Today we have the wonderful Pat Esden talking about her new paranormal romance, A HOLD ON ME. You may remember Pat from her #FridayFandom Author Interview (click here). Today Pat is here talking about her experience in collecting antiques, and the a creepy experience she had while visiting an elderly gentleman in a Victorian manor. I'm already getting chills!!
A Hold on Me by Pat Esden
(Dark Heart, #1)
Published by: Kensington
Publication date: February 23rd 2016
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance
(Dark Heart, #1)
Published by: Kensington
Publication date: February 23rd 2016
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance
She never wanted to return.
He wants nothing more than for her to leave.
But the fire between them is as strong as the past that haunts them.
Annie Freemont grew up on the road, immersed in the romance of rare things, cultivating an eye for artifacts and a spirit for bargaining. It’s a freewheeling life she loves and plans to continue–until her dad is diagnosed with dementia. His illness forces them to return to Moonhill, their ancestral home on the coast of Maine–and to the family they left behind fifteen years ago, after Annie’s mother died in a suspicious accident.
Once at Moonhill, Annie is shocked when her aunt separates her from her father. The next time Annie sees him, he’s a bizarre, violent shadow of his former self. Confused, she turns to an unlikely ally for support–Chase, the dangerously seductive young groundskeeper. With his dark good looks and powerful presence, Chase has an air of mystery that Annie is irresistibly drawn to. But she also senses that behind his penetrating eyes are secrets she can’t even begin to imagine. Secrets that hold the key to the past, to Annie’s own longings–and to all of their futures. Now, to unlock them, she’ll have to face her greatest fears and embrace her legacy…
But the fire between them is as strong as the past that haunts them.
Annie Freemont grew up on the road, immersed in the romance of rare things, cultivating an eye for artifacts and a spirit for bargaining. It’s a freewheeling life she loves and plans to continue–until her dad is diagnosed with dementia. His illness forces them to return to Moonhill, their ancestral home on the coast of Maine–and to the family they left behind fifteen years ago, after Annie’s mother died in a suspicious accident.
Once at Moonhill, Annie is shocked when her aunt separates her from her father. The next time Annie sees him, he’s a bizarre, violent shadow of his former self. Confused, she turns to an unlikely ally for support–Chase, the dangerously seductive young groundskeeper. With his dark good looks and powerful presence, Chase has an air of mystery that Annie is irresistibly drawn to. But she also senses that behind his penetrating eyes are secrets she can’t even begin to imagine. Secrets that hold the key to the past, to Annie’s own longings–and to all of their futures. Now, to unlock them, she’ll have to face her greatest fears and embrace her legacy…
I’m a collector and antique dealer,
and I’ve been involved with both since I was a teenager.
Over the years, I’ve dug
through a lot of church basements and attics, buying everything from Masonic
memorabilia to vintage radiators. I’ve explored abandoned churches as well, and
purchased their entire contents—and I mean EVERYTHING: statues, tapestries, all
the pews and kneelers, crosses . . . even a hand carved confessional booth. Honestly, it did feel eerie to strip everything
out of a church, and then store it in my home. But I’ve had creepier experiences.
Once, an elderly man asked me
to come to his house and look at some items he had for sale. The house was an old Victorian manor and
literally falling-down. He lived in one, squalid room on the first floor. He slept
there on a bare cot and used a toilet that barely worked. The other stories of the manor were unusable
because of the sunken floors and enormous holes in the roof. Money wasn’t why
he lived like this. He’d abandoned a
nice second home in Florida, so he could die where his ancestors had. I suspected he’d already stopped eating. It
was easy to visualize him lying on the cot, slowly shriveling until someone
eventually found his corpse. The whole
visit was difficult and unnerving. And, there
wasn’t one thing in the entire manor that wasn’t too rotted, broken, or moldy
to sell.
Another time, a homeowner
gave me directions to a specific hallway on the second floor of his rambling
farmhouse. He told me which rooms I could buy things out of, but refused to go
upstairs with me because he’d run into ‘something’
up there. The hallway definitely had a disturbing vibe. In fact, the whole time
I was upstairs, I had goose bumps. I did
buy a lot of things from him, including some wonderful early books and vintage
clothing.
Despite all that, my decision
to make the main character in the DARK HEART series an antique dealer wasn’t as
much about writing what I know as a matter of creating the perfect character for
the plot and setting. I wanted my main
character, Annie, to not be a cliché gothic novel heroine. By making her an antique dealer, she could be
both scared by some aspects of the family mansion and attracted to the antiques
and history. This not only added a layer of tension, it also lent more depth
and quirkiness to her character. Another of my goals was to find a way to make
Annie’s relationship with her father go beyond that of a ‘daddy’s girl’. As a picker
and antique dealer, it made sense for her to be homeschooled and travel
extensively with her dad. This expanded her role from devoted daughter to that
of a student and eager mentee as well. This career also gave Annie the smarts,
determination, and unusual education that would drive her to face the plots’ obstacles
rather than retreat.
Still, though Annie and I may
share a love of antiques and sometimes access situations in a similar ways, she
isn’t me.
How about you? What kind of
plot would challenge and bring out the best in a character with your career,
loves, or interests?
PAT ESDEN would love to say she spent her childhood in intellectual pursuits. The truth is she was fonder of exploring abandoned houses and old cemeteries. When not out on her own adventures, she can be found in her northern Vermont home writing stories about brave, smart women and the men who capture their hearts. An antique-dealing florist by trade, she’s also a member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, and the League of Vermont Writers. Her short stories have appeared in a number of publications, including Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, the Mythopoeic Society’s Mythic Circle literary magazine, and George H. Scither’s anthology Cat Tales.
Tour-wide giveaway (INTL) organized by Xpresso Book Tours
- $25 Amazon Gift Card
