Welcome Author Gini Grossenbacher!
Hello and welcome to my site! Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!
Today, Author Gini Grossenbacher is visiting with her new book, Madam in Silk. This is a stop on the Goddess Fish Blurb Blitz tour. The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card via rafflecopter at the end of the tour. Be sure to follow all the stops on the tour to increase your chance of winning.
GENRE: Historical Fiction
MADAM IN SILK
San Francisco,1849. Despite her objections, twenty-year-old Ah Toy and her servant Chen voyage from China to San Francisco with her husband who dies on board ship. With little cash and bound feet, how is she to find employment in the Gold Rush town? Since she is the only Chinese woman there, she opens a "Lookee Shop," catering to miners who pay in gold dust to see her exotic beauty. As her notoriety grows, so does her attraction to the devoted policeman, John Clark. Yet should she put her faith in one man? Will their love survive despite her frightening encounter with Sydney Ducks, threats from rival madam Li Fan, and a tempting offer from Henry Conrad who promises her wealth and security? Armed with her mystical beliefs of the inner dragon and Goddess Mazu, Ah Toy faces much more than the journey from the ancient ways in China to the new world in America. In fact, she must find the true source of courage in a life or death struggle for her own fate, justice, and dignity. Based on page-turning accounts about the life of Ah Toy, one of San Francisco's most legendary madams.
READ AN EXCERPT
She glanced at the stranger, his dark sandy hair blowing about, his pants rolled up to his knees; his rucksack slung across his back. The man sported long sideburns that followed the jawline midway toward his chin.
She held up her pantaloons to the knees. The waves were curling, laughing, in and out, their foam capturing, then releasing her feet, then ankles, then calves as she ventured each step into the icy water. She shivered as the water splashed, making her skin tingle. . . .
“Careful, man,” the stranger said. “That undertow can take you out quick.” Though his words carried a warning, his voice was casual as if he knew her and Chen.
When the water rushed out, abandoning the bare sand, Chen pointed to a round brown knob sticking out of the water not far from shore. “Look!”
The stranger said, “I see it now.” His voice rose against the waves. “It came up before, but then it disappeared.” He said, “Do you see it, Miss?”
Wordless, Ah stood next to Chen who shielded his eyes from the glare and observed the sea creature. Holding the brim of her sunhat against the glare, she followed the direction of the stranger’s outstretched arm. Again, a brown knob rose above the water, and she saw two large chocolate-colored eyes, a snout like a dog’s, and gray whiskers. The shiny creature rose its head above the waves and fixed a stare in her direction.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MADAM IN SILK is California teacher and editor Gini Grossenbacher’s second historical fiction novel. Her debut novel MADAM OF MY HEART garnered the 2018 IPPY silver medal for Historical Fiction; finalist in the 2018 American Fiction Awards for Historical Fiction; honorable mention at the 2018 San Francisco Book Festival for General Fiction; and runner-up in the 2017 Hollywood Book Festival for Genre Fiction. She is also a copyeditor and leads an aspiring writers group called Elk Grove Writers and Artists, providing lessons in novel writing, memoir, poetry, and flash fiction. When she’s not writing, Gini can be found taking long walks, tending the roses in her garden, and barbecuing with her husband and beloved dog, Murphy Brown.
WHERE TO BUY AND SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Amazon buy book link:
Social Media Links:
Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to follow all the stops on the Goddess Fish Blurb Blitz tour and enter the giveaway, via rafflecopter, for a chance to win a $10 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card! Grab your copy of MADAM IN SILK today!
Sounds so good! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for complimenting the cover, Debi P! My cover designer worked really hard at integrating the historical setting into the cover, along with the back view of Ah Toy. I decided to show her looking into the view rather than looking out at the audience in order to show her immersed in 1849 San Francisco. I'm glad you like it.
I love historical fiction and this sounds like a really great read. Pretty cover!
Thanks for your comment, Rita Wray! I'm averaging four and five stars for Madam in Silk on Amazon and Goodreads. I hope you enjoy the book - some say it's a page-turner. Happy reading to you! Gini
Hi Bernie Wallace, Thanks for the question! I am working on the third book in the series, actually the sequel to my first novel, Madam of My Heart. Called Madam in Lace, it follows the story of Celeste, a French prostitute from San Francisco, who travels to France in 1857 in the search for her mother, a Parisian madam. Along the way she encounters and seeks the help of Italian revolutionaries, one of whom captures her heart. It will come out in 2021. I appreciate your interest, Bernie!