The Woods of Hitchcock
(The Henrietta Series)
by Ann W. Jarvie
GENRE: Thriller, Psychological Suspense
BLURB:
The Woods of Hitchcock by award-winning author Ann W. Jarvie is a thriller about a psychically gifted Chicago copywriter and victim of violence who returns to South Carolina's equestrian country to solve a riddle involving murder, the metaphysical and the secrets of her eccentric family.
Suzanne Clayborn is a psychically gifted southerner working in her dream job in Chicago, which also conveniently takes her away from the ghosts of her past. But when she's nearly killed, she realizes all she wants is to return home to her eccentric family, her horse and the one place she feels safe: Hitchcock Woods, an enchanting equestrian forest in South Carolina.
But instead of finding solace, Suzanne becomes entangled in a murder spree, while stumbling upon an old manuscript, written by her sage grandmother. As she explores it, Suzanne uncovers a tome of long-buried family haunts and ancient metaphysical secrets offering healing and inspiration. She also begins to understand her unwanted psychic abilities, especially after meeting a mysterious stranger in the Woods whose ominous riddle suggests others close to her will die within the week...
Brimming with raw emotion and a trail of psychological twists, a story of hope and transformation begins to unfold. Yet with the riddle's deadline looming, Suzanne's present must ultimately collide with a violent past. Will she be able to solve her life's riddle and fulfill her destiny? Or will she die along with those she loves?
Excerpt:
Suzanne Clayborn woke up in darkness, mouth taped shut.
Jerking only made the ties around her wrists and ankles tighter, but it wasn’t just the bindings holding her down. Her muscles weren’t working right, like her whole body had fallen asleep. All she could do was lie there on a floor, heart pounding in terror, listening to the eerie bangs of pipes hidden somewhere behind the shadowed walls.
Her body trembled, despite an overwhelming heat, heavy and putrid, falling on her face and neck like the terrible breath of a monster. She had no memory of what had happened to her or where she was now. She only knew she was immobilized, maybe paralyzed, and every inch of her head ached. She might’ve welcomed another blackout, but the fumes were acting like smelling salts, forcing her to remain awake.
Yet she preferred consciousness—she didn’t want to die. It wasn’t that she feared the afterlife. That was actually the only good thing about the tragic accident years ago, when she was thirteen, when she’d felt her soul float away in bliss. It was the coming back that was the scary part. What she’d seen and felt when she’d woken up, and almost every day since then, could not be unseen or unfelt. It was a secret horror, her life irreversibly altered with strange, new abilities she didn’t need or want. Still, she didn’t want to die—not now, not like this—because she was struck in this dark moment with an awful knowing, a bothersome niggling in the deepest part of her soul about something important she had to finish in this life.
Guest Post: by Ann W. Jarvie Topic: – What questions are you most asked by readers?
Thank you, Gimme the Scoop Reviews, for the opportunity to
answer the questions I’m most asked about my new thriller, The Woods of
Hitchcock, and to give you “the scoop” about my upcoming in-store book
signing event at Barnes & Noble in Phoenix.
In a nutshell, what is your new novel
about?
The Woods of Hitchcock is a thriller about a psychically
gifted Chicago copywriter and
victim of violence who returns to South Carolina’s equestrian country to solve
a riddle involving murder, the metaphysical and the secrets of her eccentric
family.
Did you have a literary
theme in mind as you wrote it?
Yes, thematically, I wanted The
Woods of Hitchcock to be a Hero’s Journey—of a woman running away from the literal ghosts of her
past until she discovers the secret gifts of spirit within herself.
Where are
your books sold? What about signed books?
My books are
available through Barnes & Noble, Amazon and most online retail
booksellers. I’ve had a number of book signing events in coordination with
Barnes & Noble, but I’m excited to announce on Gimme the Scoop Reviews… “the
scoop” that I’m having my first IN-STORE Book Signing event this upcoming
Saturday—on Feb. 12, 2020—at the Barnes & Noble/Desert Ridge store
in Phoenix, Arizona. This is one of the first such events in the country! So if
you’re in the Phoenix area next Saturday, come in to see me!
Is The
Woods of Hitchcock the sequel to your first novel, The Soul Retrieval?
Yes, although
it’s not a direct sequel, the styles are much different and each story stands
completely on its own. The heroine of The
Soul Retrieval, Henrietta Clayborn, was a thirtysomething in the 1950s in
an epic novel, but she plays a mentoring role as an eightysomething in this
contemporary thriller. The Woods of Hitchcock centers on Henrietta’s
granddaughter, Suzanne Clayborn, but as I mentioned, Suzanne’s story stands on
its own.
What was the inspiration for this
novel?
