Snow Shadow

Snow Shadow by Andre Norton
published by Fawcett Crest Books
Copyright 1979

Being able to step back into the past

seemed a wonderful stroke of luck for Erica

Jansen. Northanger Abbey was like another

world. And her introduction to the family

there had come from a charming man,

Preston Donner. She felt very fortunate indeed.

PRISONER

OF

SHADOWS

But from the moment she became a guest

at the Abbey, she felt like a prisoner. First

there were the arguments she couldn't

avoid ... then the murders she could not

ignore ... and then the man who stepped out

of her own buried past to entwine her in a

terror from which she saw no escape ...

We have all met them. You know, those girl who, in a desperate attempt to feel better about themselves, cut down on those around them. Well, Andre Norton is one of those women. But don't worry, if I have learned nothing else in my very eventful life thus far, I have learned that what you send out comes back three fold. (Well, technically, I just learned that from 1996's The Craft but you get the picture.)

Snow Shadow is one of those rare Gothic romance books in which I picked up and read a few pages before posting it. And boy and I glad I did.

There is no doubt that Ms. Norton felt a good deal of shame about lowering herself to Gothic romance. It becomes quite obvious by the many comments of her heroine such as, and this isn't technically an EXACT quote, "If I had been a lame Gothic novelist I would have called the house brooding."

Now, that is unfair in a couple of ways. Firstly, it subtly insults the genre in which she is writing, thus giving the illusion of somehow being superior to it. And secondly, it gets away with using the adjective just belittled without even offering up a better one.

You've got to admit, it's pretty ballsy. Especially for someone who has taken the ultimate shortcut of writing about someone who is a writer and who also breaks the cardinal rule of never mentioning a better book (or author) in your book. Of course, we see that all the time. If we all had a dime for every haunted house story that quotes Shirley Jackson, we'd all be eating a chalupa right now. Her author of choice, Jane Austen. Again, pretty ballsy.

I also discovered that the male charactor who I suspect will turn out to be the romantic interests is the first Blackfoot Indiana to graduate from West Point. WOW! Louis L'Amour's got nothing on Andre Norton.

Oh yeah, and I almost forgot, I have a signature here but I am having a bit of a problem reading it. Any guesses?

UPDATE: If my research is to be believed, Andre Norton's three fold karma payback included being the first woman to win the Gandalf Grand Master Award from the World Science Fiction Society in 1977, and the winning of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award in 1983. Huh, karma doesn't seem to function as I have been lead to believe.

The Most Dangerous Game - Mill Reef Hall

Mill Reef Hall by Ariadne Pritchett
published by Fawcett Books
Copyright 1968

From the moment she stepped out
of the coach into the blinding
snowstorm, Lilia Franklin felt a strange chill
that was from something more than the
icy blasts that whipped at her.

Another might have turned back. But the
raven-haired young girl who had been
hired as nurse-companion to old Lord Reef
had curiosity as well as courage. Besides,
there was no alternative. She was a
penniless orphan.

Then she met Lord Reef's brother Seaton
and nephew Edgar and was more certain
than ever that she was in danger. Never had
she been made to feel so unwelcome. She
could not know then that she was in their way.

For they did not want to wait for old
Lord Reef to die. And now they had to plan
for Lilia, too. But Lilia was more than
they bargained for - much
more. And she had a few
plans of her own ...

If someday in the far future I need to hire a nurse-companion I will definitely hire myself a penniless orphan. It appears they will take all kinds of shit from you. I bet you could even hunt them. You know, give them something like an hour head start on the extensive grounds of your evil mansion and then just hunt them. My weapon of choice would be a bow but it is really a hell of a lot of fun to shoot a gun.

But anyway, back to my possible far future employee needs. I will hire a nurse-companion BUT will not hire a nurse-companion with such a long neck. I would have problems not staring and staring would just be rude. Still, a neck like that would really look great mounted on the wall of my game room.

Here we have a signed cover by the prolific Harry Bennett.

Born in Lewisboro, New York in 1925, Bennett was raised in Connecticut and studied painting and illustration at the American Academy of Art in Chicago after returning from his service in the South Pacific during World War II.

He began is commercial illustration career working in advertising with companies such as Pepsi and Keds in the late 40's and early 50's before moving on to illustrating book covers for publishers such as Fawcett, Crest and many others.

Below are several examples of other cover illustration you may or may not have seen.

Cry Shame, 1950 Illustrated Cover

The Dark Shore

The Dark Shore by Susan Howatch
published by Fawcett Books
Copyright 1965

The Dark
Shore

The anonymous voice from the past
whispered into the receiver, "Welcome
home, Mr. Towers. Does your financée
know how you killed your first wife ten
years ago?"

Soon after Sarah moved into her new home
as the bride of charming, enigmatic Jon
Towers, some instinct warned her to run
for her life. Too many "accidents" were
beginning to plague her.

Sarah knew only that her husband's first
wife had plunged to her death from a
nearby cliff, under mysterious and ques-
tionable circumstances. Now someone was
trying to kill Sarah.

So, newlywed Sarah has an inside voice telling her to run. Could it be that some part of her knows that her "charming" new husband had something to do with his first wife's death? Could it be that Jon's home titters on the edge of a cliff. Could it be that she couldn't possible get cell service out there?

