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Haunted Mansions - part four

My final haunted mansion is Michelham Priory.

Michelham Priory, founded in 1229, was in service to the church up until the Desolation of the Monasteries in the 16th Century.

The church was subsequently demolished, and the main building was turned into a home.

The most notable ghost to haunt the site is that of Thomas Sackville, a prior owner of the site. In life, he was an unpleasant man and continued his disagreeable behaviour in death. He takes great delight in upsetting visitors by pushing or striking them, and it is rumoured that another spirit that of a young girl is so scared of him that she takes refuge at the top of the stairs.

Of course, no respectable haunted house would be without a lady whether they be white, grey or any other colour. Michelham Priory has its own Grey Lady. She is often seen wandering by the bridge and the gatehouse. Sometimes, she is reported to have been seen staring mournfully into the waters of the moat, perhaps grieving for the loss of a child who drowned therein. Slightly more unnerving are the reports of her staring into the faces of sleeping guests.

Poltergeist activity has also been reported with doors and windows which slam seemingly of their own accord.

In my forthcoming novel HIGH SPIRITS which will be published on January 6, 2018, the young ghost called Pol is exceedingly scared of an unknown entity that roams the museum. Through the power of her longevity, she is able to keep him at bay and away from Alec and Jean but as her two friends, emboldened by their new friendship with Bethan, exercise powers of their own, the malevolent spirit becomes increasingly hostile.

Well, this ends my short series on haunted mansions, but I’d like to finish by telling you about my own experiences of working in haunted buildings.

For many years I worked at Dover Castle, probably one of the finest medieval castles in the world.

The most famous ghost is that of the Headless Drummer Boy who reputedly haunts the battlements near the Constable Tower.

Like all of these things, this tale has grown over the years.

In 1945 the Dover Express reported:

Dover Express - Friday 02 March 1945

And Now a Ghost!

The latest stunt about Dover is the "discovery" of a ghost story for the Castle. Until this year people - to whom the Castle has been a familiar friend for years - had never heard about "The Headless Drummer." The "Evening News" this week published an elaboration of the story published a month ago. The gist of this story is that in battles or skirmishes 200 years ago near the Castle a drummer had his head shot off, and that, as it could not be found, he was buried without it, and now his ghost patrols the moat on the night of each full moon, and then disappears with his drum into an underground passage.

To begin with, there were no battles or skirmishes near the Castle 200 years ago. The "Evening News" story about this ghost declares that at the end of the last century a young Guards officer spent a night in "the haunted underground passages," and in the morning had become a gibbering, white-haired madman, unable to give any account his experiences. We have recently been told that an article appeared in the "Strand Magazine" describing this episode. It should be easy, if this be true, to produce the date of the article and the name of the young Guards officer. Not a single writer on the Castle appears to have heard about this 200 years old ghost, of which stories suddenly turn up in 1945!

On Tuesday, the "News Chronicle" produced a new version the Headless Drummer's fate. This story is that he was murdered whilst in charge of the Regiment's pay. This bears a suspicious resemblance to the Ingoldsby Legend of the "Dead Drummer." But that gruesome episode occurred on Salisbury Plain. The “Daily Mail," on Wednesday, reported that the Brigadier at Dover had stopped the Ghost Hunt which was the latest development of this ghost stunt. The "Mail" describes the story as the most persistent legend in Dover. Till a month ago, no one had heard of it. The Brigadier was right to stop the Castle being made a laughing stock.

Dover Express - Friday 13 July 1945

CASTLE GHOST NONSENSE.

The "Daily Express," on Friday last, contained in its Hickey's column a nonsensical account of alleged manifestations by the recently invented "Headless Drummer." This is what the "Daily Express" published:-

"Legpull - not so gentle - reported from Dover Castle, where the superstitious think that dreary drummer boy's ghost is walking again. The Castle's new Deputy Constable, Brigadier H. E. Pickering, M.C., is living in the Constable's Tower, a few yards from where the drummer boy is supposed to take his stroll. In the past 24 hours, says a soldier in the garrison these things have happened to the unhappy brigadier:— "His monocle has been snatched from his eye and discovered underneath him; his silk dressing-gown has torn itself to shreds; his spectacles have disappeared from his pocket; his walking-stick disappeared; then, in the afternoon, the brigadier's personal pennant slowly lowered itself, and the missing stick appeared in its place... Drummer boy will get confined to barracks if he doesn't watch out."

[The story of a Drummer Boy's ghost appears to be a war-time invention for the delectation and horrification of our wartime guests and pandering Pressmen, to whom any stunt is acceptable. The Editor of this paper has been a constant visitor to the Castle for many years, and never heard word of this legend from guides, who certainly were expansive in their talks. Not a word of it has appeared in any published Castle folklore.]

Over the course of 12 years at Dover Castle, I have heard reports of ghostly experiences from trusted colleagues. One such was the sighting of a gentleman dressed in 17th century clothing seen by one of my former colleagues as she swept the basement.

Many experiences were centred on the tunnels under the castle. One visitor complemented me and a colleague on the marvellous sound effects in the Underground Works, a series of medieval and Napoleonic tunnels. We informed him that no such effects were used down there and he went very pale. Concerned that someone had found their way into the lower levels we investigated but found nothing.

My own experience may have been a trick of the eye but upon closing up the keep (now grandly called The Great Tower), I thought I spotted a man entering what was then known as the King’s bedroom. I had been tasked with clearing the second floor along with a colleague, a rather tall, thin chap. As I turned, I thought I saw him going into this room, but only the lower part of his leg from below the knee, as it lifted off the ground to mount up into the room. Naturally, I called out that I had already checked that room only to find my colleague appear from another direction. Quickly, he checked the room but found no one and the only way out was through the door.

This tale was taken up (without credit to me, I might add!) on the popular television programme Most Haunted where the medium declared that the chap was called Michael and was some kind of high ranking servant to the king.

Hmmm…well, okay, if you say so!

Again, the tale has got bigger with each telling.

This was how it was reported on the pages of paranormal group who visited the castle for a night vigil in 1991:

On another occasion very recently, two female members of staff saw the lower half of a man's body crossing the doorway of the King's bedchamber during the evening search of the keep. The two witnesses followed the figure into the chamber only to find he had disappeared, and there was no other exit. Other members of staff were close by in the main hall at the time.

Well, nearly right, I suppose!

Sometimes, the half a leg is a whole leg and climbing the spiral stairs…

Moving on from Dover Castle, I next spent 13 years in the employ of the Colchester Museum Service (now Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service).

For the keep itself (misleadingly called Colchester Castle) I never felt much in the way of bad vibes. Even in the prison area.

