Earlier this year I celebrated my Double Twentieth Anniversary: Twenty years since my first novel was published; twenty years as an ongoing survivor of cancer. Recently I’ve been struggling through a resurgence of the cancer. My friend Patricia Stoltey has been going through some hardships of health in her life as well.

So we’re kicking off the blog tour with Cancer vs. the Author, which delves into the struggle of dealing with the final lap for Circle of Witches and the horrors of chemotherapy at the same time…

– Margaret

Today we launch Circle of Witches: The Midwinter Blog Tour! It’s a celebration of the long-awaited release of Circle of Witches, and over the next 10 days I’ll be visiting some of the best websites around the web with interviews, essays, contests, and other fun stuff. All of it will be linked daily here from my home page, so if you subscribe to my feed, follow me on Facebook, or hook-up with me on Twitter you’ll be able to keep track of me during the tour as it happens!

A GOTHIC ROMANCE. MISTY MOORS. ANCIENT SECRETS. FORBIDDEN PASSIONS. Her mother had always been afraid. That’s what Damaris remembered. From the time she was a little girl until the day her mother died, she had seen the fear in her eyes. But now she understood. Now she was afraid, too. Young Damaris wanted more than anything to be happy at Thornoak, the ancient manor owned by her aunt and uncle. Adventuring through the wide, open beauty of the Dale in the company of her rambunctious cousins she rediscovered a joy she had thought lost with the death of her parents. And in the deep, storm-tossed eyes of Lauran Ashbrigg she was surprised to find an entirely new emotion. But even under the warm and inviting sun, Damaris is chilled by the undeniable fact that the family which claims to welcome and love her is hiding truths from her: The truth of the Lady Stone. The truth of the Old Ways. The truth of moon and star and witchcraft. The truth of her mother’s death. Kindle Edition - Kindle UK - Nook Edition - SmashwordsTrade Paperback

A FINAL EVENT…

The winter solstice has arrived and, with it, the end of the Midwinter Blog Tour! But before we bring things to a close, we do have one last special event planned to celebrate the release of Circle of Witches: The Great Midwinter Blog Tour Quiz.

Here’s how it’s going to work: At the link below, you’ll find a list of twelve questions. They can all be found within either the guest posts, interviews, or sample chapters of Circle of Witches which have been posted during the Midwinter Blog Tour. (And you can find links to all those posts on the blog tour’s home page.) Submit your answers and, if you’re right, you’ll be entered to win a signed copy of Circle of Witches and a free e-book of your choice!

TAKE THE GREAT MIDWINTER BLOG TOUR QUIZ NOW!

PREVIOUS APPEARANCES

December 10th: Cancer vs. the Author with Patricia Stoltey
December 10th: Behind-the-Scenes Interview at the LadyKillers
December 11th: Cover Remake Contest at the Authoress
December 12th: The Perils of Offering Your Agent a Book Different Than Your Others at Let Them Read Books
December 13th: A Few of My Favorite Things (Interview) at the Novel Toybox
December 14th: A Digital Chat (Interview) at the Authoress
December 15th: A Pit Stop at Addicted to Novels
December 16th: A Thoughtful Lingering (Interview) with Sharon Kay Penman
December 17th: Designing a Cover at the Alexandrian
December 18th: A Review at Tiffany’s Bookshelf
December 19th: A Guided Tour of the Yorkshire Dales (Interview) at the Hopeful Heroine

READ THE BOOK!

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6

PRAISE FOR MARGARET FRAZER

If Circle of Witches is the first time we’ve become acquainted as author and reader, you might want to check the sidebar to your right to see some of my other novels.

“Exquisitely written, the novel offers a brilliantly realized vision… Suspenseful from start to surprising conclusion, this is another gem from an author who’s twice been nominated for an Edgar.” – Publisher’s Weekly

“Love the passionate attention to detail in character, custom, and setting, and the sympathetic creation of believable people and events. Essential.” – Library Journal of New York

“A lovingly told story, rich with fascinating description. Ms. Frazer provides a real treat for lovers of all things.” – Toby Bromberg, Romantic Times

“The writing is seamless… Rich period detail, canny characterization, and a lively plot should endear her tales to anyone…” – Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Mystery… Suspense… Frazer executes with audacity and ingenuity.” – Kirkus Reviews

“Weaves a budding romance and a grand, unrequited passion with a bold and dangerous plot… Great fun for all!” – Alfred Hitchcock Magazine

“Frazer’s books will be among those I read as soon as I see them.” – Houston Facts

Twice nominated for the Minnesota Book Award.
Twice nominated for the Edgar Award.
A Romantic Times Top Pick.

