Welcome to my stop on the Rosie Shadow blog tour, hosted by Literally PR! Today I have a guest post by author Louise Worthington, but first here’s what this spooky sounding book is about:
“Whatcha crying for, sissy? Why don’t you grow a pair?’ Rosie says to her mother…‘Send me to school and I’ll rip off your arm! Beat you with the stump.’
Abandoned by her terrorised mother at the age of six, Rosie Shadow will do anything to win the affection of her father Archie, an undead cannibal in charge of Her Majesty’s Prison Shortbury, now operating as a visitor attraction.
Clare is sent reeling into Archie’s arms with the grief of losing her boyfriend in a mysterious car accident when he collides with an ancient yew tree.
The secrets in the Medieval dungeon beneath the prison are under threat when Clare becomes suspicious of Archie’s true identity and his progeny.
Rosie Shadow is Book I in The Black Tongue Series.
THE HORROR OF HUMANITY by Louise Worthington
What inspired me to write Rosie Shadow
Places have scar tissue too…so does that mean they have a memory?
It’s not just man-made constructs which remember horror in the thickness of the walls and the slant of the tiles; so does nature – be it an ancient tree, or a poppy field, or a neglected vegetable garden. You could argue the darkness is being projected by the onlooker, but is it?
The Gothic genre has seen great writers, like Poe for example, make buildings a central character in a dark narrative, such as The House of Usher. It’s visits like the one I made recently to Shrewsbury prison, now a visitor attraction, which convinced me of the indelible thumbprint of history in inanimate constructs.
I think flawed characters make the most interesting ones, and buildings -or settings – marked by a dark history, have a similar appeal. The interaction of the two create great narratives in my view.
My horror novel, Rosie Shadow, book one in the Black Tongue Series is inspired by this idea. It’s set in a prison complete with Medieval dungeon.
Check me and the horror book out here – and next time you’re near an ancient yew tree, or a canal bridge, stop a while…
About the Author:
Born in Cheshire, England, LOUISE WORTHINGTON studied literature at the University of Essex. As a teenager she read until the small hours, enjoying the darker worlds conjured by Stephen King and Daphne du Maurier. Louise’s first novel, Distorted Days, was described by Kirkus Review as ‘a formidable work’. Her chilling blend of the lyrical and the dark is the most gripping in her thrillers and, forthcoming, horrors. When Louise isn’t reading or writing, you’ll most likely find her outside enjoying the Shropshire countryside with her husband or messing about with her daughter, and furry and feathered friends.
I don’t typically read horror but this sounds like a pretty interesting concept for a novel.
Suzanne @ The Bookish Libra recently posted…Can’t Wait Wednesday – ISN’T IT BROMANTIC? by Lyssa Kay Adams
I agree, it’s different for sure!
Really hope you enjoy reading it!
Louise Worthington recently posted…Beta reading and critiques
Sounds like an interesting one. I honestly get excited anytime ‘gothic’ is mentioned lol.
Gothic – did somebody mention gothic. I love the cover for this – and flawed characters. Colour me happy.
Lynn 😀