My third novel is a novel in verse in the Goose Creek Cycle.
Releasing April 2, 2024 from Pigeon Press!
Available in paperback and ebook. Buy now!
Blurb
A novel in verse about faith, freedom, and finding love in the darkest of times.
In The Lost Girl of Goose Creek, Etta obsessively reads her favorite book about a girl named Mathilde over and over to maintain her sanity. This is author Claire Olivia Golden’s take on the story of Mathilde and can be read anytime in the Goose Creek Cycle.
Mathilde is content with her life as a peasant, tending the chickens on her family’s farm in Montfermeil. It may be the poorest province in Armentière, but she hopes to settle down and start a family with the girl she likes.
That is, until a countrywide famine forces her into servitude to save her family from starvation. She believes she’s going to the castle to be a chambermaid, but instead becomes an unwilling courtesan in the Northwest Tower.
Trapped in the Tower with seven others, Mathilde dreams of freedom. She finds companionship and eventually love with fellow courtesan Cécile, from the island province of Port au Pierrot. But life in the Tower is anything but idyllic and the country bordering Armentière is threatening war. The life Mathilde has built could come crumbling down at any moment.
Content Warnings
This book contains sex and human trafficking (including of minors), sex with dubious consent, on-page sexual situations (both consensual and nonconsensual), suicidal ideation, suicide, pregnancy, sickness (including vomiting), death, past trauma, and possibly more. I know this is a long list, but nothing is excessively graphic.
Pronunciation Guide
(Can also be found at the back of the book.)
Armentière is based on medieval France, and all the names follow French pronunciation rules. Here is a guide on how to pronounce the character names and places. Unlike English, French doesn’t stress a particular syllable in each word.
People
Agnes = ag-nez
Cécile = say-seal
Eloise = ell-oo-eez
Emilia = em-eel-ee-uh
Frédéric = freh-duh-reek
Iseult = iz-oot
Jésus = zhay-zoo
Julien = joo-lee-en
Lucille = loo-seal
Maman = muh-mahn
Marie = muh-ree
Mathilde = muh-tilld
Perrine = pear-reen
Philippe = fill-eep
Sylvie = sill-vee
Places
Armentière = arr-mohn-tee-err
Bergeroux = bear-zhay-roo
Château (castle) = sha-tow (short A like in “cat”)
Port au Pierrot = port oh peer-oh
Saint-Marie = sahn mair-ee
Malakovia = mal-uh-cove-ee-uh
Ville (town/village) = veal
Other Pronunciation Notes
Mme is short for Madame (mah-dahm) and is the equivalent of Mrs.
Mlle is short for Mademoiselle (mah-dah-mwah-zell) and is the equivalent of Miss. (This word isn’t used anymore in modern French. You use Mme for all women.)