Welcome to Friday Reads!
Enter to win a print copy of The Crown Conspiracy by Connie Mann, courtesy of the publisher, by using the Rafflecopter link at the bottom of the post. (US ONLY!) (Contest ends June 21, 2024) Share on X If you’re the chosen winner, I’ll contact you for your information to pass along to the publisher.
About the book…
She’s a master at spotting a forgery . . . and knowing how to create one. But can she solve a decades-old mystery?
The media spotlight is the last thing art thief and forger Sophie Williams needs. But when one of three long-missing royal portraits turns up in Germany at her best friend’s art gallery, the spotlight is exactly what she gets. Since the tragic deaths of Princess Johanna of Neuhansberg and her two children forty years ago, the whereabouts of these portraits have been unknown . . . and the timing of their reappearance—just days before a new prince’s coronation—reignites questions surrounding the infamous accident.
Then Sophie’s best friend vanishes, and a rumor about hidden treasure connected to the paintings surfaces, seemingly confirmed by a cryptic message on the back of the first canvas. Convinced that finding the other two portraits will lead to her friend, Sophie begins a twisty investigation that pits her against other ruthless treasure hunters, a handsome investigator who seems to dog her trail at every turn, and a mysterious group that offers help, wearing an emblem identical to one on the painting.
From Germany’s grand castles and soaring cathedrals through the Alps to the canals of Venice, Sophie must choose her allies carefully if she hopes to find the portraits, rescue her best friend—and perhaps save a throne—before time runs out.
Prologue Excerpt…
Along the Western Coast of Italy—1750
She ran down the quiet streets, her fine leather slippers making no sound on the worn cobblestones. She skidded past another alley and risked a quick look over her shoulder. At this time of night, most everyone in the coastal village would be safely tucked into their beds. No footsteps fell behind her, but the unmistakable certainty
she was being followed forced her to make haste. Her breath rasped in the frosty air as she hurried on, feeling time tick away with every heartbeat. The darkness of the new moon helped to hide her, but it also meant she was out of time.
The ship would sail with the tide.
A block away from the smithy, she stopped and pulled the heavy boots she’d been carrying over her slippers. She tugged her cap lower and secured the square of rough fabric hiding her face, then wiped a sweaty palm over the trousers and shirt she’d taken from one of the young stable hands.
When she reached the blacksmith’s forge, she swung the heavy wooden door open, cringing at the squeak of rusty hinges. The smithy glanced up as she slipped into the courtyard, his work-weary eyes narrowed, swarthy skin glistening with sweat, then stuck the metal rod back into the glowing coals.
“Come back tomorrow.” He pulled the metal out and set it on the anvil, where it pulsed with heat and light. His hammer rang against the glowing iron circle at the end, flattening it.
She kept her voice pitched low, raspy. “My master needs them now. I can’t return without them.”
He held the glowing round emblem up with tongs, the two-inch circle displaying an anchor with a feather superimposed across its center. Her breath caught. It was exactly right.
“I need time to finish the others.”
“There is no more time,” she hissed. As if to underscore her words, running footsteps and clanking weapons sounded outside.
They made no attempt at stealth or silence.
The smithy’s face paled in the light of the forge. “Go. Now.”
He plunged the emblem into a bucket of water, where the iron hissed and sputtered. Quickly, he grabbed another metal rod and stuck it into the fire, eyes darting from it to the door and back again as he pretended he was hard at work.
Her heart pounded, eyes focused on the bucket. She couldn’t leave without the emblem. Too many lives depended on it.
The footsteps stopped outside the gate. “Open up!”
She leaped toward the bucket and plunged her hand inside, closing her fist around the metal. The searing pain dropped her to her knees, but she bit back an agonized cry and struggled to her feet.
She had to get to the ship.
She spun and raced across the courtyard, then grabbed the handle of a small door set in the opposite wall with her uninjured hand.
Locked.
The gate burst open and armed men charged in.