When I was
growing up in Aiken County, South Carolina, and first heard the name “Hitchcock
Woods,” which is a real place, even as a young teen, I honestly thought it
sounded more like a suspense novel than the enchanting equestrian forest
preserve that it is. Perhaps I was seeing into my own future. While I was
living in Chicago and started writing novels, I kept coming back “home” and to
Hitchcock Woods, walking and riding horses in it with family and friends,
eventually realizing it, as well as Chicago, would be the ideal settings for my
fictional character, Suzanne Clayborn, and her suspenseful Hero’s Journey.
Does
Hitchcock Woods have anything to do with the filmmaker, Alfred Hitchcock?
Not at all.
But I’ve intentionally included a few subtle Hitchcockian film themes and plot
devices in The Woods of Hitchcock—for fun, surprise and added suspense.
I’ve even included something that might be likened to one of Alfred’s famous
“cameo” appearances, and I challenge readers to find it!
Hitchcock Woods was in fact named after its founder,
Thomas Hitchcock, who was one of the leading American polo players in the
latter part of the nineteenth century and a hall-of-fame horse trainer known as
the father of American steeplechase horse racing. In 1939, the Thomas Hitchcock
family donated 1,120 acres of its land for public use, while establishing a
foundation to protect and preserve the land in perpetuity. Later, the Foundation
added other lands for a total of 2,100 acres today, making it the largest
privately owned urban forest preserves in the country.
Why did
you include ghosts in this novel?
I’ve always
loved a good ghost story and also tales with forbidden secrets and metaphysical
elements. But rather than writing about them in the horror genre, I wanted to
create a contemporary thriller. So, I started to imagine what it was truly like
to see, feel and hear ghosts as well as higher spiritual beings. Consequently,
these psychic abilities kept creeping into my main character’s profile. I
decided to go with them in a big way to satisfy my own interests and to enhance
overall suspense.
Are the horse trails you describe in Hitchcock Woods
real or imaginary? Does the Americos Building in Chicago exist?
With the exception of the
fictional Clayborn, Davidson and Vaughn homes and the Clayborn Cut, I have
tried to present Hitchcock Woods, its trails, features and urban surroundings
as true to life as possible. If there is an error, I respectfully ask
forgiveness from those who know better.
The
Americos Building is pure fiction, although my descriptions of its surroundings
in Chicago’s Loop are based upon my experience working and living in that area.
Why do you use bird themes and symbols
in your novels?
The use of
birds is not only a Hitchcockian theme element, it’s also something I enjoy.
Unlike Alfred’s films, however, I’ve featured birds as positive symbols in my
novels mainly because they remind me of my late father. My dad was an Eagle
Scout who had earned a Bird Study Merit Badge. His love of birds stayed with
him throughout his life, and he inspired a fondness for them in me. He
regularly fed and treated as pets the wild birds in the backyard of our North
Augusta, SC home, although the thought of caging them was abhorrent to him. If
he were ever late in feeding his “pets,” numerous sets of cardinals would
gather just outside the windows looking for him. And he’s the only person I’ve
ever seen who could pick up and hold a wild duck that came to him.
Is The
Secrets of Bears Repeating manuscript, mentioned in this novel, something
that is written?
In part, yes.
Like my character Henrietta, I started compiling my list of “ancient universal
truths worth repeating” as I wrote The Soul Retrieval. Also, like
Henrietta, my intention is to publish it one day…when it’s ready.
What is
your background?
I have a B.A.
in journalism from the University of South Carolina and twenty-five years’
experience as a copywriter in advertising and public relations agencies, both
in Chicago and South Carolina. My debut novel, The Soul Retrieval, received four literary awards, the highest
score by Writer’s Digest Awards and an exciting number of positive reviews. I
have two adult sons and currently live in Arizona, with my husband, our boxer
dog and boxer mix rescue.
How might
book clubs and readers connect with you?
I’d love to
hear from readers through my website and social media. I also welcome the
opportunity to speak with book clubs online or in person. There’s a contact
form, especially for book clubs, on my website. My book news, including details
about my upcoming in-store Barnes & Noble event, and links to my current
social media pages also can be found on my website, which is ANNWJARVIE.COM.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Ann W. Jarvie has a B.A. in journalism and twenty-five years’ experience as a writer in advertising and public relations agencies, in Chicago and South Carolina. Although it stands completely on its own, The Woods of Hitchcock is an indirect sequel to Jarvie’s award-winning debut novel, The Soul Retrieval, which received four literary awards, the highest score by Writer’s Digest e-Book Awards’ judges (5 out of 5 on all points) as well as myriad positive reviews. Jarvie currently lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona with her husband, their boxer dog and boxer mix rescue.
Website and Social Media:
ANNWJARVIE.COM
facebook.com/annwjarvie
instagram.com/annwjarvie
twitter.com/annwjarvie
The Woods of Hitchcock, A Thriller by Ann W. Jarvie, is available online everywhere, including:
Barnes and Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-woods-of-hitchcock-ann-w-jarvie/1139765258
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Woods-Hitchcock-Thriller-Henrietta/dp/0578932008/ref=sr_1_1
Giveaway: Ann W. Jarvie will be awarding a $75 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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