Dear Julia Launch Wave - Stop Four

It’s launch day for Rae Summers’ new historical novella, Dear Julia, and to celebrate she’s having a Launch Wave of excerpts! You can keep up with the wave’s progress on the Twitter hashtag #DearJulia. If you enjoy the story, feel free to tweet your comments and chat to other wave surfers.

By clicking on the links below each excerpt, you’ll be able to follow the wave across 8 blogs to read the entire first chapter - or you can click on the buy links below to get your own copy!

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Dear Julia is set in the English countryside in the early 1920s, and is part of the Love Letters series from The Wild Rose Press.

Read the opening extract here.

“She married an American during the war, I believe, and moved there with him. I’m not certain anyone around here would know where she is now, or even what her married name might be.” A thoughtful look crossed the vicar’s face, and Rosalie watched with interest as he debated with himself before casting aside whatever idea had occurred to him. “She was the last of her family, you know.”

“Mrs. Wallace said I look a lot like her.” She didn’t know why she said it, but she was glad she did. A startled expression sparked in the depths of his eyes, and he peered at her through his owlish glasses. “Yes, I suppose you do. She’d have been a little older than you, of course, but there’s an interesting resemblance.” He sighed.“There are some things, Miss Stanton, that belong in the past. Julia Fortescue is one of them. He...”

Rosalie’s skin prickled. When Mrs. Wallace had said “he” she’d thought the older woman meant the vicar. But perhaps there was someone else in the village, someone who had been intimately tied to the Fortescues? Someone neither Mrs. Wallace nor the vicar wanted to involve. Rosalie’s curiosity spiked.

The vicar pulled himself together. “I suggest you throw those items away, Miss Stanton. If Julia did not value them enough to take them with her when she left, then she wouldn’t care for them now.”

She wanted to tell him that Julia probably never knew of the letter’s existence, but she bit her tongue.

There was a finality in the vicar’s words that she wasn’t about to argue with. Not when she had a new idea growing.

“Thank you, Mr. Hemmings.” She rose from the seat. “I will see you in church on Sunday.”

“Feel free to visit any time, Miss Stanton.”

She returned home through the woods, walking slowly and thinking deeply. How could she find out who this mystery man was, without starting the village gossiping?

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For the next instalment, click here to go to the blog of Harlequin Super Romance debut author Olivia Miles.

Here is the full list of participating blogs:

Stop 1 – Minxes of Romance

Stop 2 – Sally Clements

Stop 3 – Rachel Bailey

Stop 4 – you are here!

Stop 5 – Olivia Miles

Stop 6 – Jennifer Shirk

Stop 7 – Suzanne Jones

Stop 8 – Romy Sommer

Dear Julia is on sale through Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, AllRomance eBooks, and The Wild Rose Press. You can find out more about this novella here - and don’t forget to tweet your feedback using the hashtag #DearJulia.