Wednesday, October 19, 2011

LET'S GET COZY: THE GILDED SHROUD - A PREVIEW AND A GIVEAWAY

 
 GIVEAWAY ENDED
THE GILDED SHROUD
FIRST IN A NEW MYSTERY SERIES
BY ELIZABETH BAILEY

ABOUT THE BOOK:
First in a new series that has the perfect mix of Regency murder and mystery.

Never underestimate the resolve of a lady’s companion. She’s a woman of incomparable cunning, insatiable curiosity, and as unfailingly attentive to her duties, as she is to the intricacies of murder in… The Gilded Shroud!

Pity the chambermaid who found the body—sprawled across a disheveled four-poster bed with a bruised neck revealing a grim truth: poor Emily, wife of the Marquis of Polbrook, had been strangled in the night. 

The last thing Emily’s brother-in-law, Lord Francis Fanshawe, expects to find so soon after the crime is an adept investigator already settled comfortably in the Polbrook mansion. She is Ottilia Draycott, the Dowager Lady Polbrook’s new young companion, intelligent, resourceful, observant, and the family’s hope in establishing the innocence of the Marquis, despite a motive: he wished Emily gone. But as Ottilia pieces together a picture of Emily’s death, complications arise: the Marquis has gone missing, along with the theft of a priceless heirloom. Now Ottilia has found herself in a house of strangers and every one of them a suspect. And only she can unmask and outwit a killer too desperate not to replay the murderous events of that fateful night to keep a family secret buried.

PRAISE/REVIEWS FOR THE GILDED SHROUD:
A light upstairs-downstairs affair with clever dialog. Georgette Heyer is a strong influence on Bailey, and Bailey does it well, deftly mixing her detecting with a gentle romance. Terrific crossover appeal for Georgian romance readers who crave a corpse with their love stories.
--THE LIBRARY JOURNAL

Fans of romantic historicals will welcome Bailey's solid debut, a Regency mystery. Sharp-witted Ottilia Draycott, who's just taken a temporary position as companion to the dowager marchioness of Polbrook, finds herself in the midst of a baffling murder puzzle after the discovery of the strangled corpse of the dowager's daughter-in-law, Emily Fanshawe, sprawled on her four-poster bed. Even more alarmingly, Emily's heavy-drinking husband, Randal, has vanished, making him the obvious suspect. Despite the skepticism of her new employer and the dowager's attractive, and available, other son, Francis, Ottilia proves herself an adept investigator, whose nose for clues might enable resolution of the mystery before the law gets involved. She must weigh varying motives for the murder, including a theft turned violent and a crime of passion committed by the dead woman's lover. A satisfying solution and well-chosen period detail will leave readers eager for the sequel.
--PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
An avid reader from an early age, Elizabeth Bailey grew up in colonial Africa under unconventional parentage and with theatre in the blood. Back in England, she trod the boards until discovering her true métier as a writer in her thirties, when she fulfilled an early addiction to Georgette Heyer by launching into historical romance. Eight years and eight books later, Elizabeth joined the Harlequin Mills & Boon stable, fuelling her writing with a secondary career teaching and directing drama, and writing plays into the bargain.

With 18 historicals published, she began to concentrate on the mainstream and in 2005, Elizabeth’s novel Fly the Wild Echoes was released in both the UK and the US simultaneously by Unlimited Publishing. The novel was a contender in the Booker list for that year. A mystery – a whodunit of the mind, as one reader has it – the book explores the interwoven lives of three women and investigates the possibility of past lives.

Now retired from teaching, Elizabeth directs for a local theatre group where she lives in West Sussex. Recently, however, even this foray into drama has had to take a back seat as she changed direction to enter the world of crime.

Still thoroughly involved in her favourite historical period, Elizabeth placed her female sleuth in the late Georgian world of intrigue, elegance, aristocrats and rogues, where privilege rubbed shoulders with the harsh realities of making ends meet. While Ottilia moves into the upper echelon, she is thoroughly at ease in the lower, which allows Elizabeth to cross boundaries with impunity.

Not content with mere authorship, Elizabeth launched as an independent publisher with Timeless Books created on the Lulu website. She also runs an assessment critique service for writers.

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO KAITLYN AND THE GOOD FOLKS
AT BERKLEY/NAL, I HAVE ONE BRAND
 NEW COPY OF THIS ELIZABETH BAILEY
MYSTERY, THE GILDED SHROUD,
TO GIVE AWAY
 
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO
 

COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:


+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT YOU READ ABOUT THE GILDED SHROUD THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK, AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG AND/OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE ME YOUR LINK

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING AT ELIZABETH BAILEY'S WEBSITE HERE

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY THAT YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU MAY COMMENT SEPARATELY TO RECEIVE EXTRA ENTRIES

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
6 PM, EST, NOVEMBER 3
 GOOD LUCK!

86 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am GFC follower
Thanks for the giveaway
jgoffice(at) cox(dot)net

debbie said...

I do love a good mystery, and I haven't read many set in the regency era. I would love to see how she solves the crime.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

debbie said...

I am a email subscriber.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

Pat L. said...

As always intersted in a good mystery.

patoct@yahoo.com

rubynreba said...

