Finding the Raven
Author: Patty Dickson Pieczka
Release Date: June 15, 2016
Keywords: Raven, Finding the Raven, 1904, St. Louis World's Fair, Fiction, Historical Fiction
Categories: Historical Fiction
Pages: 292
ISBN: 978-1530797974 & 1530797977
Imprint: White Stag
ONE LINER: A story of murder, betrayal and redemption as two young women struggle for survival against a backdrop of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.
Book Description:
When Julia Dulac's father is murdered onstage and her inheritance is swindled away, she must work through her grief and fear of poverty to find both the killer and a means of survival with help from the Raven, a black crystal that reveals images of past and future truths. While having the crystal appraised, Julia finds love and her life takes unexpected turns through mystery and betrayal against the backdrop of the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis.
Through the boarding house window, Julia overhears an argument between Rose and her wealthy father over Rose's illegitimate pregnancy. He drops Rose off, saying he will return in one year, that she must be either single and childless or respectably married. Though from completely different backgrounds, Julia and Rose become fast friends, facing lessons of survival and redemption as their fates become irrevocably entwined.
CHARACTER INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW WITH CLARICE D'ARBONNIER, 1904
SB: Miss D'Arbonnier, my name is Simon Bunch, and I'm with the World's Fair Newsletter, which will appear in the Sunday edition of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. You've been developing quite a reputation as a fortuneteller here at the fair, so I'll begin by asking how you first discovered your "abilities."
CD: The blood moon reached down and stole my man. He stopped breathing right there in my arms with those evil red handprints around his neck. Ever since then, I hear his voice. He tells me things through the wind in the leaves.
SB: You expect our readers to believe. . .
CD: I know where your grandpa hid that cashbox.
SB: What? How could you know anything about that?
CD: I send my shadow out into the night, and it brings back secrets. The river whispers into my ear, and the spirits visit my dreams.
SB: But surely you must know how this sounds to our readers.
CD: Let it sound like anything you want. I know what I know.
SB: Where's the cashbox?
CD: Aren't you supposed to be asking about my work?
SB: Alright, let's get back on track. Are you from the St. Louis area?
CD: No. I'm from New Orleans. But I'm thinking of staying on here when the fair is over this winter. Nothing is as it seems here. People need my help.
SB: When you say, "nothing is as it seems?" Do you refer to the city government?
CD: If I am, I wouldn't tell you.
SB: Fair enough, I suppose. Do you consider these "talents" to be more of a blessing or a curse?
CD: If you don't stop curling your fingers at me with those quotes, they might catch fire.
SB: Answer the question, please, Miss D'Arbonnier.
CD: Once the ghosts came into my life, it's hard to get any peace. They have no manners — don't care whether I'm trying to sleep or if I'm in the middle of changing my dress. But they keep me from evil and tell me what I need to know. Mostly, it's a gift.
SB: Does this "gift" extend to yourself as well as other people? Did you know your "friend" was in trouble?
CD: I warned you about those fingers. But you're right, the vision is clearer at a distance. I'm a lot like all the others. I don't want to know what my heart tells me. Truth is the brightest light, and sometimes it blinds us to look at it.
SB: Many people are skeptical about your line of work. Some go as far as to say you're a fake.
CD: Say that again, and I'll turn you into a crawdad. . . . Oh, and look under the clothesline pole in your backyard.
SB: Really? Oh yes, yes I will! Thank you, Miss D'Arbonnier, you've been most informative.
About the Author
Patty Dickson Pieczka's second book, Painting the Egret's Echo,, won the Library of Poetry Book Award from Bitter Oleander Press. Other books are Lacing through Time, and Word Paintings. Winner of the Francis Locke Memorial Poetry Contest, the I SPS contest, and the Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest, she's contributed to over fifty journals and graduated from Southern Illinois University's creative writing program.
Author: Patty Dickson Pieczka
Release Date: June 15, 2016
Keywords: Raven, Finding the Raven, 1904, St. Louis World's Fair, Fiction, Historical Fiction
Categories: Historical Fiction
Pages: 292
ISBN: 978-1530797974 & 1530797977
Imprint: White Stag
ONE LINER: A story of murder, betrayal and redemption as two young women struggle for survival against a backdrop of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.
Book Description:
When Julia Dulac's father is murdered onstage and her inheritance is swindled away, she must work through her grief and fear of poverty to find both the killer and a means of survival with help from the Raven, a black crystal that reveals images of past and future truths. While having the crystal appraised, Julia finds love and her life takes unexpected turns through mystery and betrayal against the backdrop of the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis.
Through the boarding house window, Julia overhears an argument between Rose and her wealthy father over Rose's illegitimate pregnancy. He drops Rose off, saying he will return in one year, that she must be either single and childless or respectably married. Though from completely different backgrounds, Julia and Rose become fast friends, facing lessons of survival and redemption as their fates become irrevocably entwined.
Buy Links:
CHARACTER INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW WITH CLARICE D'ARBONNIER, 1904
SB: Miss D'Arbonnier, my name is Simon Bunch, and I'm with the World's Fair Newsletter, which will appear in the Sunday edition of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. You've been developing quite a reputation as a fortuneteller here at the fair, so I'll begin by asking how you first discovered your "abilities."
CD: The blood moon reached down and stole my man. He stopped breathing right there in my arms with those evil red handprints around his neck. Ever since then, I hear his voice. He tells me things through the wind in the leaves.
SB: You expect our readers to believe. . .
CD: I know where your grandpa hid that cashbox.
SB: What? How could you know anything about that?
CD: I send my shadow out into the night, and it brings back secrets. The river whispers into my ear, and the spirits visit my dreams.
SB: But surely you must know how this sounds to our readers.
CD: Let it sound like anything you want. I know what I know.
SB: Where's the cashbox?
CD: Aren't you supposed to be asking about my work?
SB: Alright, let's get back on track. Are you from the St. Louis area?
CD: No. I'm from New Orleans. But I'm thinking of staying on here when the fair is over this winter. Nothing is as it seems here. People need my help.
SB: When you say, "nothing is as it seems?" Do you refer to the city government?
CD: If I am, I wouldn't tell you.
SB: Fair enough, I suppose. Do you consider these "talents" to be more of a blessing or a curse?
CD: If you don't stop curling your fingers at me with those quotes, they might catch fire.
SB: Answer the question, please, Miss D'Arbonnier.
CD: Once the ghosts came into my life, it's hard to get any peace. They have no manners — don't care whether I'm trying to sleep or if I'm in the middle of changing my dress. But they keep me from evil and tell me what I need to know. Mostly, it's a gift.
SB: Does this "gift" extend to yourself as well as other people? Did you know your "friend" was in trouble?
CD: I warned you about those fingers. But you're right, the vision is clearer at a distance. I'm a lot like all the others. I don't want to know what my heart tells me. Truth is the brightest light, and sometimes it blinds us to look at it.
SB: Many people are skeptical about your line of work. Some go as far as to say you're a fake.
CD: Say that again, and I'll turn you into a crawdad. . . . Oh, and look under the clothesline pole in your backyard.
SB: Really? Oh yes, yes I will! Thank you, Miss D'Arbonnier, you've been most informative.
About the AuthorPatty Dickson Pieczka's second book, Painting the Egret's Echo,, won the Library of Poetry Book Award from Bitter Oleander Press. Other books are Lacing through Time, and Word Paintings. Winner of the Francis Locke Memorial Poetry Contest, the I SPS contest, and the Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest, she's contributed to over fifty journals and graduated from Southern Illinois University's creative writing program.
Author Links:
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The book description sounds intriguing. Thanks for sharing. Love the character interview too.
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