Bio: Stephenia H. McGee is the award-winning author of many stories of faith, hope, and healing set in the Deep South, including The Secrets of Emberwild. When she’s not reading or sipping sweet tea on the front porch, she’s a writer, dreamer, husband spoiler, and busy mom of two rambunctious boys.
She combines history, intrigue, and romance in her new novel, The
Swindler’s Daughter. Set in the Deep South, this captivating tale follows
the path of an aristocratic young woman as she copes with life-changing circumstances
and discovers a family she never knew existed.
About the Story: A high-society lady,
Lillian Doyle has only her widowed mother for family, believing her father died
many years before. But her world is completely changed when she learns that her
father has only just passed—in jail. Not only is she shocked by this news, but she
also learns she is the heiress to all of her father’s earthly possessions,
including a run-down house and a business.
After Lillian travels
to rural Georgia to take possession of her “new” home, she learns there is one
small catch—a woman is already living in the house, and she insists that it belongs
to her son, Jonah. The inherited business is also more than meets the eye and
has put Lillian into a treacherous situation.
But she isn’t ready to give up on her strange inheritance. With the
danger comes the possibility of truth and independence, and she is determined
to have both. To do that, she’ll have to turn her enemies into allies,
including Jonah, an unrefined cowboy who has secret aspirations of his own.
Welcome to my blog, Stephenia. Can you please provide a brief summary of your new novel, The Swindler’s Daughter? The Swindler’s Daughter is about a young woman who spent her entire life believing she was a widow’s daughter. When she discovers that her father has recently passed—in jail—her carefully ordered world begins to unravel. She travels to a backwoods Georgia town to settle her father’s estate, only to discover she’s become a rather unusual heiress.
Your two main characters, Lillian and Jonah, are very different. What ties them together? They are very different! Lillian was brought up by a strict mother whose chief goal was to further their social standing and station in life. Jonah became the primary provider for his mother and sisters at a young age, and he is a hardworking man who values family. But underneath all of their differences, they share a common faith, a love for chasing dreams, and a desire to belong.
Both
The Swindler’s Daughter and your previous novel, The Secrets of
Emberwild, feature women who desire independence. What inspires you to write
about empowered women? I love strong heroines. Strength
comes in many facets, and where Nora from The
Secrets of Emberwild was fierce and opinionated, Lillian is quietly firm.
She takes each challenge as it comes and faces it with steel in her spine. I’m
inspired by women like that, having been raised by a mother who portrayed
courage, determination, and strength of character to me each day.
What type of research was required to accurately portray the setting and time period for The Swindler’s Daughter? This one required a lot of research. I can’t give away too much about what kind of business Lillian’s father was into, but I did end up buying seven different research books on the subject as well as spending hours in online research. On top of that, this is the first novel I’ve written this deep into the 1900s at a time when technology was just starting to pick up steam. I had to research everything from automobiles to what kind of stoves and refrigerators people had.
What do you hope readers will gain from reading The
Swindler’s Daughter? This
is a story of family, faith, and discovering your purpose. Lillian struggles
with reconciling all of her own plans and expectations for her life with the
wild, adventurous, and rather surprising plan God seems to have. I hope readers
will see a little of themselves in her and explore some of these same themes
about God’s perfect—if sometimes not at all what we expected—plans for our
lives.
What do you love most about writing historical
fiction? I really enjoy the research
and imagining what it might be like to live in those times. The fashion and
style of the early 1900s was classy, and there was a sense of new beginnings
stirring at the turn of the century. I enjoy immersing myself in those simpler
times before television and cell phones and creating a story deeply set in the
richness of history.
What are you working on next? I just finished writing a novel about a showboat set
on the Mississippi River in 1923. There are glitz and glam, a close-knit,
quirky family, and a quiet accountant whose entire world changes when he
encounters the fiery young singer who rules The
River Queen.
How can readers connect with you? I love talking to readers! You can find out more
about me on my website, StepheniaMcGee.com, and you can connect with me anytime on Facebook (@StepheniaHMcGee) and Instagram (@StepheniaHMcGee).
Where can readers purchase a copy of The
Swindler’s Daughter? The best place to get paperback copies is from Baker Book
House, https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/492093. They offer some pretty amazing discounts (and free
shipping!) on pre-orders and new releases. You can also purchase
paperbacks and ebooks from your favorite bookstore, including Amazon, Barnes
and Noble, and Christian Book.
Thank you,
Stephenia, for sharing this book with my blog readers. I know they will love
it.
Readers, leave a comment
for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these
instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least
the state or territory or country if outside North America. (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
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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
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the posting of the winners to claim your book.
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7 comments:
This sounds interesting, and I love the cover!
Melissa in TN
Lllian and Jonah sound like a very intriguing couple. I would enjoy reading this story.
Maryann in New York
This novel sounds captivating and unforgettable. Anne in NM.
Thank you so much for having me today! It was fun sharing about Lillian and Jonah's story.
Brenda from Mississippi. I’ve read this story and it’s a wonderful book. If I win I will give to a reading buddy of mine.
I’ve read a couple of Stephenia McGee’s time travel novels but this one sounds different and interesting. I have to say that the gorgeous cover really draws me in.
Perrianne Askew in central Texas
perrianne (DOT) askew (AT) me (DOT) com
Enter me in your awesome giveaway!!
Nichols SC.
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