Mariana

Buy Mariana

Synopsis

The first time Julia Beckett saw Greywethers she was only five, but she knew that it was her house. And now that she’s at last become its owner, she suspects that she was drawn there for a reason.

As if Greywethers were a portal between worlds, she finds herself transported into seventeenth-century England, becoming Mariana, a young woman struggling against danger and treachery, and battling a forbidden love.

Each time Julia travels back, she becomes more enthralled with the past…until she realizes Mariana’s life is threatening to eclipse her own, and she must find a way to lay the past to rest or lose the chance for happiness in her own time.

Read the First Chapter Free

An intense and gripping novel that is almost impossible to put down. The reader would be well advised to seek out a comfortable chair to experience an exceptional read.

— The Winnipeg Free Press

Videos

The book trailer for Mariana features an original theme by composer James Guttridge, who scored the trailer the way he scores a film, matching the music to the moving images.

Did You Know…

Mariana won the 1993 Catherine Cookson Fiction Prize, sponsored by Transworld publishers. That’s a Very Young me on the right, accepting my £10,000 prize cheque from one of my idols, thriller writer Evelyn Anthony, who helped judge the award competition.

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Gallery

My novels are set in real locations, and doing the on-site research is an essential part of my writing process. Here are some of my photos.

Greywethers as it appeared in 1991

Greywethers viewed from the back

The Red Lion pub

Geoff’s wing of the manor house

Another view of Geoff’s wing of the manor house

Geoff’s wing of the house seen from over the wall

The door in the wall of the manor house courtyard

The manor house dovecote (not the one I used in the book but still pretty)

The lane between the church and manor house

Inside the church

“You are not to grieve.”

Virtual Tour

These were the “stops” on my virtual book tours to mark the re-issue of Mariana & The Shadowy Horses in the U.S. in April and October, 2012. Thanks so much to all the bloggers who generously hosted me, and to Beth Pehlke at Sourcebooks for arranging everything. (If I’ve accidentally missed your blog stop on the tour, please let me know).

April 5
Guest Post: Humanizing History Part II
Passages to the Past

April 12
Guest Post: What’s Old is New Again? Or Keep the Original?
Fresh Fiction

April 16
Interview
The Royal Reviews

April 24
Guest Post: Can no sex be sexy?
Reading Between the Wines

Check out my other books, including more behind-the-scenes info and images.

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