Take a trip back to the 1893 World's Fair with Deeanne Gist
BEST-SELLING AUTHOR DEEANNE GIST BRINGS CHICAGO’S 1893
WORLD FAIR TO LIFE IN HISTORICAL NOVEL, IT
HAPPENED AT THE FAIR
“Gist takes intriguing
historical facts and creates a world of fascinating characters, lighthearted
moments and timeless crises that we can still relate to today.” –Romantic Times
Top Pick
(A Bride in the Bargain)
“Gist’s historicals have increasingly gained popularity, combining
witty dialog, well-balanced plots, and fully developed characters who seem
almost real.” –Library Journal
The 1893 Chicago World’s
Fair overflowed with the latest innovations welcomed by a throng of people from
all around the globe. This setting replete with history, intrigue and wonder is
the backdrop for beloved author Deeanne
Gist’s latest release, It Happened at the Fair.
“I’m always drawn to events in
our country’s past that are strangely absent from our history classes. Why the
1893 World’s Columbian Exposition has been left out, I don’t know, especially
since it was such a pivotal event for us,” explains Gist. “We were able to wow
the world with our scientific innovations; and it gave women their first
official board position recognized and approved by an Act of Congress (all
before we had the right to vote). But it was technology which claimed the day
as it nipped at the heels of horses, buggies, and man-powered tools.”
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With every book topping bestseller charts
since her acclaimed debut A Bride Most
Begrudging, Deeanne Gist has
sold over a half million copies, earning
rave reviews and numerous awards, including back-to-back Christy Awards, four
RITA nominations, National Readers Choice, and Book Buyers Best. With her trademark humor and
rich historical detail, It Happened at
the Fair is sure to delight her beloved fans as well as garner new ones.
Gambling
everything, including the family farm, young inventor Cullen McNamara is
determined to make his family proud—and earn his father’s entry money to the
Fair Expo back—by selling his design for an automatic sprinkler system inspired
by his mother’s death in a mill fire. Struggling with hearing loss from his
previous life on the farm, McNamara finds it difficult to communicate with
potential buyers over the din in the Fair’s Machinery Building. In an act of
desperation, he hires attractive Della Wentworth, a teacher of the deaf, to
tutor him in the art of lip-reading.
Much
like the newly invented Ferris Wheel, Cullen is caught in a whirl between his
girl back home, his dreams as an inventor, and his unexpected attraction to his
new tutor. Can he keep his feet on the ground or will he be carried away?
Gist’s
unique blend of romance and historical fiction brings the past alive for her
readers through her extensive period research. Readers will find themselves not
only caught up with the exciting backdrop of the fair, but the blossoming love
story between Cullen and Della. They will also encounter President Grover
Cleveland, Alexander Graham Bell, Helen Keller, and Ann Sullivan, actually
attendees of the legendary fair.
Both the paperback edition of the book as
well as the e-book include actual photographs taken at the fair between each
chapter. The photographs in the paperback are different from the e-book, so
whichever version readers purchase, they will have exclusive content. However,
Gist’s fans won’t have to wait until April 30 to get their first look at the
fair. Tempest in the White City, a
40-page short story available in a digital format released on March 19 and
is available for 99 cents.
Gist will be hosting a webcast event on May
22, 2013 at 8:00 PM EST, where she will be discussing more of the
story behind It Happened at the Fair
and answering reader questions. During the course of the evening, a number of
prizes will be given away to those participating in the discussion. More
details will be available soon on the author’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/deesfriends,
where the webcast will be hosted.
Readers can keep up with Deeanne Gist at her
website IWantHerBook.com, as well as on Facebook (DeesFriends) and Twitter (@DeeanneGist).
About
the Author:
A
popular speaker, Gist’s presentations have been featured on the front page of
the Wall Street Journal and in other publications. The Wall Street Journal’s
accompanying online video was the most watched video on the FrontPageWSJ.com website for several days following
their feature.
Gist has a background in education and
journalism. Her credits include People,
Parents, Parenting, Family Fun, Houston Chronicle and Orlando Sentinel. She is also the
creator of I Did It!®, a
parenting line of products. Gist lives in Houston, Texas with her husband of
thirty years. The couple has four grown children.
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