"DRAW THE CURTAINS, MISS GRAYSON. SHE'S STILL HERE, YOU KNOW." — Yearning for a few days' respite from her work as assistant to an austere New York physician, delicate Violet Grayson accepted the invitation to a weekend houseparty at Brambledene. But even as her carriage rumbled up the long drive to the looming Tudor mansion high in the snowy Berkshires, Violet's heart grew cold with dread. Just two years ago, a similar weekend party had ended in the unexplained death of her dearest friend. Despite the warm welcome of her old companions and the flattering attentions of a newcomer, darkly handsome architect Rafael Taliaferro, Violet's apprehension grew. Tension throbbed the air, and the housekeeper's whispered warnings of danger fueled Violet's mounting terror. A game of charades, a masked ball, a moonlight walk under a cold February sky—each time, some small accident befell Violet...and then was quickly explained away. And when the door of the dark conservatory locked behind her, Violet knew she was not alone...and that she was in deadly peril.
Author
Hello! My name is Joyce Ware aka Joyce C. Ware. I just published my first Middle Grades novel as a Kindle eBook. The Dragon Whisperer is a here-and-now story about a boy, a girl and a dragon known as Gwork. The cover is amazing! Take a look at the creepiest little dragon you ever saw, and email me at jware8424@charter.net for the artist's name. I've been writing for as long as I can remember. The first pieces I had published were articles on travel and camping for a variety of magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times. I made my first foray into book length fiction with, a Gothic novel titled The Lost Heiress of Hawkscliffe. It was accepted by Kensington-Zebra, which published five more of my genre novels, four of which are available as Kindle ebooks by Joyce C. Ware My interest in oriental rugs inspired me to do research about their care and repair, which I incorporated in a proposal for a book aimed at beginning collectors. To my pleased surprise, this guide, published by Random House, was well received by oriental rug collectors, dealers and scholars and led to contracts for two more updated editions, the last of which was published in 2004. The publishing business, which has changed enormously in the last ten years, has seen many well-established writers come and go. Writing for commercial publication is an unwise choice for the thin-skinned: the first rejections brought tears, but now I greet them with a shrug and wry smile. Fortunately, the advent of ebooks keeps my fingers tapping and the brain cells percolating. I hope to publish a sequel to The Dragon Whisperer—The Dragon Seekers—in 2012.
