posted on February 7, 2014 by Deanna Raybourn

Familiar Faces

In my May 2013 release, A SPEAR OF SUMMER GRASS, I introduced Delilah Drummond, a heroine who is not for the faint of heart. Her story starts off in her own words and gives you a pretty good idea of who she is: Don’t believe the stories you have heard about me. I have never killed anyone, and I have never stolen another woman’s husband. Oh, if I find one lying around unattended, I might climb on, but I never took one that didn’t want taking. And I never meant to go to Africa. See what I mean? She’s irreverent and outrageous, the kind of woman who has a lot of baggage to cart around and not all of it is matching Vuitton. Through the course of the book, we learn a little about the triumphs and tragedies that have shaped her—in particular the searing loss of her husband, Johnny, in World War I.

Delilah was a glorious character to write—she’s green satin and bathtub gin, scarlet lipstick and scathing remarks. But she was also exhausting! When it came time to write my next novel, CITY OF JASMINE, I chose another adventuress, but this one is a little more buttoned up. Like Delilah, she’s suffered loss, but she hasn’t chosen raucous hedonism as her escape—Evangeline Starke has chosen the sky. She’s a pioneering aviatrix, determined to make her way in the world as she puts her past behind her. But the past comes calling in more ways than one. In both of these novels I’ve toyed with the question of whether the dead really can stay dead when they live on in our imaginations. And when I went to write a prequel  novella to CITY OF JASMINE, I immediately knew I wanted to go back to a common past—a shared night when Delilah still had Johnny and Evie’s adventures in romance were just beginning. The idea of two such different women being friends was hugely appealing. They admire each other’s spirit and verve, and I like the idea that they feel a bit of recognition at finding a kindred spirit in each other. We get a peek at Delilah before time and circumstance have hardened her, and we see Evie before her girlish illusions are stripped away. It’s a romantic night, full of music and fireworks, with Delilah’s knockout punch and Evie’s jasmine perfume setting the stage for an evening none of them will ever forget as the specter of war hangs over them all. And if you read closely, you might just spot a familiar face from Lady Julia Grey’s circle in the crowd…

And did I mention it’s FREE? Right now you can download WHISPER OF JASMINE absolutely free—just in time to get the prequel read before CITY OF JASMINE is out on March 1!

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Deanna Raybourn

Deanna Raybourn

New York Times and USA Today bestselling novelist Deanna Raybourn is a 6th generation native Texan. She graduated with a double major in English and history from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of one, Raybourn makes her home in Virginia. Her novels have been nominated for numerous awards including the Edgar, the Macavity, and the Agatha. She launched a new Victorian mystery series with the 2015 release of A CURIOUS BEGINNING, featuring intrepid butterfly-hunter and amateur sleuth, Veronica Speedwell. Veronica's third adventure, A TREACHEROUS CURSE, was published in 2018 and nominated for the Edgar Award. The eighth book in the series, A SINISTER REVENGE, published in March 2023, with further books to come. Deanna's first contemporary thriller, featuring four female assassins who must band together to take out their nemesis as they prepare for retirement---KILLERS OF A CERTAIN AGE---published in September of 2022 at #9 on the New York Times bestseller list. KILLERS OF A CERTAIN AGE won the 2022 Barry Award for Best Thriller.

https://www.deannaraybourn.com

Deanna Raybourn Contest

Deanna Raybourn is giving away a grab bag book club set! TWO winners will each receive twelve copies of a Veronica Speedwell title or KILLERS OF A CERTAIN AGE. Copies may be any combination of hardcover or trade paperback, but all will be signed.

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