tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15238847588742963392024-02-19T09:22:22.562+00:00Lisa Dyer Authorhttps://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-35771347819784510572018-11-25T08:06:00.000+00:002018-11-25T08:06:00.561+00:00Stuff a Stocking<p> How's your Christmas prepping going? Me? I've got a few bits of food in the store cupboard but as for presents...not even started.</p>
<p> To be honest, I'm a wild procrastinator and I <b> always</b> leave things to the last minute.
<P>But you...you don't have to because I'm here to remind you that you can now buy <a href="https://www.lisadyerauthor.com/highspirits.html">HIGH SPIRITS</a> across loads of different platforms for your Kindle or other ebook devices. Find out how Alec, Jean and Pol are faring in the afterlife, trapped inside Partridge Hall</p>
<p>Fancy reading a heartwarming tale of rediscovering old friendships and putting the past to rest? The grab yourself a copy of <a href="https://www.lisadyerauthor.com/since-you've-been-gone.html">SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE</a> and find out how Hal finally let's go of his old flame Abigail and looks to the future and not the past.</p>
<p>Or maybe you like your stories in bite-size chunks, then why not check out <a href="https://www.lisadyerauthor.com/tales-for-the-fireside.html">TALES FOR THE FIRESIDE,</a> five stories of love and friendship. Perfect for snuggling up on the sofa with.</p>
You can link through to all the sellers by visiting my website <a href="https://www.lisadyerauthor.com/">LisaDyerAuthor.com
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Uwik4Ydl75iu1j1c5qJUh8SFRXuaT863xT0eM_cK5KAuUPvF3doBc0A_kh_szcvl5O7WZjcbCIjdccNl5Hum9PjEqzYJ1fI4HfE8uocwkQOUNkao3FmVuM6C4iIDZebIdZY_p4Y02c8M/s1600/All+books+green+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Uwik4Ydl75iu1j1c5qJUh8SFRXuaT863xT0eM_cK5KAuUPvF3doBc0A_kh_szcvl5O7WZjcbCIjdccNl5Hum9PjEqzYJ1fI4HfE8uocwkQOUNkao3FmVuM6C4iIDZebIdZY_p4Y02c8M/s320/All+books+green+tree.jpg" width="320" height="180" data-original-width="1280" data-original-height="720" /></a></div>https://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-49644130053524000182018-06-30T11:12:00.001+01:002020-11-24T07:35:44.085+00:00More places to buy HIGH SPIRITS <p>I've expanded my options on where HIGH SPIRITS is available from these retailers.</p>
<p>Use this <a href="books2read.com/u/bzgeBE">UBL</a> for a quick way to buy!</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj87sJXNTzUDtDX1yCPDZxPSwSCA_BeCHwDJNftNrCEQ8MDziNgfdWz16t1TJNMEZZLP6nTg3fVmk46O-X-VcCxJIyZCFWcTe9as6Zs90Z_P9RgU_1LVzdZoAbfLbF9z1huhLpsyRpbHdAK/s1600/High+Spirits+-+where+to+buy+it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj87sJXNTzUDtDX1yCPDZxPSwSCA_BeCHwDJNftNrCEQ8MDziNgfdWz16t1TJNMEZZLP6nTg3fVmk46O-X-VcCxJIyZCFWcTe9as6Zs90Z_P9RgU_1LVzdZoAbfLbF9z1huhLpsyRpbHdAK/s320/High+Spirits+-+where+to+buy+it.jpg" width="320" height="180" data-original-width="1280" data-original-height="720" /></a></div>https://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-38071301262827778142018-04-08T10:43:00.000+01:002018-04-08T10:52:23.812+01:00King Arthur - Legend of the Sword<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKa1Rm6dMrttMOy10QnM0U0sn4jbXMEDOQDUbH2S7jO7HS-IgOAvK0Jc2w3KbVYYtTuCLLTrtEerBPz6SeU_NgtWAOySFSsCd3acgKVDC1S8hSbcj06CMBO-aRBDwsghD8-y_Fw0Fxuivu/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKa1Rm6dMrttMOy10QnM0U0sn4jbXMEDOQDUbH2S7jO7HS-IgOAvK0Jc2w3KbVYYtTuCLLTrtEerBPz6SeU_NgtWAOySFSsCd3acgKVDC1S8hSbcj06CMBO-aRBDwsghD8-y_Fw0Fxuivu/s320/maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" height="180" data-original-width="1280" data-original-height="720" /></a></div>
<p> I've got a 14 day free trial of NowTV Cinema Pass so my daughter and I decided to check <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1972591/">King Arthur - Legend of the Sword</a></p>
<p>It was billed as being a blockbuster movie, but with a lead who doesn't yet command the draw, a cast of unknowns, only <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000179/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Jude Law</a> to carry the big-name, and with what the critics called 'blokes and banter' style, it flopped to the tune of $150 million.</p>
<p>Right off the bat, I'm going to say it - if you haven't read my bio (why haven't you read my bio), I'm a huge fan of the legend of King Arthur, have been since I was a kid. So, to be honest, I have mixed feelings on films about King Arthur, my only exception being the wonderfully over-the-top Excalibur (come on, who hasn't gone along with "Uther!" "Merlin." "Uther!" "Merlin."?).</p>
<p>I think I just harbour my own prejudices against the adaptations because, for me Arthur, if he existed, existed in a world of decay and ruin, in that twilight era of sub-Roman Britain, where the old Empire was still visible amongst the tumbled down remains and the country was in turmoil. As far as I can see, no one has ever captured that, for me.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082348/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Excalibur</a> didn't hide its roots - firmly placed within the world created by Sir Thomas Malory and featuring knights in very shining armour. It was exactly what it was supposed to be - sword and sorcery.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0349683/?ref_=nv_sr_2">King Arthur</a> starring <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0654110/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Clive Owen</a> and the usually reliable <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0226820/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Stephen Dillane</a>, on the other hand, took itself way too seriously. Billed as 'demystify the legend' and claiming to have its roots in genuine archaeology, it was a mess. If you want to read a great review on why <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/jan/27/reel-history-king-arthur-keira-knightley">here </a>it is.
<p>So, another film based on King Arthur and purporting to take the story back to the roots didn't really pique my interest so why now? Well, mostly because I had that free 14 day trial with NowTV, and it was a lazy Saturday afternoon, and there was nothing on telly (no change there). Also, it was directed by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005363/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Guy Ritche</a></p>
<p>The thing about Guy Ritchie - you get exactly what you expect. Hands up, I love his take on <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0988045/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_7">Sherlock Holmes</a>, I love the aesthetics of Victorian London, I love that <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000375/?ref_=tt_cl_t1">Robert Downey Jr </a>plays the titular character as a petulant child with a brilliant mind. I love the script, so much so, that I downloaded it to see how it was engineered.</p>
<p> Ritchie ditches conventional linear for expositional flashbacks that follow through (see the fight scene where Holmes plots out his moves in the bare-knuckle fight) in super-slow-motion. It's a fun film and it doesn't take itself too seriously. RDJ and Jude Law play off each other in that 'blokes and banter' and it's good!</p>
<p> So, on to King Arthur - Legend of the Sword. Best to not go in with any expectation because there is nothing, apart from the pulling of the sword from the stone, that resembles anything of the legend.</p>
<p>Briefly, it tells the story of Uther (Eric Bana) who is waging a war with The Mage and is betrayed by his brother Vortigern (Law) who lusts for the throne. The opening scenes are just bizarre with giant elephants who are possessed and controlled by the King of the Mage. Seriously, didn't anyone watch Lord of the Rings - you just can't go around using elephants or oliphants in battle - they get too over-excited. Anyway, moving on, Uther tries to get his young son, Arthur and his wife out of Camelot during a coup but gets caught by his tricky brother. Arthur is sent down the river and washes up on the shores of Londinium where is he rescued by some prostitutes and grows up in a brothel.</p>