In the Hollytrees Museum, a former home to the Gray and Round families, perfume and the smell of cooking could be sensed wafting through the house before any visitors had been in.

One day, a colleague came down from doing a patrol of the rooms to report that she wasn’t overly keen on the gentleman she’d seen at the top of the house. She’d said ‘hello’ but he’d glared at her.

It took a while but then I realised we’d only had about half a dozen visitors that day, being as it was winter and looking back on the videotape all were accounted for except a man - we’d had no men visiting us that day.

Feeling less than brave, we summoned a colleague from the castle who checked the whole house to make sure this man hadn’t secreted himself away somewhere. As the only way in and out was by the front desk, we could not explain it.

I personally, have heard what sounded like heavy footsteps pacing up and down in the room above where I was sitting at the front desk. Whilst two of my former colleagues both saw what looked like a lady in a dress, or rather the train of her dress, go by along what was once a corridor but is now blocked by the lift.

I think the only place I ever felt very uncomfortable in was the Natural History Museum in Colchester which is housed in a redundant church – All Saints.

All Saints parish is tiny; tucked at the end of the High Street. The church is surrounded by a small graveyard and underneath is a crypt into which the wealthier members of the parish were buried including Charles Grey, one-time owner of Hollytrees and the castle and its grounds.

One day, I and another member of staff were asked to go to the museum as the staff member on duty had reported a problem, possibly with the roof. Now, this gentleman is one of the calmest, most pragmatic people I ever knew so when he said that he heard a loud noise that sounded like slates falling from the roof, we believed him.

Neither myself nor my colleague could see any damage to the roof. To put things into perspective, the interior of the church is open to the roof and sound carries in very strange ways, but our colleague was insistent and, to be honest, he wasn’t one prone to histrionics. He described it as sounding like the tiles were slipping then crashing to the ground.

Another check confirmed that all tiles were intact.

About a year or so later, I was in the museum alone save for two elderly persons. All of a sudden there was a terrific noise which sounded like something sliding down the roof followed by an enormous crash. Just as my colleague had described. The two visitors also heard the noise and wondered about it.

Again, no external damage was found.

An interesting theory was put forward – not knowing how the crypt underneath was laid out, could it be possible that a coffin, perhaps sitting on a wooden shelf which had given way, had landed on a coffin below (this would account for the sliding and crashing sound) and that finally, unable to bear the weight any longer that coffin had finally fallen? Without being able to access the crypt, we can’t tell but it was a truly weird experience.

The Canterville Ghost

I love The Canterville Ghost, particularly Charles Laughton's version (although it's hard not to enjoy Patrick Stewart's turn as the irascible old ghost)

In the seventeenth century, Sir Simon de Canterville is forced by a Code of Chivalry to engage in a duel on behalf of his brother but flees to the family castle out of cowardice.

Disgusted by his son's behaviour, Lord Canterville has the only entrance to his son's hiding place bricked over as proof that Simon is not there, ignoring Simon's pleas for mercy. Here, Sir Simon is condemned to a slow, nightmarish death.

Lord Canterville then curses his doomed cowardly son to find no rest until "a kinsman shall perform an act of bravery" in his name.

Over the centuries, Sir Simon becomes famous as the most terrifying ghost in all of England.

During World War II the castle, now owned by six-year-old Lady Jessica de Canterville (who lives in fear of him), becomes home to the US Army Rangers who are billeted there. Sadly, for Sir Simon, the soldiers are not in fear of him but, instead, mock him. Sir Simon cuts a lonely figure who is weary of his time on earth.

Jessica soon discovers that one of the soldiers, Cuffy, is a Canterville and with his help, she overcomes her own terror of the ghost.

Sir Simon introduces Cuffy to all his ancestors via the family portrait gallery. Each Canterville has his own sorry story of cowardice. Cuffy scoffs at Simon's misgivings and boasts that he is different.

Cuffy, however, displays his true Canterville colours when, on a raid in France, he is paralysed by fear. Naturally, this act means he must leave the Rangers. Lady Jessica, in an attempt to bring out the inner hero in Cuffy, accidentally triggers a mine. Cuffy hitches the bomb behind a jeep and steers it into a ravine. The courageous act finally frees Sir Simon from his centuries of bondage.

Loosely adapted from a story by Oscar Wilder, it is the tale of a cowardly ghost seeking redemption. The tale is set in World War II, a wild deviation from its source material, and mixes themes such as heroism and courage under fire, the qualities Sir Simon lacks.

Blithe Spirit

My next film is the second one starring Rex Harrison and, as I said in my last post I’m not fond of him as an actor but Blithe Spirit is a joyous affair made all the better for the wonderful performance by Margaret Rutherford as Madame Arcati.

Directed by David Lean and adapted from the play of the same name by Noel Coward, Blithe Spirit was not a notable success. Coward objected to the changed ending – in the play Charles leaves the two bickering wives to it, taunting them with his freedom as he does.

The dialogue, in typical Coward style, is fast, witty and slightly risqué in parts (online being deemed too much for US ears).

Believing her to be a charlatan, and rather amused by her eccentricity, Charles, his wife Ruth and their guests George and Violet, can barely stop themselves laughing at Madame Arcati.

Finally, after falling into a trance, Charles becomes convinced that he can hear the voice of his dead first wife, Elvira. To bad for him then that the others can’t, and he passes it off. When Madame Arcati comes to she is convinced something occurred but the others all deny it.

After their guests have gone, Charles tries to convince Ruth that something did happen, but she doesn’t believe him and retires for the night. Elvira reveals herself to Charles but only to him.

As tension mounts between husband and wife, Charles finds himself talking to his dead wife much to the chagrin of his present one. In a last-ditch attempt to convince Ruth he’s not mad he persuades Elvira to pick up a vase and chair.

Of course, when this happens it doesn’t make Ruth feel any better!

Ruth seeks out Madame Arcati in an attempt to return Elvira back to where she came from but the medium claims she doesn’t know how.

Persuaded that Elvira is trying to be reunited with her former husband, Ruth tells Charles that the ghost is planning his demise. Of course, Charles is having none of it. Sadly, for Ruth, she was correct, but Elvira has miscalculated and instead of topping Charles, it is Ruth who dies in the car the ghost has tampered with.

Now a spirit herself, Ruth exacts revenge on Elvira by harassing her, so she wants to leave.

A now desperate Charles, being haunted by two wives, turns once more to Madame Arcati but all her conjuring fails when it is revealed that she didn’t summon the spirit at all; it was the maid!

Unable to assist, Madame Arcati suggests that Charles leaves on a long vacation however, it is not long before he too has a fateful accident and joins Elvira and Ruth as a spirit.

