Blog Archives
A Chance For Redemption
Whispering Shadows follows a man with a terminal illness who keeps this information from his wife, only to die in a tragic accident and awaken in a world between life and death, with a need to find redemption. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Many years ago I was told of a man who had been diagnosed with Terminal Cancer, and that he would be fortunate to see the year out. Unfortunately, not the most uncommon of revelations, except that he not only refused any form of treatment but also decided in his ‘wisdom’ to withhold the diagnosis from his wife, at least until he felt the time was right! One Winter’s night a few months later he died in a high speed car crash, quite alone, with no other persons or vehicles involved. The effect on his partner was naturally immense, but equally, the discovery of his diagnosis, along with the projected time left to live, and something she could not forgive. Was it suicide or an accident? The fact that he could not bring himself to confide in the one person who should have been at the head of the list was something that has stay with me. Perhaps something he would have attempted to rectify should there be an afterlife, a chance for redemption.
Ethan’s journey in the afterlife takes readers on a complex journey of love and loss as he tries to find forgiveness. What do you think were some of the defining moments in Ethan’s development?
Ethan’s discovery that an afterlife exists, his wife believing he committed suicide, and subsequent determination to prove that it really was an unfortunate accident, along with an overpowering need to explain what took place on that snow-laden day and obtain her forgiveness for his deception. The rare permission granted to revisit earth and seek out the person now imbued with Gen’s life force and the people and places it would lead him to.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I think the paths that different people take throughout their lives, and the realisation that so much is destiny or at least outside of our control, the idiom ‘what will be will be’ comes to mind. Also the good that resides in everyone, the need to love and be loved, however deep it might be hidden. It never fails to amaze at how couples first meet, often by the slender of chances, only to spend a lifetime together accepting the other as their predetermined soulmate.
What is the next book that you’re working on, and when can your fans expect it out?
The story of an RAF pilot in the Second World War who inadvertently saves the life of another, a German pilot, albeit seriously injured, and the bizarre happenings that follow their lives from that moment forward. Inspired by a true story, one that results in a friendship that survives the terrible events of the war and is rekindled by a chance magazine article followed by a phone call that would reunite both the men and their families in their later years. A book that will hopefully be completed early 2026.
What if death wasn’t the end of your story, but the beginning of a greater search – for truth, for forgiveness, and for the soul you lost?
Ethan Turing wakes to a world forever changed. A routine medical appointment delivers a devastating diagnosis: he has only months to live. Reeling from the news, Ethan keeps it from his beloved wife, Gen, intending to shield her from the pain. But fate intervenes when a tragic accident on a snow-covered London street leads to his untimely death.
Presumed a suicide, Ethan’s demise leaves Gen in anguish, unaware of his terminal illness. As she grapples with grief, she discovers she is carrying their child – a son she names after Ethan. Tragically, complications during childbirth claim her life, leaving their newborn orphaned.
Yet, Ethan’s journey doesn’t end with death. His soul is intercepted by enigmatic beings who recognize his potent life force. Offered a chance to transcend his fate, Ethan embarks on a quest to find Gen’s reincarnated soul. Granted the opportunity to return to Earth, he must identify her among six individuals scattered across the globe. Only by looking into their eyes can he discern her true identity and seek the forgiveness he so desperately craves.
Whispering Shadows is a poignant exploration of love, loss, and the enduring bonds that transcend time and space. Paul Flintham weaves a tale that challenges the boundaries of life and death, asking: can love truly conquer all?
WHISPERING SHADOWS: A Search for Redemption
Whispering Shadows begins on a snowy London afternoon with Ethan Turing, a man lost in thought and regret. After a freak accident, he wakes in a candlelit world between life and death, guided by two mysterious figures named Bartholomew and Augustus. From there, the story drifts between the physical and spiritual, weaving together Ethan’s memories, his marriage, and his search for redemption. What starts as tragedy becomes an exploration of love, loss, and what might wait beyond.