</p> And this, dear reader, is where I fell in love with this film. Londinium is awesome! I mean, really, really awesome. Someone actually had the nous to think 'what would sub-Roman Britain look like?'</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArv4aF3AR2M8yJ5aoZnMKVMyEWFyecP5-aMNAWj1nd_tqazL2rg5BqCsmUg8hd3p_qPqFHLRlh_zDYTlenEHijLD09dRi4DeAYhuepoIzEdxqvbGZ5LFF2UraT_g54CE2osT30iwSJnph/s1600/KingArthur_MethodStudios_ITW_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArv4aF3AR2M8yJ5aoZnMKVMyEWFyecP5-aMNAWj1nd_tqazL2rg5BqCsmUg8hd3p_qPqFHLRlh_zDYTlenEHijLD09dRi4DeAYhuepoIzEdxqvbGZ5LFF2UraT_g54CE2osT30iwSJnph/s320/KingArthur_MethodStudios_ITW_03.jpg" width="320" height="168" data-original-width="1400" data-original-height="736" /></a></div>
<p>From the tumbled down ruins of the amphitheatre, to the reappropriated as a training ground for fighters forum, the people of Londinium are doing what the people of Londinium did for the decades and centuries after the Romans left, living amongst the ruins of the former great city. In amongst all of this, we get a 'fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants' montage of Arthur growing up, getting street-wise, being savvy and having a pretty good time of it (when he's not having his head dunked by the local bullies).</p>
<p>With his besties Wet Stick and Back Lack, our would-be king roams the back-alleys making his money where he can which he secrets away in a chest hidden in the wall of his bedroom, back at the brothel.</p>
<p>It all goes awry when the brothel is caught harbouring a rebel and the Black Legs (as Vortigern's henchmen are known) come to take the young Art away.</p>
<p>Our hero finds himself at Camelot, where all young men of a similar age from across the land, are taken to pull the sword from the stone. Each try, each fails and are branded to show that they are not the lost king. Of course, Art, not realising his true heritage pulls the sword and thus starts the main story. The sword possesses Arthur with supernatural powers but he has to learn how to control it. He also has to accept his fate.</p>
<p> Rescued by the rebels, with the help of a female <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/2017/05/154099/king-arthur-2017-the-mage-guinevere-astrid-berges-frisbey?bucketed=true">Mage</a>, from the clutches of Vortigern, who is about to execute him, Arthur eschews the usual protocol for his street-smarts in luring Vortigern to Londinium where his fame has spread and the populace is rioting.</p>
<p>King Arthur - Legend of the Sword is not high art, it's not great cinema either but it is FUN and it doesn't take itself too seriously. You want a great romp, with a hero who does things for the shits and giggles, you got it. Don't expect to be anyway enlightened to the legend and you wont' be disappointed.</p>
<p> As for me, I just want a time machine so I can go back to sub-Roman Londinium and view its ruins, and maybe find a king lurking in the back alleys</p>
https://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-44351213380729673922018-03-30T09:43:00.001+01:002018-03-30T09:46:06.700+01:00EASTER SALE NOW ON!<P>Heads up everyone I've got an Easter sale going down! </P>
<P>For Easter weekend only get Since You've Been Gone and High Spirits on your Kindle for 99p/c</P>
<P><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/High-Spirits-Lisa-Dyer-ebook/dp/B078Y69WYC"> HIGH SPIRITS</a> </P>
<P> <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Since-Youve-Been-Gone-Lisa-ebook/dp/B06XYP9MHN">SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE</a> </P>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94Hf1eJO4n3D4CCe0yrPvFwio9_G9bQlGyRjywrBID6cuH7zQThoTS8HL_VKtA7sVQJOf7Rem3r1GUwsvBrsxpeQL18wrEpJAUZWBhJTO130NpHc657Chyphenhyphen_MbXBQUkLitK-TklE-vob4b/s1600/Both+titles+99p+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94Hf1eJO4n3D4CCe0yrPvFwio9_G9bQlGyRjywrBID6cuH7zQThoTS8HL_VKtA7sVQJOf7Rem3r1GUwsvBrsxpeQL18wrEpJAUZWBhJTO130NpHc657Chyphenhyphen_MbXBQUkLitK-TklE-vob4b/s320/Both+titles+99p+c.jpg" width="320" height="180" data-original-width="1280" data-original-height="720" /></a></div>https://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-45198118069415654782018-01-21T16:59:00.000+00:002018-01-21T16:59:25.433+00:00Meet my main characters - Michael Bayliss - Since You've Been Gone
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxs6sq6wW3Jxx-fyRK_Rq8K3Wda47DhDxvLm9aFWw-2LDbFqTBm8BDHTrMI8Udm_sNYEGJTczJL-z_ekhCreUMSQ-pvQ0_f1aPdgxpdWiN1-64PYgaD9dUalfmaC7TgNIHQnwiGEKYUtT/s1600/Michael.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxs6sq6wW3Jxx-fyRK_Rq8K3Wda47DhDxvLm9aFWw-2LDbFqTBm8BDHTrMI8Udm_sNYEGJTczJL-z_ekhCreUMSQ-pvQ0_f1aPdgxpdWiN1-64PYgaD9dUalfmaC7TgNIHQnwiGEKYUtT/s320/Michael.png" width="320" height="167" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="628" /></a></div>
<p><b>What should we know about him?</b></p>
<p>Michael Bayliss, vet, Yorkshire man, legend.</p>
<p>On the surface, he seems a pretty uncomplicated person. He gets on with life, living in a flat above the practice and doesn't really have a long-term plan. This easy-going nature can put him at odds with people because they think he's easy to read, likes a bit of banter and therefore unable to be hurt but he is a vulnerable as the rest of us.</p>
<p>Michael is the product of a broken home, his mum having run off with the local bingo caller. It has given him a wary perspective on relationships but that doesn't stop him having them or having opinions on Hal's. It's the commitment he has the problem with.</p>
<p><b>What is the main conflict? </b></p>
<p>For Michael it is keeping Hal grounded in reality. He knows that his friend has an emotional block but all the while it is kept on a low level, he's not bothered what it is. When Hal's life is thrown into confusion, Michael must be the anchor but also, he must have one eye on what the impact of going home might have on his life and the practice his shares with Hal.</p>
<p><b>What is the personal goal of the character?</b></p>
<p>For Michael it is getting through life as peacefully as possible. He's a grafter but with a slacker mentality. Not for him the mortgage and the kids. He doesn't want convention and, although he is wary of relationships because they seem to go to fast for him, he is really looking for someone just like him; someone a little unconventional.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Since-Youve-Been-Gone-Lisa-ebook/dp/B06XYP9MHN">Since You've Been Gone</a> is available exclusively on Amazon across all markets for download onto your Kindle and Kindle apps and Kindle Unlimited for £3.99.Paperback is available for £6.99</p>https://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-33953000208886114642018-01-20T14:57:00.000+00:002018-01-20T14:57:09.717+00:00Meet my main character - Abigail Markham - Since You've Been Gone
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC4NbxFStWII2PcqxOHeyEDeLHDjUvu_VMRTTIsJXmskqA_9hXiFWwcNAqLW9xAAkvycNhVOLLAJzLvSouI_cDDzzk79H4DvlPkLPz2x0kt-nhj68TEi4ngd6ox3gLrBl8IPeOJvkhzK8q/s1600/Abigail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC4NbxFStWII2PcqxOHeyEDeLHDjUvu_VMRTTIsJXmskqA_9hXiFWwcNAqLW9xAAkvycNhVOLLAJzLvSouI_cDDzzk79H4DvlPkLPz2x0kt-nhj68TEi4ngd6ox3gLrBl8IPeOJvkhzK8q/s320/Abigail.jpg" width="320" height="167" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="628" /></a></div>
<p><b>What should we know about her?</b></p>
<p>Abigail Markham is a Dover girl through and through. Born and raised in the Tower Hamlets, she still lives in a tiny terraced house within a stone’s throw of her childhood home.
Abigail is a fighter. She is also complex. She didn’t have the best start in her life and her prospects were patchy, to say the least but she has a good heart and is a strong woman. She married young and bore her first child in her late teens. The marriage produced one more child before it fell apart. She works at the local hairdressers and life is tough but she has her friends and her sister and they keep her going even though money is short.</p>
<p><b>What is the main conflict? </b></p>
The main conflict for Abigail is reconciling herself with her past decisions. She has a secret and she has had to live with the consequences of the path she chose. Some would say she did it for the best of reasons and others might think that maybe she was crying out for attention but, the deed was done and she got on with it. There is a part of her that is angry, even though the decision was hers and hers alone, she feels let down. Only Abigail can reconcile herself to her decision and, although she doesn’t tacitly blame Hal, she feels anger towards him. Once she looks at herself and her own part in how her life turned out, she will be much more at peace.
