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Thursday, January 20, 2011

PIECES OF THE PAST - Susan Page Davis - Free Book

Welcome back, Susan. You have a lot of books out now. What is your favorite setting to use in your books?

I love New England, as that’s my “home territory,” and I also have a growing number of books set in the West. My husband is from Oregon, and we used to live out there. Our oldest daughter lives in Idaho. I’ve always loved watching and reading westerns, and now I enjoy writing them as well.

What do you look for when you’re shopping for a book to buy for yourself?

I like enough of a plot to keep me thinking. A good mystery or suspense book holds my interest well, whether in a historical or contemporary setting.

Give us a little tour of the setting for this book.

Pieces of the Past is set in western Massachusetts, in the Berkshire Hills region. The fictional town of Maple Hill is located fairly close to Pittsfield and North Adams. Each book in the series is set in a different month chronologically. You’ll get the full autumn foliage tour in the first few books. My story comes in January, so we’re in the middle of a New England winter. The small town setting is perfect for these cozy mysteries.

What other books do you have coming out soon?

I’m very excited about my April book, Love Finds You in Prince Edward Island. Set in 1860 when the Prince of Wales (Queen Victoria’s son) visited the island, this is the first Love Finds You book set in Canada.

Also releasing this month (January) is my Alaska Weddings collection from Barbour. It contains all three of my contemporary Alaska romances—Always Ready (Coast Guard setting), Fire and Ice (sled dog trainer), and Polar Opposites (wildlife scientist). It’s a fun collection.

Please give us a glimpse inside your home.

Our family moved in May 2010 from Maine to western Kentucky. We love our new state and our new home. It is built on a hillside, and the main level is on top. My office is in a corner room that has window views toward the road and the driveway. Sometimes I see wildlife out my windows, and I love it. So far: turkeys, herons, cardinals and many other birds, deer, and squirrels. The two youngest of our six children still live at home. We have three pets right now: a dog, a cat we adopted from the shelter, and a horse.

Sounds lovely. Is this novel part of a series or a stand-alone book?

This book is number 6 in the Patchwork Mystery series from Guideposts. Each of the books up to this point is written by a different author. Some of the other writers for the series are Kristin Eckhardt, Cara Putman, and Camy Tang. Readers can order the series (link below) from the beginning if they wish. A new book will continue to release each month for quite some time—I am now working on Book 16, to release in November 2011. It’s called Nothing to Hide and features the same ongoing characters readers have come to love. But any one of these books could be read as a standalone cozy mystery. Each one has some sort of tie-in to Sarah Hart’s (the main character’s) interest in quilting and restoring old quilts.

Lena, here’s the Guideposts link to this series:

https://www.shopguideposts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=15401&catalogId=16903&productId=853423

Tell us about the story.

In Pieces of the Past, Sarah makes a quilt for her father out of his old flannel shirts and takes it to him at the nursing home. Vern, another resident of the home, admires it and asks Sarah for help in tracking down Alice, a woman he loved before the war. Sarah thinks it’s so romantic she agrees, but she soon discovers that some things about Vern’s story don’t add up. She searches for Alice, only to discover that the woman vanished decades ago. Where is Alice now—or better yet, WHO is she? And why does Vern really want to find her?

Sounds intriguing. Please give us the first page of the book.

Here’s a short excerpt from Chapter One:

As Sarah stepped to his side, Vern shifted and a small square photograph fell from his shirt pocket, landing face up on the carpet. Sarah picked it up.

She glanced at it as she held it out to him. A young woman smiled softly at whoever had taken the picture, the life in her eyes shining clearly from the black-and-white wallet size picture.

“Oh. Thanks.” Vern took it and stuck it into his pocket.

Sarah released the brake on his wheelchair. “She’s striking. It that a picture of your wife?”

He hesitated, not meeting her gaze. “No. She. . .her name was Alice.”

“She’s very pretty. That picture looks as though you’ve been hanging on to it for a while.”

“Oh, yes.” He smiled then. “Been carrying that for a long time. It went to Guadalcanal with me.”

“She must be special.”

“Well. . .yes.”

Sarah remained silent and waited. Something about the yellowed picture made Vern uncomfortable.

