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| About Cathie's story |
DARKNESS RISING
Thank you for hosting me today, Helen, to chat about my short story, Darkness Rising. I’m thrilled it made it into the amazing Courage anthology.
I originally wrote this story for an anthology on the theme of the ‘dark side’ of Venice. Researching different timeframes for a suitable plot, I found the slow rise of fascism compelling. It’s not my usual era, so I was a bit out of my comfort zone.
Then, the idea of combining a murder investigation with the rising movement grew into a sinister plot with a twist. But knowing next to nothing about the Italian judiciary of the time (or even present-day), I wanted to keep it simple.
As the murdered girl’s mother worked for Francesco di Luca, the Count of Melina, who is a friend of the prosecutor, I had my – initially reluctant – sleuth. Of old but impoverished Venetian nobility, Francesco manages his wealthy father-in-law’s porcelain factory, but from a distance. He has little interest in the daily production side of the business, and the most serious challenge in his life is hosting and attending social events in Venice, as is expected of him.
With Francesco, I liked the idea of a man who lives by established convention, not dabbling in anything more serious than entertaining. In those days, men from other social backgrounds rose to power, rousing the masses, whilst the influence of the despised nobility began to wane. Their lives revolved around superficial socialising, clinging to a way of life that was on its way out in many countries. But they couldn’t stop change.
Our fictional sleuth, Francesco, usually ignores politics, shrugging off the subtle changes emerging in the early 1920s – until poor Chiara is killed. Suddenly, he is drawn into the shady world of fascist ideology. Appalled by the goals of the new, fast-rising movement, he helps uncover a sinister plot. But there is a nasty surprise waiting for him…
Will he find the courage to fight the evil beginnings of Mussolini’s meteoric rise, even if it might destroy his family, his way of life? Find out in Darkness Rising!
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| read a snippet |
DARKNESS RISING by Cathie Dunn
Venezia, June 1923
Can the
mystery of a secluded island, and a murder, be solved before
time runs out?
In the eerie light of the crescent
moon, the girl’s skin appeared ephemeral; her pale face framed by a bird’s nest
of blonde curls that floated on the gently rippling water. The simple linen
dress, narrowed at the waist and buttoned up to the neck in the fashion of
previous decades, had ridden up, revealing long, slender legs.
Francesco
di Luca, Count of Melina, stared at the body. A sense of sadness engulfed him.
Now he knew why Magistrato Agnelli had summoned him this early in the
morning.
How
shall I explain this to Signora Bonetti?
“Move
her, carefully,” Agnelli ordered. “We need to ascertain how she died.”
Francesco
gestured to the rowers to take them to the pier so they could disembark from
the boat that had taken them from Piazza San Marco. Moments later, they stood
on the walkway.
“Was
I correct, Francesco? Is this your housekeeper’s daughter?” Agnelli sent him a
sideways glance.
Francesco nodded. “I’m afraid so.” His mind was numb.
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| http://author.to/CathieDunn |
Her latest release, Ascent – the story of Poppa of Bayeux, handfasted wife of Rollo the Viking – is her sixth novel, and she is currently working on the sequel, Treachery. In her House of Normandy series, Cathie seeks to showcase the forgotten women behind the famous warriors who forged early medieval Normandy.
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Such an engrossing read. You have a remarkable gift for capturing emotion and making your characters and setting so vivid.
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