In my forthcoming novel HIGH SPIRITS, the ghosts of Partridge Hall are aghast to learn that their friend Billy, the night guard, is being replaced by modern sensors and CCTV. They set out to scare the men installing the equipment, in an attempt to stop it happening.

Excerpt:

Darren looked around the room as he waited for Steve to finish.

“Reckon it’s true about this place being haunted.”

“You what?”

“Straight up! Reckon it’s the old curator.”

“Blimey, must have been a saddo to want to be in here during his life let alone haunt it forever!”

“Well, the damn cheek of it!”

“Now, Alec, don’t lose your temper!”

“I’ll show him!”

“Pol! No!”

It was too late; Pol was off.

“Yeah, think they’d have better things to do in their….” Darren’s voice trailed off as something caught his eye.

As he watched, he saw a shape seem to materialise before him, but nothing defined. He stared wide-eyed as the shape moved. It was a bundle of clothing such as he’d noticed in the boxes dotted around the museum.

“Okay, mate, you stop that!”

Steve stopped what he was doing and peered down the ladder. “What’d you say?”

The shape continued to move, to grow as the clothes took on a form.

“I said, enough!” Darren could feel the hairs on the back of his head standing up, and he had the greatest desire to pee.

Steve looked over to see what Darren was seeing, and the screwdriver fell from his hand, nearly hitting the petrified Darren on the head.

“What is that?” he stuttered.

“Someone messing about!” Darren was trying to sound braver than he felt. “Oi! I said enough!”

“I don’t like this!” said Steve coming down the ladder.

The two men stood shoulder to shoulder as the clothing, seemingly devoid of a wearer danced around before them.

Alec stood beside them, unseen and unheard, laughing at Pol, who had slipped inside the clothing, and was dancing away, wildly throwing her arms and legs out.

“Alec, don’t encourage her!”

“Serves them right, I say!”

Darren and Steve began to back away as Pol stopped dancing and with deliberate steps that gave the ‘empty’ clothes an air of menace, started to walk towards them.

The two men fled into the hall outside, almost falling over themselves in their rush to get out of the room.

Alec and Jean roared with laughter as Pol stepped out of the clothing, leaving it where it fell on the floor.

Haunted Mansion Part Three

Welcome back to my tour of haunted mansions.

In this post I've selected three wonderful buildings.

The first is Belgrave Hall, a Queen Anne-style Grade II* mansion, constructed as a family home for Edmund and Ann Craddock in 1709 in the city of Leicester. John Ellis, a businessman with connections to the Midland Counties Railways, purchased the mansion in 1847 as a home for him and his family of seven daughters.

The White Lady reputedly haunts the rooms of Belgrave Hall and is said to be one of these daughters, Charlotte.

Other apparitions seem to favour the Victorian garb, with one receiving the nickname 'Victorian Lady', whilst another is called 'the Green Lady' and 'the Grey Lady'.

Often, sightings are accompanied by smells of fresh bread and gingerbread.

After one of these spirits was caught on camera, a Paranormal Society was brought in to investigate and reportedly encountered a hostile male spirit, a child who had died of tuberculosis and a man who had died in a fall.

Another interesting sighting is a ghost from before the Hall was built.

Excerpt

Pol, on the other hand, had completely come to terms with her death. She’d been here before the Romans had found a use for the river; at a time when the Ancient Britons ruled the land.

For over two thousand years she’d been here, trapped inside various structures or none at all but tethered to the place she had lost her life at the age of eleven.

She’d witnessed the building of Partridge Hall, and the comings and goings of the families therein. She’d sat around their firesides of an evening watching the women sewing, or reading.

She’d sat on the landing when the balls were held, watching in wonder at the changing fashions until the last Partridge had departed this earth.

She had been at his bedside, as he took his final breath, she’d greeted his spirit as it left his body, not to linger, as she had done, but to rise up and be greeted by his long-gone relatives.

She had witnessed the transformation from family home to a museum, and she’d ached with longing for the days of laughter, of small children rushing through the room, of the singing around the piano at Christmas. For the first time, in a long, time, she’d felt alone – until that fateful night.

Next up: Christchurch Mansion, Ipswich, Suffolk.

Christchurch Mansion, originally called 'Withipoll House' by its owner, is a Grade I listed Tudor era mansion which now serves as a museum.

The ghosts of Christchurch Mansion include a young Edwardian lady who witnesses describe as dancing and laughing in the upper picture gallery. Some even say she is accompanied by two young children.

Downstairs, a female spirit is seen. Described as a lady in grey who suddenly appears from nowhere and is recognisable by the swishing of her gown.

A third ghost, that of a young servant girl is said to have been seen in the property having passed away under mysterious circumstances.

Excerpt

“Have I ever told you, how beautiful you are?” he said.

Jean smiled.

Alec stood and held out his hands in an invite to dance. Jean placed her hand on his shoulder, and he cupped her other hand inside his and waltzed around the room. As they gathered momentum, the lights in the office began to flicker, as if someone were turning the switches on and off. Jean threw back her head and laughed as Alec guided her steps in a dance all their own.

Lastly, let's hear about Chillingham Castle in Northumberland, the seat of the Grey and Bennet families from the 15th century until the 1980s.

Originally a monastery, it commanded a strategic position between England and Scotland.

Today, Chillingham Castle enjoys the reputation as one of England’s most haunted castle.

From the White Pantry Ghost to the Voices in the Chapel, Chillingham has a chilling history of hauntings.

The White Pantry Ghost is that of a frail woman who appeared one nigh to the footman whose job it was to sleep in the inner pantry where the silver was kept.

He was about to turn in for the night when a woman in white begged him for some water. At first the man believed it to be a castle guest then realising that he’d locked the door, he quickly realised that it was not possible.

The pale figure is still seen to this day, begging for water leading some to believe that she was poisoned.

A dark creeping sensation has been felt in one of the chambers, leading to an oppressive atmosphere. Something unseen yet moving lurks therein.

In the Chapel beside the Great Hall, visitors often hear two men talking. Those who try and follow the sound of the voices soon find that the men have disappeared.

Excerpt

Pol had spotted the shadow, and her eyes grew wide with fear.

“I can’t,” her voice trembled. “He’s coming.”

Bethan followed Pol’s petrified stare. Some of the audience members closest to the wall looked down and could see the swirling mass.

Instinctively, they leapt back, causing their chairs to tip and in the attempt to not topple, they did topple into the laps of their neighbours who also jumped to get out of the way. The domino effect caused people to fall between chairs and then scramble to their feet. The chairs scraped against the tile flooring, causing gauges as the audience tried to get away from the creature that now had some shape, like a human on all fours, sniffing at the ground, blind to what it was trying to find.

