MEDFORD, N.J., Jan. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Plexus Publishing, Inc., the independent publisher of The New York Times bestseller Boardwalk Empire, announced the publication of Perdita Buchan's latest novel, Florilla: A Pinelands Romance.
Granddaughter of "The Pinelands Witch," daughter of the self-styled Wizard of the Pines, and with powers of her own, eleven-year-old Florilla Munion finds herself abandoned deep in the New Jersey Pinelands. Rescued by the itinerant Dr. Peace, she is taken to Benderville, a model mill town in the heart of the Pines owned by the doctor's old friend, the eccentric, progressive Benjamin Bender. Benjamin Bender takes Florilla in, and she becomes his pupil when he discovers her talent for his beloved Latin and Greek.
Florilla's stay in Benderville is only the beginning of her journey. Her abusive father, Jack Munion, is a constant threat. He knows Florilla has abilities that would be an asset to his traveling act. As Florilla nears her eighteenth birthday, Benjamin Bender, afraid he can no longer keep the magician at bay, tries to marry her off.
Devastated by this betrayal, Florilla runs away. While on the run, she comes across Colin Drysdale, a young English botanist who has injured his leg. She bandages his wound and takes him back to his home on the edge of the Pines. She falls in love with Colin, but Florilla's happiness is disrupted when her father kidnaps her. Although she is separated from Colin by time and distance, they continue to search for each other. Not just a love story, Florilla exposes the diverse and sometimes conflicting lifestyles that competed to survive in nineteenth-century America.
"Florilla has something for everyone: romance, adventure, magic, and history," said Jane Gorman, author of Scones and Scofflaws: Cape May Cozy Mysteries With a Twist. "Buchan leads us along an exquisitely described walk through time in the New Jersey Pinelands—a special treat for those who know and love the area and an adventure for those just getting to know it."
"Buchan takes us on a splendid ride, remembering the history and celebrating the mystery of our beloved Jersey Pines. The tale is heartfelt and compelling, and its overall effect is nothing less than magical!"
—John Calu, co-author, with Dave Hart,
of Trenton and Adventures Along the Jersey Shore
"In Florilla, a brave and independent heroine travels an unexpected path to love. Buchan ties the specific concerns of life in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey to the broader issues of the mid-1800s. … It is a tale that is alternately heartbreaking and delightful."
— Jane Kelly, author of the Meg Daniels Mysteries
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Perdita Buchan was born in England and came to America as a child. She grew up in Philadelphia and has since lived and worked in New York, London, and Florence, Italy, and she now lives in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. She is the author of three previous novels, including Called Away, and The Carousel Carver, winner of the 2020 Independent Publisher National Book Awards, Mid-Atlantic (Best Regional Fiction). Her nonfiction book, Utopia, New Jersey: Travels in the Nearest Eden, was a 2008 New Jersey Council for Humanities Honor Book. Her short stories and essays have appeared in The New Yorker, Ladies' Home Journal, Fiction Network, House Beautiful, The New York Times, and The Christian Science Monitor, among other publications.
Florilla: A Pinelands Romance (143pp/hardcover/$16.95/ISBN 978-1-940091-08-2, trade paperback/$13.95/ ISBN 978-1-940091-09-9, ebook/$9.99/ISBN 978-1-940091-91-4) is available in bookstores and from all major online booksellers, and by ordering direct from the publisher. For more information or to order, call or email Plexus Publishing, Inc. at 609/654-6500 or [email protected] or visit plexuspublishing.com.
Media Contact
Rob Colding, Plexus Publishing, Inc., +1 6095565011, [email protected]
SOURCE Plexus Publishing, Inc.
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