The Masque and the Mausoleum Book Blurb

f48c28124c57d02fb1b9460586859f15This follow-up novel to Walls of Ash has been a long time coming, but do not despair, after major rewrites to the core story, I am now back on track with the writing process and hope to finish The Masque and the The Mausoleum in 2017.  In the interest of coming back to the project, I wrote a shiny new book blurb to put myself right in the story.The Widow's Blessing

The Masque and the Mausoleum picks up about ten years after the end of Walls of Ash, and follows the story of Tamsin’s daughter Annalice as she spends her childhood in India and then returns to England as a young woman.  The Widow’s Blessing (available as a novella on Amazon) is the sequel to Walls of Ash, told through the eyes of a young Annalice.  This prologue will be included as the beginning of The Masque and the Mausoleum, but you can read it now if you’ve been missing Tamsin and Julian!

Here is the brand new blurb for the forthcoming second novel in the Daughters of Rhineholt Series, The Masque and the Mausoleum:

f5237b9e3f2ab761a0bb24e1df434ae6“Annalice Hilbourne has returned to London to take her place at Rhineholt House, finally rebuilt after the fire that changed her mother forever.  Her family welcomes her with great affection, and she is quickly thrust into the excitement of a London Season alongside her flamboyant cousin.  While preparations are made for the Hilbourne Masquerade Ball, Anna soon discovers her father’s grave mistakes will cost her a dowry, as well as her mother’s ancestral home.  Too clever to succumb to her losses, Annalice contrives a plan to keep what is rightfully hers, but her only strategy will force her into the arms of the man she despises.  She begins her walk down an aisle of convenience, knowing the man who could save her family home may have been responsible for the death of his first wife.848b8d288c3f8c47428db3ba95310bda

In a story wrought with high stakes, and grand secrets, we find ourselves back in a forgotten world, where nothing seems to stay where it is placed.  Paintings switch walls, jewels go missing, and the deadly history of Rhineholt House seems to have lived on.  There are mysteries to unfold, but will Annalice solve the puzzle in time?”

Look for updates on The Masque and the Mausoleum here, or follow on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for the fastest news on the Daughters of Rhineholt series!

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‘The Widow’s Blessing’ is NOW AVAILABLE!

New Daughters of Rhineholt material has been a long time coming and it is finally here! The Widow’s Blessing is finally available in print from Createspace.com and Amazon.com for $4.99. eBook copies are available for Kindle and Nook for only .99!

The Widow’s Blessing takes place about ten years after the final pages of Walls of Ash and is told from Tamsin’s daughter’s point of view.  Not only is this novella an epilogue for Walls of Ash, it is a prologue to the upcoming second novel in the Daughters of Rhineholt Series, The Masque and the Mausoleum!

The Widow's Blessing

 

Annalice Hilbourne is a young girl when she is swept away to live in India while her father builds up his trade business in the shadow of the East India Company. Anna finds India to be a captivating and mysterious place and the people just as intriguing. She becomes friends with the daughter of her father’s right hand man. Isha is a clever and adventurous girl but her curiosity and Anna’s longing to explore leads them to places forbidden to them.

If you’ve longed for a continuation of Tamsin and Julian’s story, this is it!  Get your copy today.  Order direct from me for a signed copy by sending me a private message on my Facebook page, or order your from Amazon or Createspace.com!

VLOG: Amber Answers Your Walls of Ash Questions!

Recently, I asked my friends via Facebook to ask away anything they wanted to know about me, my writing process, or work.  I responded with a video, and here it is!

 

“The Widow’s Blessing”

I am pleased to announce that I will be releasing a short story between “Walls of Ash” and “The Masque and the Mausoleum”.  This short piece will fall between the end of book one and the beginning of book 2 and will be told from the point of view of Annalice Hilbourne.

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Annalice Hilbourne is only eight years old when she is swept away to live in India while her father builds up his trade business in the shadow of the East India Company. Anna finds India to be a captivating and mysterious place and the people just as intriguing. She makes friends with a girl who’s family works for her father. Saachi is a clever and gentle girl but Anna’s curiosity and need to explore leads them to places they have been warned not to go near.
Set during the Asiatic cholera pandemic of India, we glimpse the continuing story of “Walls of Ash” through the eyes of young Annalice. This short story is the prologue for the upcoming second release in the “Daughters of Rhineholt” series, “The Masque and the Mausoleum”.

