Gothicked (Gothic Novel Lovers) discussion

Hi guys!
I've got the first book The Shadows of Stormclyffe Hall coming out September 22nd from Entangled Publishing. It's like downton abbey meets CW's Supernatural. I'm looking for gothic lovers to read the book and post a review by release day. I should have the book ready in a week or two for reviewers to get an early chance at it.
I'm posting the googledoc sign up form in this message to make it easy for people to sign up. Please let me know if you have any questions and feel free to email me at ldsmith1818@gmail.com. I can share the blurb of the book with you if you email me.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1y7ii...

Thanks everyone!
~Lauren Smith

Lauren, that sounds awesome. I'm not filling out the form because I'm always afraid I'll commit only to find out I can't get a review in on time, but I will ABSOLUTELY look for this once it's released.

Hi Cate! if you want to fill out the form and just put you talked to me on goodreads in one of the spots and leave your email, I'll actually gift you a copy once the book is out if you like! :) I'd be more than happy to do that! That way you don't have to worry about doing a review by release day, and you can still get a free copy to review when you have the chance. :)

Cate wrote: "Lauren, that sounds awesome. I'm not filling out the form because I'm always afraid I'll commit only to find out I can't get a review in on time, but I will ABSOLUTELY look for this once it's relea..."

Oh, that would be lovely! Thank you. I have to say, the book sounds like something I'll LOVE, so I will definitely do a review once it's released. :)

Wonderful! Just email me at ldsmith1818@gmail.com and I'll add you to my list. Be sure to send me what email address you want me to send the gift to. :)

Cate wrote: "Oh, that would be lovely! Thank you. I have to say, the book sounds like something I'll LOVE, so I will definitely do a review once it's released. :)"

Hey Lauren, just followed you over here from the gothics making a come back thread.
Would you be able to give us a bit of a synopsis of your story?
I'm a huge lover of traditional gothics and while I'm open to supernatural elements I'm not a fan of many of the paranormal romances that pass for gothic novels today.
Thanks

Absolutely Lynn!

Here's the unofficial synopsis of the story (my publisher will be making an official blurb in a month or so):
Bastian Carlisle, the Earl of Weymouth, doesn’t believe in ghosts. Even though his ancestral home, Stormclyffe Hall had been abandoned for the last sixty years, he decides to restore it to its former glory. His plans for renovations are disrupted when a bookish American woman shows up on his doorstep hoping to pry into his family’s tragic history.

Jane Seyton, an American graduate student, is convinced there’s more to the tragedy of Stormclyffe Hall than history tells. Drawn by the need to uncover the mystery buried in the castle’s stones, she comes face to face with the reality that the castle is haunted. Despite a chilling encounter with a woman clad in white, and blue lights that seem to follow her through darkened halls, she is determined to discover the truth, even if it means putting up with the arrogant, yet sexy, Bastian.

As Jane and Bastian are forced to deal with the dark reality of the castle and the timeless, tragic love of Bastian’s ancestors, they find something they weren’t looking for, a passion that ignites their hearts as nothing else could. But an evil supernatural force is determined to keep them apart, forever.

Will they discover that their love and trust in one another is the weapon they need to confront the shadows of Stormclyffe? Or are they doomed to repeat the past?

*The paranormal elements that exist in my book are actual ghosts, but there's no vamps or werewolves or anything like that. It just has actual ghosts in it that haunt the castle. :)

Lynn wrote: "Hey Lauren, just followed you over here from the gothics making a come back thread.
Would you be able to give us a bit of a synopsis of your story?
I'm a huge lover of traditional gothics and whil..."

Sounds right on the money Lauren. I'll email you privately.
Just a general question, comment, observation, whatever you like: Why the American heroine and English hero (assuming he's English)? Why not a local heroine?
It's a trend I've noticed in a lot of romance novels and it seems to be becoming more common across other genres. I've often wondered why?
Just curious.

You know Lynn that's something I've wondered myself. From a writer's persective, and I can't explain why this is, but I think I write easier a modern American heroine and a modern English hero. It might be because men are simpler to write as far as details. I think the idea of writing a English heroine for me modern wise, would be daunting because I am not really familiar enough (being American) with how an English woman would think and how she'd interact especially with dialogue and terms she'd use for things. I write regency romances too and have no problem writing from a woman's mind then in that time period because I'm comfortable with that. But I think it's different in a modern perspective, there may be terms for things that an English woman would use that would be in her interal thoughts, whereas a English man might not have the same thoughts.

I know part of the discuss often hinges on how the heroes are usually titled nobles and that is far easier to write (at least for me), than to write an average non titled English hero. There are plenty of resources on the lives of the titled and their castles etc, but you don't often see sources that cover "flats" or standard housing and other things for an average man (that I know of-f there are those things out there, I'd love to know about them!). And since heroines in contemporaries are usually the Cinderalla sort of story (in other words not title etc), I think the writers make them American, since I think a lot of the writers writing these books are American (like me), so far as I know. I'd LOVE to find some English writers that are currently writing contemporary romance (gothic or otherwise) and see what they they do.

I don't know if I explained that clearly lol. But I have been toying with writing an English heroine. I just worry I would not do the character justice.

Then again, this is just from my perspective and personal experience. I'd definitely be interested in hearing what other people think, because you're right Lynn about the common trend in romance novels about that. :)

Lynn wrote: "Sounds right on the money Lauren. I'll email you privately.
Just a general question, comment, observation, whatever you like: Why the American heroine and English hero (assuming he's English)? Why ..."