“Pol,” said Bethan, trying to get the girl to focus, “Pol, listen to me, you must focus okay, we have to end this now!”

Pol nodded. “He took a pig skull into the store; its smell helped to mask the gas.”

The shadow began to rise, taking a new form, that of a man, with clothes that hung loosely on his gaunt frame.

The Ghost and Mrs Muir

My next ghostly film features an actor that I've not always been particularly fond of, yet he turns up in two of my favourite supernatural films. The first is The Ghost and Mrs Muir.

It's a rather sombre tale in parts but it is a true love story albeit one that takes a lifetime to come to fruition. Set against the backdrop of the sea, it tells the story of a young widow and a roguish ghostly sea captain.

In the early 1900s, young widow Lucy Muir moves to the seaside English village of Whitecliff to rent a house by the charming name of Gull Cottage It is reputed to be haunted by the spirit of a seaman who had committed suicide. Despite this grim tale, Lucy moves in with her young daughter, Anna and their maid, Martha.

On the very first night, the ghost of Daniel Gregg, the sea captain and former owner, visits Lucy. He tells her that despite what she'd heard, he did not commit suicide but did accidentally when he fell asleep and kicked open the valve on the gas heater.

He's also not very keen on Lucy living there but, after they chat, he reluctantly allows Lucy to live there unhindered.

Unfortunately for Lucy, her finances take a turn for the worse and her ghastly in-laws arrive to persuade her to return to London. Captain Gregg steps in and scares them out of the house then comes up with a fine plan to help Lucy: he will dictate his memoirs to her and she will have them published, with the royalties going to her. During the course of writing the book, they find themselves falling in love, but as both realize it is a hopeless situation, Daniel tells her she should find a real (live) man.

Upon visiting a publisher, Lucy finds herself drawn to handsome Miles Fairley, an author of children's' books. Despite reservations, the publisher eventually agrees to publish the Captain's somewhat racy recollections. The book becomes an instant bestseller, allowing Lucy to buy Gull Cottage.

Lucy and Fairley begin a whirlwind courtship much to the disgust of the Captain but, realising that he is standing in her way, he visits her whilst she is asleep and puts it into her mind that she alone wrote the book and that he was merely a dream.

"You must make your own life amongst the living and, whether you meet fair winds or foul, find your own way to harbour in the end." His task accomplished, Captain Gregg faded away.

Lucy, whilst visiting her publisher, decides to surprise Fairley and turns up at his home, only to find that he is already married and that this is not the first time he has gone off the rails.

Heartbroken, Lucy returns to Gull Cottage and spends the rest of her life as a recluse.

The story moves on ten years and Anna, now engaged to be married returns home with her fiance. It is during a conversation that Anna reveals that she knew all about the Captain and was not afraid of her strange companion.

Lucy lives a long and peaceful life but her health ails. Complaining to the steady Martha that she needs to rest, Martha leaves her. Lucy dies and a few moments later the Captain appears at her side.

Her young spirit takes his hands and stands free of her aged body. The two stare lovingly at each other for a moment before walking arm in arm down the stairs, and out of the front door into an ethereal mist.

My latest novel features a love story in the afterlife. HIGH SPIRITS finds Alec and Jean spending eternity in his beloved museuem.

Excerpt

Alec turned the page, but there was nothing else.

“Alec?”

Alec snapped shut the diary and turned to the doorway to see Jean just inside.

She walked gracefully over to the desk and looked at the collection of photographs finally spotting the one of her and Alec. She stared at it for a moment, before she looked up at him with limpid eyes.

“Have I ever told you, how beautiful you are?” he said.

Jean smiled.

Alec stood and held out his hands in an invite to dance. Jean placed her hand on his shoulder, and he cupped her other hand inside his and waltzed around the room.

As they gathered momentum, the lights in the office began to flicker, as if someone were turning the switches on and off. Jean threw back her head and laughed as Alec guided her steps in a dance all their own.

Haunted Mansion - part two

In this post I'm taking a look at 50 Berkeley Square. Now, I don't know if this was the influence behind the name of 'The Ghosts of Berkeley Square' but if it's not then that's a bit coincidental, don't you think?

Berkeley Square sits in Mayfair, Central London, in a highly exclusive area. In the middle is a large green space around which is ranged the houses. Within walking distance is Hyde Park, The Mall, St James's Palace and Buckingham Palace.

It feels like a wildly unlikely place to find a haunting, amidst the bustle of life in the capital.

Charles Harper in Haunted Houses, published in 1907 stated that

“… It seems that a Something or Other, very terrible indeed, haunts or did haunt a particular room. This unnamed Raw Head and Bloody Bones, or whatever it is, has been sufficiently awful to have caused the death, in convulsions, of at least two foolhardy persons who have dared to sleep in that chamber…”

The challenge of sleeping in the haunting room was taken up by an unnamed man. A little after midnight, the bell the man had agreed to ring, to summon assistance was heard. Rushing to his aid, his friends found him rigid with terror, unable to tell them what he had seen. He died shortly afterwards.

The house remained empty for a number of years but not necessarily uninhabited. Passers-by told of flickering lights, disembodied screams, and the sound of a body being dragged down the stairs.

The source of the haunting was speculated to be the brother of a former owner, Mr Du Pre. This poor unfortunate was locked in a room for his own safety and was reputedly fed through a hole in the door.

Another contender was a gentleman by the name of Myers who was jilted at the altar and took to be a recluse. The sound of footsteps could be his as he wanders the house by candlelight.

In more recent times, people in the building have experienced the sense of something standing behind them, only finding nothing there.

An employee working in the accounts department of a firm that had the haunted room, reported seeing a column of brown mist that moved quickly across the room.

In my forthcoming novel HIGH SPIRITS, stories abound of lights seen flickering from room to room and local legend tell of a ghostly curator who prowls the Hall at night searching for his lost treasure.

Excerpt

Tommy Pearson was having a good few days off work. He had been in the pub since lunchtime and was now strolling through the park, taking a shortcut to his digs at the lower end of town.

He felt particularly mellow on this warm evening. He’d played the fruit machines and won, got a girl’s phone number, and was looking forward to a lie in tomorrow. Life was sweet.

As he passed by the mansion, he glanced up and saw a light moving from window to window, and his beer-addled brain suddenly recalled something he’d recently read. His first instinct was to run and, always being one to follow his gut; he did just that.

Official Release Date!!

High Spirits - where it all began

Growing up in England during the seventies meant three television channels – BBC1, BBC2 and Southern (in the days when independent TV was very regionalised).

