Carina
Press is a digital-first imprint from Harlequin. This means they can bring authors and a
broader range of stories to readers with more speed and versatility than their
parent publisher by publishing first to e-book.
For
my first sample of this e-book publisher I chose ‘Timeless Innocents’ by Janis
Susan May. It’s a novella tale of around
26,000 words with a cover that resembles the ugly Chucky doll of the suite of
films.
It’s
a creepy little tale of lawyer Brianna Forte who, as executor of the
Clerkwells’ (her Aunty and Uncle) estate, must catalogue and liquidate their
assets. Their possessions include
hundreds of strangely life-like figurines called ‘Timeless Innocents’. Immediately, she is drawn into the mystery of
the Clerkwells’ life as she discovers, despite the Clerkwells’ modest
lifestyle, the dolls they avidly collected are worth a fortune. Add to this, a
constant stream of pushy people attempting to purchase them from her and we are
in Twilight Zone territory.
Her
investigations are further complicated by an ex-boyfriend who is unable to
accept their breakup and whose anger is rapidly escalating, and we are drawn
into an intense, claustrophobic evening within the Clerkwells’ house as Brianna
begins to realise something is very wrong with the dolls.
I
love short stories and novellas and horror lends itself particularly well to
this form. Well written shorts and
novellas should be well-paced and an exciting read from the first page to the
last with a manageable stage and cast of characters. Authors just don’t have
the time to be self-indulgent.
Author
Janis Susan May certainly knows the rules and I spent an enjoyable two nights
with Brianna Forte and the ‘Timeless Innocents’ and I look forward to reading
more from this author.
Did
I mention that I love my e-reader? And no, I don’t miss the smell and feel of
heavy books. So, I commend Carina Press
for embracing the digital age and offering well priced gems like ‘Timeless Innocents’. This book will set you back the price of a
cup of coffee at $3.59. And that is a
timeless bargain.
Visit www.carinapress.com for purchasing details.
ABOUT THIS AUTHOR
Visit www.carinapress.com for purchasing details.
ABOUT THIS AUTHOR
Formerly an actress and singer, a
talent agent and Supervisor of Accessioning for a bio-genetic DNA testing lab,
Janis has also been editor-in-chief of two multi-magazine publishing groups as
well as many other things, including an enthusiastic amateur Egyptologist.
Janis married for the first time when
most of her contemporaries were becoming grandmothers. Her husband, also an
Egyptophile, even proposed in a moonlit garden near the Pyramids of Giza. Janis
and her husband live in Texas with an assortment of rescued furbabies.
Learn more about Janis Susan May… http://www.janissusanmay.com
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