The Unveiling of Polly Forrest by Charlotte Whitney

Please welcome Charlotte Whitney author of The Unveiling of Polly Forrest

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

The Unveiling of Polly Forrest

by Charlotte Whitney

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GENRE: Historical Mystery

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INTERVIEW:

Q:  Tell us about your latest release, The Unveiling of Polly Forrest.

A:  Here’s the pitch:  Rural Michigan, 1934. Polly marries for money. Such a smart move. Such a horrendous outcome. The book is a historical mystery narrated by three characters: newly married 20 year-old Polly who aspires to be a hat-maker; her 31 year-old older sister Sarah who is judgmental to a fault; and Sarah’s husband, Wesley, a well-intentioned but flawed Methodist minister-farmer. When Polly’s new husband is found dead, no one knows if it’s a suicide, homicide or bizarre farm accident.

Q:  Have you ever wished you were someone else?

A:  Yes, once when I had three small children and was working full-time at a major university in a stressful job.  I was on my way to a doctor’s appointment at the university hospital. Traffic was terrible, and when I got to the hospital, parking was non-existent. However, I had my secret place I always parked when I went for appointments. But to my chagrin, the university had changed my secret lot to a doctor’s only permit lot. So I started driving around looking for a spot. While looking, I noticed a prominent female regent of the university who was  walking slowly down the sidewalk talking to a distinguished-looking older man, clearly giving him a tour of campus. I was jealous. I wanted to be her. I knew she was wealthy and I wanted to have her easy life of schmoozing guests of the university. I drove and drove getting more and more agitated, and finally found a spot and was late to my appointment. But I kept thinking about how unfair my life was compared to hers. I wanted her wealth and leisure. I wanted a life free of parking hassles. I wanted more time for my children. I wanted more time for my job. I wanted to go to a restaurant and never look at the prices. A few weeks later I heard on a radio broadcast that this lady, whose life I coveted, had gone to the top of a tall university tower and jumped to her death.

Q:  What part of the writing process do you dread?

A:   I love writing and I really don’t mind editing. Because I want to end up with the best possible product, I welcome criticism and have made plenty of changes based on advice of others.  In this last novel, The Unveiling of Polly Forrest, I rewrote two chapters based on advice of beta readers. However, I don’t like the self-promotion that’s required during the marketing phase. I still see myself as the humble farm girl who gathered eggs from underneath the hens in the chicken coop. So I have difficulty with “feeding the beast”—my term for plugging the book on social media. I have difficulty using terms like “critically acclaimed,” “page-turner,” “one of the best’ because it seems immodest. So while I don’t really dread posting on social media, I do find it a chore.

BLURB:

Rural Michigan, 1934.

During the throes of the Great Depression Polly marries for money. After her husband Sam dies in a bizarre farm accident, new bride Polly assumes she is set to pursue her dream of opening a hat-making business. Instead, she becomes the prime suspect in Sam’s murder. Secrets abound and even Polly’s family can’t figure out the truth.

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EXCERPT:

Sunday, August 19, 1934

Having no choice, I began climbing the exterior ladder that ran up the height of the silo. I got up five or six rungs before my fear of heights kicked in. My body started shaking and I willed myself not to look down. I kept putting one foot above the other. The towel around my wounded right arm had loosened and I let it fall to the ground, not wanting to remove my other hand from the rung.

Every step required my mind telling my arms and legs to move. My hands were jittering and I could hardly grip the ladder. You can do this, I told myself. You can. You can.

“Keep going.”  His voice was piercing.

I willed my feet to move up the ladder. My body convulsed. I was about five rungs from the top when I stopped. Reason told me I needed to quit shaking and get my body under control or I would fall. Then it occurred to me. He’s not going to push me into the soft silage. He’s going to knock me off the top of the ladder down to the hard earth.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Charlotte Whitney is the author of historical fiction set during the Great Depression in the rural Midwest. Her most recent work, The Unveiling of Polly Forrest, a stand-alone historical mystery follows her groundbreaking novel, Threads A Depression-Era Tale, which was met with both critical acclaim and commercial success. Raised on a farm in southern Michigan, she often She received a master’s degree in English at the University of Michigan, and after a short stint of teaching at two community colleges, worked at the University of Michigan where she was an associate director of the Lloyd Scholars for Writing and the Arts. Currently living in Arizona with her husband and two dogs she enjoys hiking, bicycling, swimming, and yoga.

Author’s website:  https://www.charlottewhitney.com

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Charlotte-Whitney/e/B001KCTFWQ

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/CWhitneyAuthor

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-whitney-8235463a/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CWhitneyAuthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charlottewhitney65/

BUY LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Unveiling-Polly-Forrest-Mystery/dp/B09SNSGWJ3/

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4201