Synopsis

Emeline Upswatch, a naive 20-year-old bride, is grief-stricken after the deaths of both of her beloved parents. Now, Emeline believes she has made a grave error in moving with her husband, Randy, from her California Delta childhood home to unknown Charles Town, Virginia. She questions her marriage and herself. Marooned in grief in an unfamiliar world and intimidated by her mother-in-law, Emeline is rescued by the appearance of a mysterious older woman, Felicity, who becomes her dearest friend, mentor, and “other mother” with whom she can share her innermost feelings. Unlike Emeline, Felicity divulges nothing about her history or personal life. When Felicity disappears as mysteriously as she arrived, Emeline is determined to unearth her older friend’s whereabouts. What she ultimately discovers forces her to question her sanity, world, memories, and newfound joy.

In her second book, Jayne Lisbeth cements her reputation as a “sensitive, entertaining and deeply moving writer.” In Raising the Dead her quirky, mysterious, home-spun and loveable characters keep the reader engaged and entertained from the first page to the last.

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Guest Post

10 Things You Might Not Know About Raising the Dead by Jayne Lisbeth

1. The main supernatural event in Raising the Dead actually occurred to the author, Jayne Lisbeth, in an 1800s cemetery on Cape Blanco, Oregon.

2. The book within the book, “Book of Memories and Friendship” is an actual diary written by the actual protagonist in Raising the Dead.

3. The scene of a “ghost” rising from a sunken grave in an old cemetery in Georgia is a true story.

4. The California Delta is an actual place, although cities named as part of the California Delta are created by the author’s imagination.

5. Some of the woods, wildlife and forest scenes in Raising the Dead were inspired by the book Green Mansions, by W.H. Hudson, originally published in 1944. It was made into a movie in 1959.

6. The city of Locke, California was and is an all-Asian town in California. During WWII many residents were removed to internment camps and lost much of their property in Locke.

7. The chair caning scenes in Raising the Dead are instructions on how to cane chairs, taught to the author in the 1960s.

8. The biscuit making recipe in Raising the Dead is from a 1940s cookbook. The author still can’t make decent biscuits but bakes excellent bread, jams and cans vegetables.

9. The mysterious mentor in Raising the Dead is an actual person who died of ALS.

10. The cat in Raising the Dead, Zuma, is an actual cat who frequently bit my husband.

Excerpt

Em breathed in the scent of fresh towels. “Smells like the delta, doesn’t it? Remember how pretty our farm was?” The look that Randy dreaded returned to her eyes.

“It’s going to be alright, Em. I promise. This is a new life for us. This was a good move. We’ll be happy here, you’ll see.” He stepped over the cats and left the little bathroom to retrieve more boxes from the truck.

At the moment, the large obstacle in his mind was not just Em’s continuing sorrow and lack of enthusiasm, but her meeting with Margret. He knew his mother could be difficult and her overwhelming love of Randy could be territorial. Randy hoped his mom would see past Em’s timidity which could make her seem standoffish and cold. He hoped his mom wouldn’t take Em’s timidity the wrong way. On the other hand, he hoped Em wouldn’t blow up over some off-hand innocent remark his mom might make. He had a vague feeling of unease, knowing the two most important women in his life could change in a heartbeat from sweet to sour. He wanted everyone to see Em the way he did: his pretty little bride of two years, with blond curls, violet eyes, curvy body and sweet demeanor. He wished Em could see the good in herself, the essence of who she was, rather than the ignorant delta girl she believed herself to be.

This is a good move, definitely, he reminded himself with each box he unloaded. What could go wrong? They had everything they needed. They had each other. The future looked as bright as any dream he had hoped for in his life with Emeline.

– Excerpted from Raising the Dead by Jayne Lisbeth, Austin Macauley, London, UK, 2023. Reprinted with permission.

About the Author

Jayne Lisbeth was born in NYC and continued her life’s journey from Long Island, to New Jersey, Massachusetts, Vermont, California, and Tampa, all places featured prominently in her writing.  Her first book, a memoir, Writing In Wet Cement, has been published internationally by London based publisher, Austin Macauley. Jayne’s second book, Raising the Dead, a work of historical fiction, mystery, friendship, and the supernatural, was published in 2023, also by Austin Macauley.  Ms. Lisbeth publishes monthly “Food for Thought” blogs on her website, Jaynelisbeth.com. Her “Food for Thought” blogs are based on her reflections of life, friendship, love, and topical subjects of interest. Ms. Lisbeth’s non-fiction, poetry, and short stories have been published from Vermont to California to Tampa, Florida, where she has received awards at the local level. She has been published locally in Pages of Our Life, volumes I and II, which is currently part of the USF, Tampa, Geriatric Studies Programs. Ms. Lisbeth’s short stories have been published in the LEC Phoenix Anthologies, 2015-2023. Jayne’s interests include writing, reading, exploring, traveling, calligraphy, gravestone rubbing, entertaining, and cooking.  Jayne’s author’s website is Jaynelisbeth.com. Ms. Lisbeth and her artist husband, Tim Gibbons, are the owners and founders of Funky As A Monkey Art Studio, providing art in public places and launching new and emerging artists to exhibit their art.

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