Walls of Ash News & Updates

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything here that was more than just a quick blurb about ‘Walls of Ash’ being available through a new channel or an upcoming event but I’ve been so focused on getting WoA all set that I haven’t had much time to reflect on the fact that I’m now a published author! ::happy dance::

Today it was really brought home to me just how amazing this experience has been from beginning to end.  The process of writing was the most explicit creative outlet I’ve been able to utilize for some time and it was a kind of revelation to finally get it out and then release it to the public.  The editing was a grueling process, but I am so lucky to have the supportive, wonderful people in my life that I do.  My editor gave so much of her time to this project and continues to do so by supporting me, offering advice and assistance and even going so far as to plan and execute a book signing/launch party this Friday night.  I’m so thankful to have her.  My cover art was also created by a friend who took the time out of her day to sit down and work on a piece for my book.  Without her artwork, I would’ve wound up photoshopping something myself and let me put it this way… I don’t know how to use photoshop, need I say more?

I recently sent out a press release and had the outstanding luck of having an article in The El Dorado Springs Sun newspaper which is the local paper in the town I went to high school where a lot of my family still resides.  There was a bit of buzz on my Facebook page and then my sister called me to confirm that ‘Walls of Ash’ did, indeed, make it into the paper and I’m looking forward to receiving a copy in the mail in the near future.

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‘Walls of Ash’ finally received its first review today, as well.  I’m pleased to say it was a good one with a 4 star rating on BarnesandNoble.com.  It reads as follows:

“Great mix of gothic historical fiction, mystery, and romance. Well written first novel that you don’t want to put down! Looking forward to the next book in the series!”

The sales have been slow to start but are picking up and I am also grateful to have improved momentum with the article in The Sun and the recent addition of the launch event to Art Throb, the North Shore’s art magazine and website.

Today was a really wonderful day and 2013 has started off really well for me.  So thankful for the people in my life and the continued support of my creative outlet.

‘Walls of Ash’ is Now Available!

I spent all day yesterday uploading and formatting and altering things so that ‘Walls of Ash’ would be available to the public as an eBook.  Well, I am pleased to tell you that you can now own your very own e-copy of ‘Walls of Ash’ from Amazon.com, Scribd.com and Smashwords.com for $2.99.  Details on print copies will be available soon and you can bet I’ll post an update everywhere under the sun when they are!  If you are interested in owning a copy, simply choose the buying method you prefer from the right by clicking on the button to each website.

I want to say ‘thank you’ to so many people, but I feel like it lessens the joy of seeing your name in the acknowledgements if I go blabbing it everywhere else, you know who you are.  Thank you for everything.  And to those who plan to begin reading this work, thank you, too!

 

Walls of Ash Cover Art!

I am pleased to announce to you all that the Walls of Ash cover art is officially complete.  First, I’d like to say a big ‘thank you’ to Erica Wilson, who took the time out of her busy mom-schedule to do this for me, she is amazing!

This cover was meant to be a sort of homage to the very popular Gothic Romance covers of the 1970’s but with a modern twist.  As many of my friends and family know, I am obsessed with Eleanor Hibbert who wrote under many pseudonyms, but specifically her Victoria Holt books had covers that often featured a large, dark house with a gloomy atmosphere and a young woman nearby.  Erica did a great job of capturing this in a modern form.

I’m looking forward to releasing the book to you, hopefully mid to late December.  I’ll keep sending out updates as I have them to offer to you.  In the mean time, enjoy this piece, Erica worked hard on it and her cover art came out fantastic!

Walls of Ash Book Trailer

The magnificent Rhineholt house is the heart of all Tamsin’s memories. Her ancestral home is a dark and lonely place with shadowed corners and dark secrets.  She finds solace with her mother’s presence in her sleep, but when those sweet dreams become dark, terrifying nightmares, Tamsin realizes that she is being warned of a sinister force. A force wants her death…

In a time when young ladies were bred to wed and follow orders, Tamsin Rhineholt is an unconventional and stubborn daughter of the house, Rhineholt. With a mystery surrounding the loss of her parents, she still feels her mother’s presence in her life. When Tamsin is threatened if she refuses an offered hand in marriage, she realizes that her mother is trying to warn her of the terrible things to come through her dreams. Her dearest friends try to help her in the most trying of tragedies, but there is a fine line between faith and madness. Can great distance dissolve the fear that pursues her, or will that fear follow Tamsin to her end? Does love truly overcome all obstacles?

Walls of Ash is Amber Newberry’s first historical gothic novel and the beginning of a series that will follow the daughter of each book’s previous heroine.  Walls of Ash is in the final stages of preparation for publishing and is slated for the end of 2012, details coming soon.    The second of the series, The Masque and the Mausoleum is in the writing stage and will be released in 2013.