– Margaret

With the long nights of midwinter approaching, allow me to lighten your days with Circle of Witches: The Midwinter Blog Tour!

For ten days, starting on December 10th, I’ll be making daily stops at blogs all around the web for interviews, guest posts, contests, and other fun stuff! If you’d like to keep me company, please subscribe to my feed, follow me on Facebook, or hook-up with me on Twitter to keep track of me during the tour as it happens!

– Margaret

A GOTHIC ROMANCE.
MISTY MOORS. ANCIENT SECRETS. FORBIDDEN PASSIONS.

Her mother had always been afraid. That’s what Damaris remembered. From the time she was a little girl until the day her mother died, she had seen the fear in her eyes.

But now she understood. Now she was afraid, too.

Young Damaris wanted more than anything to be happy at Thornoak, the ancient manor owned by her aunt and uncle. Adventuring through the wide, open beauty of the Dale in the company of her rambunctious cousins she rediscovered a joy she had thought lost with the death of her parents. And in the deep, storm-tossed eyes of Lauran Ashbrigg she was surprised to find an entirely new emotion.

But even under the warm and inviting sun, Damaris is chilled by the undeniable fact that the family which claims to welcome and love her is hiding truths from her: The truth of the Lady Stone. The truth of the Old Ways. The truth of moon and star and witchcraft.

The truth of her mother’s death.

Kindle Edition – Kindle UK – Nook Edition – Smashwords

I’ve been waiting a long time for this.

It started back in 1983 or 1984. I had two young sons I had just reared out of infancy and it had been a long time since I had written everything. I needed to prove to myself that I could still do it. So when my husband took the children for a vacation to visit their grandmother and aunt in California, I spent my own vacation (from them!) to write Circle of Witches.

I proved my point, and a few years later that gave me the confidence to take the leap in writing The Novice’s Tale and launching my professional career.

Over the past twenty-plus years, however, I have periodically submitted Circle of Witches to agents and publishers — the gatekeepers of the written word in 20th century America. And I received the same response time and time again: “What a wonderful book! But I don’t know how to market it.” Or who to sell it to. Or who might buy it.

Apparently it is not historical enough to be a historical novel; nor romantic enough to be a romance novel; nor lurid enough to be a horror novel. People enjoy reading it, but the industry doesn’t know who they can sell it to. And so you haven’t been allowed to see it.

But the world has changed. The success of independent publishing being driven by the Kindle, Nook, and iPad — which I have experienced first-hand in reissuing my out-of-print Frevisse novels — allows authors like me to bypass the gatekeepers and marketers and deliver the book straight to the readers.

And I am so very excited, at long last, to be able to offer this book to all of you.

So, if Circle of Witches doesn’t fit comfortably into an existing genre, what sort of books is it? A gothic romance in the classic sense of the term: Strange secrets lurking the forgotten recesses of ancient manor houses. Damsels in distress. Dark mystery mixed with starry-eyed romance.

Or, as my son insists on saying, “it’s like Twilight and Jane Austen had a baby”. (He is truly a comfort to me in my declining years…)

Circle of Witches has been released for both the Kindle and the Nook. It can also be read on any iPad, Android, Windows PC, Mac, or Blackberry device using either the free Kindle Reading Apps or the free Nook Apps for those platforms. It will also be available through the iBookstore and Kobo.com shortly, but those outlets take much longer to process new e-books than Amazon or B&N.

– Margaret

Sins of the Blood is a collection of three Frevisse short stories — “The Witch’s Tale”, “The Midwife’s Tale”, and “The Stone-Worker’s Tale” — being released exclusively for the Amazon Kindle. It also includes the all-new and entirely original Guided Tour of St. Frideswide: In 40 pages, we walk through both the nunnery and the village of Prior Byfield, discussing the history of the setting and revealing details never-before-known.

