Amelia at The Authoress is hosting an exclusive cover remake contest for Circle of Witches as part of the Midwinter Blog Tour!

I’m really excited about this!

For those of you who may not be familiar with cover remake contests, here are the basics: Take the cover for Circle of Witches—

–and remix it. You can take the existing elements of the cover and transform them into something new. Or design an entirely new cover from scratch. If you’ve read the book, it’s a chance to express what it meant to you and for me to share that with you. And even if you haven’t had a chance to finish it yet, this is still a great opportunity for you to express yourself artistically!

Head over to the Authoress for all the details you need on how to participate and the great prize package we’re offering to the winners! (Yup, you read that right: There are prizes!)

– Margaret

The first day of the Midwinter Blog Tour for Circle of Witches rolls on: Priscilla Royal, whose delightful mysteries set in a medieval nunnery in the 1200s provide an apt contrast to my Dame Frevisse mysteries set in a medieval nunnery in the 1400s, sat down with me for a digital interview that provides a behind-the-scenes tour of the work which went into writing the book… and the even greater work that went into getting the book into your hands!

– Margaret

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

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

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

“Lowly Death” has been released for the Kindle and Nook. It can also be read on any iPad, Android, Windows PC, Mac, or Blackberry device using the free Kindle Reading Apps for those platforms.

A CUNNING AND CLEVER GREED…

Come down the Paternoster Passage, cross the church’s yard, and knock on the doors of Master Whittington’s Almshouse. Master Pecock, a man of the cloth and the greatest detective of 15th century London, will answer your call.

Just as he answers Dick Colop’s call. The mother of young Colop’s friend has slipped, fallen, and died. But something doesn’t feel right about it. There’s a strange uneasiness creeping at the back of Colop’s mind.

And then there was the matter of the candle.

It was in the kitchen. A burned down stub of a candle. It had rolled under a table. And left a thick splattering of wax on the floor a foot or so away.

That was enough. Master Pecock was on the scent. The scent of lies. The scent of wrongs. The scent of murder.

Kindle Edition – Nook Edition

“Lowly Death” is the third tale of Bishop Pecock, coming after “Heretical Murder” and after “The Simple Logic of It”. It was first published in Murder Most Catholic, edited by Ralph McInerny. Master Pecock has advanced in his priestly career and is now head of the well-endowed Whittington Almshouses in London.  Rather than the tendrils of national crime, here he deals with a domestic matter.

The plot came – as so many of my plots do – from an actual medieval situation.  I will often be innocently reading some scholarly study or else the documents themselves, when something catches at the criminally-inclined corner of my mind and I suddenly ask, “Yes, but what if…” and away I’ll be, the twisty mind of a mystery writer turning what – in the document – was a perfectly straightforward business matter into a full-blooded (and usually bloody) convolution of human relationships and situations. And when I look back from the finished story to the innocent document that started at all, I’ll often be surprised at how far the transmutation of imagination has taken the original few facts.

One small but continually niggling thing stays with me from this story: The editor’s note at the beginning of the anthology.  There Mr. McInerny stated that, although the story “uses medieval setting for color, it remains a thoroughly modern deductive mystery”. In fact, the methods of deduction used in the story are perfectly medieval, drawn directly from the methods of deduction outlined by Master Pecock himself in his own works of circa 1450, wherein he urged people to seek truth through the use of reason and demonstrated how to do it, very much in the way he uses logic and reason in this story.

– Margaret

“Heretical Murder” has been released for the Kindle and Nook. It can also be read on any iPad, Android, Windows PC, Mac, or Blackberry device using the free Kindle Reading Apps for those platforms.

BETWEEN DUTY AND BLOOD…

Questionable matters? Strange deaths? Mysteries most foul? The cleverest man in 15th century England lives at Master Whittington’s Almshouse! Turn right off College Hill Street, go through the narrow Paternoster Passage, and knock on the third door on the left.

Dick Colop, student and scrivener, knows those directions well. They take him to the quiet study of Sire Pecock, priest of the Church and scholar of both man and book. A man has been cut down in the busy streets of London. The sheriff thinks it nothing more than a tavern brawl, but Colop knows that he never made it through the door.

A terrible accident or something worse? Sire Pecock will follow the dark and murderous ways of heresy to find the truth of sin.

Kindle Edition – Nook Edition

“Heretical Murder” was originally written for the Mammoth Book of More Historical Whodunits. (Which was published as the Mammoth Book of Historical Whodunnits in England; which is not to be confused with the previous volume of the exact same name which contained a completely different set of stories including “The Witch’s Tale”.  I take no responsibility for the vague ways of publishers.)

I don’t remember why the allowed word-count for this story was so high, but I took full advantage of it to write a story that roamed through the streets of London, keeping company with one of my favorite people from the 1400s – the scholar and churchman Reynold Pecock (otherwise called “Reginald” by modern scholars).

