The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor

A) I didn’t know this was based on a true story

B) I was fascinated by the setting and the story

C) I totally believe in the Fairies now

Hazel Gaynor is one of my most favorite historical fiction writers.  I started with her “Girl from the Savoy” and have read just about everything she has written since then.  This book is her newest and I fell in love with the characters.  It centers on the story from during WWI/WWII of two girls who professed to find fairies in the English countryside.  They re-created pictures to show the family and it spins out of control even eliciting reaction from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  We meet these people through the written words of one of the girls, Frances.  Gaynor uses the present to ground the story, and I also fell in love with the “Something Old” bookshop.  It’s exactly the type of place I’ve always dreamed about working at/owning.

Even my Madeline enjoyed the book!

Also, Hazel Gaynor is a great follow on Twitter!  When I was in Ireland this past spring, I tweeted her for bookstore recommendations in Dublin and she responded!  Unfortunately I didn’t get to any of them this trip (damn jet lag sickness), but next time!

This coming week I’ll be at the Writer’s Digest Conference in NYC and I’ll be pitching my book again.  Hopefully it’ll attract some attention!