July 3, 2012
Blog Tour: The Grave Artist by Paula Lynn Johnson – Guest Post with Giveaway
Hey! Thanks for stopping by the blog for our Tour Stop forThe Grave Artist by Paula Lynn Johnson
hosted by Bewitching Book Tours!Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!
Today we are so happy to have author, Paula Lynn Johnson stop by the blog
and talk with us about a beautiful piece of jewelry called ‘Lover’s Eyes’!
16-year-old Clare can’t stop drawing the bizarre, winged skulls she calls “Sammies”. Her psychiatrist assumes the compulsive drawings are just expressions of Clare’s grief over her father abandoning her. But then Clare discovers that her Sammies are exact matches for the Death’s Head on the grave of Samantha Forsythe, a teen who reportedly fell to her death over two centuries ago.
Before long, Clare’s drawings morph into cryptic writings that urge her to uncover the truth behind Samantha’s death. Together with Neil — the friend she might be falling for — Clare scours the local history for clues. She finds that, although Samantha was engaged to a wealthy landowner, there were whispered rumors of her involvement with a younger, biracial man.
Soon, Clare is haunted by disturbing dream images — a mysterious eye, a broken chain — that point to someone Samantha called her “Dearest”. But who is Dearest? And why does Samantha need Clare to find him so badly?
Isolated and carrying hidden scars of her own, Clare fears her obsession with Samantha will threaten her sanity and safety. But it seems she has no choice in the matter . . .
The Grave Artist is a compelling paranormal murder mystery and a poignant story about loss and what it means thrive in a less-than-perfect reality.
The Grave Artist by Paula Lynn Johnson
Publish Date: March 14, 2012
Publisher: Indie
It’s All In The Eyes
In The Grave Artist, certain images keep appearing to my heroine, Clare — skulls, crescent moons, and especially eyes. In fact, in the grip of a trance, Clare obsessively sketches a single, disembodied eye. This eye turns out to match a similar sketch she finds in an antique locket, compelling Clare to find out: whose eye is it? And why is the owner’s identity hidden in the first place?
I based Clare’s antique locket on a type of antique jewelry known as Lover’s Eyes. These were popular in England during the late 18th/early 19th centuries, although less so in America. Typically, Lover’s Eyes were brooches that featured a miniature painting on ivory of a single eye, belonging to the wearer’s beloved. They were beautiful tokens of secret romances and hidden love affairs. They also served as mourning pieces, to remember a departed loved one.
I find Lover’s Eyes to be breathtakingly gorgeous and mysterious. The best almost have a surreal quality to them. Unfortunately, they’re not cheap, with genuine Lover’s
Eyes selling in the thousands of dollars. Still, some talented modern jewelers and artists are putting their own, more affordable spin on the form. When I finished The Grave Artist, I celebrated by buying my very own Lover’s Eye from Etsy seller Mercury’s Moon. She does fabulous work, hand-painting tiny portraits and framing them in genuine Victorian settings.
What do you think, readers? Is there someone special in your life you’d like to remember in a Lover’s Eye?
Connect with Paula Lynn:
Website
Goodreads
Available for purchase:
Amazon
Enter for a chance to win:
A hand-hammered sterling silver pendant (about 3/4″ wide) on a sterling 16 inch chain!
Just fill out the Rafflecopter below!
Thanks for stopping by =)
14 Comments
7/3/2012
is thie international giveaway ? if yes..please enter me …
i love the pendant so much…thx u for this amazing giveaway,,,
i hpe for ur success paula…. :)
7/3/2012
Looks like it’s for US shipping only. The pendant is so pretty!
7/3/2012
Thank you for the chance at an awesome pendant! The book sounds really interesting and I can’t wait to check it out.
7/3/2012
That is a beautiful necklace, looks so fragile
7/3/2012
Sounds like a scary but cool story…I think I’ll check it out sometime soon ! Thanks for the giveaway too !
7/4/2012
Love the book cover it sounds like a great read. The pendant with the eye and hand looks awesome as does the moon pendant of course
7/4/2012
This is beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!! I REALLY want it!
7/5/2012
THanks for the tour!! Love finding out new reads from tours!!
Love the giveaway!!
7/5/2012
Beautiful necklace and interesting book! Yay! Thanks for the great giveaway!
Danielle
Known to Read
7/5/2012
LOVE LOVE IT! thanks so much for the giveaway!!
7/5/2012
Wow, amazing giveaway! Thanks for the chance to win
7/5/2012
Thanks for the contest!!!
forettarose@yahoo.com
7/5/2012
thanks for a great giveaway
7/8/2012
Oh, wow, that moon pendant is just gorgeous! I only wear sterling, so how perfect would that be for me?! ;-) But I also completely love the Lover’s Eye pendant you bought yourself too, WOW! I have never heard of those before, which is interesting because I read a lot of historical fiction set in the late 18th/early 19th centuries in England. They are so beautiful! (And I’m popping over to Etsy to look up this artist now…) I would absolutely want to remember my sister if I could have one of those. She was killed in January of 2008 (domestic violence) and I would give a lot to be able to have an image of her with me at all times – and she had really beautiful eyes.
I love, love, love all these amazing book blogs like Chapter x Chapter – and, of course, the super-cool indie authors who write about such neat, unique subjects – that help us learn something new every single day!!! Thanks so much to all for the pleasure!