<p><b>What is the personal goal of the character?</b></p>
<p>Finding peace with her past. She is happy that Hal never came home because she doesn’t have to expose herself to having to tell the truth but she also suffers from an acute, unspoken sense of abandonment by him. It’s kind of given her a bit of a martyr complex – ‘look at me, look what I did without your help’. Once it all comes out, then she can move forward but she has to be prepared for it all to come out.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Since-Youve-Been-Gone-Lisa-ebook/dp/B06XYP9MHN/"">Since You've Been Gone</a> through Amazon across all markets for download onto your Kindle or Kindle apps and Kindle Unlimited for £2.99. Paperback is available for £6.99</p>https://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-50709715193429477832018-01-19T16:00:00.000+00:002018-01-19T16:00:57.315+00:00Meet my main character - Hal Bartlett - Since You've Been Gone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oX_G6HMsxxW1HrPhMrPVHirun07i5PEdBlX0aLknIj3INOmn71ulO8AzN9amAHj3EPEY_kLY-4J2hnO9xvqCf-mciM6nEdJZSD79Tf6MDc-IDNCgct13r_4sM7jNjZu9A8QwruI8hcI8/s1600/Hal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oX_G6HMsxxW1HrPhMrPVHirun07i5PEdBlX0aLknIj3INOmn71ulO8AzN9amAHj3EPEY_kLY-4J2hnO9xvqCf-mciM6nEdJZSD79Tf6MDc-IDNCgct13r_4sM7jNjZu9A8QwruI8hcI8/s320/Hal.jpg" width="320" height="167" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="628" /></a></div>
<p><b>What is the name of your character?</b></p>
<p>Meet Hal Bartlett, sometime resident of Dover, Kent, now living in rural Oxfordshire with a veterinarian practice, a very opinionated business partner and a lot of marital problems.</p>
<p><b>When and where is the story set?</b></p>
<p>Hal Bartlett is the main character in Since You've Been Gone which is set fifteen years in the past. The story begins in Oxfordshire as Hal wrestles with the increasing deterioration in his relationship with his wife, Julienne. It's the eve of Julienne's spoilt younger sister's high-end wedding and Hal knows he's out of his depth. After a bitter row, Hal takes the only option open to him...he returns to the hometown and friends he abandoned years before and begins his journey to revisit his past and lay some old demons to rest.</p>
<p><b>What should we know about him?</b></p>
<p>Hal is a good man, a bit of a wimp but essentially a good bloke. His life is a bit messy, no neat edges. He left his hometown of Dover in the September of 1983 without ever realising how life expanding university would be.</p>
<p>Slowly, so slowly even he didn’t notice it happening, Hal shed his old life, old friends who never left the town into which they were born and, sadly, he shed his parents.</p>
<p>He didn't do any of this because he was denying his past...he did it because Hal is a man on the run, from his emotional past and in particular one person, Abigail Markham. She was 'the one'. The one that he loved first and last. The one that broke his heart. The one that cut him loose. His withdrawal from his old life and absorption into his new allowed him distance and an excuse never to go back and find out exactly what happened between them.</p>
<p><b>What is the main conflict? </b></p>
<p>Hal married out of his league and he knew it. His wife’s family have money, have never been on the type of rough council estate Hal grew up on let alone been in a council house and they glossed over Hal’s working-class roots and remade him in their image and Hal, for a quiet life, goes along with it. He’s an adaptor but never comfortable in his new role and always guilty of what he’s done to his parents in order to keep the charmed life he now has. Hal needs to man up and get out but he’s loyal and steady and really he’s looking for an excuse.</p>
<p>Hal is also wrestling with his past and is too scared to confront it, to move on and wipe his emotional slate clean. Forces outside of his control, however, end up making the choice for him and he goes back...back to the hometown he left as a teenager and back to the family and friends he's distanced himself from in order to heal his own heart. He's about to get a big wake up call and his life will never be the same again.</p>
<p><b>What is the personal goal of the character?</b></p>
<p>In the beginning Hal is drifting. He knows in his heart of heart he's in the wrong place and with the wrong person but he's also trying to be a 'good bloke'Like most people, circumstances drive him not the other way around and so he finds himself constantly fighting the tide to get upstream. What he really needs is a good old dose of 'closure'. To lay his past to rest so that he can move on with a new heart. He sort of understands this but is at a loss on how to act upon it without causing the hurt he some much desires to avoid. Hal wants to be at peace with himself.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Since-Youve-Been-Gone-Lisa-ebook/dp/B06XYP9MHN/">Since You've Been Gone</a> is available exclusively on Amazon across all markets to download onto your Kindle or Kindle apps and Kindle Unlimited for £2.99.Paperback is available through Amazon for £6.99</p>https://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-14798437746105081142018-01-19T13:09:00.000+00:002018-01-23T13:12:00.973+00:00HIGH SPIRITS - museums, ghosts and musings<p> Do you love museums? Perhaps you have a favourite museum that you visit on a regular basis, even if the displays aren’t changed very much and look a bit old and frayed. Maybe you have a particular museum that you’ve got on your bucket list to visit – mine’s The Smithsonian. Or, you might even fall into that category of people that have no interest whatsoever in the past – pass the smelling salts, Maud!</p>
<p>Whatever you take, museums are a vital part of our cultural heritage and help anchor us to our past or assist us in understanding the past of those with belief systems outside of our own. For that reason they should and must be preserved.</p>
<p>So, it’s not hard to gather that I love museums. I grew up in Dover, Kent and we had a lovely if slightly bizarre museum. It was one of the oldest in Kent being founded in 1836. Originally, the town museum was situated in the Market Square, well within the range of the cross-channel guns during World War II. It was decided to move it to some rooms under the Maison Dieu – Dover’s Town Hall. And there it stayed until 1991 when it was moved back to its original spot.</p>
<p> From an inconspicuous door off the side of the building, one was led into an Old Curiosity Shop of wonders. </p>
<p> The first exhibit to greet the visitor was a polar bear – its teeth bared, paw upraised as if ready to slice down and eviscerate its prey. It was my favourite thing in the whole place. The poor creature was brought back from the Arctic in 1897 by explorer and local doctor Reginald Koettlitz. Its paw is not raised in attack but to hold a lamp! The bear stood in the surgery of the Koettlitz family from 1890 to 1960. My mother liked to find an excuse to visit the surgery, just to see the bear.</p>
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<p>There was limited floor space within and so every nook and cranny was utilised in a way that would probably give today’s museum professional a fit of the vapours but for a child, it was exciting and wondrous.</p>
<p> Unlike today’s modern and often minimalist approach to displays, Dover Museum, at that time had no definite layout or sequencing. It was as if things had been randomly housed with speed, anticipating a temporary solution to the problem. Which, I should imagine it very much was but over the years nobody altered this and that was the key to its fascination; it was as if time just stood still.</p>
<p>The move back to its original site in 1991 heralded a new era for Dover Museum but I think, if I were given the option, I’d like to see the cosy, strange little room of my childhood, just one more time. It was there that my love of history and archaeology was born. </p>
<p>The question, therefore, must arise – why do we choose to house these artefacts at all, and what value do we derive from them? Are they merely passing curiosities or do we connect with them on a deeper, visceral level? Collecting objects from the past is nothing new – archaeology has shown us countless examples of an object from one era, even from millennia before, being appropriated long after its original purpose has past. </p>
<p> As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to appreciate more, the artefact not as a tangible representation of the past but its intrinsic value as something that someone once owned or even cherished. All objects, even the cheap as chips items we buy from the pound store, are created for a purpose but whether we adopt that usage or turn it into something else cannot be defined with the passage of time.</p>
<p>In my latest novel HIGH SPIRITS, Alec, who was the assistant curator at the fictional Partridge Hall, is finding the evolution of museums and displays a struggle, even though he has had seventy-something years to acclimatise himself to these changes. The acceleration of change would have been noticeable to him over the last thirty or so years when museums began to rely more and more on available funding streams and ideas about how artefacts should be mounted and grouped have progressed. </p>
</p> For Alec, the museum was a place of hushed learning where the focus was ‘inward’ towards the work of the curator. This was a world into which the general public ‘the outward’ would be welcome but kept at arm’s length. From reading the words of men who would have been contemporary to Alec were he a real person; one gets the sense of a gentleman’s club rather than a service being provided for the viewing public. The museum was their passion and they were indulging in that at the very best level. I recall visiting Dover Museum with a friend as a pre-teen and the curator allowing us to view the entomology collection that was housed in heavily polished dark wood drawers. It would never occur to us to just open the drawers, which were standing in full view in the middle of the room, and take a look. No, we waited and were shown. A very different norm from today where visitors are positively encouraged to open, prod, pull and explore things through dressing up boxes and interactive activities.</p>
<p>It used to be common practice for the accession number – that is, the number given to an object upon its donation to the museum – to be marked on the small cards that accompanied the artefact into the display case. These days, most museums have done away with this as being irrelevant to the visitor experience. Alec finds this outrageous!</p>
<blockquote>Alec was hovering by the Roman pottery case tutting to himself about the labels that had recently been added.</P>
</P>“How is anybody supposed to understand anything these days,” he muttered.</P>
</P>“Talking to yourself again, I see.”</P>
</P>“I’m the only one that makes sense. Look at this – third-century grey ware.”</P>
</P>“I don’t see the problem.”</P>
</P>Jean knew exactly what the problem was, but she enjoyed pushing Alec’s buttons. It was the only bit of amusement she got these days.</P>
</P>“How?” Alec struggled to contain himself. “It speaks for itself. No context, no site location, no accession number if someone wants to find out more. I blame those new-fangled phones they all seem to be clamped to. Soundbites, they call it, bloody sound bites!” </P></blockquote>
<p>For the best part of 13 years I worked for the Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service and for the last few years before I left I had the good fortune to be able to transfer over to the curatorial side of the museum working first as a Curatorial Assistant in the Collections Office and then as a Project Assistant, both on secondment. Both these roles gave me unprecedented access to the collections and how to manage and look after them. I learned how to accession objects into the collection, mark them correctly, correct storage methods and how to display them.</p>
<p>The storerooms of Colchester Museums contain one of the most significant collections of Roman archaeology outside of London as well as an outstanding collection of costumes and accessories, natural history and post-medieval (social history)artefacts. It was to these stores and the objects contained in them, that my mind turned when describing the workings of Bethan Andrews’s world and how Alec’s was so very different. </P>
<p>In what was the office of the Documentations Officer sat many old, metal card files. On each postcard sized card was carefully typed the object name, sometimes the dimensions, occasionally excavation details, or from which collection they were derived (this was the time of the gentleman collectors upon whose generosity many provincial museums were founded).</p>
<p>Alec would have been very familiar with these gentlemen and probably dined out with them frequently at the Old Coach House.</p>
<blockquote>If Alec could’ve, he’d have passed out with the shock of finding a female curator. In his day, he oft-told Jean (who wished she could put her fingers in her ears and say ‘lalalala’), women were allowed to organise the little shop that sold postcards but never, never were they allowed to be involved in actual ‘curation’.</P>
<P>No, that was a man’s world. The joy of academia. Of sitting in one’s office, smoking a pipe and mulling over a particular archaeological conundrum.
