research, Writing

Carmilla: Week 2

I. An Early Fright In Styria, we, though by no means magnificent people, inhabit a castle, or schloss. A small income, in that part of the world, goes a great way. Eight or nine hundred a year does wonders. Scantily enough ours would have answered among wealthy people at home. My father is English, and… Continue reading Carmilla: Week 2

reads, Recent Reads

American Rapture

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ** I received an ARC for an honest review ** Description A virus is spreading across America, transforming the infected and making them feral with lust.  Sophie, a good Catholic girl, must traverse the hellscape of the midwest to try to find her family while the world around her burns. Along the way she… Continue reading American Rapture

research, Writing

Avoiding Vampire Creation

Vampires, Burial and Death by Paul Barber includes a chapter which has been part of my current research rabbit-holes. This chapter looks at the various methods of body disposal and the cultural beliefs surrounding death and corpses particularly to the prevention of creating vampires or revenants. A summary of the relevant points: Summary The importance… Continue reading Avoiding Vampire Creation

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Carmilla: Week 1

To celebrate the approaching Spooky Season and coinciding with my deep dive research into vampires, I’ll share a chapter each week from the classic book Carmilla By Sheridan Le Fanu Prologue Upon a paper attached to the Narrative which follows, Doctor Hesselius has written a rather elaborate note, which he accompanies with a reference to… Continue reading Carmilla: Week 1

research, Writing

Reviewer Hack!

Do you prefer to read ebooks? I do because I love reading so many different books at a time and my Kindle is my portable library. But if you also like to do reviews and you’ve been given an electronic ARC version? You want to support the authors you’re reviewing for or judging but I… Continue reading Reviewer Hack!

research, Writing

Why ebooks? Accessibility!

I read ebooks and I’ve enjoyed the switch. Of course many textbooks are more affordable and conversely, sometimes research tomes are better suited to the physical shelf. So, why do I prefer ebooks (and Kindle preference here) is the light-weight tablets and easier physical reading process. As part of my disability, I often get cramped… Continue reading Why ebooks? Accessibility!

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The Haunting of Alejandra

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Description Alejandra no longer knows who she is. To her husband, she is a wife, and to her children, a mother. To her own adoptive mother, she is a daughter. But they cannot see who Alejandra has become: a woman struggling with a darkness that threatens to consume her. Nor can they see what… Continue reading The Haunting of Alejandra

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The Haunting of Hill House

Publisher’s Description Four seekers have arrived at the rambling old pile known as Hill House- Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of psychic phenomena; Theodora, his lovely assistant; Luke, the future inheritor of the estate; and Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman with a dark past. As they begin to cope with… Continue reading The Haunting of Hill House

Short Fiction, Writing

Wimbledon Common Release

My first stories for children and younger readers were published on 26 November 2022 in Wimbledon Common from Black Hare Press. My children’s story “Grace’s Kingdom” was inspired by classics like Alice in Wonderland, The Secret Garden, The Chronicles of Narnia all featuring protagonists exploring magical worlds hidden to all but them while escaping a… Continue reading Wimbledon Common Release

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Briar Rose

Publisher’s Description Robert Coover's many acclaimed works of fiction have established him as a powerhouse among America's postmodernist writers. With Briar Rose, he casts his own unmistakable style on an ageless tale. A brilliant recreation of the timeless Sleeping Beauty story, Briar Rose tells of a prince trapped in the briars; a sleeping beauty who… Continue reading Briar Rose