He had crossed my path more than once in my years of research and reading but never caught my interest until I attended a session at the International Congress of Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and heard two scholars – Stephen E. Lahey and Brent Moberley — discussing Bishop (as he became) Pecock.  Talking with them afterwards, I confessed that, rather than a legitimate scholar, I wrote medieval murder mysteries.  After what I read as a startled pause, they both declared with delight that Bishop Pecock would make a great detective.

Somewhat taken aback by the idea but intrigued by what they had been saying about him, I set to taking a longer, deeper look at Reynold Pecock, even going so far as to read some of his religious treatises in Middle English.  I found him a delightful, interesting, complex man and knew I had to use him in a story or – better yet — stories.
This particular one is chronologically the first of the three short stories in which he figures and finds him early in his career in London after a long while as a scholar and teacher at the University of Oxford.

The uprising that is a background to this story is historical, and it may be worthwhile to note that although the use of the word “pamphlet” forty years before the introduction of printing to England may jar with some readers, it is not an anachronism.  It is the actual word used in a contemporary chronicle regarding Lollard activities in London at this time.  More than that, the copying of books was indeed a commercial enterprise in London at the time, and a family named Colop was prominent in it.

– Margaret

The Murderer’s 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.

THROUGH A MURDERER’S EYES…

Caught under the tyrannical thumb of her new prioress, Dame Frevisse finds welcome relief in leaving St. Frideswide nunnery on pilgrimage. But the road brings with it unwelcome company: The wealthy Lionel Knyvet has been possessed by a foul demon. Seeking relief from the horrific terrors visited upon his body each fortnight, Lionel has dragged his entire household on an endless pilgrimage across the breadth and length of England. Frevisse wants nothing more than the peaceful bliss of travel, but must instead endure the incessant chattering of a mob.

Lionel’s possession, however, may only mask a darker sin. When the pilgrims make their way to the manor house at Minster Lovell, Frevisse begins to unwind the bitter poisons of jealousy and betrayal eating at the hearts of both Lionel and his brother Giles. Against her will, the innocent nun is drawn into the vilest depths of the human soul and there she unlocks the mysteries of a blackened heart. But even when the truth comes out, can justice be done? The pure of heart will find no peace when murder and death come knocking at the manor’s door…

Buy Kindle Edition / Buy Nook Edition

PRAISE FOR THE MURDERER’S TALE

“Frazer has created the most despicable villain since Iago.” – Patricia W. Julius, Detective as Historian

“Historical readers will be charmed with the story; feminists will be delighted with the strong female characters. Ellis Peters has a worthy successor in Margaret Frazer.” – Meritorious Mysteries

“Expertly captures the flavor of the period with vivid descriptions and creates dimensional characters true to the times.” – Rendezvous

“A diabolically smooth and logical frame-up… Frazer springs substantial surprises. A moving portrait of how afflictions torment body and mind and a meditation on selfless friendship. It’s a treat, with memorable characters and a thoughtful, bittersweet ending.” – S.M. Tyson, The Armchair Detective

The Murderer’s Tale was the last book that my then-co-author and I wrote together, before she gave up on medieval England and went to cozy needlework shop mysteries.  We planned the book together, meaning from the very first to tell the story from the murderer’s point of view, and thereby came the parting of our ways, I think.  She had always said she wanted to write light murder mysteries, murder mysteries that were essentially cheerful – what are now called cozies.  I seem to be of a darker nature; nothing about murder seems cozy to me, and when – as was our wont – I began the first draft of Murderer’s inside the title character’s head, it was a nasty place to be.  Given the crimes Mary and I had planned for him, how could it be otherwise?  Nor did he get any nicer as the book went on.  Unfortunately, he proved too much for Mary.  She hated him so much that she finally refused to have anything to do with his chapters at all.

Now I have said elsewhere that I don’t identify with only my main character – that I identify with all my characters, turning inward on myself to find some part of me that — if cultivated instead of bypassed – could become what this character is.  Then I explore that part of me, and it becomes the warp on which I weave a character.  So exploring and creating Giles was not a pleasant experience for me.  Nor was doing the same with Domina Alys in the next book.  But it seems to me that if I am going to write about murder, then if the story is going to be worth telling at all, I have to look at the ugliness within a murderer, and not only the ugliness within a murderer, but the cruel changes that ugliness makes in the lives of the people around him or her.  Hence, as Dame Frevisse is forced to deal with murders over the years, she grows and deepens.  And because, through her, I have had to look far closer and deeper in the dark hearts of murderers (meaning into the dark corners of my own heart, as it were), I’ve grown and changed, too, have come to value kindness and generosity of spirit with far more passion that before and have a very focused hatred of cruelty.

