BOOK TOUR: Ashes On The Wind: The Love Story Behind the Crime of the Century by Brandy Purdy (Excerpt & Giveaway + Guest Post)

The love story behind the Crime of the Century

Ashes on the Wind:

The Love Story Behind the Crime of the Century

by Brandy Purdy

Genre: Dark Historical LGBTQ Romantic Suspense, True Crime

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo * Smashwords * Bookbub * Goodreads

Before I went to bed, I sent a telegram to Dickie, asking him to forgive and forget what I had said, I was on my way home to make amends.

His reply was on my breakfast tray the next morning beside a platter of sliced pineapple: “I HOPE THE BOAT SINKS!”

Clearly my adored one was still upset.

It was Len, looking as sour as ever, who met my boat. Standing beside the silver limousine in his smart gray uniform, he presented me with a note from Dickie telling me to meet him at the castle. I immediately leapt into the car and ordered Len to take me to LaSalle Street Station. I rushed inside and bought a ticket for the next train to Charlevoix with just moments to spare. I ran so fast I lost my hat, but I didn’t care. When the conductor reached down a hand to pull me aboard as the wheels began turning, I grinned like a fool. “I’m in love!” I told him. “Helplessly, hopelessly, and forever!”

I found Dickie on the sleeping porch. He was sitting on one of the cherry blossom chintz- covered beds, hugging Teddy and leaning back against the screen, enjoying the night breeze. He was wearing a light summer union suit of pink and white striped silk. Like a lover, the sun had kissed his skin and run fingers through his hair. His eyes never leaving me, Dickie slowly sucked, licked, and twirled a cherry-red lollipop in his mouth. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He was such a delectable sight!

“The boat didn’t sink,” I said and set my suitcase down.

“Obviously!” Dickie replied. “Unlike our fires, I’m sure it would have been in all the newspapers if it had!”

Yes, my darling was still upset. There was an edge to his voice that made me briefly consider picking up my suitcase and running back to the train station. Instead, I took off my coat and loosened my tie.

“I bet they would have put your picture in the paper if the boat had sunk! Millionaire’s son and prominent ornithologist lost at sea! That’s what they would have written! I hate you! The whole time you were on that boat I kept thinking: I hope a seagull pecks your eyes out and when you fall overboard a squid drags you down to a watery death, and jellyfish come and sting you all over, and then a shark eats whatever’s left of your sorry carcass! It would be just like you to let yourself die that way just to cheat me out of the chance to be a pallbearer at your funeral and get my picture in the papers!”

“Well, you can’t expect me to drown like an ordinary person!” I joked and stepped out of my trousers. “And, even without a body, there could still be a memorial service.” I sat down beside him and gave his knee an affectionate pat. “My mother told me that when Mr. and Mrs. Straus perished on the Titanic his body was recovered but hers was never found, so their children collected water from the sea and put it in an urn to be entombed in their mausoleum. She used to like to quote the inscription: Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. You could give the eulogy,” I offered, “that’s much better than being a pallbearer.”

Dickie just glared at me. “Oh, you do not want that, Nathan, you do not want that at all! I’d give a eulogy Chicago would never forget! I’d stand this city on its ear! Your family wouldn’t be able to hold their heads up ever again after I finished talking! Everyone would be expecting me to say all kinds of nice things about you, but I’d tell them exactly what you did to me!”

“Which time?” I smirked.

“Every time! All the time! You seduced, blackmailed, and threatened me to ensure I’d continue to be the helpless and innocent victim of your perverted and unnatural lust!”

“It’s very strange, I don’t remember any of this actually happening…Didn’t you miss me at all?”

“No!”

“Not even a little?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t thought about it!”

“No, you were too busy thinking of me as a smorgasbord for sea creatures, that’s perfectly understandable. So…What have you been reading?” I picked up the book lying on the bed beside him. “Ah! Our old friend Venus in Furs! I remember when I gave this to you! You did miss me; didn’t you, My Treasure?”

“You’d like to think so, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes, I would!” I admitted freely.