The fact is you can't put a biker-chick in white heels and a maxi skirt and expect her to be happy.

An Afternoon Walk

An Afternoon Walk by Dorothy Eden
published by Fawcett Crest Books
Copyright 1971

THE SHRILL RINGING
OF THE PHONE ...

shattered the peaceful sun-drenched afternoon.

The voice was the voice of a stranger. "Am I
speaking to Mrs. Simpson?"

"Yes," said Ella tensely, "I am Mrs. Simpson."

"The very lady I want. Just a word of advice,
love. Drive carefully."

The caller hung up abruptly.

Not that Ella would have wanted to talk to him.
She hated the sound of his voice. Very vulgar. But
why was he calling her all the time? Warning her?
About lots of things. Even about her small
daughter, Kitty.

"Do you know where Kitty is?" the voice
threatened.

Her husband didn't believe a word of it. Told her
she was imagining things. That she was loony.

He also didn't believe about the old, empty house
she and Kitty had stumbled upon a few afternoons
ago.

But she had seen the house. And so had Kitty. And
now that she thought about it she realized that all
her troubles had begun with the visit to that house.

There was something dark and evil about the
place. Something terrible. But what? And who
would believe her even if she did find out?

Now I don't want to take sides here, but really, I'm sure her husband has some reason to not believe her. A person just doesn't up and decide to call their spouse a loon without some precedent. The poor man has probably been through all this before. He has probably struggle with it only to finally break down and accept that fact that his poor wife was crazy and very likely had passed the "crazy gene" town to their child.

How horrible for him. How utterly hopeless a place to find yourself, with no one to talk to but the loon herself.

Poor, poor Mr. Simpson.

Darkwater

Darkwater by Dorothy Eden
published by Fawcett Crest Books
Copyright 1963

My Dear Family -

If ever you have doubts
as to what is happening, if
every you are uneasy, will
you tell me, or send a
message to me or my aunt?
If this injunction seems
like nonsense to you now,
it may not always be nonsense...

Adam

Fanny knew then that Adam felt as she did
about the strange events at Darkwater. Even
before the sudden death of the old Chinese
amah, she had sensed a chill of menace in the
atmosphere. Now there was real peril in the
mists and fogs that beshrouded the ancient
English estate. There was danger ... especially
for Fanny - ravishing, lovely young Fanny -
who was too curious and headstrong for her
own good ...

"A gem of its species." - Boston Globe

"Dorothy Eden ... knows how to build
Gothic romance as solidly as a Gothic
tower." - Chicago Tribune

Nature plays a delicate balancing act. The spiders is to a mosquito what wolves are to deer. Everything needs to be kept in check. In this case Fanny is not just lovely, she is ravishing, so it is only fair to the rest of us that she also be "too curious and headstrong for her own good".

In my case, to make up for my own breathtaking cuteness, I am a poor proofreader and grocery stores make me cry.

I had a lot of fun with Dark Shadows October but to be completely honest, I am thrilled to be back to my cover theme. Though I am on a hunt for some weird Thanksgiving or Christmas themed "woman running" cover. We'll see.

Nine Coaches Waiting

Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart
published by Fawcett Books
Copyright 1958

A STRANGER
TERROR

coiled in the shadows behind the brooding elegance
of the huge chateau. It lay there like some dark and
twisted thing - waiting, watching, ready to strike.

Was it only chance encounter that had brought
Linda Martin to Chateau Valmy? Or was it something
planned?

Now she could not even trust the man she loved.
For Raoul Valmy was one of them - linked by blood
and name to the dark secrets of the Valmy past.

"A wonderful hue and cry story ... a Mona Lisa tale that
beckons you on while suspense build up."
- BOSTON HERALD

"A gripping tale ... the suspense is upheld to the very end.
... A rewarding experience."
- BEST SELLERS

This book makes a good point. When you chose to connect yourself with someone, be it through love, married, or business, you are connecting yourself to their families. So that is why my rule is to avoid connections with anyone with a potential tainted blood line. My husband being the one exception.

No signature on this cover, but a first for show them being pursued by someone from the house from which they are running. Very nice touch! But she really needs to work on her hiding techniques. And how about what she is wearing, our pursuer appears to be wearing a warm coat and the trees have already dropped all their leaves but our damsel has chosen to run in a short shirt and heels. I personally wouldn't hire a governess that couldn't teach my children, at least, the most basic of survival stills. Please!

Circle of Secrets

Circle of Secrets by Claudette Nicole

published by Fawcett Books
Copyright 1972

"I NEED YOU.
I NEED YOU HERE.
YOU MUST COME
DOWN-NOW!

It began with the ringing of the phone.
A voice in the night. A familiar voice
filled with sadness and terror

To Kim Morrison it was a summons
too desperate to be ignored. Although
Kim had not seen her friend Mary Ellen
Todd since college they had been in
touch. There had been letters. And phone
calls. But nothing like this.

Kim knew a little about the ancient
Todd family mansion on Heron Island.
A strange, remote place off the coast
of Georgia. But she had no idea of what
really was in store.

From the moment of her arrival Kim
became not a rescuer but a victim.
Of violence. Savage accidents. Strange
shadows. And most terrifying of all-
the news that Mary Ellen had been dead
and buries for three years!

But that had been Mary Ellen's voice
on the telephone.

Kim was certain of that...