Oxford Whispers (29 page)
Authors: Marion Croslydon
Oxford Whispers ~ The Playlist
Galvanize
by The Chemical Brothers ~ The first time Madison and Rupert meet at Christ Church Ball.
Are You Gonna Be My Girl
by Jet ~ Rupert and Madison on their way to Magway in his Morgan Roadster.
Feel Good Inc
by Gorrillaz ~ At Rupert’s Christmas party.
You and Me Song
by The Wannadies ~ Madison and Rupert walking together through Oxford after the dinner at The Turf (just before Christmas).
Counting My Lucky Stars Tonight
by Larry Bagby ~ The First Kiss.
Back
by Colt Ford with Jack Owen ~ When Madison comes “back” home to Louisiana for Christmas.
Bayou Girl
by Van Morrison ~ New Year’s Eve at Le Perroquet.
Someone You Love
by Thompson Square ~ Christmas break, Rupert thinking of Madison / Madison thinking of Rupert.
Not Ready To Make Nice
by The Dixie Chicks ~ When Rupert “surprises” Madison at Freud’s.
How To Save A Life
by The Fray ~ After their first official date at The Randolph.
I’m Yours
by The Script ~ Their first weekend together in London (after Madison comes back from the Oxford & Cambridge Club).
Just a Kiss
by Lady Antebellum ~ “The First Time.”
Lose Yourself
by Eminem ~ The “Climax” (and, by that, I mean the climax of the plot of course) in the crypt.
How The World’s Treating You
by Alison Kraus ~ The “Resolution” at the boat house after the race (Part I).
Princess of China
by Coldplay with Rihanna ~ The “Resolution” at the boat house after the race (Part II).
Be Mine
by David Gray ~ The “Resolution” at the boat house after the race (Part III).
My Oxford
How the Oxford trilogy came to life
As part of my business degree, I was selected to spend a year at the prestigious university. For me, it was a dream come true. During my time there, I explored every corner of the city. Some of its most famous landmarks now have a personal resonance: The Randolph, the Turf Tavern, the Queen’s Lane Coffee House … I even celebrated my birthday at Freud’s, just like Maddie did.
I really do believe in destiny. When I met the gorgeous Englishman who was to become my husband, I found out the most intriguing coincidence. His parents, who met and fell in love while studying at Oxford in the 1970s, had bought their first house there, the same house I lived in when studying in Oxford twenty-five years later.
Now, please accept my apologies if I took some creative license. There is no side door into Exeter College garden from Radcliffe Square. I made it up. Also, it is very unlikely a student party, even a ball, would take place in Christ Church Hall.
Oxford is in a secret corner of my heart. I am so happy to share it with you.
The painting
What an amazing artwork, don’t you think? I hope my description does it justice, but nothing can compare with the original. It is such a pity William Shakespeare Burton does not enjoy a wider appeal. I used to have a poster of the painting in my room as a teenager instead of Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt. Does that make me weird? Probably …
Of course, I’ve made up the whole story behind the painting for the purpose of this novel.
Voodoo and Me
I was born in West Africa. When I had to leave, aged four, I left a piece of my heart behind.
Elizabeth was the name of my nanny. She looked after me as if I were her own, carried me on her back in the traditional African way, and sang for me while I fell asleep. Today, I can still hear her deep voice when I close my eyes to find the sleep that is eluding me.
This proud and kind lady gave me one of my most precious possessions: a voodoo
gris-gris
. It was a leather pouch with a small shell on top of it. She had hung it on a rough thread so I could carry it around my neck. It was meant to protect me from evil spirits and bring me luck.
I took that
gris-gris
everywhere with me: each time I took an important exam at school, on my first day in a new job, even when I went to hospital and gave birth to my daughter.
Elizabeth passed away many, many years ago, but I know she still looks after me from above and uses a few voodoo tricks to make my life a happier path to follow.
The Wounded Cavalier
William Shakespeare Burton
What’s Next?
Join Madison’s adventures when she explores the dark secrets of the Tudors and falls under the spell of the haunting melody, ‘Greensleeves.’
Oxford Shadows
Available spring 2013
Acknowledgements
A heartfelt
MERCI
to:
The Romance Writers of America, for opening the magical door to the writing world.
My mother-in-writing, G. Miki Hayden, and the North American angels who helped me along the way: Chris Eboch, Mindy Klasky, and Cindi Procter-King.
Joanna Penn, for inspiring me to conquer my dreams.
My Aussie team, Anthony Puttee and Penny Springthorpe, for their saintly patience.
Maureen Cutajar at Go Published, for accommodating my “change of plans.”
Claudia McKinney at Phat Puppy Art and Ashley Dungan at Bookish Brunette, for making Madison look so cool.
Julie Macomb at AToMR Book Tours, for being simply awesome.
Juliette Sobanet, Tracy Hewitt Meyer and Sophie Moss, my writing sisters, for holding my hand across the pond.
Rupert, Sarah and their Oxford love story.
Dr. Laura and Dr. Justin, for spoiling my baby girl and being my Oxford home.
Sisters and brothers, uncles and aunts, nieces and nephews, cousins and grandparents, whose larger-than-life personalities could inspire so many books.
Diana and Katrina, who never let me down.
Papa and Maman, who taught me passion, discipline and courage. You will always be my moral compass. I hope I will make you proud.
From the Author
IN ADDITION TO being an author, I work as an entrepreneur, wife and mother of one, but spend a good deal of time with books, DVDs and listening to my MP3 player—all for the sake of inspiration, of course. My debut series, the Oxford trilogy, is a blast to write because I can indulge in my favorite types of music: country, English pop/rock, and folk.
My main goal as a writer is to make readers dream bigger and cause their hearts to beat a little faster. Since my writing is all about sharing dreams and stories, I love connecting with fellow readers and authors.
Don’t hesitate to contact me! You can reach me at: