Thursday, January 3, 2019

#Giveaway Review The Little Shop of Found Things Interview with Paula Brackston

Paula Brackston has quickly become a favorite author, hailing from the wilds of Wales  a land rich in legend and lore which she incorporates beautifully in her novels. Her latest, first in a brand new series The Little Shop of Found Things is the perfect example of that melding fantasy and reality resulting in an unforgettable story with unforgettable characters.  I had the pleasure of listening to the audio courtesy of Macmillan Audio. Read our conversation and my review then enter to win a copy of the book for your own library.
Details Below
Enjoy!



ISBN-13: 9781250072436
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: 10-16-2018
Length: 320 Pages -12hrs - 33mins
Found Things #1
Source: Macmillan Audio for review
Buy It: Amazon/B&N/Kobo/IndieBound/Audible
ADD TO: GOODREADS
Overview:

New York Times bestselling author of The Witch's Daughter Paula Brackston returns to her trademark blend of magic and romance guaranteed to enchant in The Little Shop of Found Things, the first book in a new continuing series.





An antique shop haunted by a ghost.
A silver treasure with an injustice in its story.
An adventure to the past she’ll never forget.

Xanthe and her mother Flora leave London behind for a fresh start, taking over an antique shop in the historic town of Marlborough. Xanthe has always had an affinity with some of the antiques she finds. When she touches them, she can sense something of the past they come from and the stories they hold. When she has an intense connection to a beautiful silver chatelaine she has to know more.

It is while she’s examining the chatelaine that she’s transported back to the seventeenth century where it has its origins. She discovers there is an injustice in its history. The spirit that inhabits her new home confronts her and charges her with saving her daughter’s life, threatening to take Flora’s if she fails.

While Xanthe fights to save the girl amid the turbulent days of 1605, she meets architect Samuel Appleby. He may be the person who can help her succeed. He may also be the reason she can’t bring herself to leave.



St. Martin's Press is offering
One Print copy US ONLY of
The Little Shop of Found Things
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Listen to a sample courtesy Macmillan Audio

 

My Interview with Paula:

Paula hi! Welcome back to The Reading Frenzy.

First Happy New Year
Are you a resolution maker or breaker?

Lovely to be here and a very Happy New Year to you, too. I don’t so much make resolutions as plans. And plans can be changed… So I set out all manner of things I hope to achieve in the coming year and then see how many turn out to be feasible as the months go by. But diets and self-improvement? Afraid not.


I loved your newest treasure The Little Shop of Found Things.
Tell my readers a little about it.

I’m so happy you like it! Starting a new series is both exciting and a little scary for a writer, so it’s reassuring when readers begin to respond positively. The Little Shop of Found Things is set in present day and seventeenth century Wiltshire, England. Xanthe and her mother Flora leave London to start new lives and buy an old antique shop in historic Marlborough. Xanthe has the gift of psychometry, which means some of the objects they find ‘sing’ to her, sharing their history. A powerful point of connection in the past is waiting for Xanthe in the old shop, and through this she is able to travel back to the sixteen hundreds, where she goes on a mission to save a girl who will hang without her help. Whilst there she meets somebody who will become very special to her.


The story takes place in two timelines, both in the quaint little town of Marlborough England.
Why there?

Wiltshire is one of England’s most history laden counties! There are so many old houses, historic places (for example, Stonehenge and the city of Salisbury), it is a gift for a writer. The landscape is open and rolling and beautiful, and the towns are fine examples of well-preserved houses, shops and streets through the centuries. Perfect for time travel! Also, Marlborough itself is known for its antique shops.


Like many of your stars, Xanthe Westlake your main protagonist possesses a paranormal power, in her case it’s the gift/curse of psychometry (the ability to learn about an item by touching it).
Why did you give her this particular talent?

I heard about it many years ago and pretty much filed it away as an interesting gift to bestow upon a character. I love nosing around in antique shops and auctions, and I’m always curious about the history of the treasures waiting to be found. Xanthe has a combination of industry knowledge (her father owns an auction house in London) and her own particular sensitivity which means the stories behind some of the found things can be revealed to her. I wanted her to be able to follow where those objects led; to show us their stories.


Your resident ghost Margaret Merton while a mother is not a friendly and maternal ghost.
Did she have to be so malevolent?

I deliberated about this part of the story long and hard. I could have made her simply a desperate mother, appealing to Xanthe’s good nature and sense of justice, but given Xanthe’s closeness to (and care for) her own mother, I wasn’t sure that would be motivation enough. For Xanthe to risk so much, the stakes had to be high. Having Margaret Merton be a real threat was an important part of that.


Paula I actually experienced this book on audio, courtesy of Macmillan Audio and the narrator Marisa Calin was fabulous. She made the book come alive for me.
Did you have a hand in picking her and will she be narrating again for the series?

Marisa did a wonderful job of my witch books, so I was very happy that she was suggested for this series too. The plan is to have her continue with the future book, definitely.


Let’s talk about the future of the series; I can’t wait to read the next installment.
I’m just putting the finishing touches to Book II! With luck and a following wind it will be out in October 2019. I’m really excited to share it with you all. Believe it or not, I am also now putting together the outline of Book III.


