Authorpreneur Dashboard – Genevieve L Morrissey
Marriage and Hanging
Literature & Fiction
2024 IndieReader Discovery Award winner
"Genevieve Morrissey’s MARRIAGE AND HANGING is a splendid historical novel that will captivate fans of mystery as it explores questions of trust in marriage, religion, and oneself." —Alicia Rudnicki for IndieReader
"Inspired by a notorious real 19th century case, Morrissey...delivers an engrossing murder mystery set in 1830s New England and thoughtfully tethered to the faith, expectations, and marital customs of the era. The mystery itself proves gripping, with Morrissey deftly teasing revelations and then showing her cards at the perfect moment... This deft historical New England mystery digs deeply into women’s lives." —BookLife 'Editor's Pick' review
On a cold January morning in 1832, a young New England mill girl, five months pregnant, is found hanged in a deserted woodyard.
Initially ruled a suicide, letters found among the victim's effects lead to the suspicion that the father of her child—and likely murderer—is the young Reverend Josiah Woodley, a married man. Josiah is arrested and charged.
Since the death of their infant daughter, when Rachel Woodley was disappointed to discover her husband wasn’t the masterful “head of the woman” her religion tells her she must have to subdue her own unwomanly drive and initiative, the Woodleys have been living parallel lives, drifting ever further apart. Now, finding the evidence against her husband strong enough to convict him, and shocked to discover no one in his church seems eager to see him exonerated, Rachel exerts herself to vindicate him, if she can. At first timid and ineffectual, she gradually gains confidence in herself—and in Josiah, who proves to be not as weak and vacillating as she once imagined. But can she uncover the truth in time to save him from the gallows?
Inspired by a true event, Marriage and Hanging is the captivating new historical novel by Genevieve Morrissey, author of the popular Antlands science fiction series.
Book Bubbles from Marriage and Hanging
Chapter 1
Marriage and Hanging is a historical crime novel set in New England in 1832. Inspired by a true event, in this retelling the novel focuses on Rachel Woodley, a grieving mother who suddenly finds it is up to her to exonerate her husband, the reverend Josiah Woodley, when he is accused of murdering a pregnant young mill girl. Ultimately a love story, the novel explores timeless themes of trust (in marriage and in oneself), religious belief, morality, and the suppression of women’s individuality.
ANTLANDS
Science Fiction & Fantasy
It seemed like a good idea… Genetically engineer a species of humanoid workers—strong, tireless, minimally intelligent—to become laborers for humans. What could possibly go wrong?
For a thousand years, humans have had to fight for their survival against the mute, feral “Ants,” created as workers but now gone rogue, scavenging and slaughtering everything in their path.
The beleaguered humans, in the meantime, have evolved two distinct cultures. The disciplined, insular Foresters prioritize safety over personal freedom in their woodland strongholds, while the more individualistic Men embrace an urban lifestyle and are eager to reimplement the technology of past ages. Nominally allies against the Ants, the two groups deeply mistrust each other.
Deer, a despondent Forester soldier, is one of his people’s foremost authorities on Ants. He knows with perfect certainty that Ant-raiders never leave survivors. So how, amid the carnage of a raided Man-village, is one small girl still alive? She says her name is Anne; but who is she, and what is her secret?
Deer takes Anne to the forest to grow up, where years later, a horrifying revelation about her may provide a means for Men and Forester to finally defeat the Ants—but only if they can put aside their differences and work together.
Full of unforgettable characters, masterful dialog, and riveting scenes, Antlands is ultimately a story of hope, healing, and redemption.
Book Bubbles from ANTLANDS
Chapter 1
I was inspired to write Antlands by a conversation I had with my husband, who’s a biomedical researcher. He was bringing me up to date on the latest advances in gene therapy, and I somehow turned our little chat into a series of speculations about the future of humankind. And what if, when the workplace was filled with humanoid, self-replicating workers who identified more strongly with each other than with humankind as a whole, something somehow went terribly wrong?