(Well, never-before-known to anyone except me.)

St. Frideswide, as it has developed over the course of the Frevisse series, is something like an iceberg: 10% has been visible through the novels and short stories, but there’s this immense depth that I’ve built up “below the surface” (so to speak) that I’m excited to be able to share with you.

THE WITCH’S TALE

Witchcraft has come to the peaceful village near St. Frideswide, and its foul touch is striking down those closest to the church. Can Dame Frevisse thwart the servants of the devil before the hellfire of hysteria sears the souls of the faithful? Or is there more to this magic than meets the eye?

THE MIDWIFE’S TALE

“Sisters! Come back! Please don’t leave us yet!”

Cisily Fisher has died in childbirth and now the village of Priors Byfield is held in a grip of fear. Can Dame Frevisse find the root of misery behind a murderer’s sin before the next lethal blow falls? Or will the village be lost in a hue and cry of terror? The gentling touch of the midwife may calm the tortured soul… or give birth to a bitter death.

THE STONE-WORKER’S TALE

When Frevisse is given bishop-pardoned leave to visit her cousin Alice at Ewelme, she is enchanted by the work of the sculptor Simon Maye. But Simon is enchanted by the beauty of Elyn, one of Alice’s ladies in waiting. Clandestine meetings have given way to sinful lust, and now the two lovers have disappeared. The servants whisper that the lovers have eloped, and secretly pine for the passion to do the same. Lady Alice believes her sculptor has been stolen away by jealous rivals and rages at the injustice. But Frevisse alone suspects there may be some darker truth behind the midnight vanishing…

A GUIDED TOUR OF ST. FRIDESWIDE

And so we turn to St. Frideswide’s in rural northern Oxfordshire. Imaginary, yes, but fully realized as an ordinary place much like many others common across England in both rural and urban settings by the 1400s. A wealthy widow founded it in the 1300s, saw to its beginning, and endowed it with lands and other income to sustain it – alas, not so fully as she intended to do before she died…

Kindle Edition

Why is this a Kindle exclusive?

The short version is that I’m trying to introduce Dame Frevisse to new readers. Amazon offers a unique program called the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library: Any Amazon Prime member who owns a Kindle can borrow books from the Lending Library for free. I’m hoping that making Dame Frevisse a part of the Lending Library will expose new readers to her stories.

But in order to get your books included in the Lending Library, you have to offer a title exclusively through Amazon. I didn’t want to take any of my existing books off the market, so I created Sins of the Blood and “A Guided Tour of St. Frideswide” as something that I could enroll in the program.

What if you don’t own a Kindle? Well, there’s some good news:

(1) The three short stories — “The Witch’s Tale”, “The Midwife’s Tale”, and “The Stone-Worker’s Tale” — are still being sold separately as individual e-book titles through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, iBooks, Google Play, and many other online bookstores. (It’s also relatively easy to find used copies of the original short story collections they were published in.)

(2) There are a wealth of Kindle Reading Apps which will allow you to read Kindle e-books on any iPad, Android, Windows PC, Mac, or Blackberry device. Basically, if you’re reading this blog post you’ll be able to read Sins of the Blood on the same machine.

(3) All of the books that I directly control the rights to are sold DRM Free. That means there’s no copy protection on the e-book files: If you buy the e-book from Amazon, you’ll be able to freely and easily convert it to any e-reader of your choice.

– Margaret

This year is my Double Twentieth Anniversary!

Twenty years ago this summer my first novel – The Novice’s Tale – was published (and is still in print as I write this).

But (must there always be a but?) twenty years ago this year I was also given my first diagnosis of breast cancer.

I’m afraid that the latter considerably took the edge off the former. Instead of gearing up for the excitement of my first novel’s debut, I was recovering from major surgery. A summer that should have been bright with success was shadowed instead with pain and fear. Besides that, I was already dealing with the break-up of my marriage, and by the end of the year I had helped my mother close down her own home in another state and gone house-hunting here in Minneapolis for a place we could live together – her to watch over me as I recovered, me to watch over her in her increasing old age – and hopefully make a home for my young sons.

