WELCOME TO THE PAST
At the glittering heart of Hollywood’s golden era in mysterious Gothic, California stands the regal Palace Theater—the pinnacle of thrilling shows, opulent décor, and the biggest stars of stage and screen. Here, drama unfolds on and off the stage.
WELCOME TO THE PRESENT
Today, in the abandoned backstage, fitness guru Wendy Giordano is knocked unconscious and wakes to find herself performing a daredevil stunt in the Gothic Palace Theater…in glamorous 1940.
WELCOME TO GOTHIC
WELCOME TO GOTHIC, a novella set in Gothic California (setting of POINT LAST SEEN), came about when I was struggling with my writing (it happens!) and I thought up this story (a time travel romantic suspense novella) and thought, “This would be so much fun to write.” So I took three weeks and ripped right through it (I should always write so fast) and when I was done…I went back to the book I’d been fighting and…no more struggle. I’m not advocating a lack of discipline, but that’s how creativity works sometimes. 😊
I didn’t imagine my publisher would be interested in WELCOME TO GOTHIC (nobody reads Time Travel anymore!), but they loved it, bought it and decided to publish it January 10, 2023 as an audio exclusive. (I sell very well in audiobook) Yes, after a few months the story will come out in eBook. I’ll let you know when…when I know when.
While we were waiting for the art department to design a cover, Assistant Judie created this fabulous placeholder dress cover for WELCOME TO GOTHIC. How beautiful is this?
Then in an amazing bit of luck, my publisher showed me the cover they’ll use to publish it. It’s completely different, and completely wonderful, a concept that would never have occurred to me, yet fits the story beautifully. Take a look!
Read an excerpt and pre-order your copy!
Put WELCOME TO GOTHIC on your Goodreads To Read list!
Watch the cover reveal video (also thanks to Assistant Judie!)
You know I write stories I’d like to read…well, I predict WELCOME TO GOTHIC will overcome the Time Travel stigma and become a reader favorite. I can’t wait for you to listen to/read it!
What are your thoughts on Time Travel? Weigh in on the new website pop-up survey.
What’s Jayne reading?
Pal and New York Times bestseller Jayne Ann Krentz has started a special feature on her website called, #JayneReads and she chose POINT LAST SEEN as her first book! She said I was her guinea pig. I replied that I’d be her guinea pig anytime she wanted to feature one of my books and say, “Smart, fast suspense with a strong romantic element. This is an amnesia plot (I love those), it’s got a hero with a haunted past (love those, too), and the setting is a remote small town named Gothic with a cool local legend: “On stormy nights, Gothic is said to disappear, and on its return it brings lost souls back from the dead.” Love all that stuff, too! Seems like someone recently tried to strangle our heroine, Elle, but she can’t remember who—or why.… what could possibly go wrong, right?” 😊
Jayne reads a lot and widely (librarian and author who also writes as Jayne Castle and Amanda Quick) so mark your calendars to follow this weekly feature.
Review and Interview in Military Press!
How cool is this? I was interviewed by Elise Cooper for Military Press Magazine, and when she reviewed POINT LAST SEEN, she said, “…Well developed characters and an intense plot where the setting plays a major role…everyone there has a dark past.”
And about our hero and heroine, “Although Elle is brilliant, she trusted the wrong person. Briefly traumatized. A strong sense of self. … Contrast her with Adam who is a loner, tragically wounded… He is grieving and feels guilty. After they grew close, she becomes Adam’s salvation.”
Having POINT LAST SEEN out has been a wonderful experience and thank you for telling your friends. There’s nothing like WoM (word of mouth) to make a book sell and sell!
Finally…
A final bit of tantalizing news: so many readers fell in love with Gothic and want to live there…or at least read more books set in Gothic. 😊 Gothic has joined Virtue Falls and Bella Terra and the Wilders’ Washington home valley as one of my own favorite mental vacation destinations—and now yours!
This series is called Last Seen in Gothic and includes POINT LAST SEEN (out now), WELCOME TO GOTHIC (with the great new cover) and, coming March 7, 2023, a full-length stand-alone suspense, FORGET WHAT YOU KNOW. The FORGET WHAT YOU KNOW cover is this close to being finalized, and I can’t wait to show it to you in the next newsletter!
While we wait for the newest cover reveal, remember to take the Time Travel survey, read the WELCOME TO GOTHIC excerpt, and…happy reading on the beach, in your armchair, in the hammock, or wherever you best love to read!
Warmly,
Christina Dodd
New York Times bestselling author of
POINT LAST SEEN
P.S. Remember the Cape Charade book sales end Aug. 31!
HARD TO KILL 99 cents
All Captain Kellen Adams has to do is break a code and find a long-lost fortune…or die trying.
DEAD GIRL RUNNING $3.99
I have three confessions:
1. I’ve got the scar of a gunshot on my forehead.
2. I don’t remember an entire year of my life.
3. My name is Kellen Adams…and that’s half a lie.
“That’s what happens in plays, yes? The shit hits the fan.”—Edward Albee
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Updated Printable book list sorted by genre/series/in order.
Books by Series list with clickable covers.
