About the Book

Book:  Above the Fold

Author: Rachel Scott McDaniel

Genre: Historical Romance

Release Date: December 3, 2019

Confined behind a secretarial desk at her father’s struggling newspaper, Elissa Tillman longs for her father and the world to take her seriously—not just as a suffragette, but also as a full-fledged journalist.

Cole Parker regrets the day he’d abandoned Pittsburgh to chase a high-profile journalism job in New York, but now he’s returned to the steel city to amend his mistakes and win back the woman he once spurned.

The murder of a millionaire offers the perfect chance for Elissa to nab the headline and prove her skills. But there’s a catch. To get her story above the fold, she must compete for it. Her rival is none other than Cole Parker, the very man who shattered her heart.

Click here to get your copy.

About the Author

Rachel Scott McDaniel is an award-winning author of historical romance. Winner of the ACFW Genesis Award and the RWA Touched By Love award, Rachel infuses faith and heart into each story. She currently enjoys life in Ohio with her husband and two kids. Rachel can be found online at www.RachelScottMcDaniel.com and on all social media platforms.

More from Rachel

What does the classic movie His Girl Friday, famous mystery writer Agatha Christie, and my husband’s grandfather all have in common? They were all used as inspiration for my debut novel Above the Fold.

His Girl Friday is one of my favorite stories. This movie captures the thrill of the newspaper world—that drive within the reporter’s heart to get the scoop, that hum of activity from the newsroom to the firing of the presses, and that inescapable pursuit to beat out the opposing paper. But what I loved most about this movie was the chemistry between the two main characters. They share a romantic history. In turn, there is major tension, but man oh man is there spark! So this triggered my creative mind. What would happen if I switched the roles and had the heroine be the one that gets jilted? What if I set this story in the 1920s when the profession of journalism was male-dominated? What if I add some more mystery? Cue Agatha Christie.

My husband and I love Christie’s Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple series. Did you know that she wrote over 74 books? That’s staggering to me. My mind reels at how intricate and varied all her plots are. My husband and I would try to guess who the murderer was at the beginning of a story and more often than not, we were wrong! On one particular night we were watching a PBS version of Miss Marple and an idea struck me. What if I changed my story to go this route? What if I made this person the villain instead of that one? The idea that came to me had nothing to do with the story we’d been watching, but one thing that’d been said flickered a light in me. I love it when that happens! And I also love it when I can incorporate pieces of my personal life into the book. This brings me to the biggest inspiration of the story—my husband’s grandpa.

Grandpa Jay Lewis had two loves in his life—his wife and the newspaper press. He’d started working for the local newspaper during his early teens and made his way up the ranks until he became the press foreman. Here’s a picture of Jay when he was in his early 20s. The hat shown was made of folded newsprint paper and worn to keep the ink from dripping on his head. But the expression in this picture says it all—the press was his happy place. He’d worked with the presses for over five decades, until he no longer had the strength. In 2004, he passed away, but his legacy lives on in the hearts of many. So in tribute to Jay and his great passion for the newspaper world, I included him in the cast of characters. I only hope I was able to capture his zeal.

So there you have it. Inspiration came to me in a myriad of ways, but they all worked together to bring you a story that I pray delights your heart.

The story  is gritty with just the right amount of nuance from the time period to feel transported back to the 1920's.   The characters are unique and each with their own flaws. I absolutely loved learning about how a newspaper office works. You can hear the tapping on the typewriter as the journalists type up their thoughts. I can see the people  gathering around desks with loud voices as they try to get their story finished and off to the editor. 

When Elissa was introduced to us, I immediately was drawn in to her strong and sassy character. She has been wanting to prove to her father that she deserves to have a place in the newspaper and is determined to show him how gifted she is. It was a time period where men dominated many professions but time was changing. Women were starting to take a stand and find their way into the workforce where only men were accepted. 

Cole has come back to the newspaper after being gone for a few years. There is a past between him and Elissa that the author uses brilliantly to showcase how people can change. Cole has made some poor choices and one of them was how he hurt Elissa. Their banter is funny at times and reminds me of the older movies where the man and woman pretend to dislike one another so they won't be the first to show how they really feel. There is something to be said for those movies which gave the audience just enough romance to keep the story light and entertaining. 

I was shocked at the competition that Elissa's father comes up with to place Elissa and Cole against each other. This is where the story really starts getting good. The author gives us a mystery to solve that will put the characters in grave danger. Elissa is so determined to win, that she doesn't think of her safety as she tries to uncover a crime.  

The story is a great adventure that has all the makings for a movie. I was very intrigued by the developing relationship between the two main characters. Cole calls Elissa by a pet name that irks her sometimes. When he lets her know the reason behind the name, I melted.  The story explores forgiveness that for me was a great lesson in how important it is to let go of the past.  The book is one that is faith filled and characters that walk through memories which bring them to a new place where they feel free from the past. I can't wait to read more from this gifted author.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Blog Stops

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Giveaway

To celebrate her giveaway, Rachel is giving away the grand prize package of an Autographed Paperback copy of Above the Fold, A Custom Newspaper-Themed Book Cozy, An Above the Fold vintage-style bookmark!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/f46d/above-the-fold-celebration-tour-giveaway