A Castle in the Sky Blog Tour Kick Off

Hello readers and friends. I'm very excited this Tuesday, because today I'm kicking off the blog tour for A Castle in the Sky! We have a great lineup of bloggers for the tour. I'm so thankful for you guys! 

Blog Tour Schedule:

April 19- Miranda @ A Real Writer's Life

April 20- Grace @ Fictionally.

April 22- Julie @ My Favorite Pastime

About The Book:

In 1915, it is believed that there isn't much hope for a woman beyond marriage. Yet Abi Leigh Hensley, lover of the written word, believes otherwise. Growing up as the daughter of a wealthy lawyer in the gold mining town of San Francisco, Abi never felt like she fit in with her parents' stifled lifestyle. And though she's been raised to believe that her lot in life is to marry, she's always loved to read and write and has dreamt of being an author all her life.

After her parents' failed attempt at an arranged marriage, Abi leaves the comfort of her wealthy upbringing in San Francisco to pursue her dreams of becoming an author in New York City, a city she has always loved. Excitement seems to loom around each corner, yet Abi may be in for than she bargained for.

Full of hopes, dreams and self-discovery, A Castle in the Sky is a novel fans of historical fiction are sure to love.

Book Excerpt:

Merriam helped Abi into the new gown Mrs. Hensley had handpicked for the party. A nice midnight blue velvet, which Abi was rather fond of, with sapphires about the neck. Her mother had surprisingly given into letting her wear her hair in a pompadour, rather than another atrocious chignon, claiming she had grown bored of the new styles. Once Abi was dressed and her hair was styled, Merriam left to attend to the kitchen. Before slipping on the dreaded kid gloves and heels, Abi placed a few more tops and skirts into one of three suitcases she had laid on her closet floor. The other two contained books, manuscripts, short stories and journals she had kept, the earliest dating back to 1902 when she was just learning to write; the urge to put words on paper already strong.

"Abigail, are you nearly ready?" she heard her mother say from the hallway as she laid a pair of shoes in her clothing suitcase. She could hear her mother turning the brass doorknob. Quickly, Abi shut the closet door and turned to face her mother.

"Almost. I just need to put my gloves and shoes on."

Her mother stared at her for a moment, her steely gaze as cold as the ocean breeze on a winter night. "What were you doing in the closet?"

Abi panicked; sweat beading on her powdered brow, heart pounding in her chest. "Just making sure Aunt Penelope's things are where they ought to be."

Abi could tell her mother was skeptical and she felt sorry for her lie, but she didn't know what else to do. Mother slowly walked over to the closet and looked inside. Thank goodness I shut the suitcases, thought Abi.

With a shake of her head and a clack of her tongue, Mrs. Hensley shut the closet door. "It's time for the party, dear. Put on your gloves and shoes and come outside."

Mrs. Hensley walked out into the hallway, shutting the door behind her. Abi almost fell to the floor in relief as the door clicked shut. Her body was still shaking with nerves as she stepped into her shoes and slipped on her gloves. She knew the time would come soon enough when she'd have to tell her mother and father about her plans, but she wanted to put it off as long as possible.

Drawing in a deep breath, Abi left her room and walked out into the family portrait lined hallway, down the grand stair case, through the house and into the back yard, greeting family and friends as she went, the way her mother and father had always instructed her to. The vibrant green lawn was trimmed and manicured in pristine fashion, almost too perfect to be real. Everyone seemed cheerful as they sat at tables set out for the occasion, laughing, talking and drinking. The air had that feeling it has when something great is about to happen. Like freedom and dread charged with electricity.

She looked about for her friend and former maid to the Hensley's, Lizzy, though with disappointment, did not see her. She would have liked to have believed it was because the invitation had gotten lost in the mail, or perhaps Lizzy's son was feeling unwell and she couldn't leave him to come to the party. Yet Abi had a feeling that this was not the reason her dear friend was absent.

As she walked through the crowd, she spotted Jonathan speaking to another young lady. The two looked quite cozy, as the girl Abi thought to be one of her distant cousins fluttered her lashes like butterflies at Jonathan. He laughed and smiled and touched her hand. One could tell that Jonathan Smith really did think quite a lot of himself by the way he spoke and held himself. Abi didn't mind in the least to see him flirting with the girl; it actually made her feel somewhat relieved. It somehow seemed like it would lessen the blow when she she'd reject his proposal.

After a few rounds of dancing were held, Mr. and Mrs. Hensley took their place in front of the crowd and called its attention.

"First and foremost, we'd like to thank all of you for coming here this evening," said Mr. Hensley; Mrs. Hensley smiling and nodding in agreement. "As you all know, our daughter Abigail has come to an age in which she is to leave the home and make a family of her own. We are blessed to say that she has found the man who is fit to accompany her in this new endeavor. It is my pleasure to introduce to you Jonathan Smith."

The crowd clapped politely as Jonathan took his place next to Abi, her mother and father stepping back.

As the crowd grew silent, Jonathan dropped to the ground on one knee, taking Abi's dainty hand in his. Gazing upward at her face he said, "Abigail Hensley, will you marry me?"

She stared down at him, her mouth agape. All she could think was, "He doesn't even know my middle name." Weren't men supposed to use women's middle names when they proposed? Her own mother and father wanted her to marry a man who didn't know her middle name.

Giveaway:

One winner will receive a free signed copy of A Castle in the Sky, a hair comb to match Abi's from the book, and a handwritten note from me, the author. The giveaway will begin April 19 and a winner will be drawn on April 26. (Giveaway open to U.S. residents only. If you leave an anonymous comment, please state your name so that I can recognize your entry.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway Thank you all so much for supporting A Castle in the Sky! It means more to me than you'll ever know. I hope you'll enjoy the book. And be sure to check out the other bloggers on the tour! They're a great group. Good luck to those entering the giveaway!

-Miranda Atchley