This looks like a very good mystery. I have not read any of the author's books and would like to.
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

rubynreba said...

Facebook friend
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

Unknown said...

Please enter me in contest. I love reading mysteries. Tore923@aol.com

holdenj said...

A historical cozy! Looks great!
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

I think it's interesting she's added independent publisher to her work life.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

Sue Farrell said...

I like the idea of the combination of a historical and a cozy mystery--what fun!
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

Sue Farrell said...

On the author's website I learned that her 2012 book in this series will be A Deathly Portent.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

Sue Farrell said...

I am an email subscriber.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

Sue Farrell said...

I am an GFC follower as Suekey
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

Sue Farrell said...

I am a fan on facebook as Suzan Morrow Farrell
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

Sue Farrell said...

I follow you on twtter as Suekey12
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

Maria D. said...

I love the idea of a cozy "Regency" mystery and of the heroine being the young Lady's companion!

junegirl63(at)gmail(dot)com

Maria D. said...

I follow the blog via Google Friend Connect

junegirl63(at)gmail(dot)com

Maria D. said...

I follow the blog via twitter (as crazymidwestgal)

junegirl63(at)gmail(dot)com

Maria D. said...

I subscribe to the blog via email

junegirl63(at)gmail(dot)com

Maria D. said...

I am a fan on Facebook as Maria Durst

junegirl63(at)gmail(dot)com

Maria D. said...

I tweeted the preview and giveaway

http://twitter.com/#!/crazymidwestgal/status/126714850092138496

junegirl63(at)gmail(dot)com

Maria D. said...

I went to Ms. Bailey's website and I liked how she has it setup - especially her "Helping Writers Get it Right" page and the way she has her books setup in a library

junegirl63(at)gmail(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I don't believe that I have ever read a historical cozy before. This is intriguing. I love the cover of the book too.

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I tweeted:

http://t.co/jZidKLxP

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I liked reading about the Georgian world of fashion with the huge hats and lots of lace.

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I follow your blog with

an e-mail subscription.


CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I follow your bog with Facebook.


CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I follow your bog with Networked Blogs.


CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I follow your bog with an RSS feed on my IGoogle Page.


CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I follow your bog with Twitter.


CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I follow your bog with Google Friends Connect.


CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

mamabunny13 said...

I love books set in the regency era.
mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

traveler said...

I am intrigued by this novel. Many thanks. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

The author's website is organized in a great way. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

ann said...

i enjoy a good mystery

amhengst at verizon dot net

ann said...

i am a email subscriber

amhengst at verizon dot net

ann said...

i am a GFC follower

amhengst at verizon dot net

ann said...

she published 18 historicals

amhengst at verizon dot net

ann said...

1. October FB bonus points + 5

amhengst
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ann said...

2. October FB bonus points + 5

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ann said...

3. October FB bonus points + 5

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ann said...

4. October FB bonus points + 5

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ann said...

5. October FB bonus points + 5

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Margie said...

I haven't read this author before, nor have I read any Regency novels. The murder mystery here makes this sound intriguing too.
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

Margie said...

follow by GFC
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Margie said...

follow by Networked Blogs
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Margie said...

email subscriber
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Margie said...

Elizabeth launched as an independent publisher with Timeless Books. She also runs an assessment critique service for writers.
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

lag123 said...

I want to find out what the family secret is.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

Tweeted: https://mobile.twitter.com/#!/lag32583/status/126973290140020736

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

I learned that The Deadly Portent will be the second book in this series.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

I subscribe via email.

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lag123 said...

I subscribe via google reader.

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lag123 said...

I follow via GFC.

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lag123 said...

I follow via networked blogs.

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lag123 said...

I follow via twitter: @lag32583

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lag123 said...

I follow via FB: Lisa Holmes Garrett

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lag123 said...

1. +5 October Facebook

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Helen L. said...

Am always up for a good mystery.
gmapeony@yahoo.com

bison61 said...

murder and mystery-sounds good!

tiramisu392 (at) yahoo.com

Kaye said...

Just finished a regency era mystery and really liked it. Theft of an heirloom grabbed my attention.

florida982002[at]yahoo.com

Kaye said...

GfC follower

florida982002[at]yahoo.com

Kaye said...

Interesting that Georgette Heyer and not Christie an inspiration to her.

florida982002[at]yahoo.com

Helen L. said...

Have not read this author and like to try to mysteries.
gmapeony@yahoo.com

Reading said...

Regency romance and fiction sounds like fun. Thanks for the giveaway.

lizzi0915 at aol dot com

Reading said...

I follow on GFC

lizzi0915 at aol dot com

Reading said...

I am an email subscriber.

lizzi0915 at aol dot com

Carole Spring said...

I enjoy historical romance novels. The Guilded Shroud throws in murder, mystery, the Regency era, and a Lady's Companion heroine. It all sounds good to me!
blondie_31971(at)yahoo(dot)com

Carole Spring said...

Tweet: http://twitter.com/#!/cspring31971/status/132123821690990596
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Carole Spring said...

Networked Blogs follower (Carole Spring)
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Carole Spring said...

email subscriber: blondie_31971(at)yahoo(dot)com

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