I must have been crazy to say yes. I’d left the hometown of my childhood, Asheboro, Maryland, the week after I graduated from high school there and never looked back. It wasn’t a bad little town, but there was no future there for me. I went to college and then started working in the hospitality industry, first in Philadelphia and then in Baltimore, and I had a job I loved as manager of a boutique hotel.
And then the hotel was bought by a foreign group and I was out of a job, so when my high school best friend Lisbeth got in touch with me and told me I had to come save the town (where she still lived) from bankruptcy, how could I say no to her? I definitely needed a distraction at that moment.
Of course, nothing went right. The town was in fact teetering on the brink of collapse, after spending all its available money to buy the magnificent Victorian mansion built outside of town after the Civil War by the town’s only factory owner. The Asheboro town council hoped to make it a visitor attraction, but once they’d bought it, they had no idea what to do next. One of its members, Cordelia Walker, wanted to turn to the place into an exclusive hotel—run by her, of course. The rest of the council was looking for any option that wasn’t managed by Cordelia, and that’s when Lisbeth mentioned me. It seems the council pounced on the idea of bringing me in.
But planning for the town was kind of put on hold when I literally stumbled over Cordelia’s body on the front steps of the mansion not long after I arrived. Did I mention that Cordelia was the cause of the greatest embarrassment of my life, at that very same mansion? Some people thought that gave me a pretty good motive for wanting her out of the picture permanently.
So there I was, with no job and no plan and a murder charge hovering over my head and a town that was sinking fast. What did I do? I decided to jump right in and turn things around. Once I saw that mansion, long unoccupied but in great condition, I knew I had to find a way to save it (and the town as well) and give it the audience it deserved. That meant I had to find out who killed Cordelia.
We’ll have to wait and see how this works out. Once I help clear up the homicide investigation, I’ll start getting to know the people who now live and work in Asheboro (there have been lots of changes since I lived here) and convincing the shopkeepers on the town’s only main street to join together to recreate the Asheboro main street as it was in its heyday in 1900, to bring people back to the town. I can see it so clearly in my head, but convincing the other people in Asheboro that this could make a difference isn’t going to be easy.
I love a challenge!
Giveaway: Tell us, what would you do to save a village? Leave a comment below for your chance to win a print copy of Murder at the Mansion. U.S. entries only, please. The giveaway ends June 28, 2018. Good luck everyone!
You can read more about Kate in Murder at the Mansion, the first book in the NEW “Victorian Village” mystery series from Minotaur.
Katherine Hamilton’s goal in high school was to escape from her dead-end hometown of Asheboro, Maryland. Fifteen years later she’s got a degree in hospitality management and a great job at a high-end boutique hotel in Baltimore. Until, that is, the hotel is acquired by a chain, and she’s laid off. When Kate’s high school best friend calls with a mysterious invitation to come talk with the town leaders of Asheboro, she agrees to make the trip, curious about where this new opportunity might lead.
Once Kate arrives, the town council members reveal that their town is on the verge of going bankrupt, and they’ve decided that Kate’s skills and knowledge make her the perfect person to cure all their ills. The town has used its last available funds to buy the huge Victorian mansion just outside of town, hoping to use it to attract some of the tourists who travel to visit the nearby Civil War battle sites. Kate has less-than-fond memories of the mansion, for personal reasons, but to make matters worse, the only person who has presented a possible alternate plan is Cordelia Walker—Kate’s high school nemesis.
But a few days later, while touring the mansion, Kate stumbles over a body—and it’s none other than Cordelia. Kate finds herself juggling the murder investigation and her growing fascination with the old house, which itself is full of long-hidden mysteries. Kate must clear her name and save her town—before she ends up in hot water.
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About the author
Sheila Connolly had a long and varied career before becoming a writer, including stints as an art historian, an investment banker, a non-profit fundraiser, and a professional genealogist—all of which she’s used in her books. She loves to travel (which led to the County Cork Mysteries), can fix almost anything around an old house (from Colonial to Victorian), and is passionate about history and genealogy, especially when they’re intertwined.
She’s married, lives in Massachusetts (surrounded by the ghosts of her ancestors), has one child and three cats. She is a Mayflower descendant, a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the grandchild of Irish immigrants who arrived in New York in 1911, which makes her a true mongrel American.
