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Monday 12 February 2018

“Valentine’s Day must be for everyone but me.”

I rarely post guest blogs here and would never contemplate it unless I respected the guest concerned. And Anneli is someone I have a great deal of respect for. She is a brilliant writer and her blog is always crammed with great photos. I look forward to each one as it arrives. I have never actually met Anneli in the real world but she rates highly among my friends in the virtual world. So, this time, it is my pleasure to hand the blog over to Anneli and entertain you with a feast for the eyes.


This is how Marlie feels -- very much down on her luck with her world falling apart. See the eyes on the cover? One shows the hurt she has felt, and the other shows her determination to pick herself up and be strong
Her wild hair is a turn on for more than one fellow she meets, but although Marlie desperately wants to be loved, she is choosy. She’s been hurt too many times.
Everything in her life always seems to go wrong. Determined to start fresh, she is the perfect candidate for an escape to a remote teaching post in the Queen Charlotte Islands, now called Haida Gwaii, off the coast of northern British Columbia.
The town of Masset looks welcoming in the sunshine.


Many of Marlie’s students live in poor homes in nearby Haida village, but these First Nations children become very dear to her.



Being in a fishing community opens up a whole new world for her, with eagles, humpback whales, and killer whales to be seen in their natural habitat. Marlie is in awe of the beauty of the islands and the abundance of wildlife around her.




But all is not beauty and serenity. The lifestyle is quite different. In her daily life, it isn’t all as romantic or perfect as she’d hoped. For one thing, the weather can be horrendous. A fisherman shows her a picture of a bad day at sea. He says sometimes he can’t even see out the windshield for the rain and spray off the water. Marlie soon finds out what kind of screaming wild winds would visit the islands in the coming winter.


People on the islands help each other even if they don’t know who you are. Unfortunately, Marlie finds out that some will just as readily hurt an unsuspecting person. In her first months on the islands, she runs into both kinds. One unfortunate bad choice she makes will hang over her for months, and leave her struggling.
She shares some of her troubles with Skylar, a fellow teacher, as they explore the nearly deserted beaches. Even here, she finds herself having to test her survival skills.


Juggling her problems and feelings about people she meets on the islands, Marlie begins to wonder if her “fresh start” was going to work out for her. She has two choices: quit her job and go back to the mess her life used to be, or sort out the new mess she has gotten herself into and figure out a way to survive in this beautiful, godforsaken place.
Why don’t you come spend some time with Marlie in Anneli’s book? She could use a good friend right about now. You might even meet some people you’ve met in Anneli’s other books. Remember Jim, Andrea, and Foissy? You would have met them in “The Wind Weeps” and in its sequel, “Reckoning Tide.”
Make Marlie happy this Valentine’s Day.
Come see her inside the covers of the book named for her -- “Marlie.”
Here’s where you can find her.
Links:
For Kindle and paperback:
For e-books other than Kindle :


About Anneli Purchase
Anneli loves to write and to do copy-editing for other writers. She spent six years living in the Queen Charlotte Islands. She loves nature, gardening, and photography. Animals, especially birds, are a special interest, and although they are never the main focus, they always find their way into her books in some small way. Anneli lives on Vancouver Island with her husband and two spaniels.

Marlie is her fifth novel.

8 comments:

Anneli Purchase said...

Thank you so much for hosting me, Chris. I'm so happy to be able to tell your followers about Marlie. She is a lovely girl who runs into some bad luck and great adventures in the remote Queen Charlotte Islands. You can meet this "unlucky-in-love" teacher and see how she deals with the challenges of the islands.

Unknown said...

Anneli's books are all great reads. In Marlie, she shows us the beauty and danger of the wilds of the BC coastal areas and the strength of the people who live there. Don't miss this great read.

Sonja Forrester said...

I enjoy all of Anneli's books and "Marlie" is on my reading list. Anneli has a way of combining romance, adventure, intrigue and amazing experiences in a wonderfully written novel. I am sure this will be another "can't put it down" book! Looking forward to getting immersed in another page turner.

Anneli Purchase said...

Thank you, Darlene and Sonja. I appreciate your support.

Unknown said...

I know Anneli since abot 40 years and lived on the Charlottes (Haida Guaii)for 18 years. I read all her books so far and I am waiting for Marlie to come to my doorstep in a short while. She is a wonderful woman- and writer and her novels were full of surprises so far. I am sure that Marlie will top all her other books! How very nice of you to have her as your guest!

Anneli Purchase said...

Thank you, Ursula. I hope your book arrives soon. I know you've been waiting a long time for it. Hope you enjoy it!

Anonymous said...

I have enjoyed reading all of Anneli's books, especially Julia's Violinist. I think that's my favorite. Anneli really does flesh out her characters and I often have a hate/love relationship with them. She paints a wonderful background no matter where the location and it makes one want to take a trip.

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Anneli Purchase said...
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