The opening café scene in the snow is vivid; I could hear the wind and feel the cold sting of the air. When Ethan’s photo slips from his hand and fate takes over, the shift from realism to mystery is seamless. Flintham’s pacing is confident; he lets the tension breathe before pulling the floor out from under you. The candlelit awakening that follows feels eerie and tender at once, almost like a ghost story that doesn’t know it’s one.
The heart of the novel, though, lies in Ethan’s relationship with his wife, Gen. Their easy banter about “saudade,” a word for the love that remains after loss, is beautiful and bittersweet. When Ethan learns his diagnosis, the story slows down and deepens. His silence, his attempt to protect Gen from his illness, feels painfully human. The scene with Dr. Fabrice is brutal in its quiet honesty; you can almost hear the clock ticking in that room.
Flintham blends realism and spirituality with surprising grace. The otherworldly setting never feels far from home, more like an extension of Ethan’s conscience. Bartholomew and Augustus aren’t saints or angels so much as echoes of moral reckoning. The dialogue sometimes flirts with the abstract, but it stays grounded in emotion. By the final chapters, I wasn’t reading for answers; I just wanted Ethan to find peace.
By the end, Whispering Shadows left me heavy-hearted but oddly comforted. The prose lingers on small details, snowflakes, candlelight, fleeting glances, and somehow turns grief into something luminous. It’s not a flawless book, but it’s an honest one. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys emotional, reflective fiction, stories that ask life’s biggest questions without pretending to have the answers.
Pages: 349 | ASIN : B0F8XWP4F9
My Secret Hideaway
A Goblin’s Mind the bizarre, the enchanted, and the profoundly unwell—with tea, therapy, and an ironclad refusal to get emotionally involved. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Long short story short, I entered a 3 day novel writing contest, and being a psychology major and fantasy lover, I began to string together some ideas. It was truly my love for the “didn’t see it coming” books and movies that seeded the arc for this one.
I find the world you created in this novel brimming with possibilities. Where did the inspiration for the setting come from, and how did it change as you were writing?
I have a world where all my fantasy stories exist: The Corwyn Chronicles. It’s been my secret hideaway since I was a teenager. With many short stories, novelettes, and the upcoming first book of a four book series coming out this year, the world (and my writing) has grown exponentially.
What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?
Everything about the human condition makes for great fiction. Ideas can come from anything. The well I tapped for this book runs deep: human flaws and our need to label them. Dr. Harlow can, at times, represent the judge, forgetting that even therapists have their flaws. No one is “better” than the next person; we all just have floating opinions we treat as fact.
What is the next book that you’re working on, and when can your fans expect it out?
A Prologue of Deception is book 1 of 4 in the Talisman Series, set in the same universe as A Goblin’s Mind. It’s scheduled for release by Golden Storyline Books before the end of 2025.
Two stand-alone books are in submissions: a YA paranormal story set in the real world and a hybrid poetry/fantasy collection containing many of my award-winning and published works. Another full-length Corwyn Chronicles novel is being written, expanding the world even further.
Author Links: GoodReads | X | Facebook | Website | Newletter
Doctor Harlow is methodical. Composed. A trusted mind in a kingdom full of unstable ones. On a remote island far from the crown, Harlow treats the bizarre, the enchanted, and the profoundly unwell—with tea, therapy, and an ironclad refusal to get emotionally involved.
But when a quiet goblin arrives—haunted by invisible friends and stories that don’t quite add up—something begins to crack.
At first, the sessions seem harmless. Eccentric, even amusing. Then people begin to vanish. Details shift. Memories blur. And the threads that hold reality together begin to fray like cheap spell work.
As the island slips further out of sync, Harlow must confront a terrifying possibility: the patients aren’t the ones unravelling.
