Haunting Miss Trentwood

General Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers, Romance

By Belinda Kroll

Publisher : Bright Bird Press

ABOUT Belinda Kroll

Belinda Kroll
Belinda Kroll was born in Columbus, Ohio. She is a usability analyst and user researcher. She received her Bachelors of Science in Computer Engineering with a minor in English, and a Masters of Science in Human Computer Interaction Design. She resides in central Ohio with her laptop, h More...

Description

Resigned to a lonely life in her quiet manor house in the English countryside, Mary Trentwood is horrified when she watches her father crawl from his grave the day of his funeral. Mary clings to her routine, finding it increasingly difficult to avoid her father's ghost as she questions her sanity.

Mistaking the newly-arrived Alexander Hartwell to be her father's solicitor-for who else would interrupt her time of mourning?-Mary welcomes him into her home reluctantly, not realizing Hartwell is on the hunt for a blackmailer.

Caught in a tangle of secrets, Mary fights a series of events which threaten to bring Death to her door once more.

Belinda Kroll weaves a tale of loyalty and betrayal set in the deceptively serene Victorian English countryside.

Imagine a young woman, Mary, buries her father after nursing him the last year of his life. Imagine that on the day of the funeral, Mary sees her father crawl from his grave. Imagine Mary's reaction when she realizes she is the only one who can see him... --- Haunting Miss Trentwood began as an exercise to understand how my parent felt about losing both of their parents. I researched adult (or midlife) orphans, which is such an important, and under-recognized topic. I'm certain the public library thought I was going through some deep trouble because I read every book on the topic. I became fascinated and terrified by the idea that one day, my parents will die, and with them goes the only people in the world who have seen it all happen to me. They exist as a living record and archive of the traumatic moments in my life. They are my anchor. I asked the questions: What happens to someone who loses both their parents? How do we continue, knowing there will never be anyone who knows us entirely? How do we keep the spirit of our parents alive? Soon thereafter, I began dreaming about ghosts. Specifically, one ghost: the ghost of Mary's father. I didn't know why he was there. Mary certainly didn't know why he was there. But we both knew his presence would forever change the plot and purpose of Haunting Miss Trentwood née Trentwood's Orphan. Looking back, I can see influences of Hamlet involved in the inspiration of Haunting Miss Trentwood. We so often underestimate the importance of the role our parents have in our lives, or the lack thereof if our parents are not a part of our lives. We underestimate the influence our parents have on our judgments and decisions. This book is my attempt to understand and cope with the idea that one day, my parents will be gone, but I hope to keep their spirits alive within me. Is that crazy? Am I alone in worrying about this? Are you wondering how in the hell can I make an entertaining read about such a morbid topic? Don't worry, I wonder the same thing all the time. It's a challenge, but it's one I'm excited to face. Which, in retrospect, seems kind of weird, doesn't it?