Tah-dah!
COVER REVEAL
After multiple tweaks and re-tweaks, I’m excited to share with you a first look at the final cover for my October 15th, 2026 release, What Time Has Kept: A Dual-Era Mystery. In imagining the novel’s cover, I started out with the notion that it should feature the actual Neolithic carved stone ball known as the Towie Ball, discovered near the Scottish hamlet of Towie in the mid-1800s and the focus of archaeological speculation ever since. This unique and beautiful 5000-year-old artifact, engraved with ancient symbols, is at the center of my novel’s twist-and-turn plot.
| Because the story deeply explores memory and the psychological impact of trauma, I also wanted the cover image to include an allusion to the unconscious mind, symbolized by water. Later, to help ground the story in the Scottish landscape in which it takes place, my publisher and I added the purple Scottish thistle. The crowning touch was, of course, the wonderful front-cover endorsement by one of my most admired authors of historical and dual-timeline fiction. I am so honored that Fiona Valpy read the novel and recommends it to her millions of fans around the world. Likewise, I am deeply grateful for the endorsements from bestselling author Megan Chance, another great favorite of mine, and the other talented authors who generously gave of their time to read and recommend the novel. You may run across an earlier version of the cover still displayed online in a few places, since it can take several weeks for updates to go through the vast distribution system of online retail book outlets. But the cover pictured above is the one you will soon be seeing everywhere. I hope you like it! Keep reading to learn more about the mystery. |
Two women, 150 years apart, linked by an enduring archaeological mystery
| In 1870s Scotland, Christian Maclagan–one of Britain’s first female archaeologists–struggles for recognition in a world determined to silence her. Emboldened by her acquisition of a rare Neolithic carved stone ball, she becomes obsessed with unlocking its ancient secrets. But as she studies the mysterious artifact, disturbing dreams begin to unravel her. Eventually, Christian must grapple with the shocking truths she has unconsciously buried for decades. One hundred fifty years later, American graduate student Ellen Byrne arrives in Scotland to research her thesis. Reeling from a devastating betrayal and haunted by her father’s suicide, Ellen discovers a Victorian journal leading her to an extraordinary find–a possible companion to Scotland’s most famous carved stone ball. As Ellen races to authenticate her discovery, her increasing obsession with the stone threatens not only to derail her promising career but also to destroy her faith in herself. A blend of historical and contemporary fiction, inspired by a true archaeological mystery, What Time Has Kept explores the interplay of memory and consciousness, the emotional power of objects, and the remarkable resilience of the human spirit. |