Women had funny ideas about how things should be done, and they most certainly didn’t involve evenings in the room above the Old Coach House, where the local dignitaries gathered for a hearty meal and putting the world to rights. Many a promise of money for this repair or that case had been made by Alec glad-handing the likes of the Hedge or Morgan patriarchs. The town had been built on personal enterprise and that always but always went hand-in-hand with cultural philanthropy.</blockquote>
<p> Of course, these days, the museum services have the use of a bespoke database on which to record all their artefacts and, although the cards were kept by the Documentations Officer, they were a fall back reference as a last resort, having little or nothing to tell (Quote about knowing where everything was).</p>
<p> What a visitor sees on display in a museum is only a very small fraction (usually) of what the museums hold in its stores. It may seem like the simplest of tasks to select a number of objects, perhaps grouped around a theme, and display them but in reality, the various consideration that must be made in order to get an object ‘display ready’ are numerous. Such things as light levels, humidity, and text all have to be carefully thought. Bethan is working on an 18 month lead into exhibitions whereas Alec would probably have had no such considerations and could redisplay at will. No wonder he likes his way of doing things</p>
</p>Today, museums are no longer ‘inward’ but very much ‘outward’ focusing on being seen as less elite and more accessible with displays that make the collections relatable. It was quite natural to find groups of noisy children, roaming the galleries with dog-eared workbooks, their supervisor in tow, trying to get them to focus. Being more child or family-focused sits well within frameworks around funding. No longer is it the case of simply opening the door at 10 am and waiting for the world to wander in. Whole industries and specialists have sprung up around the heritage sector, to advise on demographics and to isolate what particular group is being left out. This gives rise to focus groups which in turn lead to workshopping. </p>
<blockquote>Nowadays, from what Alec could gather, they had meetings with ‘stakeholders’ and were given ‘relationship managers’ from government-funded bodies, who talked in a whole new language about such things as ‘early adopters’ and ‘twilight subsistence’.</P>
<P>Museums had developed in a whole new way, and he didn’t like it one bit.</P>
<P>“How is that any way to do business?” Alec would grumble as the next suit passed through the door and ‘hummed’ and ‘hawed’ and went away with the promise that if the bid was good enough, the money would be forthcoming.</P>
<P>“Since when do museums have to ‘bid’ for money?” He shook his head. “Where are the civic-minded? Do people not give any more?”</P>
<P>Jean would listen with ever decreasing patience to his moaning, and when she couldn’t stand it any longer, she would retreat to another part of the Hall and let him sulk in peace.</blockquote>
</p>In HIGH SPIRITS I’ve tried to relay how Alec feels about his beloved museum, the changes he sees and the sense of frustration he feels. He is stuck at thirty-years-old and 1944, at a time when things were so very different but around him, the world keeps changing and moving forward. I empathise with him, in many respects. The museum of my childhood has long (and quite rightly so) gone. Wandering the galleries at Colchester, I would see children darting around, seeing but not seeing these amazing artefacts and I would wonder why they didn’t experience the same sense of fascination that I did in that one large room under the Town Hall of Dover. </p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/High-Spirits-Lisa-Dyer-ebook/dp/B078Y69WYC">HIGH SPIRITS</a></b> is now available in paperback for £9.99 or to download to your Kindle or Kindle apps for £3.99</p>
https://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-15276814359557856962018-01-18T14:14:00.000+00:002018-01-21T11:18:15.919+00:00Meet my main character - Pol - HIGH SPIRITS<p>Here’s your chance to get to know the main characters in <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/High-Spirits-Lisa-Dyer-ebook/dp/B078Y69WYC">HIGH SPIRITS</a> </p>
<p>So, what’s <b>HIGH SPIRITS</b> all about? </p>
<p>1944 – ALEC EDWARDS world was opened up when he fell in love with JEAN FRANCIS. From the quiet confines of his orderly museum where everything was catalogued, labelled and recorded, he had been propelled into the chaotic realms of romantic attachment. This was during the Second World War, a time of air raids, bombings and rationing. Then the ‘worst’ happened. Alec and Jean were in the museum after hours when the air raid sirens went. Alec, ever the vigilant curator, was loathed to leave his precious collections out of its case and vulnerable and insisted on finishing the job. Jean is less than impressed and a dispute ensued and just as she is in the middle of delivering a right royal ear bashing when a bomb lands…..</p>
<p>It’s 70 something years since the bomb fell and the museum is staging an anniversary exhibition. Part of the original bomb, which caused extensive damage to a wing of the museum is going on display, alongside objects relating to the life and work of Alec. BETHAN ANDREWS is at her wit's end. As the curator of the museum she is leading on the exhibition but there is one small problem – Alec’s life was dedicated to the curation and collection of objects and little is known in the museum about him personally. The museum’s board of trustees has insisted on the anniversary being recognized so in desperation she puts out a public plea for help via the local paper. PATRICK HARMAN, Alec’s great-great nephew, responds. </p>
<p>In the meantime, the local rag has pricked up its ears. Alerted by Bethan’s call for help, a reporter has unearthed a long forgotten tale of ghostly lights and apparitions in the museum; of dead curators seeking their lost treasure. This led to the wealthy but totally batty BASTIAN HEDGES, the producer of the global phenomenon The Ghost Doctor ©, to bribe the Trustees with a big fat cheque, in return for filming his Midsummer Special in the museum.</p>
<p>Patrick arrives with his grandfather, POP, a cantankerous old man, at the museum with memorabilia. Much to Bethan’s horror, she realizes that she and Patrick have crossed paths before as students, in particular at the Student Summer Ball, when Bethan threw her principles to the wind and had a drunken night of passion with Patrick. She is relieved when he appears not to recall her at all. However, she shouldn’t relax. He is just being a gentleman and not letting on! For him, rather than being a blur of alcohol and regret, he rather liked her but then the cold light of day dawn and Bethan was in denial. Now they are thrown back together. </p>
<p>What none of them could realise is…the ghost stories are true; the curator does haunt the museum. The day the bomb dropped, it did more than just damage the wing, it killed Alec and Jean and they’ve spent the past 70 years watching the world go by aided and abetted by a much older ghost, that of POL, an eleven-year-old girl from the Iron Age. </p>
<p>The stage is now set for some ghostly intervention and for love to conquer all.
<p>In this post, we’re going to meet <b>POL</b> a child of the Iron Age. </p>
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<p><b>What is the name of your character? </p></b>
<p>Meet <b>Pol</b> an eleven-year old girl and nearly two thousand year old ghost. </p>
<p><b>What should we know about her? </p></b>
<p>Pol was born to the leader of her clan and lived with her extended community just outside what became Plimpton Market in an area today known as Miller’s Field.</p>
<p> Her clan is part of a wider tribe under a tribal leader.</p>
<p>Pol saw the coming of the Roman army into her world and watched as peace broke down between her father and the local detachment of soldiers. This led to the murder of her clan and propelled her father and his warriors into a bloody ambush in which the detachments of soldiers were all executed. </p>
<p>Pol is a powerful spirit through age and because in life she had special abilities that marked her out for a place in the class known as Vates or seers. Sadly for her, she was used as a sacrifice to the gods in an attempt to thwart the Roman incursions.</p>
<p> She has greater abilities than either Jean or Alec and can manipulate and use everyday objects at will. Her favourite thing is playing games on Seth’s iPod, much to Seth’s chagrin as he can’t work out who is doing it. </p>
<p><b>What is the main conflict? </p></b>
<p>Pol has little in the way of conflicts to deal with because she has had a huge span of time to come to terms with her situation. She was on the land before the first house was built on the site and saw the rise and fall of many properties.</p>
<p>Pol enjoyed living in a family home and seeing the comings and goings of family life. When the last owner died and the house became a museum she felt at her lowest but the arrival of Jean and Alec put an end to her loneliness.</p>
<p><b>What are her personal relationships like and how do they shape her character?</p></b>
</p>Pol had a loving relationship with her parents even though her life was brief. With the coming of Jean and Alec, Pol has found herself a family again and they very much act as a family unit in that respect.</p>
<p> She often defers to Jean or Alec even though her wisdom exceeds theirs. Pol knows a dark secret about the museum and, unknown to either Alec or Jean, she is shielding them from it in order to protect them.</p>
<p>When the trio reveals themselves to Bethan, Pol finds herself quite comfortable with the curator and spends much time with her in the office. </p>
<p><b>How do I get a copy? </p></b>
<p><b>HIGH SPIRITS</b> is now available to download from across the Amazon market to your Kindle or Kindle apps for £3.99 or in paperback for £9.99</p>
https://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-55623176254834160612018-01-17T13:30:00.000+00:002018-01-21T11:17:47.811+00:00Meet my main character - Alec Edwards - HIGH SPIRITS<p>Here’s your chance to get to know the main characters in<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/High-Spirits-Lisa-Dyer-ebook/dp/B078Y69WYC"> HIGH SPIRITS</a></p>
<p>So, what’s <b>HIGH SPIRITS</b> all about? </p>
<p>1944 – ALEC EDWARDS world was opened up when he fell in love with JEAN FRANCIS. From the quiet confines of his orderly museum where everything was catalogued, labelled and recorded, he had been propelled into the chaotic realms of romantic attachment. This was during the Second World War, a time of air raids, bombings and rationing. Then the ‘worst’ happened. Alec and Jean were in the museum after hours when the air raid sirens went. Alec, ever the vigilant curator, was loathed to leave his precious collections out of its case and vulnerable and insisted on finishing the job. Jean is less than impressed and a dispute ensued and just as she is in the middle of delivering a right royal ear bashing when a bomb lands…..</p>
<p>It’s 70 something years since the bomb fell and the museum is staging an anniversary exhibition. Part of the original bomb, which caused extensive damage to a wing of the museum is going on display, alongside objects relating to the life and work of Alec. BETHAN ANDREWS is at her wit's end. As the curator of the museum she is leading on the exhibition but there is one small problem – Alec’s life was dedicated to the curation and collection of objects and little is known in the museum about him personally. The museum’s board of trustees has insisted on the anniversary being recognized so in desperation she puts out a public plea for help via the local paper. PATRICK HARMAN, Alec’s great-great nephew, responds. </p>
<p>In the meantime, the local rag has pricked up its ears. Alerted by Bethan’s call for help, a reporter has unearthed a long forgotten tale of ghostly lights and apparitions in the museum; of dead curators seeking their lost treasure. This led to the wealthy but totally batty BASTIAN HEDGES, the producer of the global phenomenon The Ghost Doctor ©, to bribe the Trustees with a big fat cheque, in return for filming his Midsummer Special in the museum.</p>
<p>Patrick arrives with his grandfather, POP, a cantankerous old man, at the museum with memorabilia. Much to Bethan’s horror, she realizes that she and Patrick have crossed paths before as students, in particular at the Student Summer Ball, when Bethan threw her principles to the wind and had a drunken night of passion with Patrick. She is relieved when he appears not to recall her at all. However, she shouldn’t relax. He is just being a gentleman and not letting on! For him, rather than being a blur of alcohol and regret, he rather liked her but then the cold light of day dawn and Bethan was in denial. Now they are thrown back together. </p>
<p>What none of them could realise is…the ghost stories are true; the curator does haunt the museum. The day the bomb dropped, it did more than just damage the wing, it killed Alec and Jean and they’ve spent the past 70 years watching the world go by aided and abetted by a much older ghost, that of POL, an eleven-year-old girl from the Iron Age. </p>
<p>The stage is now set for some ghostly intervention and for love to conquer all.
