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Peering Into The Dark
Shacklady follows a group of friends as they investigate an abandoned mine that holds a mysterious train buried within and uncover dangerous secrets that could cost them their lives. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
The inspiration for ‘Shacklady,’ was based on a trip I took as a child with my parents, to explore the Blue John Mine in Derbyshire. For some reason the caverns scared me, more than a little. I constantly found myself peering into the dark, looking for ‘something’ that was never there. I felt that the darkness was watching me and even though it happened many years ago, that fear never left me. So much so that I still occasionally have a repeating nightmare based around the events of that day and when the nightmare occurs, I usually wake up pouring sweat and disorientated. To this day, caves still fill me full of unnatural dread and I try to avoid them if at all possible.
What was your favorite character to write for and why? Was there a scene you felt captured the characters essence?
Nick, is nearly always my favourite character to write because of his self doubt, which often hinders his case work.
What were some goals you set for yourself as a writer in this book?
I am constantly looking for that elusive, ‘I can’t stop turning the pages but am afraid of what I might find there when I do,’ moment.
I’ve always thought that a fear unknown yet anticipated, is the ultimate heart stopper and that the greatest fear factory resides inside ones own mind.
A major challenge in this story was to write from within semi darkness as it renders most of sight redundant. The characters have to employ all their other senses to paint the landscape within.
Will there be a fourth Nick Swann book, if so when will it be available?
Yes, I’m working on it now and it’s working title is, ‘Krownyn Point.’ I anticipate publishing it by next Summer.
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The mystery of how this happened and the strange presence of The Lady Emily, an ancient steam engine, draws Nick, Wendy and Alan into a dangerous underground adventure. One which finds them trapped in a battle between malevolent forces, risking all their lives and creating profound consequences for many.
Shacklady
Shacklady by Keller Yeats is a mysterious tale set in Wales. It follows Alan, a man who has purchased an old building and some land. During his renovation, he discovers that his purchase has more to offer when his friend Gerry finds an old mine that was once owned by Silas Shacklady, who became rich from mining the cliffs many years ago but abandoned the project. Alan has his old friend and business partner Nick and his wife Wendy come to explore the mine further. They soon learn that this mine contains many secrets lurking in the dark.
The suspense and intrigue in this novel is created right from the beginning. The author starts by plunging readers straight into the mystery surrounding the mine. This is done through subtle suggestions at first, such as, why there are no tracks to get the train out of the mine shaft. Then the reader is left wondering what happened to Gerry. As the reader is given the information about Gerry’s return to the mine where the characters are not, this adds yet another layer of intrigue. I reveled in this deliberate buildup of the story as I felt it was laying the groundwork for a compelling, and at times eerie, supernatural thriller.
I had initially imagined that delving into a mine would not yield much in the way of fantastic imagery, so I was content with a claustrophobic story, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the author is able to create vivid imagery that blew away all my expectations. For example, by using phrases like ‘swallowed swiftly by the blackness’ and ‘the thicker the air became and the hotter it felt’ the author utilizes all of the senses while taking readers into the depths of the mine. This allowed me to perfectly visualize what was happening and imagine what the characters must be feeling.
Shacklady is a dark and suspenseful supernatural horror story with an intriguing backstory that gives this book surprising depth. With a captivating cast of characters, a compelling mystery at its core, and sharp writing this is a tense scary story that I highly recommend.
Pages: 346 | ASIN : B09XRG2YKN
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