All in all, emotionally and physically, 1992 was not a great year.

Happily, The Servant’s Tale was finished before the cancer-crisis started, but working on The Outlaw’s Tale was a struggle.  Still, young sons, aged mother, and the need to make a living are great inspiration to get out of bed and to work in the mornings.  And since then – to the good – book has followed book.  Unfortunately – and to the bad – I’ve fought through multiple rounds of cancer, one after another. Of that, on the supposition that my experiences in the cancer dance may be of use to someone, over the next few days I’m going to talk about my experiences.

But more of that another time. Because this is also a time of celebration, and to that end, over the next few days, I’m going to be previewing The Novice’s Tale here on my website one chapter at a time. If you’ve never spent time with our dear Dame Frevisse, I hope you’ll seize the opportunity to make her acquaintance.

Of course, if you and Dame Frevisse are already old friends, I hope you’ll take the opportunity to join me in going back to the beginning. It’s been a long journey. And it’s not over yet.

– Margaret

The Prioress’ Tale has been released for both the Kindle and the Nook. It can also be read on any iPad, Android, Windows PC, Mac, or Blackberry device using either the free Kindle Reading Apps or the free Nook Apps for those platforms. It will also be available through the iBookstore shortly, but Apple takes much longer to process new e-books than Amazon or B&N.

DARK CORRUPTION AND THE PENITENCE OF DEATH…

Under the harsh hand of its newly elected prioress, St. Frideswide’s has become a place of deadly sin. The corruption has grown subtly and slowly, but it has found fertile soil in the rage and greed of Domina Alys, who has turned the priory into a boarding house for her relatives, the Godfreys. Dame Frevisse is horrified to discover that the modest stores of the priory – desperately needed if the nuns are to survive the coming winter – are being completely consumed by the rapacious Godfrey clan.

But the Godfreys bring with them more immediate terrors: Torture. Madness. Kidnapping. Murder. The sanctuary of the cloister has been violated and even the holy rites of the nuns have been ripped apart.

Despite the growing crisis, Frevisse’s best efforts to save the nunnery from itself are met with scorn and torment as bitter hatreds and old rivalries turn nun against nun. Suspicion, paranoia, and despair clutch the cloister’s heart. If Frevisse cannot unlock the riddles of penitence for her prioress and for herself, then St. Frideswide’s may be no more…

Buy Kindle Edition / Buy Nook Edition

PRAISE FOR THE PRIORESS’S TALE

“When this series debuted, its publisher hailed Frazer as the logical successor to Ellis Peters… With a number of strong books already under her belt, Frazer may actually make her publisher’s dream come true.” – Star Tribune

“Often chastised for her disobedience and made to do penance, Sister Frevisse’s curious nature still wins out as she uses logic and her intelligence to sleuth with the best of them.” – Rendezvous

“Frazer is writing one of the most consistently excellent historical series in print today.” – Murder Ink

“Clearly, the setting is the star here, and Frazer is generous with her details of abbey life.” – Publishers Weekly

“Margaret Frazer continues her splendid series of medieval mysteries… She has a sure grasp of the realities of medieval life: Its careless cruelty, effortless hypocrisy – particularly in matters of religion – and its disregard for women who could wield influence only in the most indirect ways.” – MLB News

The Prioress’ Tale was the the first of the Dame Frevisse books that I wrote alone. My co-author and I had discussed rough ideas for the story, and I had shaped the plot and written a first draft of the first three or four chapters when she decided she was tired of medieval England and bowed out of the series, leaving the book (and the series) to me.

Since I always wrote the first draft of all our books by myself, there was no trouble in simply continuing onward. Or not much trouble, except the small one that through writing six books together, my co-author and I had developed not only a smooth modus operandi but a deep familiarity with what each of us preferred in a story. I knew what she would object to and want changed, and she knew the same about me. Now there was just me, with no one to change how I chose to tell the story and deal with the characters. It was all mine! But did I take that heady breath of freedom and run with it? Not quite. Not immediately.