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<p>In this post, we’re going to meet <b>ALEC EDWARDS</b>, former assistant curator of Partridge Hall. </p>
<p><b>What is the name of your character? </p></b>
<p>Meet <b>Alec Edwards. </b>Born, lived and died in Plimpton Market, a town set in the rolling South Downs. </p>
<p><b>When and where is the story set? </p></b>
<p>The story begins during the war with the prologue to set the scene as how Alec and Jean met and fell in love before their untimely demise. It then moves onto the present day and picks up on the characters that work in the museum – Bethan, Patrick, Sal, Billy, and Seth. Unbeknown to them, their every move is being observed by three very mischievous ghosts. </p>
<p><b>What should we know about him? </p></b>
<p>Alec is fastidious to the extreme when it comes to his museum – his pride and joy. He developed his enthusiasm for the past as a boy and was fortunate enough to be taken on by the kindly curator, as a school-boy assistant. From there it was only a matter of time before he was employed full-time and spending all his waking hours in his beloved stores. </p>
<p>Alec’s devotion to his museum is such that he never made time for love. That all changes the day he happened to look out of his office window, tucked up in the attics of Partridge Hall, and across to the nearest building. Here, he sees the vision of loveliness that is Jean Francis. From then on, they see each other every day – she would smile and he would nod until fate finally takes a hand and they cross paths outside the local newsagents. </p>
<p>Of course, falling in love doesn’t alter Alec’s fundamental nature. He’s still fussy and prone to being a bit short with Jean. They bicker a lot but ultimately, he loves her with all his heart. </p>
<p>It’s just a shame that his parents and hers were so dead set against them marrying. </p>
<p><b>What is the main conflict? </p></b>
<p>He’s dead and having to live in his cherished museum with all the new-fangled ideas that have come along since his departure from the mortal world. </p>
<p>Alec is stuck in 1944 and aged 30, from a time when objects were recorded in dusty old accession registers and noted down on cards. It was an age when business was conducted over a hearty evening meal in the local coaching house and gifts of money were received from local benefactors who required deferential treatment and a bit of toadying. </p>
<p>Now, it’s all stakeholders and funding managers and people passing through who want to jazz it all up a bit. To top it all off, they keep re-arranging his stores and dammit, he’s just going to have to put it all back again! </p>
<p><b>What are his personal relationships like and how do they shape his character? </p></b>
<p>Alec had a very strained relationship with his own parents. We don’t learn much about his father but it seems his mother was a huge snob and this had filtered down to his sister, Rose, mother of Pop. </p>
<p>They seemed to have some idea that having a curator in the family gave them social standing – they had servants for heaven’s sake! </p>
<p>Alec got out of it all by burying himself in his work, not that it was a hardship –he was never happier than when he was in his museum. He even slept there, in a little camp bed in his office. </p>
<p>Jean opens him up, just a bit. She likes dancing and movies and drags him along to both. He feigns reluctance but he’s besotted with her. She has the biggest influence on him and, if they’d lived, she may well have reformed and softened his character. As it is, Alec is stuck with the mannerisms and idioms from life which makes him sound somewhat stuffy. </p>
<p><b>How do I get a copy? </p></b>
<p><b>HIGH SPIRITS</b> is now available to download from across the Amazon market to your Kindle or Kindle apps for £3.99 or in paperback for £9.99</p>
https://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-91620336617282338702018-01-17T11:47:00.002+00:002018-01-21T11:18:29.277+00:00Meet my main characters - Bethan Andrews - HIGH SPIRITS<p>Here’s your chance to get to know the main characters in <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/High-Spirits-Lisa-Dyer-ebook/dp/B078Y69WYC">HIGH SPIRITS</a> </p>
<p>So, what’s <b>HIGH SPIRITS</b> all about? </p>
<p>1944 – ALEC EDWARDS’ world was opened up when he fell in love with JEAN FRANCIS. From the quiet confines of his orderly museum where everything was catalogued, labelled and recorded, he had been propelled into the chaotic realms of romantic attachment. This was during the Second World War, a time of air raids, bombings and rationing. Then the ‘worst’ happened. Alec and Jean were in the museum after hours when the air raid sirens went. Alec, ever the vigilant curator, was loathed to leave his precious collections out of its case and vulnerable and insisted on finishing the job. Jean is less than impressed and a dispute ensued and just as she is in the middle of delivering a right royal ear bashing when a bomb lands…..</p>
<p>It’s 70 something years since the bomb fell and the museum is staging an anniversary exhibition. Part of the original bomb, which caused extensive damage to a wing of the museum is going on display, wit'sgside objects relating to the life and work of Alec. BETHAN ANDREWS is at her wits end. As the curator of the museum she is leading on the exhibition but there is one small problem – Alec’s life was dedicated to the curation and collection of objects and little is known in the museum about him personally. The museum’s board of trustees has insisted on the anniversary being recognized so in desperation she puts out a public plea for help via the local paper. PATRICK HARMAN, Alec’s great-great nephew, responds. </p>
<p>In the meantime, the local rag has pricked up its ears. Alerted by Bethan’s call for help, a reporter has unearthed a long forgotten tale of ghostly lights and apparitions in the museum; of dead curators seeking their lost treasure. This led to the wealthy but totally batty BASTIAN HEDGES, the producer of the global phenomenon The Ghost Doctor ©, to bribe the Trustees with a big fat cheque, in return for filming his Midsummer Special in the museum.</p>
<p>Patrick arrives with his grandfather, POP, a cantankerous old man, at the museum with memorabilia. Much to Bethan’s horror, she realizes that she and Patrick have crossed paths before as students, in particular at the Student Summer Ball, when Bethan threw her principles to the wind and had a drunken night of passion with Patrick. She is relieved when he appears not to recall her at all. However, she shouldn’t relax. He is just being a gentleman and not letting on! For him, rather than being a blur of alcohol and regret, he rather liked her but then the cold light of day dawn and Bethan was in denial. Now they are thrown back together. </p>
<p>What none of them could realise is…the ghost stories are true; the curator does haunt the museum. The day the bomb dropped, it did more than just damage the wing, it killed Alec and Jean and they’ve spent the past 70 years watching the world go by aided and abetted by a much older ghost, that of POL, an eleven-year-old girl from the Iron Age. </p>
<p>The stage is now set for some ghostly intervention and for love to conquer all.