A Goblin’s Mind
A Goblin’s Mind follows Doctor Harlow, a sharp-witted therapist living in a secluded forest who treats the most peculiar of clients. Through his sessions with a compulsive half-unicorn hoarder, an arrogant wizard, a lonely young goblin, and even royalty, Harlow navigates strange personalities, tangled problems, and his own isolation. Each chapter plays out like a self-contained therapy vignette, yet threads of mystery and personal reflection run underneath, hinting at Harlow’s own unfinished business and the curious island he inhabits. The tone swings between deadpan humor, gentle empathy, and surreal fantasy, making the reader feel both entertained and unsettled.
I enjoyed the way the writing marries dry wit with moments of quiet melancholy. Dresner has a gift for making absurd scenarios feel grounded. A unicorn discussing her belt-buckle attachment issues becomes, in his hands, both hilarious and strangely poignant. The banter between characters is crisp and revealing, with dialogue that often says as much in what is left unsaid as in what is spoken. At times, I laughed at Harlow’s sardonic observations. Other moments caught me off guard with their tenderness. There’s a rhythm to the prose that makes the conversations feel alive, and yet the pacing never lingers too long in one mood before shifting to another.
I also found myself appreciating the undercurrent of loneliness that runs through the book. Harlow may be the one guiding others, but Dresner never lets us forget he is just as mortal as his patients, grappling with uncertainty and longing. The island itself feels like a character, its stillness and strange boundaries adding to the sense that everyone here is a little trapped, including the good doctor. Some of the surreal touches, like the recurring dream imagery and the letter that keeps reappearing, worked beautifully to keep me curious, though a few left me wishing for more payoff. The blend of slice-of-life pacing with the quirks of high fantasy felt fresh.
I’d recommend A Goblin’s Mind to readers who enjoy character-driven fantasy with a strong conversational voice. If you like your worlds a bit odd, your humor a bit dry, and your moments of heart snuck in between the jokes, this is worth picking up. For anyone who enjoys the idea of a therapist’s couch deep in an enchanted forest, Dresner delivers something charming, sly, and quietly moving.
Pages: 176 | ISBN : 1989482082
Shadows and Black in the Light
Amy van Rijthoven’s Shadows and Black in the Light is a haunting and poetic journey through the lives of two deeply scarred individuals—Millie and Andy—whose stories intertwine across themes of grief, betrayal, longing, and redemption. Set against the backdrop of rural Australia, the novel moves between the perspectives of Millie, a teenager on the brink of adulthood grappling with the mysterious death of her father and the emotional absence of her mother, and Andy, a former associate of her father caught between his criminal past and an aching desire to start over. As their lives begin to overlap, the novel paints an intricate portrait of broken families, buried secrets, and the fragile, persistent hope for healing.
What I liked most was the visceral, emotional quality of the writing. Van Rijthoven doesn’t shy away from the messiness of human relationships. Her prose is vivid, lyrical, sometimes raw, evoking smells, textures, and fleeting moments with clarity. Millie’s voice is especially poignant. She’s young but not naive, strong yet vulnerable. I often found myself pausing to absorb the depth of her thoughts, quiet reflections that feel both personal and relatable. Andy’s chapters, on the other hand, are grittier and rough-edged, but they balance Millie’s internal monologue with action and a grim look at life on the other side of the law. The dual narrative worked beautifully for me—it was like watching two storms edge closer together until they finally collide.
While the emotional weight carried the story far, there were moments when the pacing felt uneven—certain scenes lingered, while others that seemed pivotal moved quickly. But even when the plot wandered, the emotional heartbeat never faltered. The mystery, the slow-burn relationships, the tension—it kept me hooked. And by the final chapters, I felt I had truly gone on a journey with these characters. Their growth felt earned.
Shadows and Black in the Light is a heartfelt and emotionally rich novel that is perfect for readers who enjoy stories of self-discovery, slow-burning suspense, and complex family drama. If you’re the kind of person who likes to sit with a story long after it ends, who appreciates prose that breathes, and who isn’t afraid of confronting the shadows we all carry, this book is for you.
Pages: 310 | ASIN : B0FB3L88ZY
LITERARY TITAN 