The Ghost of Mary Celeste- A Book Signing and Discussion with Author Valerie Martin

LITCHFIELD, Conn. - Jan. 21, 2014 - PRLog -- With a 50,000 first printing by Random House Publishing, Valerie Martin’s The Ghost of the Mary Celeste is on its way to being a New York Times bestseller!  For mystery and historical fiction fans, you won’t want to miss this book or this author talk!

In this captivating novel author Valerie Martin writes about great ocean voyages and storms that tear apart both ships and hearts.  She tells a seafaring tale in the tradition of Melville and conjures up a mystery worthy of Arthur Conan Doyle, who actually appears as a character and plays a vital role.

In 1872, the American merchant vessel Mary Celeste was discovered adrift off the coast of Spain.  Although her cargo was intact and there were no signs of a struggle, the crew had disappeared, never to be found again.

When the young aspiring writer, Arthur Conan Doyle, hears of the Mary Celeste he writes an outlandish short story that creates quite the sensation in the United States.  Doyle’s account captures the attention of a sought-after Philadelphia spiritualist medium Violet Petra and a rational-minded journalist named Phoebe Grant, who is seeking to expose Petra as a fraud.  Then there is the tragic story of the family of the Mary Celeste’s captain and a bond between husband and wife that, for one moment, transcends the impenetrable barrier of death.  Through diaries, letters, safe harbors and rough seas, Valerie Martin has woven a beautiful tale of loss, love and the connections that bind us in unexpected ways.

         Valerie Martin is the author of ten novels, including Trespass, Mary Reilly, Italian Fever, and Property. She has been awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, as well as the Kafka and Britain’s Orange Prize.  Martin currently is Professor of English at Mt. Holyoke.  Visit her website at valeriemartinlonline.com.

         A wine and cheese reception will follow the event.  The Hickory Stick Bookshop will provide books for signing and for purchase.  All Oliver Wolcott Library events are free and open to the public.  Space is limited.  Registration is required and can be done by calling 860-567-8030 or logging onto www.owlibrary.org and clicking on Programs/Adult Programs.