Maryann McFadden

Author

Hackettstown Historic Map 1883

by

Here are some of the places Tillie Smith walked past while living and working in Hackettstown: Centenary (where she worked in 1886), Flock Building (where she window shopped), Post Office (a pivotal place on her last night alive), Union Cemetery (where she is buried, as is Titus), and Trinity Methodist Church (another key location on her last night). You can see the streets as they are mentioned in the book, including Sharp St where James Titus lived. You can even follow her footsteps on this map from the time she left work on April 8 at Centenary until she returned, never making it back inside the building. Almost all of these buildings still exist, though with different businesses.

Click for larger image. Then click the image again to blow it up.

Video Trailer for THE CEMETERY KEEPER’S WIFE

by

 

“Based on a true story, McFadden’s research is meticulous as she weaves the murder of Tillie Smith with the blistering fictional story of Rachel, a newlywed who is determined to solve the crime which echoes the denial and secrets that surround her marriage to the cemetery keeper. This is an original novel, one readers will savor.”

ADRIANA TRIGIANI, New York Times bestselling author of Big Stone Gap and Brava Valentine

“A riveting emotional ride of 2 women a century apart, coming together finding peace, one in death, one in life. This is historical fiction at its best.”

STEPHANIE SUPINSKI, Branch Manager, Palmer Library, Easton PA

“A heartbreaking story of shame, secrets, and the quest for love and redemption. McFadden relays a forgotten tragedy, which once held Victorian America in thrall, through the eyes of Rachel Miller, the cemetery keeper’s wife.  With passion and a keen sense of detail, McFadden, whose real life coincidences mirror Rachel’s, is the perfect person to tell this story.”

MARY ALICE MONROE,  New York Times bestselling author of The Beach House and The Butterfly’s Daughter

“Book clubs will savor the rich details of life in the 1800’s and the ripped from the headlines current story of Rachel.

J. FRANK BURLESON, Park Road Books

Facebook Live from Union Cemetery

by

This Sunday April 8th, at around 7 pm, I will be filming live from Union Cemetery in Hackettstown at the monument to Tillie Smith. This is the anniversary of her murder on the night of April 8th, 1886. I will speak about my life long obsession and journey into discovering who Tillie Smith really was and why I was compelled to bring her to life in THE CEMETERY KEEPER’S WIFE. I hope you’ll tune in.

Like my Facebook Author’s Page and join us at 7 pm, Sunday, April 8, for our Facebook Live broadcast.

The Cemetery Keeper’s Wife

by

My Dear Readers,

The Cemetery Keeper’s Wife is coming May 2018!

This has been my longest and most challenging work to date, but I hope you will feel it’s been worth the wait. It’s an historical novel, one which I believe I was meant to write.

The Cemetery Keeper’s Wife tells two parallel stories going back and forth in time. When Rachel Miller moves into Union Cemetery in Hackettstown, New Jersey, with her new husband, Adam, she discovers a stunning monument to a girl named Tillie Smith, who died in 1886. The beautiful marble monument is unlike any other, and the inscription makes her pause: She died in defence (sic) of her honor; Erected by an appreciative public.

Rachel’s curiosity turns into an obsession. But she has no idea that her quest to discover the truth about Tillie’s life, and brutal death, will open the door to secrets she herself has been hiding. And that it will bring her face to face with the man responsible for them. But worst of all, she may lose Adam in the process, and the normal life she’s always yearned for.

Tillie Smith really lived, right here in my own hometown. She died in 1886, brutally murdered and raped on the campus of Centenary Collegiate Institute, a Methodist Seminary that is now Centenary University. The case and the trial were akin to the OJ Simpson trial in our modern era. It ignited a tide of outrage and sympathy across our nation for this poor working girl who “chose death over dishonor.” But sadly, Tillie Smith became little more than a footnote in the story of her death.

I discovered Tillie’s monument as a little girl. I was not sure what those words meant, but I was captivated by them, and her. And then, years later during my real estate career, I happened to sell the house of the man who was convicted for the crime and sentenced to hang. Yet there in the dining room was a picture of him looking like a sweet old man in his nineties. Over the years, the coincidences continued, fueling my desire to tell Tillie’s story, one I’ll be soon sharing with you.

Please check my Facebook Author’s Page for updates about my new book and events. Hope to see you soon!

All my best wishes!

 

 

by

Dear Readers & Friends,

THE BOOK LOVER, my much anticipated 3rd novel, was released on May 1, 2012. It’s was selected as an INDIE NEXT PICK, which are the American Booksellers Association’s “must reads!”

Published MAY 1, 2012

The inner sanctum of the book world is everything you would hope it could be: filled with passion, dreams, struggles, love and betrayal. It has all the makings of a riveting novel, and now it is! THE BOOK LOVER is unlike anything you’ve read before. A full summary is below.
In addition, I’m launching a new venture—I’m officially a Writing Coach. If you’re a writer navigating the tricky terrain of the publishing world, whether going it alone self-publishing, using an indie press, or even debuting with a major publisher, I can guide you through the process and help you launch your book.
Those of you who have been here before know that I am a writer who refused to give up on her dream. After 5 years of rejection, I originally self-published THE RICHEST SEASON in 2006. Within 6 months it sold so many copies and garnered such great reviews that I signed with a top literary agent who sold it at auction to Hyperion Books, as well as my second novel, SO HAPPY TOGETHER. Both are INDIE NEXT PICKS and have been translated into multiple languages.
I’m no stranger to uphill battles and persevering when you believe strongly in something. My new challenge is to make THE BOOK LOVER my bestselling novel to date.
For all of you who have spread the word about my novels, thank you! But keep talking, to friends, book clubs, and booksellers who may not have read my novels yet. After all, a writer’s most cherished dream is simply to be read.

 

All my best wishes!

Maryann

https://maryannmcfadden.com/247/