How will the novels be connected?
The story will pick up where the first book ends and continue the tale. As with the first book, there will be present day and seventeenth century action.


Will Xanthe be the main character for the entire series?
Yes, she and Flora, and all the characters we’ve met in present day Marlborough, will be the cast for all the books going forwards. Some with have more prominent roles to play than others.


Can you please give us a little hint about book 2?
I know you all want to know about Samuel but I’m not going to spill the beans! I can say that, yes, Xanthe will return to the sixteenth century. She will reconnect with characters she has encountered there before (!) and there will be new characters, too. You may have already heard that the title of Book II is going to be ‘Secrets of the Chocolate House’ - so I’m giving you a story that includes chocolate! What more could anyone want? And there will be lots of antiquing, mystery, danger, seeking out new treasures and, of course, love! 


Thank you so much for answering my questions, I’ll be waiting impatiently for the next installment!
You are very welcome; thank you for inviting me back here. And I’d like to wish all readers a very happy, peaceful, and book-filled 


My Review:

The Little Shop of Found Things
Found Things #1
Paula Brackston
Narrated by Marisa Calin 12hrs-43mins

STORY: 5
Brackston showcases her unique iconic blend of magic, mystery and history in her latest genre-bending literary treasure, The Little Shop of Found Things.
With breathtaking backdrops and period perfect dialogue and conduct for the current and early sixteenth century timelines this master storyteller takes fans on a fantastical and believable journey introducing them to convincing characters including a vengeful ghost and treating them to action adventure and an ill-fated love story while solving a cryptic mystery and meting out justice. Xanthe is the stand out in this novel, the perfect star, victimized but not a victim, empathic and compassionate enough to want to travel through time to make things right in spite of the threats of a malevolent specter. Fans of history and mystery who love a little woo-woo thrown in will devour this soon to be bestseller.


NARRATION: 5
Marisa Calin’s narration goes above and beyond. Her accents and inflections are all era appropriate and she does well with the voices of both sexes. Fans will appreciate the care she takes to emit just the right emotions for each scene giving a more in depth experience than reading alone would.


SUMMARY:
Xanthe Westlake and her mother Flora are hoping for a new beginning after the men they loved betrayed them; she was sent to prison for a crime her now ex-boyfriend committed and her mother is going through a painful divorce from her philandering father.
So they’ve moved house from the bustle of London to the quiet hamlet of Marlborough where they've purchased an antique shop. But what they don’t know is that someone has been waiting for their arrival –– someone who’s been haunting the shop for a very long time, someone who’s counting on Xanthe’s gift of connecting with certain found treasures of the past to solve an ages old mystery and save a lost soul.
During a purchasing trip to a nearby grand estate Xanthe is drawn to purchase an antique chatelaine that connects her with it’s tragic past, a vengeful ghost that haunts their shop and a trip back through time to right a centuries old wrong.


About the author::
Paula Brackston is the New York Times bestselling author of The Witch's Daughter, The Winter Witch, The Midnight Witch, The Silver Witch, and The Return of the Witch. She has a master's degree in creative writing from Lancaster University in the UK. She lives in Wales with her family.
Paula's Website








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28 comments:

  1. This sounds like such an intriguing story. I love the paranormal and fantasy aspect mixed with reality. It certainly sounds like rich reading what with the different settings in time period.

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    1. Hi Lil yes it definitely has all those aspects to it beautifully blended into a fab story

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  2. This novel sounds delightful and captivating. What a wonderful story with such a special perspective and outlook. This author is extremely creative.

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  3. Sounds great, I already have this in my wish list at Audible so will definitely listen. I think the cover of the book is wonderful too.

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  4. Thank you for this interview. I just discovered Paula last year. Truly enjoy her books.

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    1. my pleasure Christianne. I fell in love with her years ago and she's never disappointed me

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  5. I have wanted to try Paula's books! :D

    Ohh Wiltshire sounds wonderful!

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  6. I have been a fan of Paula Brackston since The Witch’s Daughter. The Little Shop of Found Things is a soul-bewitching wanderlust of a read. I cannot wait until the second book. Thank you for this interview!

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  7. Sounds like I need to read this author.

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  8. This sounds like a great read! Thank you for sharing about it!

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  9. This sounds like an intriguing story. New author for me.

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  10. I saw ghost and antique shop and was sold already.

    Neat to read your interview and learn more about the series particularly about Xanthe, the ghost, and the setting.

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    1. I simply love her Sophia Rose think the Wales version of Sarah Addison Allen

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  11. Replies
    1. Oh it was, but there were some dark parts too, Paula likes it a little dark

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  12. OMG -- I can sense things when I touch objects -- but it has never transported me back in time. Sounds like it would be interesting to read.

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    1. Oh Wow Johannah that's incredible. What a cool gift. Or do you not like it?

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  13. Vera Wilson said, sound like a good one. Thanks for chance.

    snoopysnop1 at yahoo dot com

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    1. good luck Vera I hope you used the Rafflecopter form it's the only way to enter

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  14. Really enjoy paranormal stories. Sounds like one to hold your attention.

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