Genre: Time Travel Romance, Adventure

What would you do if you suddenly found yourself mistress of an 18th-century plantation?

Esther Rubens is looking forward to getting to know her new community in South Carolina and repairing her troubled marriage. But as soon as she arrives in Charleston her life begins to diverge from the idyllic picture in her mind. Her physicist husband, Melvin, is arrested for driving while black, she inherits a strange English property from a cousin she didn't know existed, and she learns that her great-grandmother Sophie, a brilliant scientist kidnapped by the Nazis, discovered the secret of time travel of all things.

Intrigued by Sophie's cryptic journal Melvin begins to experiment with time travel, but his anger at the police makes him careless. The process backfires, killing him and throwing Esther back to 1750. Attacked by an unknown assailant the moment she arrives, she seeks protection at an indigo plantation belonging to a dashing planter with a dangerous secret, negotiating a deal that guarantees her safety. But she soon realizes she's made a terrible mistake. What she discovers on the plantation is far more horrific than anything she could have imagined.

Overwhelmed, she attempts to flee just as the planter's mysterious, handsome brother arrives from England seeking refuge-and offering an opportunity that's too compelling to turn down. But can he be trusted? And are the two of them strong enough to vanquish the evil that's pervading the lowlands? Only time will tell.

The first title in the Indigo series.

Excerpt

Esther Arrives at Brickle Hall

To say the estate was magnificent would be an understatement. Set high on a hill, surrounded by forest and lush grounds as far as the eye could see, it was every American’s vision of an English stately home. That it had been neglected and would require a huge investment to bring it back to life was also apparent. Dirty windows, crumbling stonework, chipped statuary, rotting putty all bedecked a gigantic, turreted, ancient-looking beauty.

To think that this lovely old dame was all mine was almost more than I could handle. I felt even more jetlagged than I had in Charleston, but I was so excited that I was somehow functional. I was a little nervous about sleeping in the house though. Would the beds be so dusty that I’d sneeze my head off? What about eating? I pictured a monster refrigerator filled with decayed food and had to stop myself from gagging. Silly me. I should have brought provisions with me. What was I thinking racing off like that with no plan and no supplies? None of this was like me. I was normally a calm, organized, logical person, and here I was acting like Indiana Jones. But I was here now and I had to make the best of it. This life change, from Los Angeles to South Carolina to England, was a growth opportunity and I would seize it with both hands.

I dug in my bag and pulled out the keys, almost laughing at the idea that a mere piece of metal could unlock a universe such as the one before me. As I inserted the key into the old, creaky front door lock my hands shook, and I couldn’t get it to fit properly. I wiggled it this way and that, shoving and pulling back and watching the rust fall out of the opening. Apparently my cousin hadn’t been in the habit of using this door. Perhaps I should try one of the other entrances, I thought. Wishing I had brought along some WD 40 I gave the key one last shot. The lock gave a choke, spat out more rust, and accepted it.

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About the Author

Paula Berinstein (Paula B) is the author of the Amanda Lester, Detective middle-grade/YA series, which features a descendant of the Sherlock Holmes character Inspector Lestrade and is set in the English Lake District.

She is also the author of a new time travel series for adults, Indigo.

From 2005 to 2012, Paula produced and hosted the popular podcast The Writing Show (http://www.writingshow.com). She holds degrees in English literature and librarianship from UCLA.

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