For generations, Aurelia was the crowning glory of more than three thousand acres of Iowa farmland and golden cornfields. The estate was a monument to matriarch Lavinia Hathaway’s dream to elevate the family name—no matter what relative or stranger she had to destroy in the process. It was a desperation that wrought the downfall of the Hathaways—and the once-prosperous farm.

Now the last inhabitant of the decaying old home has died—alone. None of the surviving members of the Hathaway family want anything to do with the farm, the land or the memories.

Especially Meredith Pincetti. Now living in New York City, for seventeen years Lavinia’s youngest grandchild has tried to forget everything about her family and her past. But with the receipt of a pleading letter, Meredith is again thrust into conflict with the legacy that destroyed her family’s once-great name.

Back at Aurelia, Meredith must confront the rise and fall of the Hathaway family…and her own part in their mottled history.

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The Legacy of Eden is the debut from the talented Nelle Davy, and it’s a novel that touches on so many things I love: ruined mansions, dark family secrets, and bucolic settings. I’ll be posting a review later this week, but in the meantime, Nelle was kind enough to pop by to share her thoughts about the publication process.

An Insider’s Look at the Publication Process — Nelle Davy

The only thing that surprised me during the publishing process was how hard I found it. Of course I knew what would happen, the pitfalls and the difficulties but going through it yourself is something else entirely. It is hard and horrible and personally cutting, especially as I was surrounded by a litany of authors either watching their own dreams come true or fall away.

I also was determined that I would be published on my own merit and not because of who I knew or where I worked. Because of that I did not say where I worked in any of my submission letters and it was also partly why I wrote under my married name to separate me from my work life and that way if my manuscript was called in by an agent it was really because they wanted to read it and not because they were intrigued by who I worked for or what I did.

Because of that however I had to experience what it was like coming up through the slush pile (the term publishers and agents give to unsolicited manuscripts) of which they get tons every single day. It was incredibly harsh. It took me just under a year to get an agent and then 4 months to get a publisher so in total the process was 18 months. This is actually by no means the average. And it was also doubly awkward when publishers I was working with started rejecting my book. But I think things happen for a reason, because what I learned going through all that has made me kinder and more understanding to my own authors. It still does. I can really empathise with their worries and concerns but I have been incredibly lucky with my own publishers who have been nothing but enthusiastic and supportive throughout.

Visit Nelle Davy’s website

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