Guest Post (and a Giveaway!): The Art of Misdirection by Jessica Sly

Please join me in welcoming author Jessica Sly to the blog to give us a photo tour of the setting for The Art of Misdirection!

THE ART OF MISDIRECTION by Jessica Sly
SERIES: Isles of Illusion #2
GENRE: Inspirational Historical Fiction/Suspense
PUBLISHER: Mountain Brook Ink
RELEASE DATE: April 15, 2023
PAGES: 324

Adelynn’s visions have returned. But this time, she’s not the only one seeing the future before it happens.

The conflict with Cornelius Marx is over. Determined to move forward, Adelynn Spencer eagerly charges into her new marriage to Detective Inspector Baze Ford and steals away with him to the countryside city of Bath. While Adelynn wrestles to escape her recurring nightmares of the Irish magician—both waking and sleeping—Baze seeks the city’s legendary waters, hoping they’ll cure his damaged leg and break his growing opium addiction.

Just when they settle in, a string of poisonings strikes Bath—and Adelynn’s visions return. But this time, one of the victims survives, bringing her face-to-face with Katherine Quinn, a fiery woman with a penchant for magic and a mysterious bond to Ireland. Katherine soon reveals a shocking secret that causes Adelynn to question everything she once knew about her gift.

As Baze and Adelynn desperately try to focus on their marriage and the investigation at hand, Baze’s destructive dependence on opium and Adelynn’s obsession with uncovering Katherine’s shadowy past begin driving them apart. Can they reconcile and catch the killer before poisonous plans bring about deadly consequences?

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a photo tour of bath, england

by Jessica Sly, author of The Art of Misdirection

One of the reasons I write historical fiction is that I find joy in traveling and exploring new places. Writing allows me to “visit” these sites without ever leaving my desk (or comfy couch, let’s be real). But it just so happens that several years ago, I got to journey to Bath, England, the location of my second book, The Art of Misdirection. As a result, I have a ton of great pictures, so settle in for a quick photo tour of the city!

The first stop is the Empire Hotel—where my two main characters, Baze and Adelynn, stay while they’re on holiday. This hotel opened in 1901, so it was still quite new at the time my novel takes place (1914). Ever the lover of architectural facts, Baze comments to Adelynn upon their arrival that the hotel’s design is meant to represent the three classes, with a roof split in three parts resembling a cottage, a house, and a castle.

From the Empire Hotel, all we have to do is cross the street to the east to find Pulteney Bridge, which is probably one of the most recognizable sites in Bath. The bridge runs across the River Avon, and that waterfall feature you see is called a weir. Baze also takes time to explain to Adelynn that the weir was built to help prevent the river from flooding the city. Back in Baze and Adelynn’s day, the weir cut across the river in a single line and at a diagonal angle.

If we walk south from the bridge along the sidewalk that follows the river, we’ll pass the Parade Gardens across from the Empire Hotel, and if we swing west from there, we’ll arrive at Bath Abbey. Built of beautiful Bath stone, the abbey was constructed in the cruciform (cross) shape and boasts an incredible fan vault ceiling. In my book, Adelynn goes to the abbey at a time of heavy heartache, and there, she finds some encouragement and also some tough love from the reverend.

Outside the 16th-century door of Bath Abbey sits a pedestrian square—and you might find some talented buskers entertaining the crowds. Right across the square are the infamous Roman Baths. Dedicated to the goddess Sulis (because she apparently had healing powers), these baths have been used for centuries to heal ailments of every kind. At one point in history, they actually fell into ruin and were buried for quite some time, but when Baze and Adelynn show up, the baths had recently been rediscovered and had only been open to the public for a little over 15 years. If you go into the nearby Pump Room, you can even taste the water from the fountain! (Spoiler: It’s like really strong mineral water.)

Our last stop is the Royal Crescent, which, at 500 feet in length, is made up of 30 adjoining houses. Here, Baze and Adelynn take a moment away from the mystery at hand to partake in an afternoon picnic on the lawn of Royal Victoria Park and listen to a string quartet serenading people from the nearby bandstand.

That wraps up the tour! But, of course, there’s so much more to see, so here’s a peek at some of the other neat things you might find in Bath.

I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about the historic city of Bath and how my characters interact with it. To immerse yourself further into the city and to dive deeper into Baze and Adelynn’s saga, pick up a copy of The Art of Misdirection.

Jessica Sly is a professional copy editor by day and an author by night. Drawing story inspiration from her world travels and lifelong love of all things nerdy, she immerses readers in rich historical adventures with a speculative twist. Jessica recently traded the glacial winters of Minnesota for the humid summers of Tennessee and can be found frequenting Nashville-area coffee shops and entertaining her sassy cat, Leia. You can connect with Jessica at her website and on Instagram & Facebook as @jessicaslyauthor.

Jessica Sly is offering a print copy of The Promise of Deception and The Art of Misdirection to one of my readers! (US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.

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What about you? What makes you want to read The Art of Misdirection by Jessica Sly? Which sites in Bath would you most like to see in person?