The Wild Rose Press releases my latest Regency comedy novella, Gifts Gone Astray, on Wednesday, July 29.
Anne and Stephens' romance takes place in Langley, Cheshire. Langley, the seat of the Earl of Langley, Stephen's employer, is a town on the western edge of the Macclesfield Forest. Langley is also east of the town of Bollin, and southeast of Liverpool and Manchester.
I selected this location because I set the story on a country estate. Macclesfield Forest provides a backdrop, and Stephen goes to Bollin on his day off. Also, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the first passenger railway, was in its formative stages, and the start-up process brings a businessman to consult with the Earl of Langley. The railroad also plays a role for Stephen. I wrote a post on Regency Railroads here.
The time is the summer of 1817, two years after the passage of the Corn Laws, which raised the price of grain so high most people couldn't afford it, and one year after The Year Without a Summer, which destroyed that year's crops in many places. The combination of the two events wreaked havoc with many landowners' incomes. Anne's brother, John, is one of those landowners. I wrote two posts on The Year Without a Summer, which is also the setting for Pumpkinnapper. Blog post part 1 is here, and Part 2 is here.
Stephen's story is here.
Anne's story is here.
I hope you will find Gifts Gone Astray to your taste.
Thank you all,
Linda
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