Guest Post - Betty Bolté - Traces
Traces: Then and Now
My
first novel, Traces, began its life
as a graduate thesis. The focus of the thesis was on what techniques and tropes
the masters of supernatural storytelling employed. The first half of the paper
provided my analysis and the second half the first three chapters of the story,
also called Traces.
It’s
important to note, however, that the story itself morphed over the ensuing
years as I learned more about the craft of writing and storytelling. The only
continuity between the thesis and the book centers on three elements: the main
character, Meredith; the house as a character; and a nod to classic
supernatural authors Edgar Allan Poe and Henry James.
Meredith
Reed is a smart, loving woman who knows what she wants and how to get it.
That’s true whether she was married and had children (in the thesis version) or
was a widow trying to bury her grief over losing her husband and child (in the
book).
Originally,
the house was situated in the outskirts of Huntsville, Alabama, and needed lots
of repairs. When I rewrote the story, I chose to locate the story in a
fictional county and town in south central Tennessee, and made it an historic
plantation home. Both had ghosts involved, though different ones. (I do love
ghost stories!)
Elements
of Poe’s and James’ tales were woven into the original: a person buried alive
in a basement; tarnished silver doorknobs; a wolf-like dog. In Traces, I’ve retained a person buried
alive, though that event happens in the past. And I’ve kept the tarnished
doorknobs.
I
love being able to take factual information and weave it into fiction. Even in Traces, I’ve tried to weave historical
facts into the storyline, to deepen the narrative resonance. That’s probably
why I also write historical romance, to spotlight life in distant times.
Thanks
for letting me share some of the background of my debut, Traces! What do you love about paranormal romances and ghost
stories?
Author: Betty Bolté
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books
Series: Ghosts of Roseville
Book #: 1
Genre: Contemporary,
Paranormal, Ghosts, Spirits, Hauntings, Suspense
Heat
Level:
1
Words: 76,000
Content
Notes:
Sweet
Publication
Date:
4/28/2014
ISBN: 978-1-62210-101-6
Price: $5.99
Bio
Betty
Bolté writes both historical and contemporary stories that feature strong,
loving women and brave, compassionate men. No matter whether the stories are
set in the past or the present, she loves to include a touch of the paranormal.
Traces is a contemporary romantic
women’s fiction novel set in a haunted plantation home in Tennessee, scheduled
for release on April 28, 2014. Hometown
Heroines: True Stories of Bravery, Daring, and Adventure (2012) is a
collection of short historical fiction based on the real-life achievements of
19 American girls in the 19th century, each with a landmark in the
United States of America. The first edition won Honorable Mention in the 2003
Writer’s Digest International Self-Published Book Awards and 2000 Writer’s
Digest Writing Competition, while the 2012 edition won the 2014 Literary
Classics Seal of Approval.. She’s the author of several nonfiction books and
currently marketing a romantic historical fiction trilogy.
Social Media Links
Twitter:
@BettyBolte
Buy Links
Mini-Blurb
Architect
Meredith Reed aims to demolish her family plantation to bury her grief. But her
conniving sister, a hunky lawyer, and a spectral Lady all have other ideas. Can
she carry out her plan before they teach her the lessons of family and love she
so desperately needs?
Blurb
Meredith
Reed, a forty-year-old architect turned demolition expert, desperately searches
for the means to bury her grief. When she inherits her family’s historic
plantation home in Tennessee, she decides to start anew by razing the
antebellum house and replacing it with a memorial garden. A plan met with outrage from her family and
her grandmother's estate lawyer.
James
Maximillian “Max” Chandler needs two things to complete his life plan: become a
senior partner and find his soul mate. He's been promised a promotion once his
proposed legislation to protect all of the county’s historic properties is
approved. The wife part he finds more challenging, having never met the right
woman in all of his forty-six years. If only the talented and attractive
Meredith weren’t so aloof toward him and didn’t want to destroy the very
property he’s grown to cherish.
Meanwhile,
Meredith's estranged sister moves in and refuses to leave. The memories of
their childhood spent there causes turmoil between them. And while Meredith
struggles to reconcile her past and her future, she learns a lesson from the
spectral Lady in Blue that may save both her family and the family home from
destruction.
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