<p>In this post, we’re going to meet <b>BETHAN ANDREWS</b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ogsFblvv8TPjKnTtymhkwC4zwhIVYNzlQGgV9rV27NCgxkkv4dPi_FkjnZ-AgnyQovx5TIgwq3L_f0H46n160YzvO4l8oBtbF26qPEEYScWt0SSRFFvtkxul8VkDkywNsnYRHjfMqfvp/s1600/Beltane+Fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ogsFblvv8TPjKnTtymhkwC4zwhIVYNzlQGgV9rV27NCgxkkv4dPi_FkjnZ-AgnyQovx5TIgwq3L_f0H46n160YzvO4l8oBtbF26qPEEYScWt0SSRFFvtkxul8VkDkywNsnYRHjfMqfvp/s320/Beltane+Fire.jpg" width="320" height="180" data-original-width="1280" data-original-height="720" /></a></div>
<p><b>What should we know about her? </p></b>
<p>Bethan was born and raised in a small village in the Cotswolds that formed part of an estate belonging to the Farringdon family. Her father owned his own business and Bethan had grown up in the company of Tom Farrington the heir to Lassister Hall and estate. It seemed to the wish of both families that these two would marry and carry on the family name, however, an indiscretion on the part of Bethan put paid to all of that.</p>
<p>Bethan came to Partridge Hall by way of a London museum, which fell to the funding cuts and so she was let go. Plimpton Market and a small museum were not what she had in mind when she started out in the heritage sector and we find her at odds with her role. </p>
<p><b>What is the main conflict? </p></b>
<p> In the beginning we find Bethan attempting to reconcile herself with her role in a small museum. She has come from a dynamic environment to find that she is most definitely second place to the will of the Trustees which she finds most frustrating.</p>
<p><b>What are her personal relationships like and how do they shape her character?</p> </b>
<p> Bethan moved to Plimpton Market and found that her accommodation plans had fallen through. Sal, the museum designer, immediately steps in and offers her a room which Bethan is at pains to point out will only be a short-term arrangement. Five years later and they are still living together in Sal’s old house. This connection is pivotal to Bethan and is more of a mother/daughter relationship than landlady and lodger. Sal is Bethan’s voice of reason and fiercest defender. </p>
<p> Her relationships with her parents are genial and homely although she nearly caused a schism when her romantic attachment to Tom broke off. They play no part in the story but clearly, there are no domestic problems. Having experienced a comfortable upbringing without stress, Bethan has turned out to be a level-headed young woman.</p>
<p> Her relationship with Tom was borne more of familiarity than love and it didn’t take much to expose that truth. She has steered clear of romantic attachment but that is thrown into conflict with the arrival of Patrick – a face from the past.</p>
<p><b>How do I get a copy? </p></b>
<p><b>HIGH SPIRITS</b> is now available to download from across the Amazon market to your Kindle or Kindle apps for £3.99 or in paperback for £9.99</p>
https://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-12492570492526846772018-01-16T13:26:00.000+00:002018-01-23T13:04:07.007+00:00Meet my main characters - Jean Francis - HIGH SPIRITS<p>Here’s your chance to get to know the main characters in <b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/High-Spirits-Lisa-Dyer-ebook/dp/B078Y69WYC">HIGH SPIRITS</a></b></p>
<p>So, what’s <b>HIGH SPIRITS</b> all about?</p>
<p>1944 – ALEC EDWARDS’ world was opened up when he fell in love with JEAN FRANCIS. From the quiet confines of his orderly museum where everything was catalogued, labelled and recorded, he had been propelled into the chaotic realms of romantic attachment. This was during the Second World War, a time of air raids, bombings and rationing. Then the ‘worst’ happened. Alec and Jean were in the museum after hours when the air raid sirens went. Alec, ever the vigilant curator, was loathed to leave his precious collections out of its case and vulnerable and insisted on finishing the job. Jean is less than impressed and a dispute ensued and just as she is in the middle of delivering a right royal ear bashing when the bomb lands…..</p>
<p>It’s 70 something years since the bomb fell and the museum is staging an anniversary exhibition. Part of the original bomb, which caused extensive damage to a wing of the museum is going on display, alongside objects relating to the life and work of Alec. BETHAN ANDREWS is at her wit's end. As the curator of the museum she is leading on the exhibition but there is one small problem – Alec’s life was dedicated to the curation and collection of objects and little is known in the museum about him personally. The museum’s board of trustees has insisted on the anniversary being recognized so in desperation she puts out a public plea for help via the local paper. PATRICK HARMAN, Alec’s great-great nephew, responds.</p>
<p>In the meantime, the local rag has pricked up its ears. Alerted by Bethan’s call for help, a reporter has unearthed a long forgotten tale of ghostly lights and apparitions in the museum; of dead curators seeking their lost treasure. This led to the wealthy but totally batty BASTIAN HEDGES, the producer of the global phenomenon The Ghost Doctor ©, to bribe the Trustees with a big fat cheque, in return for filming his Midsummer Special in the museum.</p>
<p>Patrick arrives with his grandfather, POP, a cantankerous old man, at the museum with memorabilia. Much to Bethan’s horror, she realizes that she and Patrick have crossed paths before as students, in particular at the Student Summer Ball, when Bethan threw her principles to the wind and had a drunken night of passion with Patrick. She is relieved when he appears not to recall her at all. However, she shouldn’t relax. He is just being a gentleman and not letting on! For him, rather than being a blur of alcohol and regret, he rather liked her but then the cold light of day dawn and Bethan was in denial. Now they are thrown back together.</p>
<p>What none of them could realise is…the ghost stories are true; the curator does haunt the museum. The day the bomb dropped, it did more than just damage the wing, it killed Alec and Jean and they’ve spent the past 70 years watching the world go by aided and abetted by a much older ghost, that of POL, an eleven-year-old girl from the Iron Age.</p>
<p>The stage is now set for some ghostly intervention and for love to conquer all.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrWxHniOD1l3H0zyKv72TC9HASzQ-5d7a27vU-FILQor_LRun1DOG2_GhmBQeW2mvofvzvEqwtFXehB75eMEXf5U9aTNXmQLjaEQrmaAUSWzkYbq7uqcUXB7B7SrIcT3dIWl7q6qi_79TP/s1600/Jean+and+fine+china.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrWxHniOD1l3H0zyKv72TC9HASzQ-5d7a27vU-FILQor_LRun1DOG2_GhmBQeW2mvofvzvEqwtFXehB75eMEXf5U9aTNXmQLjaEQrmaAUSWzkYbq7uqcUXB7B7SrIcT3dIWl7q6qi_79TP/s320/Jean+and+fine+china.jpg" width="320" height="180" data-original-width="1280" data-original-height="720" /></a></div>
<p>In this post, we’re going to meet <b>JEAN FRANCIS</b></p>
<p><b>What is the name of your character? </p></b>
<p>Meet <b>Jean Francis</b> Born, lived and died in Plimpton Market, a town set in the rolling South Downs.</p>
<p><b>When and where is the story set?</p></b>
<p>The story begins during the war with the prologue to set the scene as to how Alec and Jean met and fell in love before their untimely demise. It then moves onto the present day and picks up on the characters that work in the museum – Bethan, Patrick, Sal, Billy, and Seth. Unbeknown to them, their every move is being observed by three very mischievous ghosts.</p>
<p><b>What should we know about her?</p></b>
<p>Jean loves life. She’s only 21 and had a job as a secretary in the law firm of Clipper, Clipper and Boughton. She likes to go to the Roxy on a Saturday night and dance, although it’s not what it was before the war! She enjoys putting on a special dress and doing her hair for a night out. She’s from one of the prominent families in Plimpton Market, although they have been somewhat snubbed due to a scandal decades before.</p>
<p>She doesn’t take to dying very easily (well, who does?) and feels lost and out of place in the museum – which by her own admission, she’d never stepped foot in prior to her courtship with Alec.</p>
<p><b>What is the main conflict? </p></b>
<p> It’s taken Jean some time to adjust to eternity especially as Alec revels in being in his beloved museum 24/7. Her transition has been helped by the presence of Pol and gradually she began to view the museum as her home into which she welcomed visitors –even if those visitors couldn’t see her.</p>
<p>She often wonders about her relationship with Alec and whether she would have managed his proclivities if they’d lived. Sometimes, she wishes she could move on. </p>
<p><b>What are her personal relationships like and how do they shape her character?</p></b>
</p>Jean had been brought up in the knowledge that her family, although with a stain on their reputation due to the affair of an ancestor, were something in the town. Her parents were of independent means, although her father expected both her and her sister, Violet, to earn a living. She’d been given the job of secretary on the back of her father being a member of the local Freemasons lodge so she’d never really experienced hardship</p>
<p>Her relationship with Alec came as a surprise to her friends and was frowned upon by her family who hoped that one of the daughters would marry into one of the still socially respectable families and thus restore their own reputation by association.</p>
<p>Alec really wasn’t the type that one would image Jean being attached to but there you go – love is blind! </p>