Saturdays meant two of those three precious channels were taken up with sports. BBC1 hosted Grandstand whilst on Southern it was World of Sport. Both comprised of several hours of wrestling, horse racing, football, motor racing etc. I guess it wasn't all so corporate big money back in those days!

All this meant that BBC, for me, not being a sports fan, was the go-to place and usually Saturday afternoon meant a film.

It was here that I discovered my love of the Ealing comedies, of Laurel and Hardy, of Gene Kelly musicals, of Powell and Pressburger.

My favourite films though, were the ones that had a bit of the supernatural about them. I just loved ghosts. Not scary ones but romantic, comedy, spine-tingling ghosts.

To celebrate the upcoming publication of my next novel HIGH SPIRITS, I'm going to take you on a tour of my favourite ghostly films from those lazy Saturday afternoons.

Today, it's The Ghosts of Berkeley Square

For me, this is the one that most inspired the ideas behind High Spirit.

Starring Robert Morely as General 'Jumbo' Burlap and Felix Aylmer as Colonel 'Bulldog' Kelsoe, in this 1947 whimsical comedy about two 18th century officers who end up killing themselves after an elaborate plan to capture the Duke of Marlborough (and stop a war) goes terribly wrong.

Incurring the wrath of Queen Anne, the two hapless ghosts are condemned to haunt the house in Berkeley Square until a monarch crosses the threshold.

Both, naturally, blame each other for the whole thing and for many years refused to speak to each other. Realising that the only way to break the curse is to get another monarch to visit, they resolve their quarrel and set about hatching a plan.

Over the decades the house changes use and occupants including a French bordello, home to a harem, a theatre, a hospital and an officers' club.

Finally, when the house is bombed during an air raid, Queen Mary visits the damaged property and the two ghosts are released to take their place in the afterlife.

I think what I loved about this film was the affection that the two characters had for each other. Despite spending 66 years not speaking, it was clear that they couldn't be without each other even if they do communicate by writing notes!

The Madam who runs the bordello is aware of her guests and is not afraid of them and they have a ball with the girls and playing cards.

With each new tenant the unfortunate pair believe that a royal visit will happen and each time it is the ghosts themselves that cause the problem. The pair bicker and fall out, try and scare off newcomers and, every now and then they materialise to mingle with the tenants – such as the men in the Officer's Club (until they get rumbled). This ghostly Odd Couple play for laughs as they watch the times change in their old home whilst manipulating the lives of the tenants to get a Royal Visit.

The Ghosts of Berkeley Square is a film of its time so, rather sadly there is casual racism and a lot of jingoism.

Excerpts from High Spirits:

Page 27-28

'Through the quiet of the evening, Billy did his rounds, checked that all the doors and windows were secure, that nothing was inside that shouldn’t be, and read his paper. The occasional noise reached his ears – a tap, a knock, a thump, and he shook his head and smiled to himself. Some nights the noises were louder and more frequent, and he thought that maybe there was another spat going on.'

Page 107-108

Seventy-odd years had elapsed since that momentous night when Alec and Jean had lost their lives, and for them, the time had passed slowly. A minute was still sixty seconds and sixty minutes still formed an hour. They witnessed the sun rise and set and the summer pass to autumn and onto winter and into spring - the eternal rhythms of the world. For them, however, it was like the slow ticking of a clock in an empty room, and sometimes it felt as loud. They could ‘see’ the world as it came to them, although the tones were muted, like an old photograph. They could ‘hear’ the excited chatter of schoolchildren who visited on an almost daily basis with their harassed helpers and dog-eared workbooks. They could even ‘smell’ the accumulation of time and arrested decay in the stores or the ‘perfume’ of old books as the paper, ink and glue broke down. Nevertheless, they were completely alone.

Page 58-59

“Well, well, well, old boy. This is going to be interesting.”

“I hope he has a good word to say about me. He was a right little so and so when he was a boy.”

“I wouldn’t know. I never met him!”

“You didn’t miss much!”

“Come on, let’s go and enjoy the character assignation.”

“If we must.”

“Do I have too?”

“Yes, you can come and hear what Alec was really like!”

“I’ve always been charming, Pol, don’t you listen to her!”

Meet Alec, Jean and Pol

I’m immensely excited to finish my second full-length novel HIGH SPIRITS which will be released on Amazon on 6 January 2018.

High Spirits was born of two things – 26 years of working in museums and castles and a love of the old black and white Saturday afternoon movies featuring romance and ghosts.

Working in old buildings brings a real sense of the past to the fore and spending time in the rooms and halls, one cannot help but wonder what, if anything, has remained behind and what they would make of life as they see it all change and pass before them.

It would be lovely to sit down and chat with them, to ask them what they thought of it all. So, that’s what I’m doing today. I’d like to introduce you to my guests on this post: Alec Edwards, Jean Francis and Pol.

Lisa Dyer: Alec Edwards, sometime assistant curator of Partridge Hall in the sleepy town of Plimpton Market. I think it’s fair to say that you had been an enthusiastic collector of artefacts from being a young lad?

(Now, I’d just like to point out, that Alec does like to smoke his pipe, even though he can’t actually smoke any more, so if you hear ‘putt-putt’ noises, that’s what he does when he’s thinking hard!)

LD (cont’d): And, of course, you had the good fortune to be taken on at the museum in a sort of schoolboy/apprentice role.

AE: Ah, yes (sitting back in his chair and fishing in his pocket for his pipe and tobacco pouch).

Jean Francis: Really Alec, do you have to do that here?

AE: Oh, come on girl, nobody’s going to mind.

JF: Well, I mind! Always puffing on that infernal thing!

LD: You were saying, Alec.

AE: Yes, right, well, in those days the museum was run by a very kindly gentleman by the name of Frank Wilson. He encouraged me to bring what I found to the museum. When I got a bit older, he took me on in a sort of unofficial capacity as his assistant; just on a Saturday.

LD: I guess you got hooked?

AE: Did I? Jolly right I did. Then, of course, once I’d finished school. I got a place there full-time. Best years of my life.

LD: Now, Jean, if I may turn to you – you worked for Clipper, Clipper and Broughton as a secretary.

JF: That’s right.

LD: And how did you two meet?

(Jean looks at Alec and her face softens into a smile. Alec reaches out to her and she slips her delicate hand into his).

JF: I was working in the office, right up in the attics but it had a fine view over Partridge Park and, of course the Hall and there he was. Second window from the left, pacing and I remember thinking how grave he looked.

AE: Well, I had important things to think about.

JF: Like what?

AE: Like…well…l was a very busy man!

(Jean laughs and shakes her head)

JF: Anyway, there he was and, well, he didn’t even notice me but then, one day he looked up and looked right at me.

AE: That’s what she says, I don’t recall it myself.

