Adventure at the Manor House

Today’s Adventure: The Last Camellia, by Sarah Jio

 

10 Great Authors, 10 Unforgettable Adventures. With every “Today’s Adventure” post between August 1 and August 13, you can register to win the featured book and the grand prize of all 10 books. We’ll announce winners on August 14.  You may enter today’s contest at Sarah’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/sarahjioauthor. Find links to all the authors below--follow any of them to keep up with the latest adventures.

Here’s Sarah:

The year is 1940. The world is on the brink of war. Can you imagine being barely twenty years old and leaving your home on the quiet, safe Atlantic Coast and traveling to an unknown country to an unknown manor house, where you will be required to go beyond your comfort zone in ways you’ve never even imagined?

My character, Flora, in my fourth novel, The Last Camellia, does just that. She’s brave, she’s bold, and for those she loves, she’s willing to do the unthinkable.

I thought a lot about adventure while writing Flora’s character, namely because I still regret not spending a year in Europe during my college years (I stayed home for the reason many of us do: a relationship that ultimately didn’t end up working out).

But I got to be adventurous and travel alongside Flora in writing this novel—at least, in spirit. I followed her on her voyage to England, roam the great halls of the Livingston Manor, explore the gardens, and ultimately make life-changing discoveries. It was the adventure of a lifetime—for both of us.

To enter the giveaway, please like Sarah’s Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/sarahjioauthor.  Keep up with the latest adventures and chances to win through any of the authors:

Alison Atlee, The Typewriter Girl     Facebook

Jessica Brockmole, Letters from Skye          Facebook

T.J. Brown, Summerset Abbey: Spring Awakening  Facebook

Sarah Jio, The Last Camellia            Facebook

Susanna Kearsley, The Firebird       Facebook

Katherine Keenum, Where the Light Falls 

Stephanie Lehmann, Astor Place Vintage   Facebook

Kate Noble, Let It Be Me        Facebook

Deanna Raybourn, A Spear of Summer Grass       Facebook

Lauren Willig, The Ashford Affair   Facebook

The adventures continue on Sunday with Deanna Raybourn's Spear of Summer Grass, in which a determinedly scandalous and independent woman journeys to the heart of Colonial Africa and finds a landscape that will change her and a man with strength to match her own.

Deanna's the author of The Dead Travel Fast—a Gothic adventure in Victorian Transylvania—and of  the bestselling Lady Julia Grey series featuring Victorian sleuth Lady Julia and her enigmatic partner, private enquiry agent Nicholas Brisbane, nominated for five RITA Awards, an Agatha Award, and numerous Dilys Wynn, Last Laugh, Daphne du Maurier, and Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Awards. The first book in the series, Silent in the Grave, won the 2008 RITA for Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements, while the fifth adventure, The Dark Enquiry, was a New York Times bestseller. 

Be sure to come back on Sunday to read Deanna's guest post and find out how to win a copy of her book.