Wendy Teller’s Hungarian Trilogy
Clarissa Harwood Blog
by Clarissa
1y ago
I’m very happy to introduce Wendy Teller, a fellow historical novelist whom I met through the Great Lakes chapter of the Historical Novel Society. Wendy and I have Hungarian ancestry in common as well as a love of history. Her second book in The Hungarian trilogy, Hungarian Elegy, has just been published, and she kindly took the time to answer my questions about it. First, what is The Hungarian Trilogy about? The Hungarian Trilogy is the story of Ella, a feminist in Hungary in the first decades of the twentieth century. The first book, Hungarian Rhapsody, takes place in a small Hungarian town ..read more
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Great Books for Women’s History Month
Clarissa Harwood Blog
by Clarissa
2y ago
Carrie is known on Instagram for her gorgeous photos of books and her generous support of other authors. If you have an IG account, follow her @carrie.callaghan It’s Women’s History Month, and I’ve been chatting with my friend and fellow novelist Carrie Callaghan, about fascinating women in history that we’ve read and written about. I’ve also been thinking about trailblazing women, both past and present, whom nobody would consider “nice,” and I wonder if that refusal to play the part of the socially-acceptable woman is partly why they achieved as much as they did. Carrie has written two novels ..read more
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A new release by Mimi Matthews: The Siren of Sussex
Clarissa Harwood Blog
by Clarissa
2y ago
Readers of my blog already know I’m a huge fan of Mimi Matthews, and I was thrilled when she sent me an early review copy of her new historical romance, The Siren of Sussex, which was published earlier this month. About the book: Evelyn Maltravers understands exactly how little she’s worth on the marriage mart. As an incurable bluestocking from a family tumbling swiftly toward ruin, she knows she’ll never make a match in a ballroom. Her only hope is to distinguish herself by making the biggest splash in the one sphere she excels: on horseback. In haute couture. But to truly capture London’s a ..read more
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The 5 Best Books I Read in 2021
Clarissa Harwood Blog
by Clarissa
2y ago
The last “best books” list I posted was very popular with my readers, so I decided to do it again! Here are the five best books I read in 2021. As I was compiling the list, I was surprised that most of these books were assigned to me by the organizations I review books for, and most were also published this year. But it won’t surprise anyone who knows me that there’s a historical element in nearly all the books on this list! My own new historical novel (published in October), The Curse of Morton Abbey, was a Top Pick from reviewers at Books & Benches. I’m grateful for all the readers who a ..read more
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Introducing Paulette Kennedy (and a book giveaway)
Clarissa Harwood Blog
by Clarissa
2y ago
I’m thrilled to introduce fellow author Paulette Kennedy, whose debut novel Parting the Veil (published Nov. 1) has been receiving a lot of attention and positive reviews. It also shot to the top of the Amazon bestseller lists as soon as it was released! I first became aware of Paulette on Twitter when I noticed she had a novel releasing within a week of The Curse of Morton Abbey. When I realized both of our novels were gothics, I reached out to her to find out if she was interested in cross-promoting our work. And now that I’ve started reading her book, I’m enjoying the similarities between o ..read more
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Haunting Halloween Giveaway
Clarissa Harwood Blog
by Clarissa
2y ago
‘Tis the season for things that go bump in the night. The lucky winner of this contest will receive all six of the novels pictured here in paperback format. But be warned: you may stay up all night reading these thrilling and addictive novels! ABOUT THE BOOKS: The Lost History of Dreams is a “sensual, twisting gothic tale…in the tradition of A.S. Byatt’s Possession, Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale, and Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights” (BookPage). In this reworking of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, a post-mortem photographer unearths the dark secrets of a famed poet’s marriage. (Ps ..read more
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The real-life inspiration for my new novel’s protagonist (plus spooky novel recommendations)
Clarissa Harwood Blog
by Clarissa
2y ago
Happy fall, everyone! This is my birthday month and the beginning of my two favourite seasons (winter wins over fall by a hair because I love snow more than any responsible adult should). I’ve had a busy year working on secret writing projects, setting up my newsletter, and preparing to launch my new book, The Curse of Morton Abbey, which releases just in time for Halloween. This is the perfect season to release a gothic novel, though I personally love reading mysterious, spooky stories all year round. Morton Abbey is more suspenseful than my other published novels, but I would still consider ..read more
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An Intuitive Writing Technique that Worked for Me
Clarissa Harwood Blog
by Clarissa
3y ago
My new journal devoted to intuitive writing exercises. Isn’t it pretty? I tend to talk a lot about how much I hate writing first drafts, and trying to complete first drafts of two different novels during the pandemic has been especially challenging. Last December I managed to finish one of them, but it was a slog nearly every day. I told my husband at one point that I had a 500-word minimum per day, and he asked with the wide-eyed innocence of a non-writer, “Do you ever want to write more than 500 words?” Um, no. I guess he didn’t see me on a daily basis struggling to get to my word goal, then ..read more
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In Celebration of 2020 Debut Novelists
Clarissa Harwood Blog
by Clarissa
3y ago
My favourite kind of birthday gifts! October has been a good month. I had a birthday, which means my wonderful husband gave me lots of books that were on my wish list. In my own book news, I’m also celebrating the fact that Bear No Malice is now available in a large print edition. I also had a fun chat with Deborah Kalb, who interviewed me on her blog. I’ve been thinking a lot about the many people and businesses who have suffered because of the pandemic, and because my world is all about books, I’d like to highlight some newly-published novels. Being a debut author is difficult at the best of ..read more
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Introducing Mimi Matthews (and a book giveaway)
Clarissa Harwood Blog
by Clarissa
3y ago
I’m overjoyed to be interviewing fellow author Mimi Matthews this week, whose Victorian-set romance Fair as a Star was released July 14 (the same day as the paperback of my own Bear No Malice). Mimi and I have a lot in common, so I love that we we’re collaborating and celebrating our release week together! Mimi’s novel A Modest Independence was one of the top five books I read in 2019, and you can bet that Fair as a Star is going to be on my favourites list for 2020 (you can see my Goodreads review of Fair as a Star here). Mimi’s books are impeccably researched and show a deep understanding no ..read more
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