Autumn leaves stir outside the church cemetery in the rural township of Catawissa. Several collect in an intricate iron cage and rest upon a weathered headstone.
A delicate hand sweeps them away as a gasp escapes from a tearstained face. It can’t be.
As she turns, a mirror image reflects the exact scene with only one variation. The name has changed. Why here? Why them?
She wipes the tears away and heads for home. A place she hasn’t seen since the age of two. Fifteen years have passed, yet everything seems the same. Her memories are few but vivid.
“Are you ready to meet your fiance, Verity?” her father asks as he enters the living room.
Startled, her lower lip trembles and she answers, “Yes, Father.” She remembers the many letters sent by Nate and prays they are enough to win her heart.
Two caged graves flash through her mind. “Father. Why are my mother’s and aunt’s graves distanced from the others in the church’s cemetery? And why are they caged?”
He grumbles through an awkward explanation and immediately changes the subject back to her betrothed. “Quickly. Get ready. Nate is on the way. You know how important this union is to me.”
Verity obeys.
Time passes and with each new day Verity becomes less interested in Nate; he is stiff and distant. But, the doctor’s apprentice is not. He’s attracted to her and she to him.
Whispers on the lips of the villagers carry back to Verity like an unwelcome guest. They speak of witchcraft and buried treasure. Rumors scatter, not unlike the autumn leaves. Each one an additional link to a chain that leads to her mother and aunt’s graves.
Verity searches for the truth and is desperate to redeem her mother’s reputation. Her discoveries bring forth unwanted attention and further gossip.
Will she be the next link to a caged grave?
Who is curious to find out? Are you?
The Caged Graves by Dianne Salerni
Dianne K. Salerni
We Hear the Dead (Sourcebooks)
The Caged Graves (Clarion/HMH 2013)
The Eighth Day (HarperCollins 2014)
Well, how about these caged graves. SO unique. Dianne had discovered them and created her novel from them! AWESOME job DIANNE! What an amazing premise. I know I want to read more. Dianne was kind enough to share with us her own personal pics of the graves she had discovered and here they are ....
I will make this short and sweet. I have been surfing the blogosphere and there are so many A-Zers insecure about this challenge. RELAX... this is supposed to be fun. Many of have chosen very difficult themes... Well is is a challenge after all. But don't panic if you can't keep up. WE UNDERSTAND. The whole point of this is to have fun and meet new bloggers. I also have the added challenge of doing this with VERY LIMITED wifi. SOOOOO, if I can manage so can you. Between my iPhone, McDonald's and the library, I am keeping up. My biggest anxiety is trying to visit my buds and new blogger friends. SO, patience is a must for ALL of us. If we take it one day at a time we will get through!
Take care everyone and WELCOME new friends to my blog and the CHALLENGE! Have a wonderful day everyone.
32 comments:
Love the cover!
Michael, I couldn't see the words. ***shrugs*** But the cover is beautiful.
Hugs and chocolate,
Shelly
Sounds very creepy!
And sound advice. Relax, people. Just do the best you can.
Can't wait to read this. The ARC is on my TBR stack for Dianne's interview. You've got me excited to read it.
You are brilliant, Michael, at getting people excited to read the book you showcase. :D
Thanks, Sara,
The cover is amazing!
Shelly, and Natalie,
Thanks for letting me know about the type glitch... I fixed it now...
Alex,
Yes, super creepy but I love the mood of this novel!
Stina,,
WOW, thank you so much for the compliment. That's what this theme is all about. To get our blogger buddies excited about books we may not no about... I am so glad that I can do this for them.
I have never seen these before; definitely creepy.
I also loved the cover, sounds creepy though.
Yvonne.
I read this book in it's draft stages and it is a WINNER! I loved Verity and Nate and Hadley and everything about the story. I highly recommend it!
Michael, wow!
You've written an amazing introduction to the premise of my book! Thank you!
And yes, I hope everyone is remembering to have FUN with this blogfest!
Great post! (both the intro and IWSG)
Caged Graves is totally intriguing! Off to check it out...
Lovely excerpt. Dianne is totally inspiring!
Those graves are a bit eerie.
I've never seen caged graves before. I couldn't see it before but waited a while and came back and in the meantime you had fixed it, yay.
I really want to read Caged Graves.
I also have issues with slow WiFi because some idiots sabotaged the cable connecting Africa to the 'net.
Looks like the speeds are almost back to normal now, though. Fingers crossed. :-)
Both the title and the cover are evocative and magnetic. I predict high sales. :-)
As for the Challenge: have fun with it is right. I am: going backwards with tongue firmly planted in cheek. I even have an X-rated Insecure Writer's Support post today. Live dangerously!
I've never heard of caged graves. Sounds like a great story idea.
I remember being very nervous my first year of A to Z. The second year I just did the best I could and didn't stress not doing enough.
I'd never heard of such. That is such a great idea of a story! (Now I see I'm writing the exact same thing as Susan above me!) But, I've got to be on the look out for those now. Interesting tale also about nervousness of the future.
Hello from A to Z, Michael.
The idea of a caged grave is intriguing and spooky all at the same time.
Fabulous intro. Your magic is working, Michael. I just pre-ordered this one. I'm a devoted taphophile (love to explore cemeteries) and couldn't resist. The one stone is a bit bizarre: Sarah Ann CONSORT of... Consort????
I wonder, were Dianne's photos taken in Pennsylvania?
~VR Barkowski
Gorgeous cover and amazing excerpt!
The caged graves kind of creep me out though. Then again, I'm a weenie :D
@ VR Barkowski --
Oh, yay! Thanks for the pre-order and the new word. I am tucking "taphophile" away for future reference.
The photos were taken just outside Catawissa, in Columbia County, Pennsylvania.
And yes, CONSORT!
Weird, huh? BOTH headstones name the women as CONSORTS of their husbands instead of wives. I didn't use that in my book, but it still makes me wonder. As does the fact that all the graves in this cemetery belong to women and children. I did not find any headstones for grown men ...
Definitely curious! Another great well-written intro. I'm sure I've seen graves like that somewhere...
Excellent! I really want to read Diane's book. I'm adding it to my Amazon list :)
Caged graves in real life - that is just creepy.
Michael, if you can keep up at all like that, then you are doing good.
Ooooo... I LOVE the eerie feel to your piece, Michael! Love it. Soooo my thing.
And I don't know HOW you're surviving with your limited Wifi! You've got to be going mad!!!!!
Anyway, back to the awesome book I'm reading. ;-)
Its fixed. I can see. I can see. Great premise for a book.
Hugs and chocolate,
Shelly
Very spooky...and amazing intro. Those covered graves make me wonder...will have to add this to my "to be read" list! Looking forward to more books! :) See you tomorrow <3
Hi there, I've never heard of caged graves. Just visiting from a fellow AtoZ blogger and letting you know that I've featured you site on my letter D post.
Have a great day!
http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-hq
Super excerpt! I'm hooked!
Beautiful intro, sweetie. I wanted to go right into the story. I thought about our conversation and you made me feel lots better. Thanks!
Yes, the challenge should be fun! I'm not stressed...*pets the kitty so hard fur starts drifting through the air*
Hi Michael .. I am sure Dianne's writing is very strong and Caged Graves is an excellent title ..
The A-Z should be fun .. and I'll be over to link with all the authors in due course ..
Cheers Hilary
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