Frantic, she looked up and spotted a window high on the wall. She clambered up several storage crates, flung the shutter open, and swung a leg over the sill.
Q&A with Connie…
Q: How did you come up with the idea for The Crown Conspiracy?
A: I love adventure stories, especially those involving treasure hunts and secret societies. Add in a castle or two, and I’m hooked. But a few years ago, I realized that too often, women were mainly supporting cast. They weren’t the ones saving the day and changing the world. So I started dreaming and imagining. What if there was a team of strong, flawed, compassionate, determined women who make a difference in this world, especially by helping other women? What if they were part of a centuries-old, women-only secret society whose symbol and name meant “hope”? All those what-ifs became The Crown Conspiracy and the Speranza Team.
Q: What messages, themes, or symbols are included in The Crown Conspiracy? Why are they important?
A: During my research, I came across the phrase, “I believe in God even when He is silent” and it grabbed me by the heart. In my own life, I’ve had to wrestle down those silences. Believing He is always there is the foundation of my hope, my anchor. I tried to find the author and discovered the phrase is part of a longer poem, with different variations and attributions. I’ve fictionalized one of the origin theories for the purposes of this story. I’m also fascinated by secret societies, so creating one that was centuries old and women-only, with an emblem of an anchor and a feather, and a name that means “hope”? Yes, please.
Q: What was your research process like for this book?
A: I love to include the cool, unique features of a setting in my stories. I visited Burg Eltz in Germany years ago and had fun including some of the history behind the symbols in the castle. I have a German heritage and speak German, so it was fun to include some of that in the story, too. I’ve also been a USCG-licensed boat captain for 17+ years, so boating and water themes regularly appear in my books, like the anchor in the Speranza emblem and the boat/water scenes in Venice.
Q: What is the most challenging part of the writing process? What advice would you offer aspiring authors?
A: For me, focus is the absolute hardest part. Our brains want to do anything but write, because writing is hard. I’ve developed various tricks and tools over the years—like timers, word counts, certain music, stashing my phone—that help me focus and get words on the page. My best advice is to figure out what tricks work for you and use them every time!
Q: Which books and/or authors shaped you most as a writer?
A: As a child, I wanted to be Harriet the Spy. She was smart and courageous and had adventures and solved puzzles, all of which appealed to me, just as the Nancy Drew books did. As a teen, I re-read Gone With the Wind at least once a year. All of these stories featured strong women and were written by authors who pulled me into the worlds they created in ways that captivated me and have never let go.
Q: Do you have any new projects you are currently working on?
A: I am almost finished with the next Speranza Team novel, in which the team must find a priceless, centuries-old treasure—that is said to discern motives—in order to thwart ruthless treasure hunters, stop a dangerous villain, and save the daughter of one of the Speranza Team members.
Thanks so much, Connie. I’m sure my readers enjoyed learning more about you and your book.
About Connie…
Connie Mann loves taking readers on heart-pounding, suspense-filled adventures featuring strong, determined women who fight for what they believe—and for those they love. She is the author of The Crown Conspiracy, the Florida Wildlife Warriors series, the Safe Harbor series, and several standalone titles. She is also a USCG-licensed boat captain and gets to introduce Florida visitors to dolphins and manatees, which is as much fun as it sounds like. Visit her online at conniemann.com and sign up for her newsletter for all the latest news.
Rules for giveaway can be found here.
I’d love to think I’d travel the world to save someone, but in reality, I’m just too chicken! So I’ll get those big adventures vicariously by reading books like this one! It sounds like a riveting read that would immerse the reader in the adventure.
I totally agree! Good luck, Candice.
Connie Mann is a new author to me, but I sure love what I’ve read about The Crown Conspiracy. Sounds like my kind of read. I’ll have to check her books out. Thanks Leslie for having Connie on your blog.
You’re very welcome, Connie. Good luck!
maybe
Good luck!
If it meant saving a life, I would travel the world.
🙂
Good luck, Daniele!
I’d like to think that I would travel anywhere I needed to if my family were in danger.
Good luck, Megan!