Part of Series
Each Sunday for ten years, the young and prominent Maidens of Mapleton have met in the town schoolhouse and told each other all. A town with a violent past, now-booming Mapleton dotes on its favorite daughters: Christine, a featured singer at the town's beautiful music hall, Mina, the daughter of the newspaper owner, Esme, a ward of the church and Lucy and Elizabeth, daughters of the widower Mayor-one ladylike, the other a hellion. Slowly, the truth begins to cloud. The pieces of the past don't add up, bad dreams are haunting Esme, and familiar tales and faces fail to comfort. In this five novella series from Marie Piper, comprised of Old West adaptations of gothic/horror tales, the Maidens find their friendships tested, fall in (and out) of love, and are forced to unravel the mystery of that one terrible day. What really happened on the day of the Mapleton Massacre? The first installment, CHRISTINE, is coming soon. A music hall under new management, a mysterious patron, a dancing girl turned soloist, and murder to boot. It's a Western romance tribute to a story that has delighted for decades, this time with a mystery girl squad!
Author
MARIE PIPER is a graduate of Michigan State University, a former actor/director, and a lover of stories. She’s especially interested in writing stories set in the weird and wild history of America. The steamy western trilogy, FIRES OF CRICKET BEND, is available from Limitless Publishing. The five-part dime store serial, MAIDENS & MONSTERS, can be found on Amazon. Marie's short stories, ranging from erotica to sci-fi fairy tales, can be found in a variety of collections. Marie lives in Chicago with her husband, kiddo, and three cats. In non-pandemic times, she goes on adventures with her zany family, reads everything she can get her hands on, loves visiting all the museums Chicago has to offer, and tweets too much. (Tweets have increased because, you know, pandemic.) Currently, she is wearing a mask like a responsible citizen while working on a romance set during the Salem Witch Trials, as well as the third and final book in THE GILDED BRIDES. Find her on Twitter/Instagram at @mariepiperbooks and say hi!