JF: Oh of course you do, you old goat, you just don’t want to admit it was love at first sight.

AE: I have to admit, she was rather beautiful.

JF: Was! Still am, thanks to you!

LD: Hmmm…that’s a good point. What do you recall about your death?

AE/JF: Nothing!

LD: Nothing at all?

JF: We were supposed to be going out that night – why do you think I’m dressed like this?

(for the record, Jean has on a rather fabulous blue satin and tulle dress with tiny flowers, white gloves, and a fake fur stole around her shoulders).

JF (cont’d): Anyway, he was still in those blasted stores of his looking for some kind of axe…

AE: Hand axe, actually!”

JF: Hmmm...anyway, he was showing no signs of moving and Jimmy Jones was singing that night and I so loved to dance…

AE: I’m not sure how many times I can say I’m sorry, my love.

LD: Pol, now, you have been haunting Partridge Hall for a very long time, what do you recall about them dying.

Pol: He’s got humbugs.

LD: Er…sorry?

P: Humbugs. Keeps them in his trouser pocket but he never shares them.

AE: You’re dead; you can’t eat humbugs!

JF: Give it a rest Alec, and give her a humbug!

(Alec fishes in his pocket and brings out a brown paper bag. Pol dips her hand in and pulls out a humbug)

AE: Happy now?

LD: Pol, you are from the time before the Romans, what we call the Iron Age.

P: (to Alec and Jean) Why’s she talking to me like I’m a child?

AE: Because you’re eleven!

P: I was eleven when they arrived. When was that?

AE: AD41.

P: What does AD mean?

AE: Anno Domini

P: What does Anno Domini mean?

LD: Look, can we get back to the question?

(All three stare at me as if I’m asking for the moon)

LD cont’d: Now, Pol you were with the clan that belonged around here.

P: My father was the clan leader. He was a very fierce warrior.

LD: And did you meet the Romans?

P: We slaughtered the Romans and bathed in their entrails.

JF: Pol!

AE: She’s being scandalous. Ignore her. Though, there was a local garrison here and her lot did slaughter them. In the woods by Roman Camp.

P: And bathed in their entrails.

AE: There was no entrail bathing.

P: Were you there?

(Alec lets out a big sigh and begins to prepare his pipe).

LD: So, Jean, how did you feel being trapped inside the museum.

JF: Furious! Absolutely furious! Never been in the place until I met him and now, here I am, doomed to roam the corridors forever.

AE: You’re not doomed, not be so dramatic.

JF: Well, what would you call it?

AE: Heaven!

(Jean wasn’t impressed with this idea. She turns her back on Alec and fluffs the skirts of her dress before resting her elbow on the back of the chair and placing her chin on her cupped hand).

LD: Let me ask, if you had the chance, if someone could ‘move you on’ would you take it?

Jean swivels back round and looks at Alec and Pol. For a moment something passes between them and then all three burst out laughing.

AE: Good Lord, where did you get such a daft idea?

JF: And leave our friends, Bethan, Sal, Billy and Patrick?

P: Get real!

JF: Pol, do stop using modern parlance, it’s so coarse!

LD: And you don’t mind that I’ve written a book about you?

JF: Heavens no! We loved sharing our death with you – who wouldn’t?

AE: She’s being sarcastic.

LD: I’m getting that. Well, too bad, the book is out on January 6th.

P: I’m I in it?

LD: Well, of course you are, and Bethan, Sal, Patrick and Billy and, they get to dance around the Beltane Fire.

P: Cool!

AE: What did you say it was called again?

LD: High SpiritsHere’s the cover.

AE: Very nice but I don’t look a bit like that!

JF: No, far too suave for Alec. You should have got someone in a brown suit.

P: Why aren’t I on the cover?

AE: Because you’re eleven.

(Oh, dear, they’re bickering again. So, I’m just going to leave them to it).

Haunted Mansion - part one

Who doesn't love a haunted mansion? Well, I guess it depends on your disposition but come on, it's got to get your interest, right?

HIGH SPIRITS is set in Partridge Hall, formerly the home of the family that gave it its name. The last resident, Sir Wolseley Partridge died childlessly and rather than finding an heir amongst his numerous relations, he chose to bequeath his mansion to the town of Plimpton Market.

The mansion became the home of the town museum, acquiring artefacts from the town's lengthy history to fill its rooms.

But Partridge Hall also holds a secret. Hiding within it are three lively spirits – Alec, former assistant curator, who still considers Partridge Hall to his domain and intensely dislikes any changes the present incumbent makes. Jean, his young lady, who had never been in the Hall until she started stepping out with Alec and is most displeased to find that she is spending her eternity there. Finally, there's young Pol, a child from the Iron Age who has seen it all – the land before any settlement, the building of the medieval manor and its replacement with the far grander Hall, and finally its last incarnation as a museum. These three love, laugh and squabble. Are each other's boon companions as the years roll on but occasionally, they get a little fed up with the same old routine.

To celebrate the release of HIGH SPIRTS on January 6 2018, let's take a tour of famously haunted mansions starting with WOODCHESTER MANSION.

Ghosts abound at this unfinished property built over the original house, Spring Park. William Leigh, ran out of money before he could complete the project and the building remained in the family until 1938 when it was sold.

Sight of a headless horseman and a floating coffin have convinced locals that the estate is haunted.

Inside the property it is as if time has stood still and that all the workmen have downed tools and left for the day. Here, a ‘tall man’ is seen walking along the corridor which leads to the chapel, whilst another man is seen in the doorway of the same chapel looking up at the stained-glass windows.

From the scullery, singing can be heard. Of course, Woodchester was never a home, being unfinished so these spirits must be from the former building, Spring Park. Plans show that the scullery and kitchen for both buildings are in the exact same spot. A young girl has been seen on the staircase but, again, this has to be the stairs from the former home.

On the landing is a sentient ghost, that is, he is aware that he has been seen whilst another is that of a man with a hat.

As well as sensing the presence of 'people' in military uniform- the house was used by US and Canadian soldiers just prior to D-Day, music from the 1940's has been heard. And, some visitors have reported the smell of bacon frying!

In HIGH SPIRITS – Alec has the misfortune to end up in the old scullery of Partridge Hall after he'd accidentally fully manifested corporeal after getting his trousers in a twist over a display label.

Unfortunately, for him, he is captured on a multitude of phones and his image is quickly going viral on the internet.

Bethan Andrews, curator, is summoned to the museum by an anxious colleague and arrives to find the street jam-packed with members of the public, eager to get inside to find the ghost for themselves.