This leads to occasional odd moments, such as when – working at the rewrite of a later book in the series – I found myself railing at the murderer for the cruel, vile, treacherous way he had killed his victim.  How could he do such an ugly thing?  How could he . . .  Oh.  Wait.  I was the one who had written the scene that way.  The whole thing was my fault.

So maybe it’s best if you just forget what I’ve said above about me being part of all my characters.  It could make the next time we meet rather awkward if you find yourself wondering “Who is she today?”

– Margaret

My Winter Heart Blog Tour is coming to its end, and I can’t believe how much fun I’ve had.  As an author, I cheerfully spend most of my time alone, immersed in my work.  Over the years, signings and suchlike have drawn me out only occasionally.  So this venture into the cyber-world has been an adventure.  Thank you, one and all, for sharing it with me.

Looking ahead, I’ve been selected to speak at the Historical Novel Society Conference in San Diego, CA, which will take place June 17th thru 19th, 2011. Among other things, I’ll be moderating a panel:

Keeping a Series Fresh
Saturday, June 18th, 2011
8:30 – 9:30 AM

I’ve been doing some light reading to familiarize myself with the matter. What are your thoughts? What keeps a series fresh for you? Drop by my Facebook page and join the discussion.

REVIEW ROUND-UP

This was my first exposure to medieval mystery, and I have to say, I was highly intrigued.  It took a little while to get into the story, as the type of language and pacing is a little different than a contemporary mystery novel, but once I adjusted my mindset, I flew through this book.  I was excited to see Domina Frevisse at work, to learn her line of reasoning and type of logic.  I really enjoyed her as a character.  We do not learn much about her personally in this book, but it is not necessary for us to feel a deep connection with her in order to appreciate her character.

I really loved the setting of this book, as it was so unique.  Medieval mysteries are a highly specified genre, and the only other author in the genre I am at all familiar with is Michael Jecks, so chances are readers who like his work will also like works by Frazer.  This story is one from a series starring Frevisse, but it also works well as a stand alone book for readers like me just getting acquainted with Frazer’s work.

Before now I had not read any of Frazer’s Dame Frevisse or Player Joliffe mysteries, though I’d long wanted to! This is a novella, so it’s a very quick read and a great introduction to Dame Frevisse for anyone who’s not familiar with the series. It’s different from most other historical fiction I’ve read in that, one, the main character is a nun, and so most of the story takes place inside a nunnery, and two, it paints a vivid and realistic picture of life in a tiny medieval village, and it’s not all quaint and dreamy. It’s winter, life is hard. Crown officials are seldom seen, and it’s up to the village to keep its own peace. I enjoyed it, and you know me–anything that educates as well as entertains me gets a thumbs up in my book!

Margaret Frazer brings medieval England to life.

I absolutely love the Dame Frevisse novels!

Sister Frevisse, now Domina Frevisse as prioress of St. Frideswide’s, has more to worry about now that she is responsible for the whole priory. But she always has time to solve a murder! When Master Naylor comes to her with the problem of Tom Kelstowe, she cannot help being intrigued. Tom had disappeared after being accused of rape, and under the law to flee is to admit guilt. But he returns claiming he was kidnapped, and though doubtful, Frevisse gives him a second chance. Then a murder occurs.

Frevisse is as sharp as ever, and Frazer’s characterization and historical background as good as ever, in this short (too short!) return to St. Frideswide’s and our old familiar friends. I just wish the visit had been longer to prolong the pleasure her books always give me.

If you’ve ever wished you could drop in on 15th century England, reading a novel by Margaret Frazer is almost like being there. Witness the author’s new novella, “Winter Heart,” which features an old friend, Dame Frevisse, now become Domina Frevisse.

This beloved heroine is once again confronted with murders, poisonings, and other crimes near St. Frideswide’s priory. If Frevisse fails to find the guilty person, an innocent man may be condemned. Fortunately, in becoming the head of the priory, the nun has lost none of her detective instincts, and Frazer leads us skillfully to a satisfying conclusion of the plot.

I particularly enjoyed the setting of “Winter Heart,” the flavor of Benedictine hospitality as well as devout faith of the nuns, the interplay of various medieval people and personalities. Frazer speaks at the end of the book about “the pleasure of going thoroughly into otherwhen as well as otherwhere….” You’ll find plenty of both in this tale.

In this novelette we find Domina Frevisse balancing the responsibilities of Prioress with her talent for solving crime. A young man in the village is missing after being accused of rape. Things about his disappearance do not add up, and cause Domina Frevisse to delve into the mystery. As usual the plot is well thought out and well executed. You also always learn about history in Ms. Frazer’s books in an interesting and informative way. I love the interaction of Domina Frevisse with the characters we know and love from her pre-Prioress days. I wish the book was longer so that I could have enjoyed it for a longer time!

– Margaret