Introducing Chantal Bellehumeur
Where did the idea for the story come from?
I originally wanted to write something set in Victorian times because I love that era, but once I sat down to write everything changed. Although the main characters finds old letter and diaries inside a Victorian style farmhouse, the contents mainly date back to the 1930, 1940, and 1950’s. My characters often speak to me, and I just go with the flow…
Give a quote from the books, one that says little but speaks volumes.
“Alice could not believe what she was reading”
Give a short summary of what the book is about.
Hidden Secrets” is a short story about a woman named Alice finding old letters and diaries inside her deceased grandmother’s Victorian farmhouse. Their romantic and emotional content end up revealing many shocking secrets that lead to a series of questions Alice feels the need to investigate.
What genre is it?
Historical Romance
How many pages is it?
35 pages
Why do you think the readers will want to read it?
Aside from being a short and entertaining read, “Hidden Secrets” is a free download on Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, and Indigo (Kobo) as well as Amazon if you have Kindle unlimited. The book will also be free on Amazon between May 31 and June 5th. Who doesn’t love a free book?
It’s always fun to disconnect from reality for a short while. I believe “Hidden Secrets” can provide entertainment to those who love a mixture of history and romance; not to mention the mysterious secrets that will be revealed.
Where are you located?
I live in the suburbs of Montreal which is in the Canadian province of Quebec.
Description
While cleaning out the attic of her deceased grandmother’s Victorian farmhouse, Alice discovers old letters and diaries she can’t help but read. Their romantic and emotional content end up revealing many shocking secrets that lead to a series of questions Alice feels the need to investigate.
Excerpt
As Alice slowly scanned the dusty room with her blue eyes, she spotted a small metal chest she had always been curious about. It was just sitting on her dust covered rocking chair, with the bright sunlight shining directly on it like a spotlight.
The chest had always been locked, and despite her numerous searches over the years Alice never found the key to open it. She had even asked her grandmother if she knew where the key was once, and simply receiving a shrug as an answer. Her grandmother then told her to ask her horse one day and winked.
The two horseshoes currently sitting on top of the chest reminded Alice of that comment and it made her laugh to herself. Her grandmother had often said odd things. Although she often spoke in solvable riddles, her word puzzles started making less and less sense over the years.
Before her grandmother was placed in a home, Alice would sometimes get sent on treasure hunts. Her grandmother would give her written riddles to solve as clues, and Alice would have to find the next one until she located a hidden surprise such as a bag of candies or a chocolate bar. It had kept her entertained.
Snapping out of her pleasant reverie, Alice decided to try picking the integrated lock of the chest to finally find out its mysterious content. She used one of her metal hairpins to do so, not really certain it was actually going to work.
When the lock finally budged, allowing the lid to open, Alice let out a sign of satisfaction. She eagerly opened the chest and first saw that something was wrapped up in a white handkerchief. It turned out to be a stack of folded yellowed papers nicely tied together with a thin red ribbon. Attached to the ribbon was a delicately weaved loop the size of a ring, made from what appeared to be very thin twigs. The chest also contained several leather-bound notebooks. She opened one of the crispy books at a random page and discovered that it was an old diary with entries dating back to the year 1937.
Karen J. Mossman 