FIDDLING WITH FATE
CHLOE ELLEFSON MYSTERY #10
eBook & Trade Paperback
Midnight Ink Books
September 8, 2019
Ranked in the Top 1%
of all US Print Book Sales
for 39 Days to Date
Based on Pre-orders
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Thus begins the tenth story in the award-winning Chloe Ellefson series, and thirty-eighth published book by bestselling author Kathleen Ernst.
The Chloe novels combine history and mystery with a little romance. They are written for adults and mature teens who enjoy reading stories without explicit sex, gratuitous violence, or gore.
This page offers a rich mix of background information about the people, places, and the past that went into making Fiddling With Fate.
Story Description
This book features a pair of tightly harmonized timelines.
The modern story begins and ends in Chloe's hometown of Stoughton, Wisconsin, in 1984. An historical plotline takes place during the 19th and early twentieth centuries in Norway's Hardanger region.
Chloe has the devil of a time
unraveling the mysteries of
Norways fiddle and dance traditions
After her mother's unexpected death, museum curator Chloe Ellefson discovers hidden antiques that hint at family secrets. Determined to find answers, Chloe accepts a consultant job in Norway, her ancestor's homeland.
She's thrilled with the opportunity to explore Hardanger fiddle and dance traditions—and her heritage. Once their plane lands, however, Chloe and her fiancé, cop Roelke McKenna encounter disharmony and danger.
Chloe's research reveals strong women and the importance of fiddle music in their lives. But folklore warns against "the devil's instrument" and old evils may yet linger among the fjords and mountains. As Chloe fine-tunes her search for the truth, a killer's obsession to stop her builds to a deadly crescendo.
Fiddling With Fate includes photos of historic objects and places mentioned in the story, plus a locations map, and cast of characters.
This story is available as a 360-page trade paperback and in Kindle and Adobe EPUB3 ebook formats.
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What Others Are Saying
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Maddy Hunter Agatha Award Finalist author Passport to Peril mystery series "Fiddling with Fate is a riveting page-turner that culminates in a nail-biting ending. It is more than superlative fiction. It's a masterpiece." |
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Patricia Skalka Award-winning author Dave Cubiak Door County Mysteries "Fiddling with Fate is a story about proud, strong women and bitter dark secrets. In her richly-detailed and multi-faceted mystery, Kathleen Ernst skillfully intertwines the past with the present as Chloe and Roelke search for her family roots in Norway amid escalating danger." |
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CONTACT KATHLEEN |
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About the Author
Bestselling author Kathleen Ernst writes award-winning mysteries, historical fiction, and non-fiction books for adults and young readers.
Kathleen's work has earned numerous honors, including two lifetime achievement awards, an Edgar Allan Poe and multiple Agatha Christie mystery award nominations, and an Emmy for educational television.
To date nearly 1.8 million audio, ebook, and print copies of Kathleen's thirty-eight published books have been purchased. more>>
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READ CHAPTER ONE |
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Related Blog Posts
Enjoy Kathleen's insights about her stories, characters, and settings. Additional posts will be added below over time.
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Why Norway? "Cultural identify, and the many ways people explore and express their own, is one of the recurring themes in the Chloe Ellefson Mystery series. When readers meet Chloe in Book 1...." more>> |
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Norwegian Folk Dance "It's no secret that Chloe Ellefson, protagonist of my historic sites mystery series, love folk dancing. In the second book, The Heirloom Murders, she dances with her Swiss ex..." more>> |
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Hardanger Fiddles "The first known Hardanger fiddle (the Jaastad fiddle) dates to 1651. The Hardanger region in SW Norway became famous for its fiddle makers—and fiddlers! When Chloe arrives in Norway..." more>> |
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CONTACT KATHLEEN |
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JOIN KATHLEEN'S EMAIL LIST |
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VISIT HER FACEBOOK AUTHOR PAGE |
Author's Note
In honor of our 20th wedding anniversary, Mr. Ernst and I took a tour to Norway, Chloe's ancestral homeland, organized by Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum. It was a fabulous adventure.
We knew right then that I had to get Chloe and Roelke to Norway. Three years later we returned to the Hardanger area, one of our favorites, to research their trip.
When I originally chose to make Chloe a Norwegian-American, I had no idea how much fun exploring her heritage would be!
I’ve learned a lot, acquired new hobbies (rosemaling, nålbinding, and Hardanger embroidery), baked kransekake and fattigmann, and—best of all—made wonderful friends within the Norwegian-American community.
Mr. Ernst and I are grateful for the warm welcome we’ve received in Norwegian circles—and from all of the wonderful readers who've chosen to go adventuring vicariously with Chloe and Roelke.
We hope all of you get as much enjoyment from reading Fiddling With Fate as we did from creating the tenth Chloe mystery!
P.S. -- Roelke fans: Officer McKenna accompanies Chloe to Norway to support her research—and you'll be glad he did.
P.S.S. -- Learn more about Vesterheim's Norwegian Coastal Voyage tour!
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DISCUSSION GUIDE Questions to help spark a group conversation. COMING EARLY 2020 |
People
Mothers and daughters. The relationship can be complicated! In Fiddling With Fate, Chloe travels to Norway seeking answers to questions about her mother’s life.
Chloe’s journey brings her closer to understanding not only her mother, but a chain of determined and talented women.
Each of Chloe’s ancestors made choices that echoed though the generations. Some chose to share their knowledge with their daughters and granddaughters.
Others carefully guarded their secrets, but ended up passing on certain experiences and wisdom through genetic memory.
These are the women who helped shape Chloe’s life and cultural identity.
Places
Many scenes in Fiddling With Fate are set in real places, like Chloe's hometown of Stoughton, Wisconsin, and her ancestral homeland in Norway's Hardanger region.
For readers who would like to tour these places, but cannot, Mr. Ernst is creating the custom interactive Google maps below.
When ready this fall, you can use them to virtually visit the story's key locations.
Stoughton, Wisconsin
Utne, Hardanger Fjord, Norway
The Past
Historical events and objects, and heritage crafts and traditional foods, are staples in each one of my Chloe Ellefson mysteries. Fiddling With Fate is no exception.
Mr. Ernst is creating a slideshow of some of my favorite things from the story. Once it is finished this fall, you will be able to click on any image to view a larger version of the slideshow, complete with detailed descriptions for each image.
And More
Thanks to the magic of digital media, you will be able to eavesdrop on me discussing Chloe, Roelke, and the key characters in Fiddling With Fate on this popular midday Wisconsin Public Radio program.
A digital copy of the discussion will be posted here for your listening pleasure after the October 5th live broadcast.
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Larry Meiller Wisconsin Public Radio 11:00 to 11:40 AM October 5, 2019 (Source) |
Where To Buy This Book
Fiddling With Fate can be ordered from the following vendors (and others) in trade paperback and multiple ebook formats.
Click below to order your copy now.
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You can request a signed and personalized printed copy from me by clicking HERE.