<p>Seventy-something years have not dulled her love of Alec but revealing herself to Bethan opens her world up far more than if she had lived and given her something to hold onto. </p>
<p><b>How do I get a copy? </p></b>
<p><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/High-Spirits-Lisa-Dyer-ebook/dp/B078Y69WYC">HIGH SPIRITS</a></b> is now available to download from across the Amazon market to your Kindle or Kindle apps for £3.99 or in paperback for £9.99</p>
https://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-17333129704026881972018-01-15T16:02:00.002+00:002018-01-15T16:02:43.547+00:00Would you like to get regular updates?<p> If you'd like to keep up to date with my writing and publishing then I've set up a newsletter subscription on my webpage. </p>
<p> Please visit L<a href="https://www.lisadyerauthor.com/contact.html">isa Dyer Author</a> to subscribe. I won't spam you or pass on your email to third parties and I will only contact you for as long as you permit.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqDuOxcS-osLbFYHUTU34filJqLl8Xk-EFOxrGIo1dLtWfdhFn3OeFyhyphenhyphenLQKh8Y0iB01trgOdV8o3jjpOHpGMdhWKHPki7hgNFAxvoIQcvjklCiBDfz2Ort1ArCVt_bWNBz9TPzbhMRgC/s1600/Lady+writer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqDuOxcS-osLbFYHUTU34filJqLl8Xk-EFOxrGIo1dLtWfdhFn3OeFyhyphenhyphenLQKh8Y0iB01trgOdV8o3jjpOHpGMdhWKHPki7hgNFAxvoIQcvjklCiBDfz2Ort1ArCVt_bWNBz9TPzbhMRgC/s320/Lady+writer.jpg" width="320" height="320" data-original-width="299" data-original-height="299" /></a></div>https://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-21573606161226045782018-01-14T10:52:00.000+00:002018-01-14T11:05:51.771+00:00Launch!<p> I'm so happy that the launch went well yesterday. At it's height High Spirits was sitting at number 14 in its genre. It's now at 32 which is thrilling.</>
<p> If you haven't got your copy yet, head over to <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/High-Spirits-Lisa-Dyer-ebook/dp/B078Y69WYC">Amazon</a>, and download it today for £3.99 </>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZ1dL1OrCMNNYWucTc64FGMVWkS8wQZlku2Sg-8w06-holK8MBMT8sMP8_Wz8R2lD9lDXD3G-hyvZ7hHItb5vIBSxadGbIoFLClcEy7sQy4wd3arMUKRiADoQOvqXjfgvFHK3H_RTw27J/s1600/Launch+advert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZ1dL1OrCMNNYWucTc64FGMVWkS8wQZlku2Sg-8w06-holK8MBMT8sMP8_Wz8R2lD9lDXD3G-hyvZ7hHItb5vIBSxadGbIoFLClcEy7sQy4wd3arMUKRiADoQOvqXjfgvFHK3H_RTw27J/s320/Launch+advert.jpg" width="320" height="180" data-original-width="1280" data-original-height="720" /></a></div>https://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-15067288074869886032018-01-13T11:28:00.000+00:002018-01-13T11:29:52.138+00:00HIGH SPIRITS - get a copy now!! <p>The Kindle edition is now live on <a href="www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B078Y69WYC">Amazon</a> </p>
https://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-17193867721494507602018-01-01T11:31:00.000+00:002018-01-03T10:42:44.073+00:00DELAYEDDue to illness, the release will be delayed
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsSp6f87dwMc21LvTRMCho2SwWfKQOnPUIDvyJyrb_RPdJNTXQpB4JUlXW6FR2oSUcoY7aSHVBH14q3583g3nlRu-8IrKquPIuLKRiGk_1ykqZn6OdumweuCSb80nMKw-RJI6djZD-cWc/s1600/delay+in+publishing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsSp6f87dwMc21LvTRMCho2SwWfKQOnPUIDvyJyrb_RPdJNTXQpB4JUlXW6FR2oSUcoY7aSHVBH14q3583g3nlRu-8IrKquPIuLKRiGk_1ykqZn6OdumweuCSb80nMKw-RJI6djZD-cWc/s320/delay+in+publishing.jpg" width="320" height="180" data-original-width="1280" data-original-height="720" /></a></div>https://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-52549466798758469452017-12-31T23:59:00.000+00:002017-12-31T23:59:15.654+00:00Happy New Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0VNzphdaOGe1oZuTg9yuNzM_Of8kCBrdMnkTcCvw9oF162NmCZSDGqian-og8aneAh7IFceT0jvBqYi9xDRsoCoy4H__qFzvCl2yHyDSZf4tKrUr2j61YK0sJmVpKg4OUbG8uZuFyQtb/s1600/Happy+New+Year.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0VNzphdaOGe1oZuTg9yuNzM_Of8kCBrdMnkTcCvw9oF162NmCZSDGqian-og8aneAh7IFceT0jvBqYi9xDRsoCoy4H__qFzvCl2yHyDSZf4tKrUr2j61YK0sJmVpKg4OUbG8uZuFyQtb/s320/Happy+New+Year.jpg" width="320" height="180" data-original-width="1280" data-original-height="720" /></a></div>https://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-70696882666550020322017-12-16T10:50:00.002+00:002017-12-16T10:55:25.635+00:00SALE NOW ON!<p>For 48 hours, <a href="www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XYP9MHN">Since You've Been Gone</a> and<a href="www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01NAO2RQA"> Tales for the Fireside </a>will be available to download for 99p/99c on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com </p>
<p>Check your local Amazon website for discounts.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf8dzIq7Sj6J7vn9iYxKuBtBrQ4bOVKPmKt2JaYoA3mk1VSmnwqZbbZVgFiETfXUHOZ2jmP7VtNFcNyOKI6LnbkExggn7UR4BOXz9s3FfpDNgqigfufqm7cyxdPD9l6N2_NILBiWb6c3MC/s1600/both+books+blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf8dzIq7Sj6J7vn9iYxKuBtBrQ4bOVKPmKt2JaYoA3mk1VSmnwqZbbZVgFiETfXUHOZ2jmP7VtNFcNyOKI6LnbkExggn7UR4BOXz9s3FfpDNgqigfufqm7cyxdPD9l6N2_NILBiWb6c3MC/s320/both+books+blue.jpg" width="320" height="180" data-original-width="1280" data-original-height="720" /></a></div>https://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-70454176072456655842017-12-15T18:00:00.000+00:002017-12-15T18:00:13.488+00:00Flash Sale - starts tomorrow!<p>To celebrate the release of <a href="http://www.lisadyerauthor.com/highspirits.html">HIGH SPIRITS</a> on January 6th I'm discounting Since You've Been Gone and Tales for the Fireside (ebooks) to 99p for 48 hours over the weekend 15-16 December.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRorFDxEvqX6f_zu-hadUmi3WstbgfP51-vs_1yt6U57RRAkuan58kMAZ2T5E3rUSB_RLcvm7sPUWtoyH0D849Az4GjRdWCGTRKVywgXXKNcyQL10ijvROvC4Fr4N9VPu3BEiF_jv_hP5t/s1600/TFTF+Blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRorFDxEvqX6f_zu-hadUmi3WstbgfP51-vs_1yt6U57RRAkuan58kMAZ2T5E3rUSB_RLcvm7sPUWtoyH0D849Az4GjRdWCGTRKVywgXXKNcyQL10ijvROvC4Fr4N9VPu3BEiF_jv_hP5t/s320/TFTF+Blue.jpg" width="320" height="180" data-original-width="1280" data-original-height="720" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZY5T_JJvSHx8TbEOcxJiXzn91cbxKKv2AJlAOcujqIi1KR62N39ecbD3bJQSwrvBTs8yjmTqbFdGO-HBNhezT-VyWueu_A3PthNwUq_tSfAelfK4gn2Zkww7o6E_0J5yBYDBzu828R8p/s1600/SYBG+gold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZY5T_JJvSHx8TbEOcxJiXzn91cbxKKv2AJlAOcujqIi1KR62N39ecbD3bJQSwrvBTs8yjmTqbFdGO-HBNhezT-VyWueu_A3PthNwUq_tSfAelfK4gn2Zkww7o6E_0J5yBYDBzu828R8p/s320/SYBG+gold.jpg" width="320" height="180" data-original-width="1280" data-original-height="720" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAcq-rlT9uBzAZk8jx7ARcpBxDlP2GPc2l0bcOIW0idX3tOjuD04lFH-DDpTvL8t4RHfpufujsy31owIGsmB_lLbDXFAXWxVL8XTXbJp71lV8hFO3QjXG6doZo2No4Hh_vs5uMZerlQ6Ax/s1600/99p+sale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAcq-rlT9uBzAZk8jx7ARcpBxDlP2GPc2l0bcOIW0idX3tOjuD04lFH-DDpTvL8t4RHfpufujsy31owIGsmB_lLbDXFAXWxVL8XTXbJp71lV8hFO3QjXG6doZo2No4Hh_vs5uMZerlQ6Ax/s320/99p+sale.jpg" width="320" height="180" data-original-width="1280" data-original-height="720" /></a></div>
<p>Find out more by visiting my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lisadyerauthor">Facebook page</a> or visit my <a href="http://www.lisadyerauthor.com/">webpage</a></p>https://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-73644854376903803572017-12-09T11:30:00.000+00:002017-12-09T11:30:12.281+00:00Haunted Mansions - part four<p>My final haunted mansion is Michelham Priory. </p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAiM54UYRBmWEMmt49IytGP71uBYxysQoP5gRo7lVJ9v-E3PB7a42UbJpc3fEgmqz1_niByTKSuBpsvLoxEV1gwmA8Ls1WY1Do2zPQgefKxXCel_EM8ahTVZeWV2LR_JZsgpz7cSyPZx3/s1600/Michelham+Priory.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAiM54UYRBmWEMmt49IytGP71uBYxysQoP5gRo7lVJ9v-E3PB7a42UbJpc3fEgmqz1_niByTKSuBpsvLoxEV1gwmA8Ls1WY1Do2zPQgefKxXCel_EM8ahTVZeWV2LR_JZsgpz7cSyPZx3/s320/Michelham+Priory.jpg" width="320" height="200" data-original-width="500" data-original-height="312" /></a>
<p>Michelham Priory, founded in 1229, was in service to the church up until the Desolation of the Monasteries in the 16th Century. </p>
<p>The church was subsequently demolished, and the main building was turned into a home. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>Poltergeist activity has also been reported with doors and windows which slam seemingly of their own accord. </p>
<p><b>In my forthcoming novel <a href="http://www.lisadyerauthor.com/highspirits.html">HIGH SPIRITS</a> 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. </b></p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>For many years I worked at Dover Castle, probably one of the finest medieval castles in the world. </p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDya07wYnRDroWYF7PuN-B270DjfhBvKVU6WNDt9Xp-FNp0ONiMyGlDYrFQ8SbTdP9fJFSz0TCVLkYJ7UKL6pJcrKgs-v2-QLeAF3_upQem2wDuI9F6kn-QhNdrbGassgpdfssIvP9Y9y9/s1600/dover1.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDya07wYnRDroWYF7PuN-B270DjfhBvKVU6WNDt9Xp-FNp0ONiMyGlDYrFQ8SbTdP9fJFSz0TCVLkYJ7UKL6pJcrKgs-v2-QLeAF3_upQem2wDuI9F6kn-QhNdrbGassgpdfssIvP9Y9y9/s320/dover1.jpg" width="320" height="258" data-original-width="468" data-original-height="377" /></a>
<p>The most famous ghost is that of the Headless Drummer Boy who reputedly haunts the battlements near the Constable Tower. </p>
<p>Like all of these things, this tale has grown over the years.
