HF Virtual Book Tours Review: Elaine Cougler, Author of The Loyalist's Wife

Today I am happy to welcome Elaine Cougler, author of The Loyalist's Wife, here to A Bookish Affair.

Guest posting today for Meg is a distinct pleasure for me and my thanks go out to her. Since Halloween is coming soon the topic I came up with links to the season but I must stress The Loyalist’s Wife is not about Halloween!

Ghosts, Spooks, and Bumps in the Night: What Role Do They Play in Historical Fiction?

I write historical fiction, not horror, or even paranormal but a few strange bits find their way into my work. Sometimes things do go bump in the night, as we all know, and a writer loves to make the most of them.

My Lucy is left alone on their isolated farm in New York State while John goes off to fight for Butler’s Rangers and the King. Milking the cow, scattering seeds for the squabbling chickens and strutting rooster, and hoeing the planted corn field are just some of the tasks which fill her days so that she barely has time to eat. For the most part she has no time to think and worry but when she pauses in the corn field, leans on the hoe, and studies the trees behind the cabin, she feels eyes on her but sees nothing. Nothing but the wind rustling the leaves. Molly’s lowing calls her back to finish her hoeing before heading for the milk pail.

There is nothing and no one there, she tells herself.

And yet, when she wakes alone in the night, the floor creaks and she sits right up in bed. She hears the door latch. Is it someone trying to get in or just her ears playing tricks on her?

Of course these words create suspense and keep readers wanting to know more. Even though my writing is about a fictional young couple and their life set against the historical events of the American Revolutionary War, I still use our natural fear of the unknown to increase tension in the story.

The Loyalist’s Wife:

When American colonists resort to war against Britain and her colonial attitudes, a young couple caught in the crossfire must find a way to survive. Pioneers in the wilds of New York State, John and Lucy face a bitter separation and the fear of losing everything, even their lives, when he joins Butler’s Rangers to fight for the King and leaves her to care for their isolated farm. As the war in the Americas ramps up, ruffians roam the colonies looking to snap up Loyalist land. Alone, pregnant, and fearing John is dead, Lucy must fight with every weapon she has.

With vivid scenes of desperation, heroism, and personal angst, Elaine Cougler takes us back to the beginnings of one great country and the planting of Loyalist seeds for another. The Loyalist’s Wife transcends the fighting between nations to show us the individual cost of such battles.

Elaine blogs at On Becoming a Wordsmith which may be found at www.elainecougler.com. She also is frequently found here: @ElaineCougler, Facebook/ElaineCouglerAuthor, and LinkedIn author groups. The Loyalist’s Wife is available on Amazon and Kobo. www.amazon.com  www.kobo.com

Follow the Rest of the Tour:

Monday, October 7
Feature & Giveaway at Passages to the Past
Tuesday, October 8
Review at West Metro Mommy
Wednesday, October 9
Review at Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews
Thursday, October 10
Review at Unabridged Chick
Review & Giveaway at Flashlight Commentary
Friday, October 11
Review & Giveaway at Kinx’s Book Nook
Monday, October 14
Review at Book Lovers Paradise
Tuesday, October 15
Review at A Bookish Affair
Guest Post at Book Lovers Paradise
Thursday, October 17
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time
Friday, October 18
Review & Giveaway at Peeking Between the Pages
Guest Post at A Bookish Affair
Interview at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
Monday, October 21
Review & Giveaway at Confessions of an Avid Reader