Gilli Allan, author and artist, has written a novel entitled Buried Treasure and agreed to share an extract. I invited her to tell you more about her latest release. Apparently, ‘Buried Treasure is not always what it seems’…
Dear Readers,
I am delighted to present Buried Treasure. The extract I’ve chosen is a flashback to the gathering after the funeral of “Uncle” Bill Sydney. The heroine Jane, a young teenager, is talking to her twenty-plus sister Rachel. Rachel is being typically high-handed and unsympathetic, and suggesting Bill’s wife, Mary, can now have the clear-out of her late husband’s ‘Sydney Collection’, that she’s always complained about. Although Bill’s father, their great uncle Alf Sydney, did unearth a Viking hoard from a field during the war, always referred to as his ‘Treasure’, it was confiscated, much to his disgust. The collection now consists of the far humbler antiquities dug-up over the years, from the Sussex farm, to which Bill added the curios he brought back after his national Service.
‘Uncle Bill’s been dead less than a fortnight,’ Jane reminded her sister. ‘And the collection’s not in her way. As far as I know, it’s still in her shed.’
‘He was a silly old fool. You were the only one really interested in it, or in the so-called treasure, for that matter.’
‘We were both thrilled when we first heard about it.’
‘We were children!’
‘It was an amazing find. And Bill was only young when it was dug up. No wonder it became a big event in his memory.’
‘Most of us grow up, but I can see you’re not planning to. As for ‘The Sydney Collection’ … one day it will fall to you to sort it all out. I certainly don’t want a load of old stone-age tools, broken pottery and dirty coins…. Not to mention his “precious – s – s – s – s” !’ Rachel mimics the sibilant enunciation made famous by Gollum in the Lord of the Rings films. She twirls her index finger at her temple.
‘How can you be so…!’ Jane hated her sister’s disdainful tone, but it was true, the older he’d become the more Bill talked about the unearthing of the “treasure”, and since his father’s death he continually obsessed about the secret hidden artefact, never admitted to at the time of the treasure’s confiscation, that he claimed to have found.
‘You’ll have the pleasure of discovering that it was a delusion. Probably just as well he popped off when he did.’
Thank you for reading this extract. It was fun selecting a short passage that might whet the appetite. If you choose to read my book, I very much hope you enjoy it. And do please connect with me, leave a review or tell me what you think.
Best wishes, Gilli x
Jessie: Why did you select this extract?
Gilli: I chose this section as it’s the first occasion when one of the books mysteries is referred to – the notion that there might be something more valuable – perhaps an item of the Viking hoard – hidden amongst Bills rag-bag of oddities.
Jessie: Why should I place Buried Treasure in my handbag?
Gilli: As for why do I think you should pop Buried Treasure onto the ereader in YOUR handbag? Well, I don’t think you should if you like your romance sugar-coated! My writing engages with the more challenging aspects of life and relationships, often glossed over or ignored in mass-market romance. In real life morality is not necessarily black or white. People are not neatly divided into heroes or villains. Sex is not always awesome – it can be awkward, embarrassing – even abusive – and it has consequences. And in Buried Treasure there is the intriguing backdrop of an old university, and a mismatched couple whose lives become entangled because each has an archaeological puzzle they need to solve.
Jessie: How did you feel when you finished writing Buried Treasure? Did you miss any of the characters?
Gilli: When I finished Buried Treasure my first feeling was relief; it was the hardest book I have ever written, but I found myself thinking about the characters long after.
Jessie: Tell us a little about yourself.
Gilli: I am stubborn, persistent and slightly obsessional; if I wasn’t I wouldn’t have 6 published books to my name.
Biography:
Living in Gloucestershire with her husband Geoff, Gilli is still a keen artist. She draws and paints and has now moved into book illustration.
She is published by Accent Press and each of her books, Torn, Life Class and Fly or Fall has won a ‘Chill with a Book’ award.
About Buried Treasure
Their backgrounds could hardly be further apart, their expectations in life more different. And there is nothing in the first meeting between the conference planner and the university lecturer which suggests they should expect or even want to connect again. But they have more in common than they could ever have imagined. Both have unresolved issues from the past which have marked them; both have an archaeological puzzle they want to solve. Their stories intertwine and they discover together that treasure isn’t always what it seems.
Reviews
“….credible, three dimensional, affecting characters […] ordinary people doing and/or experiencing sometimes extraordinary things. Their respective loneliness, sadness and difficult back stories made this seemingly mismatched couple very appealing…” Anne Stormont.
“…[I] have the highest regard for this talented author. The title intrigued me from the outset; who hasn’t at some time in their life dreamed of finding buried treasure? I know I have, and found this treasure of a story deeply satisfying….” Lyn Sofras (The Manic Scroibbler)
“… I promise you will not be disappointed. It is a very satisfying romance, to be sure, but as always with Gilli Allan’s stories, ‘Buried Treasure’ is about so much more than the relationship between two people….” Anne Williams
You can find out more about Gilli at:
Find my other books at LIFE CLASS, TORN and FLY or FALL or at:
https://accentpressbooks.com/collections/gilli-allan
Find me at:
http://twitter.com/gilliallan (@gilliallan)
https://www.facebook.com/GilliAllan.AUTHOR
http://gilliallan.blogspot.com
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1027644.Gilli_Allan
https://romanticnovelistsassociation.org/rna_author/gilli-allan/
Sounds like a fascinating read. And what’s not to like about treasure!
I’ve enjoyed all of Gilli Allan’s books, but BURIED TREASURE is my favorite. The characters are real, with real life challenges. A good story, too.
Thank you Sandy. Your support has always meant a lot to me. gx
A huge thank you for including BURIED TREASURE on your Books in my Handbag Blog, Jessie. It was great fun. I’m always happy to talk about myself or my books.