now, never would.
But this wasn’t why I came to Deschanel
Island to die. It had nothing to do with some repressed grief or inexorable
loneliness stemming from my crappy upbringing, or from my family’s accident.
That was almost a decade ago. I’d experienced very little heartache in my life
since, and despite my often dysfunctional rearing, I’d never been lonely. My
life had always been pretty fucking good, if I do say so. And up until a month
ago, I was happy.
I knew what people thought; I partied,
traveled, passed from one experience to another as a way of making up for the
lack of sincere affection in my life. I let people believe that because it
sounded a lot less fucked up than just admitting I preferred my lifestyle to
normalcy. I loved excess. I loved money. I loved women.
Of course, it was love, and my screwed up definition of it, which brought me to this
point.
About the author:
Sarah is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Paranormal Southern Fiction series, The House of Crimson & Clover. The series was born of her combined loves of New Orleans, family dramas, and the mysterious nature of love and desire. Her books combine elements of paranormal, mystery, suspense, intrigue, and romance. She is always working on the next book in the series, and absolutely loves connecting with her fans.
Sarah lives in the Pacific Northwest, but has traveled the world from Asia to Europe to Africa. When she isn’t working (either at her day career, or hard at work at writing), she is reading a book and discovering new authors. The great loves of her life (in order) are: her husband James, her writing, and traveling the world.
1 comment:
Thanks so much for the support!
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