Inside, Bethan finds both Jean and Pol out of their wits with worry as to where Alec has disappeared off to after his 'incident'. They finally locate him in the scullery, a dirty old room that now houses the boiler and a multitude of spiders.

Excerpt:

The scullery was situated in the basement and housed the boilers. It was a bit dank with only a half moon window and plenty of cobwebs. The only person who ventured in there was the gas man when he came to read the meter, and that was with extreme reluctance.

Bethan made her way down the narrow back stairs into the basement and opened the first door on the left. It was swollen with damp, and gingerly she felt inside the door for the light, hoping, as she did that she didn’t hit any spiders of which there were many.

In its day, this had been the provenance of the scullery maid, the lowest ranking maid in the servant hierarchy who did the menial jobs such as washing up and other dirty chores deemed beneath the kitchen maids.

As Bethan’s eyes became adjusted to the dim light, she could just make out the old wooden draining board and the deep ceramic sink.

She ventured cautiously down the small flight of creaking stairs and turned around, nearly wetting herself as she did.

In the darkest corner, sitting on an old wooden stool was Alec.

“Alec!” cried Jean and flew over to him.

Pol got there first and threw her spindly arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. He patted her arm in a good-natured way, and she let him go.

Alec pulled out his hankie and mopped his brow.

“What happened?” asked Bethan.

“I…I... don’t rightly know,” stuttered Alec who were he alive, may correctly be described as having gone ashen. “All of a sudden, there they all were, the people I mean, looking at me and then, it was like a wrench, and I was here.”

“But why couldn’t I feel you?” Jean was as distraught at finding him as she was of losing him. She crouched down beside him and took his hand in hers.

Alec looked at her fondly. “I don’t know my dear, but I couldn’t feel you either.”

Jean laid her head in his lap and kissed his hand. “Oh, my darling. I thought I’d lost you!”

Alec lifted her face to his and kissed her: “It will take more than this to separate us, my love.”

Next time – 50 Berkeley Square!

Eden's End - A new web series

Today, I'm talking with Brandon Lawson, a screenwriter who has been working on an awesome new web series, Eden's End.

What is Eden’s End about?

Eden’s End follows the journey of Gabriel who’s an angel and his human friend who hunts down supernaturals who harm humans. Their daily jobs come to a halt when several supernaturals and humans come into the pursuit of a powerful entity known as Eden which has the power of creation and destruction. Now Gabriel and Roy must race against these people to find Eden before it falls into the wrong hands.

When will the show be out, and where?

We are expecting to release it sometime this Fall, and the episodes will be on YouTube. At first, the entire pilot will be released, and afterwards, the episodes will be broken up into segments.

Being independent, how is Eden’s End being made?

In terms of funding, we have set up an Indiegogo page that will help gather funds for the production of the entire season 1 for the show.

What are the recent successes for leading up to the show?

So far we have released a concept trailer and a short film that kind of serves as a sneak peek to the show. They both have been received well especially on Facebook where the concept trailer has over 11k views, and the short film has gained over 20k views and has been shared by a popular movie trailer page. Will are also submitting the short film to film festivals.

What is your role in the web series?

I am one of the screenwriters for the episodes. I have help to write the pilot, along with our concept trailer and short film of the web series.

Why did you want to write for the series?

My brother’s friend approached me because my brother told him how I wrote stories. I like to write, and this was a way for me to expand on my writing since I was already writing short stories for my website, I wanted to add to it.

What is your experience in writing?

I have been writing creatively for 2 years. I have written 22 fictional short stories which I posted on my website. Their genres range from crime, horror, science fiction, and more. I have also written a few movie articles. 1 of my short stories have been published in my college’s magazine. On top of that, I am currently working on a science fiction book of short stories which I plan on putting out on Amazon sometime next year.

Links:

Youtube channel for the show

Facebook page for the show

Instagram page for the show

Indiegogo page

Find out more about Brandon here.

Arriving this autumn

I'm pleased to say that the first draft of my next novel 'High Spirits' is now 2/3 complete and in good shape.

I'm aiming to have it on Kindle in the autumn, muse and time permitting.

To celebrate, here's a look at the artwork.

Branding - time to get serious

Now I'm out on my own, I've been thinking about Lisa Dyer as a brand. What am I? What is my style? How do I become 'a brand'?

Branding and marketing are two different but equally important things. Up until now, I've focused on marketing; getting my name out there, setting up profiles on exposure sites, that type of thing. Now it's time to start thinking about branding.

Firstly, I've had to do something that maybe, just a little bit, goes against the grain. I've embraced my pink side. Now, I've got nothing against pink as a colour but me and pink - chalk and cheese. Pink to me is soft and fluffy and, well, I'm not. However, if I am to have a brand for my novels then pink it is.

I made some new headers using Canva but first, I tapped into the HTML and CSS of my website and found a colour I liked for the background. This has now been carried across to represent Lisa Dyer Author in her role of contemporary romantic novelist. I also found an image I liked to symbolise this person. There is a good reason for this which I will come to in a moment.

Next, I found a font I liked - Reisling - and deployed it on my website. It's got a good retro feel to it. I like it. Sadly, Google fonts don't carry it so I've not been able to use it here and my limited coding knowledge has meant I can't add it but, maybe someone out there will help me out!

I then gathered a palette of complementing colours to complete the look:

pulling them all together in a Branding Doc.

The reason for all of this is simple. I have two works that I wish to publish but which are very different to contemporary romance fiction. So, I want to create a look for both that demarks one from the other. I will probably publish the new work, which is supernatural fiction, under a pseudonym to stop confusion but it will have its own branding and marketing.

So, there you have it. I've embraced the pink. Embraced my brand and looking forward to sharing more with you.

Today's the day!

Well, I've officially ended my contract with my publisher and now it's all on me!

I've just uploaded a kindle edition of Since You've Been Gone for approval and, fingers crossed, it should be available within the next 72 hours.

Here's the cover I went for.

I hope you like it!

EDIT TO ADD - Since You've Been Gone is now live and available to download from Amazon

Final Goodreads giveaway

This is it, my final Goodreads giveaway for this incarnation of Since You've Been Gone, so get on over to my page and enter for a chance to win one of three signed copies and some other goodies.

Giveaway starts on the 28th so put it in your diary!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Since You've Been Gone

by Lisa Dyer

Giveaway ends April 05, 2017.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Here's a little bit more...

Just a little corner torn to start the reveal. I hope you will like it.

Something is on its way

Keep the date - 31st March 2017. That's when everything changes.

Following on from months of deliberation, I finally bite the bullet and requested that my publishing contract was not renewed. That's right, I'm going it alone!

