The Strange and Unusual History of Eden Estate
by W.A. Ashes

Goldenrod Grove, Nebraska is a small town barely big enough to be called a city. Its history is rooted in the Homestead Act. Many of its residents can trace their lineage back to its original settlers, but no family looms quite as large as the Campbells.

Ira Campbell is a descendent of Atticus Wade, one of the first homesteaders to come to Goldenrod Grove. His family has owned Eden Estate for eleven generations. The FFA and 4-H kids whisper about seeing ghosts on the grounds and feeling the breath of hounds on the back of their necks, but no one knows how true the ghost stories are until Ira dies.

June never intended to return to Goldenrod Grove. She left the town behind after her high school graduation and didn’t look back. When her father dies, she returns to town with her heart in shambles. Her marriage is falling apart, her heart is heavy with grief, and she’s first in line to inherit an estate that she’d rather auction off to the highest bidder.

When June’s youngest daughter finds an old dollhouse while exploring the estate’s attic, she sends her mother on a quest to discover the heirloom’s history. What June discovers is more than she bargained for. Nestled inside a leather-bound journal are every dark secret of her family’s past, every mistake, every joy, every tear, and a curse that could destroy her. Will she be able to defeat the curse that’s haunted her family for over a century, or will she succumb to shadows lurking along the property line? And why does Tucker Silo, her childhood nemesis, seem so interested in her family’s past all of a sudden?

5 out of 5 fairies

A haunted homestead? Unforgettable characters? Peaks into the past? Yes please! Ashes gives it all to you in this captivating story. I love the dual timelines, getting to see the past as it unfolds, and the present, with all the ripples from the past that come into play. It’s clear Ashes did a lot of research to keep the past part of the book fairly historically accurate. June is such an amazing lead characters, and Tucker definitely grows on you. The paranormal aspects were nicely handled, and overall I really didn’t want to put this book down. Highly recommend!

Lily:  Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview Ashes, I really enjoyed reading The Strange and Unusual History of Eden Estate. What inspired you to write this?

Ashes:  Honestly, it was probably my community. I’m primarily a fantasy author, but I live in a western loving community. I wanted to write a book that would appeal to both sides.

Lily:  I think you did a great job! Did you have to do a lot of research for this book?

Ashes:  So much. I basically had to give myself a crash course in American history, simply because it’s been awhile since I’ve had a history class, and needed to get specific dates right. I had a big binder full of milestones starting with the Homestead Act. I also did a lot of research on traditional dishes served during the era represented and on herbs. I ended up cutting the herb information out, though, because I didn’t fell comfortable putting it in with the knowledge a teen could try to use it for contraceptives. It worried me legally. 

Lily:  You did a fantastic job bringing the past to life in the book. Do you have a favorite character? 

Ashes:  June and Tucker. They’re the main characters and are pretty stereotypical, but they try to do what’s best for their families and put their own happiness aside. 

Lily:  I loved June! Would you visit Eden Estate if you could?

Ashes:  Haha, um, well…sure. Probably not at night, knowing what I do, but yeah I’d love to during the day. I’d specifically like to wander their family graveyard and the old treehouse. 

Lily:  I can totally understand only wanting to go during the day. Now we’d like to talk about you as a writer. Can you describe your ideal writing space?

Ashes:  A clean desk, lit candles, a warm cup of coffee, and being surrounded by books. 

Lily:  Sounds absolutely heavenly. What’s harder, writing or editing?

Ashes: 100% Editing. I don’t know. I love writing, and sometimes the stories can be tricky, but editing is when you have to dig deep and make the hard choices like which scenes to cut and which to keep. I actually screwed up on editing Eden Estate (that’s the nickname I gave the book). I cut somethings that I later regretted. But, oh well, what can you do? It just gives me a reason to write an extended edition.

Lily:  I’d love to see what you add in an extended edition. When did you first consider yourself an author?

Ashes:  Not until I published my first novel, White Lies. I’d published a short story before that, but White Lies is what made it all feel real.

Lily:  That’s an excellent reason to consider yourself an author. Let’s finish up with some fun questions and get inside your mind. What food have you never eaten but would really like to try?

Ashes:  Oh, gosh! I’d love to try creme brulee. 

Lily:  If you ever get the chance, take it! I have to warn you, it can be addicting when made well. When you are old, what do you think children will ask you to tell stories about?

Ashes:  I’m not sure. Maybe my time as a journalist or how it was growing up.

Lily:  I think both would have some good stories in them. What inanimate object would be the most annoying if it played loud, upbeat music while being used?

Ashes:  A lamp. 

Lily:  Oof, yeah – I’d have to switch to oil lamps and candles. In the past, people were buried with the items they would need in the afterlife, what would you want buried with you so you could use it in the afterlife?

Ashes:  Pens, notebooks, a copy of my favorite book. Random fact, though…I actually want to be cremated and have my ashes used to plant a tree when I die.

Lily:  That’s a wonderful way to give back after you’ve passed. Have you ever gone on a ghost hunt/paranormal investigation?

Ashes:  I haven’t gone on an official one. When I was in college we did something stupid and tried to spend an hour on a haunted bridge. We didn’t make it five minutes.

Lily:  I bet there’s a story there. Would you rather spend the rest of your life with a sailboat as your home, or an RV as your home?

Ashes:  RV, hands down. I’d love to be able to road trip my entire life.

Lily:  Life on the road could definitely be fun, especially if home is traveling with you. How can readers discover more about you and your work?

Ashes:  I have a website and most major social media sites, excluding Twitter. I also have a newsletter. (links below)

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W.A. Ashes is a Nebraskan author who specializes in young adult fantasy. She was born in Overland Park, Kansas, raised in Grand Island, Nebraska, and called Gothenburg, Nebraska home.

Ashes published her first work, a short story titled The Summer of 1956, in July 2016 and has a never-ending list of writing projects to complete. Currently, she is working on the continuation of her Tales From Morzania series, a new series, a paranormal romance story, a children’s fantasy story, and a historical fantasy piece.

Ashes’ published works are: The Summer of 1956, Mistletoe Mishap, Musings: A Collection of Writings, White Lies, Truth Be Told, What Comes Around, The Jewel of the Wasted Glades, The Apothecary’s Apprentice, The Secrets of Sera’s Point, and The Inker

​Her favorite genres to read are Young Adult, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance, and Fantasy.

Her favorite authors are Harper Lee, Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, Mary Shelly, Francene Rivers, Cassandra Clare, Rainbow Rowell, Julia DeBariozz, K.R. Hall, Angelina Kerner, Pixie Chica, and Amber Kestner.

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