And in 2016 she fulfilled a long-standing dream and bought a cottage in Ireland, which provides endless material for more books.
Visit Sheila at sheilaconnolly.com.
All comments are welcomed.
Thank you for welcoming me here today, Dru Ann!
I have great organizational skills and in the past have arranged golf tournaments, grand openings, and seminars for my company. I also automated the payroll/HR function to streamline processes. I would like to think these skills would be useful to help save a village. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.
I love your books….always try to grab any new ones as I find them. I spent several years organising and running events such as fall and spring fairs for schools as well as for a branch of Peace Child Organization that eventually turned into Voices of Youth. Organised Peace Camps, etc…finally went to University in my forties, got a BA in Public Relations because I figured I could put my university experience to work for Peace Child. Lol! Instead, I went on to complete a master’s in social Work as well as a PhD. my husband of 45 years and I call it “piled higher and deeper” degree! When getting graduate degrees, I had to step down from my leadership position…but I still love organising…even if it is just a party or bbq!
Saving a village could be difficult…but not impossible. Another neighbor and I saved an adjacent neighborhood house that was on the demolition list and totally renovated it with donated goods (a lot of begging involved) and donated labor, mostly neighbors who had worked on their own properties. The result was Demolition to Dream House, which brought in new neighbors to the area. (Who still live there today!) We repeated the process a year later by buying a house that had been made into apartments. The skills I learned from the project, along with other training and decent public speaking ability, would probably make me foolish and stubborn enough to take on a project to save a village like Kate did.
The book sounds wonderful and I have to read it! Thanks for the chance to win a copy.😍
Oops. I guess you wanted to know what we would do-NOT what we have done to think we were able to tackle this project.😟I would find a way to make the mansion the focus of the town that would appeal to tourists and bring in revenue. This would have to be something that could be embraced by businesses and individuals in the town so that the entire village would attract tourists/$$$. Perhaps the mansion would have monthly events that the businesses could tie into such as Victorian Days, Antique appraisals, Patriotic Picnic, Founders Day, etc. What a fun project!
Oh, I can’t wait to read this one. Adding it to my list!
I really haven’t a clue.
But the first thing is to know the town, strengths and weaknesses, and go from there.
Oh my gosh, saving an entire village is way outside any of my skill sets. If it was a job that somehow ended up in my lap I’d look around for some experts to help me pull it off. Thanks for the chance to win a copy of this excellent book.
Bring in new business & whatever else it takes.
Plan a fair/festival to attract tourists.
I would make sure there is a thriving arts community to attract visitors, and maybe some specialty restaurants as well. Congratulations on the new series!
To save a village, I would have to get everyone involved. There would have to be a campaign to get tourists into the town and emphasize the positive points, restaurants, attraction, etc. of the town. Getting the citizens involved.
I’m not aware of any village-saving talents. However, I am perfectly happy to be a worker bee. Just tell me what to do and I’ll pitch in!
I would love to read this one and then maybe I would have some idea on how to save a village. I know it would be a long, drawn out job, than would be a constant effort. Not sure I would be up for it, lol
I would try to bring jobs to the village and save their history.
I think it helps to revamp/pretty up your green spaces/shops/cafes to attract tourists.
I’m looking forward to working out how Kate and friends will handle the small shops on the main street of town, trying to retain the historic appearance while conforming to modern construction regulations. Good think Kate loves a challenge. (And she keeps asking herself, “where did they keep the horses?”)
I suppose I would have to evaluate the village for interesting buildings, or interesting nature nearby, or see if there is something special made in the area and see if it could be advertised and an industry built upon any of those things.
saving a village….
I guess I would need to see the village’s weaknesses & strengths….
then improve the weaknesses & work the strengths…..
First of all, I’m really looking forward to reading this release. Congratulations, Sheila. As to expertise in saving something I worked on a committee for a few years doing fundraising to save an historic theatre in the city in which we lived before retiring. I have also owned four businesses over the years so think management, financial planning and dealing with contracts and many people would be helpful with this project. Determination to succeed is a very important factor plus working tirelessly in something you believe in.
Thank you for the chance to receive this book. It would be a pleasure and a treat to win.
Thank you,
Cynthia
**** WINNER ****
Murder at the Mansion is Renee
Congratulations!