I live in my old family home where there are portraits (mainly
military) dating back over 300 years. We also have original diaries covering
battles and military excursions, mainly in India, over the same period. My
grandmother was convinced that the house is haunted. And it is my very own house that became an inspiration for my novel Catacombs of the Damned. The photo on the front
cover of Catacombs of the Damned is of my “haunted” home. I think you'll agree that it
certainly does look spooky!
In my home, there are literally thousands of books everywhere and as a
child I was encouraged to read, and read, and read. I was lucky, to a certain
extent, because my early years were lived without TV, so social interaction and
reading was the only form of entertainment. Other than read, I used to go to
the Dorchester museum and cycle the ridges of maiden castle. In growing up in
Dorset, Roman history became very much a part of my life. So history is very
real to me.
Since my childhood, I have developed a keen interest in ghost and
horror stories. This interest led to me to penning Catacombs of the Damned. And
in Catacombs of the Damned, I make many references to my years of acquired
historical knowledge.
With the bible being the greatest adventure book ever written, I was inspired to make a central theme of Ezekiel chapter 37, where
the resurrection has been described in the field of bones. The great Michelangelo
also made frequent references to this in much of his work.
The fictional village of Little Daunting that I created in Catacombs
of the Damned sits on “ley lines”. I briefly describe them in my book. One of
the wonders of the world, Stonehenge is also reputed sit on a ley line.
In Chapter 9, I include a brief description of a witch’s trial of the
1660s. I also give an accurate description of a “typical” hill fort, like that of maiden
castle in chapter 19.
Along with history, I have a very deep love of the countryside and I draw
on this love and refer to my knowledge of it throughout my book. My inspiration
for my references to nature is Thomas Hardy (I lived next to his cottage in
Higher Bockhampton for several years), and other writers and artists, such as
Beningfield, who have written and drawn much about the seasons.
Motivated by my great enthusiasm for history, I have decided to create
a series of articles to share my knowledge, passion and general curiosity. I
will begin publishing the series shortly, so keep an eye on my Twitter and
Facebook updates. Alternatively, you can follow my blog by email and be the
first to know when they go live.
Catacombs of the Damned is available in paperback and for Kindle:
