With my book about to come out next month, I thought I would tell the story behind the story. If you have a spare five minutes to sit and read. Back in March 2011, I had the idea for a story line based on a misconception. The lead character is Pat Canella. The story started [...]
Enjoy this excerpt from “The Sounding” by debut author, Carrie Salo! Lorenze strapped his uniform on, knowing where every clasp and buckle fell exactly. Still, something about it felt foreign: he had not worn it in several days. Several very, very long days. The red, blue and yellow stripes that Michelangelo designed for the guard [...]
Sarah felt the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand and she knew without turning round that he was behind her. Her hand shook as she placed the last bundle of vervain into her basket and her heart beat painfully against her breast as she straightened up. “Trespassing again, Miss Cleary?” She looked [...]
Though I have heard thousands of ghost stories over the years, very few have involved witches and I was intrigued when Bill told me his next tale was about the murder of a witch. Sarah was not in fact a witch, but it suited her accuser to condemn her as such. I met Bill early on Wednesday [...]
There were still a couple of hours of daylight left when we set off for the wood. I was wrapped up against the chill in a heavy coat and gloves, but Bill wore only his threadbare jacket. I’ve bought him gloves and hats in the past, but he refuses to wear them. He says he’s [...]
Prologue: Ise, Japan–1910, C.E. The bullet struck the old man’s shoulder. Piercing his suit jacket, the deadly projectile skimmed off the thin layer of protective mesh the old man wore underneath his clothes and ricocheted away like an errant beam of light. Spun completely around by the force of the shot, the old man fell hard [...]
As a father, what would you do if your wife died in the twin towers (9-11), and, ten years later, your daughter was listed as having been killed in a training accident in boot camp but you believed she was actually still alive?
The world had never been kind to lovers. Those who have fallen in love unwisely have often met with the most horrifying acts of cruelty, even death. From the middle ages and right up to the present day, we read of those who have suffered at the hands of disapproving parents, whose anger had spurred [...]
She arrived to find the teahouse packed. She hesitated inside the entrance looking around for any man with dark hair wearing a navy sweater and grey slacks.
The circumstances are in my favour. Overcast skies and marsh gas mixed with early morning mist and plenty of cover. I scan the derelict house with my binoculars. I know my quarry is holed up somewhere inside; all the signs I have seen tracking him here, point to it. He is tired, worn out and maybe [...]
