TEMPTATION RAG & Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.


 $0.99 during the tour (TEMPTATION RAG and THE BEAUTY DOCTOR) 

The world of ragtime is the backdrop for a remarkable story about the price of freedom, the longing for immortality, and the human need to find forgiveness. Seventeen-year-old May Convery, unhappy with her privileged life in turn-of-the-century New York City, dreams of becoming a poet. When she meets the poor but talented Mike Bernard, an aspiring concert pianist, she immediately falls in love. But after their secret liaison is discovered, neither is prepared for the far-reaching consequences that will haunt them for decades. From vaudeville's greatest stars to the geniuses of early African American musical theater, an unforgettable cast of real-life characters populates this richly fictionalized historical saga.

Read an Excerpt

Giving himself no further opportunity for remorse, he forced his fingers to the keys and broke into the hit song “After the Ball,” easily navigating the simple melody, augmenting it with rich chords and lush arpeggios. Following several rounds of verse and chorus, he seamlessly transitioned to a second popular tune, calling upon every musical device of the masters to transform the rather pedestrian refrain into something closer to grand opera.

He picked up the pace. The music became a locomotive barreling down a straight track, the left hand pounding a steady bass, the right weaving intricate variations on a theme. In a moment of daring, he lifted his backside off the bench, half standing as his fingers scurried up and down the keys, faster than rats in a dark alley. He heard a cry of delight from someone in the crowd, and his excitement spiked. On and on he went, switching songs like he was switching hats, for each one inventing a new sound effect, a new gimmick. While he might dress up a melody any way he wanted, in the end it had to sound familiar enough to touch that special place in the listener’s heart where music works its most powerful magic. And that was precisely what he set about doing. He captured his audience like he was reeling in a giant fish. Slowly, painfully, with every ounce of strength he had. Afraid to stop. Afraid to let go of this brash new persona that it seemed must have always been lurking beneath the surface, beneath the façade of everything he thought he was or wanted to be.

About the Author:

Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard is an award-winning author of historical fiction. Her debut novel The Beauty Doctor is an historical thriller that takes place in the early days of cosmetic surgery, when the world of medicine was a bit like the Wild West and "beauty doctors" were the newest breed of outlaw. The Beauty Doctor was a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Award, National Indie Excellence Awards, AZ Literary Awards, and is a Medallion Honoree of the Book Readers Appreciation Group. Bernard's second book, Temptation Rag: A Novel, immerses readers in the bawdy atmosphere of vaudeville and early 20th century African American musical theater. Publishers Weekly wrote "Bernard's resonant novel . . . about the birth and demise of ragtime . . . is a lively tale in which romance and creative passions abound." Temptation Rag is a Readers' Favorite 5-star pick and a Medallion Honoree of the Book Readers Appreciation Group. For more about the author and her books, and to follow her fascinating historical fiction blog “Style and Substance,” visit http://www.EHBernard.com and https://www.facebook.com/EHBernardAuthor.

https://www.amazon.com/Temptation-Rag-Elizabeth-Hutchison-Bernard-ebook/dp/B07HYJMTXX/ref=sr_1_1.

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