The Nightjar’s Promise (Book 4 of The F.I.G. Mysteries) by Barbara Casey

YA Fiction (Ages 13-17), 130 pages

Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Publisher: Gauthier Publications (Hungry Goat Press)

Release date: April, 2020

Synopsis

Jennifer Torres, one of the three FIGs (Females of Intellectual Genius) who is a genius in both music and art, is the last to leave the closed rehearsal for her upcoming performance over Thanksgiving break at Carnegie Hall when she hears something in the darkened Hall. Recognizing the tilt of the woman’s head and the slight limp of the man as they hurry out an exit door, she realizes it is her parents who were supposedly killed in a terrible car accident when she was 15 years old. Devastated and feeling betrayed, she sends a text to Carolina and the other two FIGs—THURGOOD. It is the code word they all agreed to use if ever one of them got into trouble or something happened that was too difficult to handle. They would all meet back at Carolina’s bungalow at Wood Rose Orphanage and Academy for Young Women to figure it out.

As soon as they receive the text, because of their genius, Dara starts thinking of words in ancient Hebrew, German, and Yiddish, while Mackenzie’s visions of unique math formulae keep bringing up the date October 11, 1943. That is the date during World War II when the Nazis—the Kunstschutz—looted the paintings of targeted wealthy Jewish families and hid them away under Hitler’s orders. And as Carolina waits for the FIGs to return to Wood Rose, she hears warnings from Lyuba, her gypsy mother, to watch for the nightjar, the ancient name for the whip-poor-will.

As they search for “The Nightjar’s Promise” and the truth surrounding it, Carolina and the FIGs come face to face with evil that threatens to destroy not only their genius, but their very lives.

Interview

Today we are lucky enough to have Barbara here with us on StoreyBook Reviews.  I enjoyed her answers to the questions and I hope you learn a little bit more about her as I did.

When writing about the F.I.G.s (Females of Intellectual Genius) and Carolina in The Nightjar’s Promise, did you have a favorite character?

Carolina and the F.I.G.s (Dara, Mackenzie, and Jennifer) have been living in my life and imagination for several years now. I am embarrassed to say how attached I have become to them, and writing The Nightjar’s Promise, knowing it would be the final book in the series, was emotional. I guess you could say I love Carolina and each of the F.I.G.s equally because they are so different and in spite of their flaws.

Where did you get inspiration for your stories in this series?

I lived in Raleigh, North Carolina, for many years. I attended NC State University and then later worked there. Near where I lived was an orphanage, and I think driving by it each day is what first gave me the idea of writing a book about orphans. Then, once I actually started writing The Cadence of Gypsies years later, followed by The Wish Rider, The Clock Flower, and now The Nightjar’s Promise, I researched things that were out of the ordinary that would somehow connect to either Carolina or one of the F.I.G.s. The Voynich Manuscript, the most mysterious document in the world, was perfect for Carolina and her story. In Dara’s story, The Wish Rider, I felt it was important to learn the reason her mother abandoned her in a candy shop when she was a little girl. Mackenzie, in The Clock Flower, also needed to find the answers to the questions she had; such as why was she turned over to an orphanage right after she was born, and who were her parents? And most important, why is she in danger? Jennifer’s story in The Nightjar’s Promise was especially difficult because she was betrayed by the people who should have loved and cared for her the most. By connecting each girl’s genius to the reasons they were in an orphanage to begin with seemed to provide the answers.

Are you writing anything now?

I have gone back to an adult novel I have been thinking about. I am also thinking about another young/new adult series.

Do you have a set routine when you write?

Absolutely! That is the only way I can create anything. I have always needed routine in my life, having grown up in a military family. So, early (very early) mornings are my time to write. The rest of the day I devote to my agency and to the independent publishing house that focuses on nonfiction/true crime where I am a partner. There are three rescue cats now in our little family who are learning how to get along, and my mother who lives with us is 97 years old. Everything considered, I have a pretty full day.

I want to thank you for inviting me to be a guest on your blog and for your interest in my books. I wish you and your bloggers my very best. ~Barbara

About the Author

Originally from Carrollton, Illinois, author/agent/publisher Barbara Casey attended the University of North Carolina, N.C. State University, and N.C. Wesleyan College where she received a BA degree, summa cum laude, with a double major in English and history. In 1978 she left her position as Director of Public Relations and Vice President of Development at North Carolina Wesleyan College to write full time and develop her own manuscript evaluation and editorial service. In 1995 she established the Barbara Casey Agency and since that time has represented authors from the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Japan. In 2014, she became a partner with Strategic Media Books, an independent nonfiction publisher of true crime, where she oversees acquisitions, day-to-day operations, and book production.

Ms. Casey has written over a dozen award-winning books of fiction and nonfiction for both young adults and adults. The awards include the National Association of University Women Literary Award, the Sir Walter Raleigh Literary Award, the Independent Publisher Book Award, the Dana Award for Outstanding Novel, the IP Best Book for Regional Fiction, among others. Two of her nonfiction books have been optioned for major films, one of which is under contract.

Her award-winning articles, short stories, and poetry for adults have appeared in both national and international publications including the North Carolina Christian Advocate Magazine, The New East Magazine, the Raleigh (N.C.) News and Observer, the Rocky Mount (N.C.) Sunday Telegram, Dog Fancy, ByLine, The Christian Record, Skirt! Magazine, and True Story. A thirty-minute television special which Ms. Casey wrote and coordinated was broadcast on WRAL, Channel 5, in Raleigh, North Carolina. She also received special recognition for her editorial work on the English translations of Albanian children’s stories. Her award-winning science fiction short stories for adults are featured in The Cosmic Unicorn and CrossTime science fiction anthologies. Ms. Casey’s essays and other works appear in The Chrysalis Reader, the international literary journal of the Swedenborg Foundation, 221 One-Minute Monologues from Literature (Smith and Kraus Publishers), and A Cup of Comfort (Adams Media Corporation).

Ms. Casey is a former director of BookFest of the Palm Beaches, Florida, where she served as guest author and panelist. She has served as judge for the Pathfinder Literary Awards in Palm Beach and Martin Counties, Florida, and was the Florida Regional Advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators from 1991 through 2003. In 2018 Ms. Casey received the prestigious Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award and Top Professional Award for her extensive experience and notable accomplishments in the field of publishing and other areas. She makes her home on the top of a mountain in northwest Georgia with her husband and three cats who adopted her, Homer, Reese, and Earl Gray – Reese’s best friend.

Website ~  Goodreads ~ Facebook

Giveaway

Prizes: ​ Win 1 of 3 print or 1 of 3 ebook of Barbara Casey’s THE NIGHTJAR’S PROMISE, or a $25 Amazon Gift Card (open USA & Canada) (7 win (ends May 29)

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