I'm forever grateful for the chance to have my novel published and it's been a weird, wonderful, trying, amazing, dream-come-true time for me but now, I'm putting on my big girl pants and I'm taking control. I'm not going to mull over the whys and wherefores of my decision however, having self-published a series of shorts Tales for the Fireside - Five stories of love and friendship I'm pretty confident I can pull this off with flare.

I've now set myself the challenge of producing a second novel to capitalise on this new direction my life is going in and, I'm hatching a plot to publish a piece of non-fiction I worked on a few years back.

Life is changing. It's all good.

Part of my obligation to my publisher is that I produce a new cover so I'm going to tease you all with a reveal...just a little bit, leading up to the sign off date when Since You've Been Gone is my ship to sail. But not today...today you get only a package.... xx

Downloading fast!

I'm happy to report that since Tales for the Fireside - five stories of love and friendship' was published on Smashwords just over a month ago, it's reached almost 350 downloads.

I can honestly say I wasn't expecting such a great result!

If you've not yet had a chance to download a copy, here's a link and happy reading!

Lisa xx

FREE! FREE! FREE!

I've just released Tales for the Fireside on Smashwords priced at FREE. I've passed on the information to Amazon so, fingers crossed, they should match this which will be great.

It was always my intention to have a perm-free book and this was it. I think my initial reticence with Smashwords was its formatting and style book, which just made the whole process sound really scary. I took the plunge using a word doc (it wouldn't accept docx) that had been formatted in CreateSpace. It was successful so *phew*.

Anyway, I'm happy to have it there and if Amazon don't match it then I'll unpublish and stick to SW.

Tales for the Fireside...what's it about?

Hey, Happy New Year! Hope you all had a fab holiday season.

So, my second work is now published, up there and live on Amazon but what's it about and should you bother with it?

Well, in answer to the first question, the backstory goes a bit like this....

The five stories I've collected under the title 'Tales for the Fireside - Five stories of love and friendship' all started out in a very different way, as short scripts

Way back when I got involved in an amazing local group called Colchester Filmmakers. This incredible bunch of talented folk loved making films and I came on board from a writer's angle. Now, I'm not the most sociable of creatures I'm afraid. I'm a total introvert and I don't feel comfortable with new people but these guys were amazing and I felt right at home.

With regular meet ups, film nights, talks, and actual putting together shorts, it was a great group to be involved in. I began to try my hand at short films with the aim to get them filmed. I got an IMDB credit (Lisa Barrass) thanks to taking part in a short with a great up and coming director and I even got to direct one of my own shorts. I think it was then that I decided that I didn't really have the creative temperament for that type of gig! All these guys have gone on to do some pretty special stuff.

With careers in filming taking off, the group pretty much wound up when the organisers went on to bigger things with their own production company which left me with some shorts, littering up my folders.

After the publication of Since You've Been Gone the aim was to get another novel out as soon as possible to capitalise on the momentum. That didn't happen for various, personal and family reasons. Several projects were started and remain in limbo on my computer. Feeling as though I was failing fast, I decided that the best way to get up and running and back on the horse was to do what I did with SYBG and that was to adapt existing material. A thorough look through the myriad of folders, all containing either completed scripts, germs of ideas, or a fleshed out treatment, yielded five pieces that I could work with.

Story I - the tale of Emily and the elder gentleman, started out as a two-minute super short. In script writing, the standard is one page = one minute of screen time. This script was written to be a two-minute production. In fact, it was written as part of a competition entry in 50 Kisses. The remit was to write a two-page script that involved a kiss. It didn't have to be a romantic kiss; kiss could be interpreted in any way the writer wished. The only other caveat was that it had to take place on Valentine's Day.

Originally, it was called A Walk to Goodbye and was set in a card shop. The gentleman had just lost his wife and this was his last visit to see her before her funeral. He tells the story of how they met. It was long-listed in the competition but didn't go any further.

So, I completely re-worked it and put it into my collection.

Story II - the tale of Madeline and Porphyro is a modern adaption of John Keats The Eve of St. Agnes . I thought it rather suited a modern telling. It's one of my favourite poems having discovered it during my days of English Literature O-level.

It's written in the style of a play but with more of a narrative edge and with an omniscient narrator in the form of a young man charged with looking after the boss's daughter, Madeline.

Story III Tells the tale of the unfortunately named Alice Mutton who finds herself unexpectedly dead, squashed by a herd of stampeding cows. She is taken to heaven and begins a whole adventure trying to appeal against the decision to assign her to DOSE or Department of Stupid Endings (otherwise known as TWATS - Total Wankers at the Start).

As you've guessed, this is not to be taken seriously. Originally, in a slightly different format - 30 minutes - it was pitched to a contact in the world of TV over coffee in the Century Club, a rather exclusive members-only establishment in SoHo frequented by the acting and theatre world. My contact liked the premise and asked me to produce a script version. Sadly, as happens more often than not, it was never taken up. So, it sat on my computer, a lost little piece nobody wanted.

Involvement with the local filmmakers caused met to resurrect it, pare it down and call it Chain Reaction. I then went one step further into madness and directed it myself. Sadly, I don't think it will see the light of day but it was a great experience and made me realise that I would never make a director!

Heaven is a bureaucratic dream - the Orders of Angels are assigned roles within it but the Divine Creator is one bored deity, given over to childish temper tantrums and outburst of eccentricity.

DOSE is the office that deals with people who have died in the stupidest manner possible (ever heard of the Darwin Awards?) - thrown away the gift of life the Creator gave them and thus causes his to have a seriously bad day. It is not my intention to cause offence with my vision of heaven but I'm guessing somebody will hate it!

Story IV Tells the tale of Scarlett who is visited by the spirit of Robbie which unleashes her latent psychic abilities as she tries to unravel his murder.

Scarlett is a reluctant psychic, having problems of her own. Originally called Dead Reckoning, it started out as a fifty-minute pilot with two further scripts being written that teamed up Scarlett and Robbie as they battled various demons intent on getting a permanent footing on the earthly plane. If I'm of a mind I might dig out the two other scripts and start a new book!

V is set the day before and during a school reunion and brings together five characters who are all linked in some way to each other, It's a tale of secrets, lost love, infidelity and friendship and began as a two-parter script.

So, should you bother with it? Well, that's up to you; reading is too personal a habit for me to insist that you do! However, if you enjoy something to dip into (this is a dipping into book, not a sit-down and read in one go) on a wet Sunday afternoon then yes, please do give it a go and let me know how you find it.

So, that's the lowdown on the new collection. During my foray around long forgotten folders, I discovered two completed scripts, the first of which I am currently adapting.

Tales for the Fireside has been selling well in its first few hours and sales for Since You've Been Gone have picked up so I'm hoping more readers will discover my work and enjoy it.