<p>In 1945 the Dover Express reported: </p>
<blockquote><p>Dover Express - Friday 02 March 1945</p></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>And Now a Ghost! </p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>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. </p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>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!</p> </blockquote>
<blockquote><p>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.</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>Dover Express - Friday 13 July 1945</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>CASTLE GHOST NONSENSE.</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>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:-</p> </blockquote>
<blockquote><p>"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." </p>
<p>[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.]</p></blockquote>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>Hmmm…well, okay, if you say so! </p>
<p>Again, the tale has got bigger with each telling. </p>
<p>This was how it was reported on the pages of paranormal group who visited the castle for a night vigil in 1991: </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>Well, nearly right, I suppose! </p>
<p>Sometimes, the half a leg is a whole leg and climbing the spiral stairs…</p>
<p>Moving on from Dover Castle, I next spent 13 years in the employ of the Colchester Museum Service (now Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service). </p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAS_a6NseQLtLevumLYXgBTmaExdLP4t_OECK6w6QFsVDk4hYKZY2y59Rzx931ZEn3sES8IG-0v_cd1pyR5fw1FKNurPvM1LmBRtXDbdK_9Mfxa3jveL-QZWfEevTFawdTWmye36xSjjB/s1600/250px-Colchester_castle_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAS_a6NseQLtLevumLYXgBTmaExdLP4t_OECK6w6QFsVDk4hYKZY2y59Rzx931ZEn3sES8IG-0v_cd1pyR5fw1FKNurPvM1LmBRtXDbdK_9Mfxa3jveL-QZWfEevTFawdTWmye36xSjjB/s320/250px-Colchester_castle_800.jpg" width="320" height="239" data-original-width="250" data-original-height="187" /></a>
<p>For the keep itself (misleadingly called Colchester Castle) I never felt much in the way of bad vibes. Even in the prison area. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>Another check confirmed that all tiles were intact. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>Again, no external damage was found. </p>
<p>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. </p>
https://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-65659036539109241812017-12-07T13:43:00.000+00:002017-12-07T13:43:29.323+00:00The Canterville Ghost<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJgooueDf6XtGf9PCQnM29FcFAve4Fou8mcpRdOPtCXUPLr1Bj4lu05YjOpSRYKM6gdBP7uiWh7mxTmyR_Ja_BvfNoa0ppbZIjTE3a95WqaNhYwrHWgQhpU_sZUa2FgKKq317Ualm2GYpe/s1600/Canterville+Ghost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJgooueDf6XtGf9PCQnM29FcFAve4Fou8mcpRdOPtCXUPLr1Bj4lu05YjOpSRYKM6gdBP7uiWh7mxTmyR_Ja_BvfNoa0ppbZIjTE3a95WqaNhYwrHWgQhpU_sZUa2FgKKq317Ualm2GYpe/s320/Canterville+Ghost.jpg" width="320" height="250" data-original-width="702" data-original-height="549" /></a></div>
<p>I love <b>The Canterville Ghost</b>, particularly Charles Laughton's version (although it's hard not to enjoy Patrick Stewart's turn as the irascible old ghost)</p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>Lord Canterville then curses his doomed cowardly son to find no rest until "a kinsman shall perform an act of bravery" in his name.</p>
<p>Over the centuries, Sir Simon becomes famous as the most terrifying ghost in all of England.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Jessica soon discovers that one of the soldiers, Cuffy, is a Canterville and with his help, she overcomes her own terror of the ghost. </p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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. </p> https://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-75867823310199090802017-12-05T15:00:00.000+00:002017-12-05T15:00:18.410+00:00Blithe Spirit<p>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 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038363/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Blithe Spirit</a> is a joyous affair made all the better for the wonderful performance by Margaret Rutherford as Madame Arcati.</p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>The dialogue, in typical Coward style, is fast, witty and slightly risqué in parts (online being deemed too much for US ears). </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihIrt_CPSI-rI9NX-eGiwjdRVNNeCo6icCq7hXzkYw3Vo3wLnC5swPzhhNINmmF8iCygynwqmvrIdWzID7Mfvr8bHXWZYTHIKvW4atXwXuHs1c8TcJcDw3EkBsw-bCFggozf81F0dLVL5n/s1600/Blithe+Spirit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihIrt_CPSI-rI9NX-eGiwjdRVNNeCo6icCq7hXzkYw3Vo3wLnC5swPzhhNINmmF8iCygynwqmvrIdWzID7Mfvr8bHXWZYTHIKvW4atXwXuHs1c8TcJcDw3EkBsw-bCFggozf81F0dLVL5n/s320/Blithe+Spirit.jpg" width="320" height="199" data-original-width="284" data-original-height="177" /></a></div>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Of course, when this happens it doesn’t make Ruth feel any better!</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Now a spirit herself, Ruth exacts revenge on Elvira by harassing her, so she wants to leave.</p>
<p>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!</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>In my forthcoming novel <a href="http://www.lisadyerauthor.com/highspirits.html">HIGH SPIRITS</a>, 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.</p>
<blockquote><p><b>Excerpt:</b></p>
<p>Darren looked around the room as he waited for Steve to finish.</p>
<p>“Reckon it’s true about this place being haunted.”</p>
<p>“You what?”</p>
<p>“Straight up! Reckon it’s the old curator.”</p>
<p>“Blimey, must have been a saddo to want to be in here during his life let alone haunt it forever!”</p>
<p><i>“Well, the damn cheek of it!”</p></i>
<p><b><i>“Now, Alec, don’t lose your temper!”</p></b></i>
<p><b><u><i>“I’ll show him!” </p></b></u></i>
<p><b><i>“Pol! No!” </p></b></i>
<p>It was too late; Pol was off.</p>
<p>“Yeah, think they’d have better things to do in their….” Darren’s voice trailed off as something caught his eye. </p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>“Okay, mate, you stop that!”</p>
<p>Steve stopped what he was doing and peered down the ladder. “What’d you say?”</p>
<p>The shape continued to move, to grow as the clothes took on a form.</p>
<p>“I said, enough!” Darren could feel the hairs on the back of his head standing up, and he had the greatest desire to pee.</p>
<p>Steve looked over to see what Darren was seeing, and the screwdriver fell from his hand, nearly hitting the petrified Darren on the head.</p>
<p>“What is that?” he stuttered.</p>
<p>“Someone messing about!” Darren was trying to sound braver than he felt. “Oi! I said enough!”</p>
<p>“I don’t like this!” said Steve coming down the ladder. </p>
<p>The two men stood shoulder to shoulder as the clothing, seemingly devoid of a wearer danced around before them. </p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><b><i>“Alec, don’t encourage her!”</p></b></i>
<p><i>“Serves them right, I say!”</p></i>
<p>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.</p>
<p>The two men fled into the hall outside, almost falling over themselves in their rush to get out of the room.</p>
<p>Alec and Jean roared with laughter as Pol stepped out of the clothing, leaving it where it fell on the floor.</p></blockquote>
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https://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-36391372299434604742017-12-02T13:37:00.000+00:002017-12-02T13:37:02.010+00:00Haunted Mansion Part Three<p>Welcome back to my tour of haunted mansions. </p>
In this post I've selected three wonderful buildings.</p>
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<p>The first is <b>Belgrave Hall,</b> 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.</p>
<p>The White Lady reputedly haunts the rooms of Belgrave Hall and is said to be one of these daughters, Charlotte. </p>
<p>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'. </p>
<p>Often, sightings are accompanied by smells of fresh bread and gingerbread.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Another interesting sighting is a ghost from before the Hall was built.</p>
<blockquote><b>Excerpt</p> </b>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p> </blockquote>
<p>Next up:<b> Christchurch Mansion, Ipswich, Suffolk.</b></p>
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<p>Christchurch Mansion, originally called 'Withipoll House' by its owner, is a Grade I listed Tudor era mansion which now serves as a museum.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>A third ghost, that of a young servant girl is said to have been seen in the property having passed away under mysterious circumstances.</p>
<blockquote><p><b>Excerpt</p></b>
<p>“Have I ever told you, how beautiful you are?” he said.</p>
<p>Jean smiled. </p>
<p>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.</p> </blockquote>
<p>Lastly, let's hear about <b>Chillingham Castle</b> in Northumberland, the seat of the Grey and Bennet families from the 15th century until the 1980s.</p>
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<p>Originally a monastery, it commanded a strategic position between England and Scotland.</p>
<p>Today, Chillingham Castle enjoys the reputation as one of England’s most haunted castle.</p>
<p>From the White Pantry Ghost to the Voices in the Chapel, Chillingham has a chilling history of hauntings.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>The pale figure is still seen to this day, begging for water leading some to believe that she was poisoned.</p>
<p>A dark creeping sensation has been felt in one of the chambers, leading to an oppressive atmosphere. Something unseen yet moving lurks therein.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><b> Excerpt </p></b>
<blockquote><p>Pol had spotted the shadow, and her eyes grew wide with fear. </p>
<p>“I can’t,” her voice trembled. “He’s coming.”</p>
<p>Bethan followed Pol’s petrified stare. Some of the audience members closest to the wall looked down and could see the swirling mass. </p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>“Pol,” said Bethan, trying to get the girl to focus, “Pol, listen to me, you must focus okay, we have to end this now!”</p>
<p>Pol nodded. “He took a pig skull into the store; its smell helped to mask the gas.”</p>
<p>The shadow began to rise, taking a new form, that of a man, with clothes that hung loosely on his gaunt frame. </p> </blockquote>
https://lisadyerauthor.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/03987078839914518196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523884758874296339.post-73808545077134579752017-12-01T10:17:00.000+00:002017-12-01T10:17:02.337+00:00The Ghost and Mrs Muir<p>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 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039420/?ref_=nv_sr_1">The Ghost and Mrs Muir.</a></p>
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<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>He's also not very keen on Lucy living there but, after they chat, he reluctantly allows Lucy to live there unhindered.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><blockquote>"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.</blockquote></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Heartbroken, Lucy returns to Gull Cottage and spends the rest of her life as a recluse.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p> My latest novel features a love story in the afterlife. <a href="http://www.lisadyerauthor.com/highspirits.html">HIGH SPIRITS</a> finds Alec and Jean spending eternity in his beloved museuem.</p>
<p><b>Excerpt</b></p>
<blockquote><p>Alec turned the page, but there was nothing else.</p>
“Alec?”
<p>Alec snapped shut the diary and turned to the doorway to see Jean just inside.</p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>“Have I ever told you, how beautiful you are?” he said. </p>
<p>Jean smiled. </p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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. </blockquote></p>
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<p> 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. </p>
<p> It feels like a wildly unlikely place to find a haunting, amidst the bustle of life in the capital.</p>
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<p>Charles Harper in Haunted Houses, published in 1907 stated that <blockquote>“… 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…”</blockquote> </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>In more recent times, people in the building have experienced the sense of something standing behind them, only finding nothing there. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<P>In my forthcoming novel <a href="http://www.lisadyerauthor.com/highspirits.html">HIGH SPIRITS</a>, 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. </p>
<p>Excerpt</p>
<blockquote><p> 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. </p>
<p> 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. </p>
<p> 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. </p></blockquote>
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