Happy Anniversary to Twelfth Night at Eyre Hall #SundayBlogShare

Twelfth Night at Eyre Hall went live on amazon on 28th of August 2015.

Brief Blurb:

More secrets and shocking revelations at Eyre Hall in this Victorian Gothic Romance. Mystery and suspense will unfold in a breathtaking family saga, which will transport the reader into the haunting Yorkshire countryside, to gruesome Victorian London, and across the Atlantic Ocean to Colonial Jamaica.

Reviews.

I have 19 reviews on Amazon US and 7 on Amazon UK.

Some of the things readers have said:

‘The various first person voices are all totally distinct so that I felt like I was catching up with old friends as I read. I can’t wait for the third book in the trilogy to be published and again, although ‘Twelfth Night at Eyre Hall’ is crafted with a hugely satisfying ending, there is potential for an incredible finale to the trilogy. Brilliant.’

‘You felt like you were in the story. Enjoyed very much, cannot wait to read second book. You really cannot put this Down.’

‘Over all this is definitely a must read in my opinion. If you adore classics like I do, I think you will enjoy this trilogy immensely.’

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Bestseller Lists

It’s been on the amazon bestseller lists for historical novel on several occasions.

I love this picture because Twelfth Night at Eyre Hall was close to A Dangerous Fortune by Ken Follett, for a few days. I was pleasantly surprised because A Dangerus Fortune is a wonderful book, which I’ve recently read (although it was first written in 1998, I hadn’t even heard of it).

It has some similarities to my trilogy: It’s also a Victorian family drama including betrayal, romance, unscrupulous villains, many cruel and surprising twists and turns, and a relatively happy ending, but more about that in another post.

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Sales

It’s sold an average of 2-3 kindle ebooks a day and over 30,000 pages have been read on KENP, which means between 90 and 100 people (may/probably) read the book (or a greater number could have started it and not finished it).

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None of this seems a lot in the big scheme of things, but bearing in mind there are over 4 million books on amazon which readers can choose to read, including bestsellers, well-known author names, big publishers, etc., overall I feel proud of my second book baby, although I feel she still has a long way to go 🙂

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Hopes for the Second anniversary.

I’ll be preparing the ebook Box Set with the three books shortly, and I hope people keep buying, reading, and reviewing it. That’s all.

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Some favourite scenes:

Romance:

Chapter VII. Upheaval at Eyre Hall.

Michael narrates.

“Mrs. Mason, I would request a private word with you, if you please?”

Did she recoil on hearing my voice? Was it possible that I could have such a negative effect on her? Did she hate me for leaving, or for returning?

“Have you finished playing, Lieutenant Kirkpatrick?” she answered, looking into the hearth.

“I have no intention of playing, and least of all with you, Mrs. Mason.”

She turned to me, and my heart surrendered as it always did. Hers were the eyes I had seen in every sea storm, and hers was the face I had observed in every sunrise.

“Congratulations Lieutenant, now that you are an officer in the navy, you can have your pick of the young girls who are searching for husbands. You have done well.”

I wanted to throw myself at her feet and tell her that I had come back because her image was so firmly lodged in my mind that her face was the last thing I saw before falling asleep and the first thing I thought of every morning when I woke. Hers were the only lips I ever wanted to kiss, and being so near her and watching her indifference was killing me.

“I am not looking for a young wife,” I whispered.

“What are you looking for? Why are you here? Is it to flaunt your victory?”

I wanted to tell her that the only thing that had kept me alive at sea was a little red button she had given me, and the faint hope of seeing her again, one day. As I stood beside her, I knew I had come back because my life meant nothing to me without her.

I moved closer. “Please, could we continue this conversation somewhere more private?”

The flames drew shadows on her frosty face. “On what matter must you speak to me that is so private?”

“Regarding my sister’s health.”

“Susan seems perfectly healthy to me,” she said, still watching the flames.

“It is a very urgent. I would not trouble you if it were not so important.”

Her bright stormy eyes turned to mine, and for a second I looked into the depths of the ocean and saw a flicker of hope. If I could make her look into my eyes again and see how much my love had grown, I was sure she would allow me back into her heart.

“I beg you to allow me to discuss the matter with you privately.”

Her expression softened for a second. “Wait in the library,” she said quietly and turned back to the glowing fire.

Gothic Elements:

The exhumation of Jane’s dead baby in the family vault. Jane narrates.

“We cannot proceed with an exhumation without the bishop’s permission,” he said, and I realised he had probably been loyal to Edward. I wondered if he had known about Helen all along.

“This is our vault, and our church. The church is on our grounds. We pay for its upkeep and your salary and comfortable lodgings, very generously. We do not require an exhumation, Mr. Woods. We would like to visit our vault and open one of our tombs, and we will do so with your permission or without it. I suggest you do not oppose my wishes or you will regret it, so please be so kind as to bring the keys and open our vault. Now.”

He was indeed his father’s son. I had no doubt that he would control the estate with an iron fist when the time came. I had thought he was more understanding and thoughtful, but I realised he was a Rochester through and through. I wondered sadly what, if anything, he had inherited from my side of the family.

Mr. Woods turned the ornate key in the giant lock and pushed the gate open revealing a steep stone staircase. John walked down first, closely followed by Adele and Dr. Carter. My son turned after taking the first steps. “Mother, please follow us. If you were brave enough to accuse my father of a crime, you should be brave enough to walk past his tomb.”

Hot tears burned my cheeks. Annette gasped and threw her arms around me. “No,” she cried, and then I heard Dr. Carter’s calm voice, “I see no need for all of us to go down this narrow passage, Mr. Rochester.”

“I insist. My mother must see the baby’s coffin for herself.”

“We will have to bring it up for inspection in any case. There is not enough light down there,” added the good doctor.

“I must protest,” said Mr. Woods. “The coffin must not be removed from the vault under any…”

“Mr. Woods, the coffin will be brought up, and if you do not desire to witness the event, I suggest you leave the church.” John turned to me. “Mother?”

“Let us go down, Annette,” I whispered and she nodded.

The crypt was long and narrow. There were two tiers of niches on either side of the constricted passage. Ornate and well–preserved wooden caskets rested inside the first niches. A quick glance revealed room for twelve corpses. Two niches were empty. I thought of Edward’s relatives, his grandparents, his parents, his brother, himself and Richard, and the baby’s coffin accounted for eight, plus two empty niches, which meant two corpses were unaccounted. Edward had never spoken to me of any other relatives.

John insisted on reading the names on the metal crests on the side panels. Finally, the two unaccounted bodies were identified as Mr. Harvey Fairfax, Edward’s mother’s brother and previous vicar at this church, and his wife Mrs. Alice Fairfax, who had been the housekeeper when I arrived at Thornfield Hall.

John stopped before a small casket, which looked out of place inside a large niche positioned on the lower level. It rested at the end wall of the vault, below Edward’s, and read: ‘Infant Eyre Rochester. May 1855’.