He gave a halfhearted shrug. “I haven’t spoken with her in years.”

“You lost touch?” Sarah asked.

“Something like that. After the war, I tried to find her, but. . .Well, some things just don’t work out.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Come see me at: http://www.susanpagedavis.com/

Thanks, Lena! Glad to be here this week!

And I'm thrilled to have you here again.
 
Readers, here's a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.



Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 6 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

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26 comments:

  1. Charlotte Kay3:57 AM

    This sounds like a mystery I would enjoy reading!
    Thanks for the chance to win it:)
    Charlotte. Ohio

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  2. OH MY! A cozy mystery set not too far from where I once lived. I'd love to win this!!

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  3. I love cozy mysteries. This one sounds like an intriguing one to read.

    coolestmommy2000 at gmail dot com
    NE

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  4. love cozy mysteries especially for winter time reading. Now that is cozy. I live in ND would love to win thanks

    ABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com

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  5. Love the premise of this mystery. Would love to win. Keep them coming Susan!
    Jan, Washington State

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  6. Thanks, ladies! The whole series is fun, and very "gentle" as far as the mysteries go. I finished writing my next mystery last week and now am beginning work on another western.

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  7. I like Susan's books and would love to win this one. Thanks!

    esterried[at]yahoo[dot]com
    Nauvoo, IL

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  8. Susan has undoubtably written another winner. I sure would like to win it. Thanks for the chance. ybutler@oppcatv.com

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  9. Anonymous8:36 AM

    Great post. Oh!My what a delight.Cozy mysteries,oh yeah. I have enjoyed your other books so much.Thank you in advance for such stories.Would love to win this one.
    tarenn98[at]yahoo[dot]com
    Eastern,NC

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  10. Patsy8:58 AM

    This sounds really good. Would love to read it. Thanks for the giveaway.
    From Southern US
    plhouston(at)bellsouth(dot)net

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  11. I adore this series and I love books written by Susan Page Davis...
    Thanks for the wonderful interview
    and the opportunity to win this
    book!
    Cindi
    Illinois
    jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

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  12. I would love to read this book. It sounds like a wonderful story.

    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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  13. Pieces of the Past sounds wonderful! I love mysteries!

    I live in Auburn, IN.

    Blessings,
    Cindy W.

    countrybear52[at]yahoo[dot]com

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  14. Anonymous5:56 PM

    Sounds like a great read. Miriam from Ohio

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  15. pieces of the past sounds thrilling (pun intended). would love to win. i am in Arizona.
    mitzi_wanham[at]yahoo[dot]com

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  16. This book is definitely suitable for blizzard reading. We got a couple of inches yesterday here in Kentucky. Although I just finished up another Massachusetts book and a novella set in Vermont, the next three I write will be set in Oregon, Texas, and Arizona! (Waving at Marianne--love your state!) I'm getting around, at least in my books!

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  17. Anonymous8:42 AM

    Hi! My name is Angela and I am from Kentucky. This sounds like a good book. I would like to win a copy. Thank You!!!

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  18. Anonymous10:44 AM

    please count me in...thanks :)

    karenk
    kmkuka at yahoo dot com

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  19. Anonymous10:47 AM

    ooops...forgot to add someting from my previous posting


    thanks for the chance to read this novel...

    karenk (from pa)
    kmkuka at yahoo dot com

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  20. This sounds like a good mystery. Thanks for the info about the Patchwork series. Saying hello from MN!

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  21. Sounds like a fun read!
    Thanks for the interview
    Kristen from WA

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  22. Pam K.4:15 PM

    This sounds like a good mystery; cozy mysteries are my favorites. I'd love to win "Pieces of the Past."
    Thanks from Kansas.

    pmk56[at]sbcglobal[dot]net

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  23. Wow it sounds like a great book!

    Thank you, please count me in.

    dancealert at aol dot com

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  24. I love cozy mysteries! Thank you for the oppportunity to win a copy.

    Anne, rural NC

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  25. Not NYC...but rural NY.
    Please include me!

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  26. Sounds like a great book! Thanks for the chance.

    Nancye, Kentucky

    nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

    ReplyDelete