I’m still amused to remember how, instead, I found myself all through the first draft continuously “looking over my shoulder,” second-guessing myself on what my co-author would have had to say about this or that or the other thing that I was doing. But of course she was not there, and I confess I eventually settled happily to entirely following my own desires regarding characters and plot, both in The Prioress’ Tale and all the books that follow it.

– Margaret

For a limited time only, the international Kindle editions of The Novice’s Tale and The Servant’s Tale are on sale for an insanely low price! You can purchase them for just £0.77 (UK) or 0,89€ (French, German, Italian).

My understanding is that you don’t actually need to live in the UK, France, Germany, or Italy in order to purchase the books from those sites. However, since I don’t control the e-book rights for these titles in America or Canada, you can’t purchase them there. (I wish that wasn’t the case, but it’s out of my control.)

So if you’re a Joliffe fan who’s wondering what the fuss is — or if you know anyone who loves historical fiction or a good mystery — now’s a great time to make Dame Frevisse’s acquaintance.

– Margaret

If you’ve living in the UK, Germany, France, or anywhere outside of the United States or Canada, The Servant’s Tale is now available for the Kindle! It can also be read on any iPad, Android, Windows PC, Mac, or Blackberry device using the free Kindle Reading Apps for those platforms.

As with The Novice’s Tale, I don’t know when an e-book for The Servant’s Tale will be made available in the United States or Canada because I don’t control those rights. I’ve got my fingers crossed that the publisher will make it happen soon, though. Unfortunately, this also prevents me from offering The Servant’s Tale through other booksellers like Barnes & Noble and Smashwords. But The Servant’s Tale — like the other novels and short stories I control the rights to — is offered through Amazon without DRM, making it easy to convert to whatever formats you like best.

THE PLAY’S THE THING, TO CATCH THE CONSCIENCE OF A KILLER…

The Christmas season brings strange guests to the medieval nunnery of St. Frideswide’s when a troupe of penniless players comes knocking at the gate. They bear with them the badly mangled body of a villager, swearing they found the drunken fool lying in a ditch. But Meg, the victim’s wife and a scullery maid of the cloister, thinks there are far fouler deeds afoot.

As the players rehearse for the nativity, ancient scandals lick at their heels and dark desperation haunts Meg’s steps as she finds cruel feudal laws threatening to strip away the lands that would support both her and her sons in the wake of her husband’s death.

Dame Frevisse must thrust herself between these violent feuds, awakening dreams of her youth that she had believed long buried. Her very faith may be threatened, but Frevisse knows she must unravel a path to true salvation… before false raptures of lust bring ruination upon them all.

Buy Kindle Edition

PRAISE FOR THE SERVANT’S TALE

“Period detail, adroit characterizations, and lively dialogue add to the pleasure of this labyrinthine tale.” – Publishers Weekly

“This mystery is so rich with place and time that they become characters in the story. Dame Frevisse is a stalwart, appealing sleuth and the cold, dark priory and the squalor of Medieval England are fascinating backdrops.” – New Orleans Times-Picayune

“The writing is seamless… The atmosphere of the book is cold and blustery, danger afield. A well-steeped sense of history prevails… They make this novel more than a mystery, but a wonderful historical dark tapestry. We are transported back to the 14th century. One of the 10 best mystery novels of 1993.” – Minneapolis Star Tribune

“I look forward to more murders at St. Frideswide.” – The Mystery Review

“Frazer never falters in this magnificent historical… This is a perfect mystery: It’s flawless.” – Drood Review of Mystery

NOMINATED FOR THE 1994 EDGAR AWARD

As most of you probably already know, The Servant’s Tale is also the first appearance of Joliffe! The story takes place six months before the events of A Play of Isaac. (For a more detailed view of how the two series weave together — including the short stories! — check out the master chronology.)

– Margaret

Today is the big wrap-up for our virtual bookclub for A Play of Heresy. In a couple of hours I’ll be posting the Author’s Note from the book here on the website. (Be warned! There are spoilers in there!) Meanwhile, vigorous discussions continue on Facebook — and will probably continue into the New Year — and I also recommend following my Twitter account.

In a few days I’m also planning to post a reading guide for you to use with your local bookclubs. Until them, I’d like to wish you all a Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed the latest tale of Joliffe.

– Margaret