I knelt down before him, a supplicant in white silk, and solemnly kissed his knee.

 “Yes, I seriously want to be your slave,” I recited. “I want your power over me to be sanctified by law; I want my life to be in your hands, I want nothing in this world to be able to protect me or save me from you. Oh, what a voluptuous joy to feel myself entirely dependent on your will, your whim, at your beck and call! And then what bliss, when you feel merciful, and allow your slave to kiss the lips which mean life and death to him.”

Dickie leaned down as though he meant to kiss me, but just when our lips were a breath apart, he pulled back.

How did you come up with the title ASHES ON THE WIND?

It comes from a pact made in a cemetery between the two main characters.

What inspired you to write this book?

I’ve been fascinated by the story of Leopold and Loeb since childhood, but for me it’s the personal relationship between the pair, not the crime that made them famous. And their prison years, which are not well documented, sometimes we only have Nathan Leopold’s often unreliable autobiography to get a glimpse of those times. Most books on the subject tend to focus on the crime and the trial so I wanted to write a novel that would put the relationship centerstage. And I have always loved the challenge of writing from the viewpoint of an unreliable narrator, the kind of character the reader has to decide whether or not to believe, or to what degree. For me, that’s part of the fun of taking the journey of a book like this.

Tell us about your main characters- what makes them tick?

With Babe (Nathan Leopold) it’s obsession and fantasy, and it’s ALL about Dickie. When they met, it was like the figure of his favorite fantasy stepped out of the realm of dreams into real life, and he can never truly accept the person Dickie really is. That leads to a lot of friction and frustration in their relationship, especially since Babe is a very sexual person, and Dickie is asexual at a time when he wouldn’t have even known what that meant only the frustration of knowing he’s different. 

With Dickie, it’s all about appearances and popularity, and being the life of the party. He was raised by a very strict governess to always strive for perfection, and when he can’t be perfect he lies and pretends until it gets to the point where he isn’t always sure where truth ends and lies begin, and he starts to fear he’s lost the person he really is. At first, he gets a real kick out of the lies he tells and the crimes he commits while everyone thinks he’s the nicest, sweetest boy in Chicago, but there’s a lot of loneliness, sadness, anger, and frustration lurking behind the charming, always smiling facade he’s erected. 

What are your favorite scenes from this book and why?

It’s a tie between two. There’s a scene on the beach where Dickie is expecting to lose a very dear friend because a very jealous Babe exposed what he considers some humiliating secrets. What happens changes Dickie’s life forever. The other is the scene where Dickie and Babe say goodbye at Joliet prison when the warden reveals his intention to separate them. It’s not exactly a typical farewell scene, especially not for Babe.

Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reins of the story?

When I was under contract I had to stick to a strict outline, but I had much more freedom with ASHES ON THE WIND. One of my main characters surprised me several times by going against my original vision, sometimes in very big ways, and it was wonderful to have the freedom to go with that and see where it led. For example, in one scene there was a letter smuggled inside a tube of toothpaste when Leopold and Loeb were being kept apart in prison and what that letter ended up saying completely surprised me, it was like Dickie dug in his heels and said “Nope, this is my letter and this is what it’s gonna say!” and it just poured out, it was one of my most amazing experiences as a writer. And another character who was originally meant to be just a brief mention became a full-fledged character and caused significant changes to the rest of the story. But I didn’t mind, even though it made a lot more work for me,  I love things like that!

If your book had a candle what scent would it be and why?

Cinnamon, for Dickie’s favorite gum, and the cinnamon rolls that are their special treat in prison.

Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie?

Definitely ASHES ON THE WIND, that would be my first choice and a dream come true, I would also love to have it done as an audiobook. And I would love to see THE RIPPER’S WIFE with Colin Firth as James Maybrick / Jack the Ripper. So if anyone knows Mr. Firth, please send him a copy of my book! I promise, it would make a great movie!

Follow
the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$10 Amazon giftcard (WW),

kindle ebook of Ashes on the Wind (US only)

-1 winner each! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway