Lisa Manterfield

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June 24, 2021 - Lisa Manterfield Leave a Comment

When History Repeats Itself: My Interview With Eyam Museum

Eyam Museum proved an invaluable resource during my research for THE SMALLEST THING. I was so honored to be asked to join them for a virtual event this year. We talked about our own pandemic experiences, about the power of community and relationships in times of crisis, and about being inspired by history just before it seemed to repeat itself.

You can find out more about the museum on their website.

Filed Under: The Story Behind the Story Tagged With: author interview, Eyam, eyam museum, The Smallest Thing Leave a Comment

July 17, 2020 - Lisa Manterfield Leave a Comment

Em’s Book Birthday = Presents for You

Today is the 3rd Book Birthday of THE SMALLEST THING!

When the book came out in 2017, I never imagined we’d be living our own version of the story. But here we are.

Regardless, I am celebrating. I have birthday gifts for YOU.

Three winners will each have a choice of prizes. Up for grabs are:

THE SMALLEST THING in your choice of format: signed paperback, ebook, or audiobook

OR

A STRANGE COMPANION in either signed paperback or ebook

To enter, all you have do is leave a comment below by July 31. I’ll draw three winners on August 1, 2020.

If you haven’t checked out my podcast yet, please do. Each week I share a chapter of THE SMALLEST THING, along with some behind the scenes tidbits on the history and inspiration behind the story, as well as what’s going on in our pandemic world.

You can listen to the latest episode below and find the entire season here or on your podcast app of choice.

Filed Under: Book Love, The Story Behind the Story Tagged With: A Strange Companion, fiction, giveaway, podcast, The Smallest Thing, young adult Leave a Comment

September 12, 2019 - Lisa Manterfield Leave a Comment

THE SMALLEST THING Audiobook Blog Tour Starts Today

The new audiobook of The Smallest Thing is heading out on tour!

Beginning today, September 12, through September 18, you can follow Em as she visits audiobook bloggers and reviewers. I’ll be doing interviews and Q&As, as well as sharing some Top Ten lists. some of the bloggers will be sharing their reviews of The Smallest Thing.

Here are all the stops Em and I will be making:

Sep. 12th:
Valerie Ullmer | Romance Author (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Author Interview)
Viviana MacKade (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Author Interview, Top 10 List)

Sep. 13th:
Locks, Hooks and Books (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt)
The Book Junkie Reads . . . (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt)
Turning Another Page (Review, Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Author Interview)

Sep. 14th:
Country Road Reviews (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt)
All the Ups and Downs (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Author Interview)

Sep. 15th:
Jazzy Book Reviews (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Top 10 List)
Nesie’s Place (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Author Interview)

Sep. 16th:
Reading A Page Turner (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt)
Dab of Darkness Book Reviews (Review)
Eileen Troemel (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Author Interview, Top 10 List)

Sep. 17th:
Smada’s Book Smack (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt)
Nyx Blogs (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Top 10 List)
Always Love Me Some Books (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt)

Sep. 18th:
My Creatively Random Life (Review, Spotlight + Audio Excerpt)
KayBee’s Bookshelf, A Literary Blog (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt)
The World As I See It (Review, Top 10 List)

As the tour progresses, I’ll be updating these links so you find each blogger’s post. I do hope you’ll join me; it’s going to be a lot of fun.

You can find out more about the tour—and sign up to be a host stop—at the Audiobookworm Promotions website.

Filed Under: Book Love, The Story Behind the Story Tagged With: audiobook, audiobookworm, blog tour, Eyam, fiction, The Smallest Thing, thriller Leave a Comment

September 3, 2019 - Lisa Manterfield Leave a Comment

The Smallest Thing Audio Tour

The new audiobook of The Smallest Thing is heading out on tour next week!

From September 12-18, you can follow Em as she visits audiobook bloggers and reviewers. I’ll be doing interviews and Q&As, as well as sharing some Top Ten lists. some of the bloggers will be sharing their reviews of The Smallest Thing.

Here are all the stops Em and I will be making:

Sep. 12th:
Valerie Ullmer | Romance Author (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Author Interview, Giveaway)
Viviana MacKade (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Author Interview, Top 10 List, Giveaway)

Sep. 13th:
Locks, Hooks and Books (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Giveaway)
The Book Junkie Reads . . . (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Giveaway)
Turning Another Page (Review, Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Author Interview, Giveaway)

Sep. 14th:
Country Road Reviews (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Giveaway)
All the Ups and Downs (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Author Interview, Giveaway)

Sep. 15th:
Jazzy Book Reviews (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Top 10 List, Giveaway)
Nesie’s Place (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Author Interview, Giveaway)

Sep. 16th:
Reading A Page Turner (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Giveaway)
Dab of Darkness Book Reviews (Review, Giveaway)
Eileen Troemel (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Author Interview, Top 10 List, Giveaway)

Sep. 17th:
Smada’s Book Smack (Review, Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Giveaway)
Nyx Blogs (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Top 10 List, Giveaway)
Always Love Me Some Books (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Giveaway)

Sep. 18th:
My Creatively Random Life (Review, Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Giveaway)
KayBee’s Bookshelf, A Literary Blog (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt)
The World As I See It (Review, Top 10 List, Giveaway)

As the tour progresses, I’ll be updating these links so you find each blogger’s post. I do hope you’ll join me; it’s going to be a lot of fun.

You can find out more about the tour—and sign up to be a host stop—at the Audiobookworm Promotions website.

Filed Under: Book Love, Cool Stuff for Book Nerds Tagged With: audiobook, audiobookworm, blog tour, book review, fiction, The Smallest Thing, YA Leave a Comment

August 20, 2019 - Lisa Manterfield 4 Comments

Eyam: The Plague Village that Inspired THE SMALLEST THING

Imagine you live in an idyllic English village. Suddenly your friends and neighbors begin falling ill and dying of a deadly infectious disease. In order to stop the spread of this virus to the surrounding villages and beyond, you and your neighbors make a monumental decision. You quarantine your village; no one comes in, no one goes out.

For months you isolate yourselves, relying on the kindness of surrounding neighbors to provide food and supplies. You wait and watch, while the disease rips through families, sparing some lives and taking others. When it’s all over, 260 people—more than two thirds of the village—are dead, but the contagion has been stopped, potentially saving the lives of thousands of people—and your village will be remembered for centuries to come for its courage and self-sacrifice.

Sounds like a great premise for a novel, doesn’t it? In fact, it’s a true story. This is the story of the plague village of Eyam, a small village in the north of England, not far from where I grew up.

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In the mid-1600s The Great Plague ravaged London, killing more than 100,000 people. Thanks to a stowaway flea in a bolt of cloth, the disease made its way to Eyam, some 150 miles to the north. Lead by the local vicar, Reverend Mompesson, the villagers made the courageous decision to isolate themselves and prevent the plague from spreading further.

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I’ve always been fascinated by this part of history and the personal stories that have endured. There’s the story of Emmott Syddall, engaged to a boy in the next village. The two lovers continued their affair across the quarantine boundary from opposing riverbanks. Their story is commemorated in a stained glass window in the church.

There’s the story of villagers leaving money in a pot of vinegar (to disinfect it) in exchange for supplies from surrounding villages. And there are the tragic stories, such as Elizabeth Hancock, who buried her husband and six children, and yet never became infected.

I first heard these stories as a young girl visiting Eyam and they’ve stuck with me ever since. They’re an important part of my local history and I’ve always wanted to find a way to share them with a wider audience. I didn’t want to write historical fiction (plus Geraldine Brooks already did it, and undoubtedly better than I could have, in her 2002 novel Year of Wonders), and writing a contemporary version of the story was fraught with roadblocks, thanks to the wonders of modern medicine and technology.

But I really wanted to tell this story, so I started writing. I started with the characters of Emmott Syddall and Roland Torre, and wrote some scenes with them. And I kept writing, until a new story started to emerge.

The story evolved, as stories do, in ways I could never have imagined, until it became my novel THE SMALLEST THING.

You’ll have to read the book for a more intimate tour of Em’s village, but for now, I’ll leave you with a few more snaps of Eyam, taken from one of my research trips.

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You can still see the Plague Cottages, where George Viccars, the first victim lived. The cottages are still inhabited. You can also see the church and churchyard where some of the victims were buried.

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One of my favorite spots is Cucklett Delf, where Emmott and Roland allegedly met, where outdoor services were held during the quarantine, and where a memorial service is held each year to commemorate the incredible sacrifice.

You can learn more about Eyam at their excellent museum, where you’ll also find copies of The Smallest Thing.

The Smallest Thing is now available as an audiobook, narrated by the brilliant Charlie Sanderson.

Filed Under: Cool Stuff for Book Nerds, The Story Behind the Story Tagged With: audiobook, Eyam, fiction, museum, plague, The Smallest Thing, true story, village 4 Comments

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